A Complete Guide to Watercolor Bokeh Effects – Turning Your Brushes Into a Camera

About This Class

Are you interested in adding a bokeh effect to your watercolor paintings to highlight the main subjects? If yes, then this class is perfect for you!

Hello, everyone! I’m Yu-Yin Lin, an artist who specializes in oil painting and runs the Instagram page @yincreativestudio. While watercolor wasn’t my main focus, I became a brand ambassador for a famous watercolor company two years ago, and have been devoted to exploring the medium since. Watercolor can be challenging, but I’ve found ways to create unique effects, such as the blurry, out-of-focus bokeh effect seen in photography. After improving my skills and receiving requests from others, I’ve decided to share my painting process with you!

In this class, I’ll guide you through creating a dreamy, photography-like painting using watercolor. I’ll cover the following topics:

Finding inspiration through personal photos or online searches. Required art supplies for the class. Basic principles of art for painting composition. Tips for using masking fluid to protect brushes and remove excess. Basic watercolor techniques, including washes, wet-on-wet, and lifting out colors. Creating a monochromatic bokeh effect using black and white or varying tones of a single color. Creating a multicolored bokeh effect using multiple colors. Painting the main subject (cosmo flowers) realistically. Bonus tip for fixing mistakes in the bokeh effect background.

This class is perfect for those interested in creating dreamy backgrounds in their watercolor paintings, regardless of their painting style. By the end of the class, you’ll be able to apply these skills to all of your future watercolor paintings. Let’s grab our art supplies and get started!