Realistic Toadstool Painting
In my opinion, everything in nature is beautiful if you look at it closely enough. But some subjects instantly capture our imagination from afar. Like toadstools, for example. Their glowing red colour and surreal white spots are so eye-catching. In theory, they seem like they’d be lots of fun to paint. But have you ever actually tried to paint one? It can be hard to achieve their ethereal glow, especially if you’re using white paint for the spots. Thankfully creating a realistic toadstool painting in watercolour without the use of white paint is easier than you might expect.
If you’re lucky enough to spot one of these toadstools in the woods, it’ll draw you in like a magnet to take a closer look at this pristine, bright, temporary little structure that’s popped up from the earth.
Witnessing them in real like can feel like you’re experiencing magic first hand: partly from the stories of childhood that associate toadstools with fairies and enchanted woods. And partly because – how can something so perfect just spring up as if from nothing?
Realistic toadstool painting: the key to getting bright white spots
If you want to paint one of these beauties and for it to look so real that you can feel the magic coming from it, there’s a technique I recommend – and it doesn’t involve white paint.
I call it ‘negative painting’ where instead of painting the white spots on top of the red cap, as you would if you were using white paint, we paint around the spots, using the colour of the paper to give them their bright glow.
As you’ll see in this mini class, we get to work in a detailed way quite early in this process, adding shadows and details to the white spots before painting any red. I explain why in the video.
Watch the realistic toadstool painting mini class:
If you’re feeling inspired to fill your pages with some more woodland subjects, check out these other mini classes where I show you how to draw a 3D mushroom in pencil, a shiny conker (or buck eye) using pencil, a watercolor oak leaf and also this fluffy red squirrel.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments if you have a go at this realistic toadstool painting, or if you just enjoyed watching the video.
With love,
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You’re a fantastic teacher Anna.
Marita Ling
We’re in the process of selling our current home and moving to a new one. I will save this charming toad stool min for another time. Thank you for sharing your talent!
I’m watching your rose tutorial on Skillshare, and I’m seriously thinking I’m going to sign up for your monthly tutorials. You are a wonderful teacher, and I say this as someone who has tried a lot of different courses. I have the free pear tutorial, and haven’t gotten to it yet! Right now, I’m watching!
I’ve tried hot press several times now, and always end up feeling discouraged. I’m pretty good at cold press, but hot press is so different. Still, you make it look like I could do it, based on the way you’re showing us.
Do any of your tutorials get into using the paint brush, and showing us (up close) what your initial layers look like? I hate the way I have trouble getting things to blend. You seem to get your base layer down so smoothly.
Sorry I missed this message before, Anne. I’m glad you’re feeling inspired to try more of my classes. The Video Library comes with a collection of ‘explainers’ which break down things like brush techniques. My step-by-step classes show every stage, including the initial layer.
Do give the free pear class a try when you can, and if you’d like to give membership a go, remember I offer a 2 week refund promise. So you can try out more tutorials to see if the classes feel right for you, and if you change your mind within 2 weeks you can email my team for a full refund.
Either way I hope you’ll persevere with hot pressed paper. If you use an absorbent, 100% cotton one and follow the process I teach, you should find that you get on well with it.
Love to watch you painting – relaxes and inspires me, thankyou
Ahh, thank you Moira.