How to Create Watercolor-Inspired Tulips Using Zebra Metallic Brush Pens
Hello, I’m Krystal of Love Letters at Dawn. I am an Artist Ambassador for Zebra Pen USA, a lefty letterer, and watercolor artist hanging out in beautiful New Mexico. I’m here to show you how to create a gorgeous spring tulip watercolor painting using a few awesome Zebra pens!
Zebra Pen has a wide variety of colorful tools for you to use. Today, I’m going to be using the Metallic Brush Pens, which come in 7 magical colors. I’ll be using the purple metallic, pink metallic, and the green metallic colors. I will complete the painting by using the Zensations Technical Drawing Pens that come in a 6-pack that include six different pen sizes. I’m using the size 0.5 and the 0.3. I chose these pens because the Metallic Brush Pens are water-resistant but move so well when you add a few splashes of water. I will add the final touches using the Zensations Technical Drawing Pens that add depth to the tulips! Let’s begin!
Step 1: Creating the basic tulip shapes
Begin by making a few outline marks with your pink and purple Metallic Brush Pens. The goal is to create the basic shape of the tulip petals. You will be adding water to these outlines, so they do not need to be perfect. Feel free to get creative and let your Metallic Brush Pen flow. You can create different strokes by applying pressure at the start of the stroke for thicker lines and releasing at the end for thinner strokes.
Step 2: Add water for a watercolor effect
After you have the basic shape of your tulips, wet your paint brush with a small amount of water and begin to push the pigment from the Metallic Brush Pens about. Work from the bottom of each tulip petal to the top. Keep the base of the tulip darker than the tips of the petals. Flowers are all unique and it’s their imperfections that make them perfect.
Step 3: Add stem and leaves to your watercolor tulips
When you’re satisfied with how the tulip petals are drawn and painted, you can then draw the stems and leaves using the green Metallic Brush Pen. Keep these free-flowing and fun. I always try to imagine how tulips look in a bouquet or in a vase. I love how there is usually one flower that droops. Then, practice the technique we used earlier when adding the water to the petals by adding water to your brush and softening the stems and leaves.
Step 4: Add outlines and details to your artwork
This last step happens to be one of my favorites. This is where we add the details to the tulips to make them stand out. One of my favorite Zebra Pen products is the Zensations Technical Drawing Pens. You can use these with watercolor without any worry of the ink running. Be as creative as you like. I like to add lines to where I drew the petal outline in the beginning, outlining the stems, adding depth to the leaves, and moving all about the painting to create wispy lines. I hope you find this watercolor-inspired tutorial helpful and that it inspires you to use your Zebra Pen products in new and exciting ways. For more art inspiration, check out Sandra Strait’s tutorial on How to Draw a Fennec Fox with Zebra Metallic Brush Pens.
