Hedgehog in Watercolor and Ink

I’m back to working on animals and decided to try sketching and painting a little Hedgehog. I started off with a few pencil sketches to warm up and then moved on to ink.

Hedgehog sketch in ink

This little hedgehog was sketched in my Canson 7×10 inch Mix Media sketchbook. I used Micron pens sizes .01, 03, and .04. I tried to use some expressive squiggles on his back. After this ink sketch I moved on to the colorful watercolor below.

Hedgehog watercolor

My Hedgehog was painted on 9×12 inch Saunders watercolor paper. Instead of going with a brown and black palette for this little guy, I decided to use a variety of different colors. For the hair on his back, I lightly dampened a small area and then splashed on different colors. I dragged my small round brush (#2) sideways and then pulled upward to create most of the bushy hair on his back. I think that these playful brush strokes gave the hair some nice movement.

Hedgehog 2 watercolor

This last Hedgehog was painted in my Canson 7×10 inch watercolor sketchbook. A little different view for this painting.  He looks like he is on the move!

Watercolor Tips:

• The very dark color directly underneath each hedgehog is important because it helps to ground them and it also adds a nice contrast to their lighter under fur.
• Change your rinse water when it starts to look cloudy, otherwise your pretty colors will start to look a bit muddy on your paper.
• I find that I most often use my Round brushes sizes: 10,6, and 2. I have many other brushes to choose from but these brushes seem to be my go to brushes. They are very versatile and work well for painting most things.

What is your favorite watercolor brush?  Which brush do you use most often?

I hope you enjoy seeing my work and are inspired to keep painting, creating, and having fun. If you would like to receive notifications of new posts by email, simply click the follow button on the right. I would love to have you follow me on this creative journey.

You can see more of my work on Instagram and my website, PattyAnneArt. Until next time, I hope you have a great week and do something fun!

Happy Painting!

Patty Anne