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| Heart Hands from Let's Make Art Tutorial |
I first painted Heart Hands from a Let’s Make Art tutorial, the Heart Hands Project back in February 2020. Honestly, if you want to learn everything about watercolor, you can’t go wrong with Let’s Make Art. No kickbacks or affiliate links here—just genuine respect and gratitude for Sarah Cray and the entire team.
When my niece was getting married, I knew I wanted to create a heart hands portrait of her and her new husband. I pulled the photographer aside and explained what I had in mind. She kindly took the photo, and when I offered to pay for it, she graciously said she was happy to do it at no additional charge.
Once I got the photo, I traced the image using Procreate, printed it on Translucent Vellum Paper and transferred the outline onto Arches 140lb Cold Pressed Paper with my LED Light Box.
Before I began painting, I used ruled washi tape to map out the edges of the composition on Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper, then stretched the paper. I secured it to my GatorBoard with water-activated tape and staples. The washi tape border keeps everything tidy while I work. (Curious about my prep process? Drop a comment—I might just write a full post about it.)
To protect the hands and arms while I worked on the background, I first outlined those areas with masking fluid, before covering them.
With masking fluid protecting the hands and arms, I started working on the background. I wanted the vegetation and beach to feel loose and a bit out of focus, just like in the reference photo, but with enough suggestion that someone might recognize the setting. Once I was happy with the initial layers of the background, I removed the masking fluid and started building up the hands and sleeves.
Once I felt I had gotten as far as I could with the beach at this stage, I removed the masking fluid. Watercolor painting is very much a dance—you think one area is finished, move on, and then realize it needs more work after all. As you’ll see in the photos, the foliage and beach kept evolving as I went.I learned a lot about mixing colors just by doing—mostly through early tutorials from Sarah at Let’s Make Art. She doesn’t dive into formal color theory; she simply tells you which colors to combine to get what you need. That hands-on approach worked.
As you can see in the photo above from when I first painted Heart Hands, skin tones come from a mix of red, purple, and green. It makes a kind of brownish base, and then you can adjust the tone depending on the skin you’re trying to match.
Because of that experience, I felt confident painting skin tones, even though many people feel the need to find the “exact” color. And honestly, what color is skin, really? It’s all about the variations and undertones you capture.
After enough practice, color mixing starts to feel natural—you develop an instinct for what to reach for.
Having said all that, my favorite way to mix a skin tone is to start with Raw Umber. It is a yellowish-brown, and I add Light Red (which, to me, kind of looks the color of blood) to shift to pink, a touch of Cerulean Blue for cooler shifts. (I am using my Mijello Mission Gold Watercolor 36 Set). Here I’m working on the first layers of their hands and sleeves.
I wasn’t expecting to have to paint the bride’s white dress with those shirred sleeves. It was a good reminder of something I often tell myself (and other artists): paint what you see, not what you know. I had to take a deep breath and really look at what was in front of me—cool shadows, touches of blue—not just the “white” fabric I knew I was looking at.
Since this was a gift for them, I wanted to include elements in the painting that would help them remember their wedding day: the main focus: their heart hands and the sleeves of their wedding attire.
In the image above this, after working on the hands, I realized the background needed more attention.
Creating artwork is a constant balancing act—a bit of a dance. You get one area just right, and suddenly the rhythm shifts—something else needs adjusting. This painting was no different. Once I got the hands where I thought I wanted them, I realized the background was too light and needed more depth.
…and once you get the background right, the hands need highlights! That’s the nature of watercolor—it’s a dance. You make a move in one area, and it changes the rhythm somewhere else.
Some watercolor purists say never to use white, while others disagree. Let’s be honest—sometimes the paper is just a tad beige, or you accidentally paint over an area you meant to leave light. In this case, a few highlights on the hands helped them pop right off the page and brought the whole piece back into balance.
The happy couple was pleasantly surprised by the framed artwork, and it now hangs in their home alongside other wedding décor.
Do you have a special keepsake or piece of art that holds deep meaning in your life? I’d love to hear your story in the comments!
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Supplies Used in This Piece: Some links below are affiliate; I may earn a small commission at no extra cost—thank you!
