Experiments with Watercolour

Using my observational sketches, I tried out painting a few of them by layering flat washes of watercolour paint on normal sketchbook paper.

The layers of paint were to experiment with tones, and attempting to get a really rich and intense colour. I then tried adding details with various things, such as fineliner and crayon to see how this looked. The colour was painted on roughly, then outlines and details afterwards to define the image. I wanted to keep my drawings soft and friendly looking to appeal to children, and I wanted to focus on getting a general feel for the animal rather than getting it completely realistic and accurate. 
I found that colour really helped to bring the sketches to life, 

I also tried out some experiments with mark making. I often use washes of watercolour in my sketchbook, this is something I am quite comfortable doing and worked really well to paint the soft and fluffy fur of the rabbits, but it didn't really portray other textures. For the hedgehog I needed to show the difference in texture for its spikes. I used a rough wash of paint for the base in the same way as the other paintings, but rather than working up layers of paint like normal I decided to get a smaller, flat paintbrush and "dot" on the page where the hedgehog's spikes were.

I really like the randomness of the marks, and contrast between the hedgehog's face and body. I think this technique effectively shows the textures.