Capturing iridescence with watercolor

I admit to being a little obsessed with capturing iridescent colors in the field—beetles, hummingbirds, even rocks! It can be a little challenging with watercolor, but there are a few tips that really help. 🌈 🪲. For example, to create a purply or blue-black iridescent beetle, paint a base layer using a heavily staining color like pthalo blue (make it purple by adding a magenta or rose) and let it dry. Then paint over it with a black that has lifting properties and let that dry (best mix I’ve found is indanthrone blue plus burnt sienna). Then, brush over the high points with a clean wet brush and “lift” the black, wiping the brush in between swipes with a tissue. Slowly the blue or purple iridescence will become visible until you have a glowing beetle!

There is a full tutorial on iridescence (including a yellow beetle and a hummingbird) in the Vol. 1, No. 2 issue of Exploration Quarterly, available as online content for just $39.

See the short video example below: