Sorry for the bad photography here. I will be submitting a scan of the finished painting in a few days. However, I did not want to scan every single step, so I took photos instead. They are a little fuzzy, but I think the get the point across. To really see the finished colors, please take a look at the finished deviation when I post it later in the week.

Underpainting: This is a technique I use a lot in my pieces, and I have gotten lots of questions about it. Basically, it is a technique which creates very rich tones underneath the main color. I do most of my underpainting with yellows and purples. I find that these colors interact well with other colors. If you do not underpaint your colors will look washed out since watercolor is transparent. So your colors sit on a white background. When you underpaint, your final colors sit on top of a colored background, and become more rich. This technique takes practice. Before you do a whole piece in using underpainting, I recommend experimenting with little things, like painting an apple, or painting a box, just ot get a feel for how the colors interact. Also, you may find that you prefer using colors other than purple or yellow for your underpainting, and you will probably find that some colors work best in some instances, and others work best in others (This is what I have found, but I simplified my process for this tutorial so not to confuse people). It is very easy to over do things, so experimenting will save you a lot of heartache and will help you get the results you want on a finished piece.

I hope this is informative. If you have have any other questions about my technique or underpainting, just let me know and I will try to answer them!