GUEST ARTIST: “Watercolor Beautiful” by Corinne Ribera

Hello and welcome! My name is Corinne Ribera, I am French and I live near Nimes. Painting has always given me immense joy and I would like to share this joy with you. As a child, I have always loved to draw, paint and color. I remember looking at illustrations of characters in old books and marveling at the simple and concise strokes of color blending into perfect shadows.

This inspired me to find a way to recreate the look many years later with watercolor. I have dabbled in many different mediums as part of my education, and I love painting in watercolor. It is a very direct and spontaneous medium for me and I love the challenges it presents to me as an artist. I have been painting exclusively with watercolor since 2010 and I love the magic of watercolor, its light, its fluid texture and its flexibility.

I took drawing classes for two years with a painter and participated in several watercolor exhibitions, local galleries tried to show my work. This gave me a lot of encouragement and motivation. My paintings usually start with a drawing – sometimes a fluid outline drawing and other times a more calculated approach.

If time is limited or the subject matter is not too complex, I will go straight into pencil drawing. My learning curve always pushes me further and allows me to progress in my own way and at my own pace. I like to push my limits. My paintings sell all over the world, for which I am truly grateful.

My favorite watercolors are Winsor & Newton and Sennelier (I prefer honey watercolor in their formulas). My palettes consist of Quinacridone Gold, Hansa Yellow Medium, Raw Sienna, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Scarlett Lake, Alizarin Crimson, Permanent Rose, Cobalt Blue, French Ultramarine Blue, Winsor Cerulean Blue, Serpentine Green, Bladder Green, Viridian, Perylene Green.

My watercolor paper of choice is Moulin du Coq 325 grams watercolor paper “Le rouge” has a natural whiteness obtained without artifice, and the Watercolor Block sizing 1 side Fine Grain 300g/m² Arches. A beautiful paper that is very versatile.

A great source of inspiration for me is nature. I love the beach, sea life, lighthouses, seagulls and just the sound of the waves. I paint flowers, birds and animals. I like free painting. My themes are animals, birds, flowers in nature, landscapes. In my paintings I try to capture light, warmth and sensations. I now paint for at least 2 to 3 hours sitting every day. I like to do my painting early in the morning or late at night when I can have some peace and quiet.

As for my process, I usually paint indoors on watercolor pads. I sometimes use watercolor sketchbooks outside. I’ve also been trying to stretch out larger sheets of watercolor paper. I’d like to play with that more in the future. You can find my watercolors on Etsy and free watercolor tutorials on YouTube. Also on Instagram, I regularly post watercolors and my painting process.

I hope you enjoyed my little story and for those of you who are considering starting your journey, remember, it’s always the first step that is the hardest. If you enjoyed my work please visit me at the links below.

Corinne Ribera
Etsy
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

See author's posts