How I Create Custom Watercolour Artwork for Your Brand or Project
How We’ll Create Your Painting Together
Watercolour has a life of its own: it flows, blends, and leaves behind textures and transparencies that no other medium can truly replicate. It brings an organic depth to a project, making it feel alive and memorable.
Over the years, I have worked with publishers, brands, and creators to bring their ideas to life in a way that stands out — sometimes in unexpected ways. For example, my 200 hand painted dragons for the board game Wyrmspan gave the game a whimsical and poetic atmosphere that stands out in the world of dragon fantasy.
Whether for a global release, a special edition, or a one off commission, watercolour adds a touch of the unexpected that digital art alone cannot offer.
This guide will take you through how we can work together, step by step.
Every project starts with a conversation, preferably by email (bonjour@blule.fr).
As I am not English born, I find it easier to capture all the details in writing. We can do a video call if you like, just be ready for my strong French accent 🙂.
You tell me all about your idea: the topic, the mood, the colours, perhaps share images or a Pinterest board you created, the size of the images you are after, the deadline, and the final form you need. Will the artwork live on real paper or as high resolution files? Do you need full copyrights or a licence for a specific use?
From there, I will tell you honestly if my paintings are a good fit for your vision. If the match feels right, and the timeframe works, I will send you a quote.
Step 1: The Sketch
Once the contract is signed, and we agree on terms and conditions, I begin to scribble on my iPad with Procreate. This is where I design the composition and choose the colour palette.
The beauty of this stage is flexibility: we can edit until you are completely happy.
As a little bonus 🎁, I often send you a timelapse replay of the drawing so you can watch the whole process unfold in a few seconds — like a mini behind the scenes movie of your artwork being born.
Sketches for Insula Orchestra cover album
Step 2: The Painting
When the sketch and palette are approved, I move to paper.
This is where the magic (and the risk) of watercolour happens. It is not digital, and it does not forgive mistakes. That is also what makes it so unique: an authentic, luminous texture that no AI can mimic (yet 😉).
Because watercolour cannot be erased, this step only begins once we are 100% sure about the sketch. If something goes wrong, I start all over again. And yes, that is as dramatic as it sounds, but it is also part of the craft.
When the painting is finished, I can make small adjustments: a little more depth in the colours, a touch of contrast, some extra details. But the bones of the painting stay as they were painted.
Step 3: The Digital Master
Once you love the painting, I scan it in high definition with a professional A3 scanner. Then I move to Photoshop to clean the image. This part of the process takes me between 30 minutes and 2 hours per image, depending on its size and complexity.
The transparency and layering of watercolour make it tricky to reproduce faithfully, and I do not take the easy path that some artists use, such as burning the paper whites or over-saturating colours with brightness or adventurous curves. My goal is always to keep the artwork as close as possible to the original, with all its subtleties intact.
This step is not to be ignored: many customers do not realise how much work goes into scanning and preparing a watercolour painting for print. It is a quiet but essential part of the process.
Step 4: The Delivery
You will receive your final HD file (.JPG or .PSD), a ready to print image you can use for your project.
If your project includes the original painting, it will be carefully wrapped and shipped to you, along with all the love, care, and pigment it took to create it.
If your project involves graphic design, typography, or block text layout, I will leave that part to your graphic designer. My focus and expertise are on creating the images, not designing the text elements — it is a very different skill and one best handled by someone who specialises in it.
In the end, every project is a collaboration.
You bring your story, I bring my brushes, my artistic vision, and years of experience, and together we create something that will live well beyond its deadline: a piece that carries the marks of my hand, the flow of watercolour, and the small imperfections that make it alive.
If you think your next project could use a touch of that, my inbox is always open: bonjour@blule.fr