Painting Polar Bears in Watercolor, Part 2 — Capturing Iridescent Light and Reflected Glow

Join me in Part 2 of this serene Arctic watercolor series — as I paint a mother polar bear and her two cubs bathed in soft, iridescent light. In this session, I’m carefully building shimmering fur textures and luminous reflected light using delicate pastel tones of blue, lavender, golden yellow, pink, orange, and turquoise against a glowing Arctic sky.

Here are some of the watercolor tips I’ll be sharing:
• Working in natural light for accurate color harmony
• Pre-mixing and testing pigments on watercolor paper
• Keeping a color diary of my swatches for future reference
• Maintaining clean water and brushes to prevent muddy colors
• Letting colors blend naturally on the paper
• Allowing the light of the paper to radiate through the pigments for that luminous glow

Watch as I add a warm streak of golden light along the shadow edge to create stunning reflected glow in the polar bear’s fur. This technique brings depth, sparkle, and life to the painting — a wonderful approach for anyone who loves mastering watercolor light and subtle color transitions.

✨ Subscribe for Part 3 and more watercolor painting tutorials from the Arctic and beyond.