Watercolor
If you are just starting out on your journey to find your “art happy” and awaken your creative side, you are probably overwhelmed with all the choices. There are so many mediums and so many techniques that it can be hard to sift through all the options so that you can find the one that is right for you. For me, the path was long and winding. I’ve tried everything, from traditional drawing and painting techniques with watercolor, acrylic and oil painting, to photography, pottery, paper-making and stained glass. If you’ve explored this website a bit before landing here, you probably already know that I have a hard time committing to just one thing. My favorite art “medium” is mixed media- which is obviously a bit of a cop out! However, if I had to make a recommendation on where to begin for someone just starting out on his or her art exploration journey, I would wholeheartedly suggest watercolor.
BEAUTY IN SIMPLICITY: WATERCOLOR
Lately the cliche “Less is More” has been ringing true for practically all aspects of my life, and I have rediscovered my love of drawing and painting with ink and watercolor. There are so many reasons for my renewed romance with these two mediums, individually and in combination, and rather than grow bored with them I am finding that I am growing more and more in love with them every day. Because I recognize that many people are a little fearful of the idea of starting with watercolors, I have decided that rather than focus on all the reasons there are to love this medium, I am first going to address all the reasons you should not hate and fear it.
Watercolors are translucent and this, in my opinion, is one of the properties that makes them so beautiful. Unfortunately, it’s this same property that makes them intimidating; “Mistakes” can’t be hidden under new layers like they can with opaque paints like acrylics and oils. If this is your fear, or if it’s just that you’ve tried and failed to make frame-worthy art with watercolors in the past, then I’d like to encourage you to give it another shot. What most people don’t know is that watercolors are extremely forgiving and even beginners can achieve beautiful results- as long as they know the secrets.
MAKE WATERCOLOR MAGIC: THE 4 SECRETS TO SUCCESS
- Choose your materials wisely
If you are working with the wrong materials, you will end up frustrated and discouraged. You don’t need the most expensive paints, brushes and papers but you do need to avoid the wrong ones. One important tip here is to choose the right paper. If you are working on individual sheets of paper I would suggest working on watercolor paper that is at least 140lb/ 300gsm weight; However as far as sketchbooks go, I have found that watercolor or mixed media paper as light as 90lb or even 150gsm works just fine. That’s mainly because for me, a sketchbook is for playing. I usually stick to a light wash or 2, with not much water and I feel like the slight buckling of the pages adds to the charm. Here is my list of favorite art supplies.
2. Let go of the fear
Begin with baby steps. Don’t set out to paint a portrait of your aunt Sally on your first attempt. Start with small, fun activities and work in a sketchbook or art journal where your art can be for your eyes only until you are ready to share it with others.
3. Practice your techniques
Little changes, things like adjusting how you hold your brush and the amount of water you mix with your paint, can have a huge impact. If you give yourself permission to play with your tools and materials without worrying about the outcome you’ll be surprised at what you will learn.
4. Relax!
Learn to let go! One of the advantages of combining watercolor with ink is that an ink sketch (even a loose and expressive one) can provide all the details your art needs. This gives you the freedom to be more expressive with your brushstrokes. Once you try this you’ll be amazed to see the medium will do most of the work for you. Even more importantly, you will be amazed at how stress-free and enjoyable art-making can be.