Its been some days since I shared any of my paintings here. Today I attended the second of four weekly watercolour workshops. There will be two more in the coming weeks.
When I look back, I cannot exactly pinpoint the time I got interested in watercolours. There was the coffee painting , also acrylic and gouache painting workshops that I attended, all half day events. I remember being attracted by the medium of gouache. The creamy texture of the paints and the smooth way the brush filled with colour glided on paper felt divine.
And yet…
It was not gouache I ended up falling in love with, but watercolours. It’s a hard medium, everyone told me, not as easy as oil, acrylic or gouache. But who cares? That’s the medium that attracted me and that’s what I was going to try.
I watched the many videos on Instagram and YouTube and was totally mesmerised. How easy it all seemed. Eventually I summoned up courage to try my hand at it. What could I lose other than ending up with some botched up paper?
It was not all smooth sailing. I couldn’t get the water ratio right, the merging of colours ended up looking muddy, I didn’t know how to ‘lift’ paint or to give a smooth ‘wash’. Not that I can do it all now, but slowly I am getting better, I believe.
There’s a long way to go before I can be called a watercolour artist. But I don’t mind. I’d rather be a lay person who enjoys the process of painting itself rather than be assigned tags. So I do just that, enjoy putting colours on paper.
Sharing a few of my attempts:
©️ Shail Mohan 2024
You are a talented gal!
Thank you, Anne! I am quite enjoying my new hobby!
Well done for pushing the boat out! I have tried – and miserably failed – multiple times to learn how to do art. I’ve tried drawing – my real interest – but just can’t keep it up and my attempts are, at best, imperfect copies of other drawings. Can’t do anything from real life or imagination. I’m in awe of your boldness to persevere!
Watercolour is not the easiest of media to master. These are looking good!
Yes, Mick. I agree, though it looks so easy. 🙂
And, thank you!
Well, it looks like you’re painting small size paintings. In order to learn watercolor, you have to simply go for techniques first and go way bigger. Videos won’t show you all what’s involved. Paper is important, quality of paints is important, not to mention acquiring the ability to use brushstroke.
Layering watercolor is one of the best ways to create contrast, volume and dimension. It is a start what you have here, but you have to allow yourself using watercolor in different ways, from wash to definite parts.
I’ve been teaching watercolor for many decades and I can see that thanks to tiny online tutorials, nobody knows how to really use watercolor.
It might be the best you forget about tutorials and just start experimenting.
If you want realistic look, start with drawing, and there are ways to transfer the drawing so that no thick pencil lines appear.
Watercolor paper is sensitive, shouldn’t do much erasing.
The cotton paper, like Arches allows for great washes, you cannot ever achieve that look with like Strathmore or similar papers. The thicker and heavier paper, the better.
It takes time to get used to watercolor, and by any means, it’s not more difficult than other media. It’s a myth that watercolor cannot be corrected, adjusted and so forth.
Be patient, and with every other attempt you will manage watercolor paint and water proportion better. Also, go with layers.
Drawing still life from real things allows understanding values, contrast, direction of light and shapes of shadow. That helps, that is simple drawing. I do them large for my students, like 24 x 18 inches, and watercolor paintings also should be done large in order to learn. Good luck!