Watercolor is Fun

As a kid, I loved to doodle and color.  I'm blessed that my parents allowed me to develop my interest by letting me take up art classes.  I learned basic sketching, oil pastel and painting.  Watercolor for me was what I enjoyed most.  I loved how the different colors blended with each other in water and its unexpected formations.  With watercolor you both have control and no control, which for me really unleashes a creativity that no other medium can.  It also allows you to develop your own style, wether you want to be detailed or abstract or a combination of both.

Watercolor is fairly easy to learn.  A lot of people can actually learn it on their own.  There are tons of resources like books, websites and videos for you to do so.  You start out by learning the different washes, brush strokes and color blends.  Once you get the hang of it you can start painting still life objects like flowers, fruits, jars etc... Then progress to painting landscapes until you discover your personal style.

Here are some useful sites that teaches the basics:

http://www.johnlovett.com/techniq.htm


http://www.watercolorpainting.com/watercolorpainting/wetinwet.htm

To get started here are the materials needed:

1. Pencil - you need a pencil to sketch or outline your subject matter.  This will serve as your guide.  It's recommended to use 6B drawing pencil so it won't scratch the watercolor paper.

2. Watercolor Pigments/Paint - you can get sets of tubes or cakes in the art store.

3. Watercolor Paper/Sketchbooks

4. Watercolor Brushes - start with round brush sizes 2, 4, 6, 8 and a flat brush.

5. Tissue Paper - this is much needed for blotting and making some effects.

6. Water Pail - to wet and clean your brushes.


Start with student grade materials and invest in more expensive and high quality materials once you get really into the art.

Here is my watercolor materials:

Here are some of my artworks...

I painted this when I was 11:

Here are some painting exercises for color blending and washes:

Still life painting practice of apples:

Flame tree:

My style:

Watercolor is an addicting medium and it never fails to relax me.  I hope you will give it a try and that it won't disappoint you.