Watercolor Painting: 5 Things I Learnt As A Watercolorist

Painted it recently {Reference photo: Unsplash}

Well, I am not an expert, to be honest. I am a self taught watercolourist, and started painting, or rather started painting properly, last year. Painting is one of the most unexpected activities that I am doing. There was a time when I couldn't even relate to the term 'Art & Craft'. But my interest in watercolour painting is not just one year old. I started some six years ago, then stopped. But there's a quotation by Michael Jordan:

'If you can't stop thinking about it, don't stop working for it.'

I stopped painting but I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I started again. This time, thankfully, I have managed to keep my enthusiasm alive. 

Now that I have started painting regularly, I realized that there are certain factors that matter when it comes to watercolour painting. And if we do not follow them, they might affect our painting in a negative way and can kill our enthusiasm. 

So, here I am sharing what I learnt. I'm not going to talk about regular painting lessons. I am talking about what works for me.

Reference photo: Pinterest

1. Good Watercolour Paper:

It's the most important lesson I have learnt as a beginner. Watercolour painting is a little expensive medium. But when we are beginners, we do not want to buy expensive art supplies, which is totally understandable. It's okay to not buy very expensive colours and brushes, but it's essential to buy good watercolour papers. A little expensive {There are some good brands that offer reasonable price} but totally worth it.

Honestly, I used to paint on regular drawing copy. And many a time, the results were frustrating. So, I started buying watercolour sheets. I paint on the both sides, as I don't want to waste paper.

2. Don't Expect Your Painting To Look Beautiful While You're Still Working On It:

Reference photo: Pinterest

I was painting a night scene and I felt that it was turning out really bad. So bad that I felt like leaving that unfinished and paint something else. Thankfully I didn't. I completed it and realized that it was not that bad. The next day, it looked even better. 

3. Don't Try To Recreate A Painting:

I don't know if you do this but I did it quite often. And again the results were frustrating. A painting is already a recreated version. And if you try to copy that recreated version, the results are usually not that satisfactory. For me, reference photos work best. 

4. Understanding The Reference Photos:

So, when I started to follow reference photos {and not paintings}, I tried, really hard, to recreate EXACTLY what I saw in the photo. Maybe because my imagination is very limited when it comes to painting. I realised it later that it suppresses your own creativity and imagination. Set your imagination free. Take the reference photo as inspiration and try your version. 

Reference photo: Pinterest

This one I tried to recreate exactly. Not very happy with the result.

5. Be Patient:

Watercolour painting requires patience and time. Don't rush to apply all the colours when it's still wet.  Let it rest for some time. Understand that you will make mistakes. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. That's the way we actually learn, no?

As I said I am not an expert. I'm sharing what I have observed. What worked for me. Please share your views.

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