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Everyone begins their creative journey somewhere; it can be in the garden, the kitchen, or behind a camera - usually for most folks it's in preschool with finger paint and crayons. A lot of folks try drawing first, which is definitely a good place to build fundamentals. I liked Sharpie markers and throwing on a ceramic wheel in college. What about you? Have you begun to explore a new medium? That's fantastic! If you're considering giving watercolor painting a try, this post is for you! In short, here's my 5 second pitch in favor of this medium: It's the friendliest to newcomers. Watercolor can be affordable, portable, doable, and is totally lovable. These and other reasons are why I primarily use watercolors to make my art pieces. You may think, couldn't those things be said of other mediums too? Possibly, but to be honest, as I've tried a lot of different mediums over the years, I've found watercolor painting to be easy to pickup and enjoy right away, plus it‘s an approachable introduction to painting as a whole. Here‘s four good reasons why I believe watercolor to be the friendliest of mediums and why I recommend it for newbies...
It's All About The Benjamins
First and foremost, taking up watercolor painting won’t break your bank. Painting supplies can be expensive, but if you’re just starting out, the affordable ones are just fine! I know one lady who likes to use her morning coffee as her “watercolor“ paint! (She actually paints her coffee cup on to her paper which is sort of metta, if you ask me.) Just use what you have or can find easily when you're just trying things out... with one caveat. If you are going to invest in one supply, splurge on good 140lb watercolor paper. When you’re starting out, you can paint with almost any brush, and you can throw down almost any paint, but good paper that doesn’t buckle underneath of you while you’re working makes a all the difference. Actual watercolor paper has a coating on it that properly takes the water and pigment, regular paper, even heavy paper, just can't perform the same way. Other than that special paper, you don't need special anything else. I started my watercolor journey using acrylics brushes and a beginners set of dry cake paints because that’s just what I had, and I still use some of them now. The more you grow in your knowledge of watercolor painting, the more you’ll know if you want to invest in supplies and what supplies are worth investing in for you.
Creativity To-Go
Another reason to give friendly watercolor painting a try is because it's so easy to do just about anywhere. Painting with some mediums on the go or plein air requires planning and hauling special equipment, and can be time-consuming to get set up and later pack up. With watercolor painting, all you really need to pack is your palette, a brush, your watercolor notebook, and water. All that can easily fit in a purse, backpack, or even a pocket, if you're supplies are miniature. There's no tricky turpentine to carry, color mixing is simplified, and because the water evaporates quickly, you're not forced to move a delicate work of art before it's dry. Water is all you need to set up or clean up. I've used sea water a few times when my drinking water was too precious to waste on a hike. Some of my seascapes have faint salt marks because of this, which I love.
Well, Look Who's Fancy
One more reason to have a go at painting with watercolor is how quick it can be to grow your skills. Mistakes are fairly easy to hide or rework, and the more you mess around, the more fun techniques you discover. Beginner tutorials are abundant online, try some out! Try florals, simple landscapes, or just paint your name onto your paper - the luminosity of the medium can make even the simplest of attempts beautiful. Some of the best watercolorists are known for the simplicity of their work. Think of Japanese watercolored cherry blossoms - the beauty is in how few strokes it takes to complete the painting. Watercolor can be unpredictable, but most artists who work in it embrace this as part of it's style. So if you're diving in and accidentally drop your paintbrush SPLAT! onto your work, just go with it! I've been there a few times, and either I've been able to easily correct the spot or found the extra spatter a charming addition to the overall work. Your style is your style though, and if you're more of a perfectionist or are desirous of mastering botanical rendering or other very fine detailed work, this medium can still be your best friend. The key is practice. So jump in with your exploration and you'll be delighted with how fast you're in the flow of it.
Minutes to Master
One last thing I'll point out that watercolor painting has going for itself is that it's not time consuming. Depending upon size and detail, many watercolor paintings can be completed the same day they are started. I personally LOVE this about the medium. I love sitting down to work, and being completely done when I stand up an hour later. I feel so accomplished! Of course complex or large scale pieces can and should take more time to finish, especially when you're working with many washes, but for the newcomer, being able to accomplish something in a day is encouraging. People with a big desire to create but a small amount of free time to do it in will especially appreciate this. As a young mom, watercolor has been the perfect medium to pull out and enjoy easily when I am short on time. Pro Tip: I recommend starting small, especially if you bought that fancy thick paper I recommended! I like to tape the edges of a carefully cut 4x6in piece of paper so that when my little work is done, I have a more professional looking finished work. Even if the final work is small and not very skilled, that little white boarder can really elevate a painting.
Whatever your limitations may be, whether your budget is small, your skills are slim, or your time is short, if you give watercolor painting a chance, I believe you'll find it to be very friendly indeed.
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