Watercolor Painting for Relaxation
It’s summer here, and I don’t know that I ever feel more joyfully alive than when I’m out in my own yard & garden space.
Better yet, barefoot.
There’s all kinds of scientific evidence that describes the health benefits of grounding oneself by being outside with bare feet, especially in the early mornings. It gives our mitochondria a boost! Not that I think about that when I’m enjoying myself. It’s purely justification for messing about in the out-of-doors.
Here I am, working on a garden painting.
I am more at home with oil paints than water medium paints, so this is a bit of a deviation for me to paint plein air in something other than oils.
Truthfully, I wanted to sit down while I painted, and how well the art turns out or how saleable it is, is secondary to the pleasure of the process this time. I don’t want to sell the painting, anyway. It’s my way of enjoying the garden.
Watercolor does dry quickly and is better in many ways for light, high-key colors.
Watercolor is less fuss to set up and take down and clean up.
This is how it turned out…
Important! It is NOT finished yet! I went out this morning to sit in the chair and dab at it some more.
I was fairly unhappy with the artwork yesterday when I put it away, although I was happy with the experience of being in the garden. It was another confirmation of a reason that I paint/create things….
I paint as part of genuine inquiry. If there’s something I’m entranced by, I try to capture its essence in my humble way.
Like the next person, I am wanting to keep body and soul together as long as possible. This takes $, maybe even $$$ now that inflation is rising (LOL!). I have discovered though, that I am personally incapable of making art based on popular motifs, or “what’s selling” and keep my self-respect. Kudos to those who sincerely have art tastes that match the trends! In some ways I’m jealous.
I’m in it for inquiry’s sake. I self-soothe with art-making. I make artifacts for myself… and for you.
That being said, changing mediums is a great way to refresh.
Tips for Watercolor and Gouache Painting
Watercolor and gouache may be used together, but since gouache is an opaque paint, you will want to begin with watercolor, switching to gouache only when you feel you need opaque and/or deeper, darker colors.
I find it pleasant to work on gessoed watercolor paper. I like how I can add a little water and reactivate an area and move it around.
I like to use an aesthetic set up… a real glass (not plastic), a plate, a wooden support board, a pretty rag.
Use better brushes than I have:-)! I may spend a little money to upgrade both my brushes and gouache quality soon.
Be sure you have a rag and paper towel handy. The rag is softer and will pull out color more delicately, while the paper towel can be twizzled to a sharp point or used when you want harder edges in what you lift from the paper.
Think in terms of light to dark. Begin with a thin wash of color to get the overall tone started, then let it dry (a few minutes).
I like to alternate between painting with deeper, darker color where I can in the negative space, and painting the main features, closer to the front of the picture.
Reserve your white/lights! If you lose them, you can be very pro about it and buy Miskit (like rubber cement, it preserves a section that you can paint over and rub off later), or do what I do and scrub it out. White gouache is also useful, but know that it tends to look blue or cool unless it’s wet, straight out of the tube.
The main thing is to enjoy yourself and RELAX. Listen to the wildlife around you! Even if you end up with a green blob, remember there are ways to artistically justify that, too! Have fun!
I stood in the shade for the first session, but no shoes!
I sat in a chair this morning to work on it a little more. I feel it’s good to show you a piece that I am not confident about. I don’t think this is amazing. For me it’s more of a mental health time and a way to enjoy the brief blooming time of my hollyhocks, which I adore. There was a fine misty rain spraying down on me and the picture. I think there are tiny droplets speckling the picture. Wonderful!!
It’s still not finished. I can’t truthfully say that it’s even attractive yet!
I quit for the day as soon as I feel tired of observing. I’ll add a photograph of it when it’s done in the near future.
I’d love to hear about your boredom busters!!!
Do you switch mediums often?