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Sharing your Watercolors

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(c) jlowatercolor.2018 Ready to Share your Watercolors with the World? At this point, you have some paintings under your belt and are excited to share your work with others. Maybe you feel a little nervous or unsure if your paintings are “good enough”? Let me assure you right now- they are! It is time to take another step in your watercolor journey; here we will explore a few platforms that can help you to share your work. photo credit: shutterstock Popular Art Sharing Platforms Facebook - Many people nowadays have a Facebook account where they keep in touch with family and friends. This can be a great place to share your art in a couple different ways. The first being with family and friends through regular posts. The second being to watercolor groups that you join. I recommend World Watercolor Group . This is a worldwide community in which people share watercolors they have created- along with tutorials and tips they find helpful. Often, fellow artists (of a
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Watercolor Styles: Loose vs. Tight

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(c) jlowaterolor.2018 Watercolor Style: Loose vs. Tight   First off, is one “better” than the other? The answer is unequivocally- h#ll no! I can’t stress enough how important it is to try and let go of what you think something “should” look like, and just give-in to what happens on the paper. I say this to you as a reminder to myself, because I still struggle with expectations. Painting loose or painting tight (detailed) is simply the style you bring to the watercolor. You may enjoy one more than the other, or incorporate both into your work! Below we will look at some examples of loose and tight watercolor paintings, along with tips and advice for trying them out. Loose Watercolor Examples... (c) Victoria Prischedko (c) Steve Micthell Loose Painting Tips- Here is a great article  from the Artist's Network that gives helpful advice on painting loose. https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-mediums/watercolor-painting-loose/ Tigh
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Digging out of a Watercolor Rut

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photo credit: pintrest.com Stuck in the Mud There have been times that I want to paint and no matter how hard I try, everything I do looks like a muddy mess on the paper. Did I forget everything I knew? Gah! It is frustrating to say the least. Rest assured, it happens to everyone, even professionals. Let’s take a look at how we can move out of these ruts, and back to enjoying the painting process. Suggestion #1- Take it Easy on Yourself If there is one important thing I have learned over the last few years, it is that just because you may struggle with getting paintings or drawings “right”, it doesn’t mean you are not an artist. The struggle is simply part of the process… maybe that is something that everyone already knew (except for me, ha!). A misconception I had was in thinking that true artists were just born with this innate ability to make everting look amazing. Getting over that mental hurdle has been incredibly helpful in moving forward and growing! photo c
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Finding Watercolor Inspiration

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(c) jlowatercolor.2016 Finding Inspiration! So you have the supplies you need, you have tried out a few different techniques… now what do YOU want to paint? It seems like an easy question; that is until you sit with your paint and realize that it is not as spontaneous as the online tutorials make it seem. Inspiration may suddenly fall upon us like magic (occasionally), but typically, we have to search for it. Let’s explore a few places you can look for painting inspiration. The world Around Us Outside Our Window Nature is one of the first and most obvious places we look for art inspiration, and with good reason. The sky, trees, plants, and sunsets provide us with dazzling and unlimited material. You can find a multitude of amazing photos online, but I suggest starting with your own environment. You may be surprised at the hidden gems in your own backyard. (c) J.Lomena.2016 On our Shelves Another subject matter is still-life. Similar to nature, you
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Experimenting with Different Watercolor Techniques

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(c) jlowatercolor.2018 Welcome back watercolor friends! I hope at this point you’ve been able to experience the joy of touching your brush to paper and seeing how the color flows. There are so many fun and interesting subjects to paint, but no matter which direction you choose, it is always helpful to know a variety of techniques. We will cover of handful of them here, but know the possibilities are almost endless! Wet on Dry vs. Wet on Wet These terms are fairly explanatory, and are used to describe the state of your brush and paper. Painting with a wet brush on dry paper will give you crisp lines and bold color. Painting with a wet brush on wet paper will express itself with softer hues and color gradients. See the pic below for an example. photo credit: www.artnebulaph.com Salt on Wet Watercolor This is a fun technique that allows you to experiment with salt from your pantry! photo credit: https://lilyade.files.wordpress.com Painting in Negative Space
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What to Paint with Watercolors?

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(c) jlowatercolor.2017 Maybe you are thinking… can we get painting already?! Ha, or maybe I’m just excited. If you are following along, last week we discussed basic starter supplies and options for materials. There are a few more things you will need. Most of these items you may have around the house already: ·          Large glass jar (or cup) for water ·          Paper towels (for spills and “lifting” paint from the paper) ·          Masking tape ·          Large piece of cardboard or other surface bigger than your paper There are different opinions on how to properly set-up your watercolor paper to paint. I tend to just tape down all four sides of the paper and get to drawing and painting. However, it is true that sometimes the paper will warp a bit. It does not bother me, but if you would like to see one way to professionally “stretch” your watercolor paper, check out this short video by Crystal Beshara: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyTxuzCdXAU Suggest
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Watercolor Supplies 101

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(c) jlowatercolor.2018 Welcome back watercolor peeps!  This week is all about supplies. Some of the questions I had when I first started painting included: ·          Do I need special paper? ·          Does the type of watercolor paint matter? ·          Does the type of brush hair make a difference? I will try to cover all of these questions so you can find the supplies that are right for you and get painting! Let’s break it down one at a time… Paper Yes, you definitely need paper specific to watercolor painting. It is designed to hold and absorb the paint in a way that regular paper cannot. Just like with all art mediums, there are a million options for what to choose, but I can tell you a decent and inexpensive starter brand is the Strathmore 400 Series . This line is commonly found at art/hobby stores. Because the price is right, you can experiment all you want. Once you get a bit of confidence in your painting, you may feel ready to step up your p
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