Watercolor Exploration: Tips and Advice for Getting Started

(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

Image Credit: Utrecht Art Supplies Welcome! You may have found yourself here for a variety of reasons: you are looking for a creative outlet and need a starting point, you have always been curious about watercolor, or you are a classmate and have to read it (ha!). Regardless of the reason, I am happy you are here and looking forward to sharing what I have learned about watercolor with you! Introductions: about me… well I guess you could say I have always been a creative person. I enjoyed a variety of artistic mediums in high school and in my early twenties (specifically photography). Funny thing is, as much as I have always appreciated art, I never thought I was “good enough” to consider myself an artist… Fast-forward a bit: Life, it happens; adult responsibilities and a new role as a parent led me to believe I should put hobbies aside. It was my choice and I don’t regret it as I learned a lot of life lessons. As time went on, I found myself wanting to re-explore those parts