Success in Watercolours! Step by Step...

Slowly but surely, I am learning the very fine art of watercolours! I have always worked in oils and acrylics in the past, and watercolours has posed a real challenge for me. The medium requires much more patience, and the building up of colors, plus it is a bit backwards, working with light colors first and then applying the darks, when I have always worked just the opposite, putting down the darks, and going back and working in the highlights!

Anyway, I am loving using my new water pen or aqua brush, whichever you want to call it-it is so handy and really works well on small areas like atc's and even front decoration panels for friendship books! I cut a piece of watercolour paper just a little smaller than the front of the friendship book, paint it with daisies, or some other design, add a bit of swirls with a marker or permanent ink pen, then glue the panel to the front of my friendship book! Turns out really great looking, and I don't have to worry about working directly on the friendship book and messing it up.

 Here is an example of what I have done with the atc's and the friendship books above! I like using a really vivid contrasting color, no "shrinking violets" for me!

I really hope that you have signed up for the Strathmore Journaling Class that will start soon. It is free, and we can always benefit from something free, no matter how long we have been art journaling! Here is the link, one more time: 

http://www.strathmoreartist.com/vjworkshop2011.html

Well, I suppose I have kept you from your artistic fun long enough, if you don't already know how to paint with watercolours, give them a try...to start out, just get a case of the watercolours for kids at your local discount store, and you can learn color control cheaply-that way you can see if you enjoy working with the medium before you sink a lot of money into a new set of artist quality watercolors! 16 WaterColour Paints Set With Brush Included for more control, try a set of watercolour pencils:Quick and Clever Watercolour PencilsDerwent Watercolour Collection Pencil Sets24 Watercolour Pencils Karat Aquarell from Staedtler and for easy backgrounds in your art journal, try watercolour crayons, just scribble on your page with the colors you want, rub softly with a damp paper towel and waalaa-you have a great background ready to work with!Caran DAche Neocolor II Watersoluble Crayon Set of 10Faber-Castell Watercolor Crayons with Brush 15-pk.Staedtler Karat Aquarelle Watercolor Crayons, 12-Color Set These give you a great selection to choose from, and none are very expensive, so get you a set and start playing. Remember-"There are no mistakes, only happy accidents"!  Later!