Watercolor Explorations
Exploring watercolor
Yay! I have just finished packing & shipping all the artworks from last week’s show. A big thank you to everyone who came to support me, we sold out! And now it feels a little surreal to think of my art traveling around the world while most of us haven't been able to for months. I feel so grateful for all the ways I get to share the joy of creativity with others, with you, no matter what. I have lots of goodness coming up in 2021, starting with my online art journaling class The Artist & the Journal, which will open its doors again in the first days of January! And plenty of new projects too…
One of them is about exploring new and more natural techniques to add to my mixed media practice, and especially to my art journal. That’s why at the moment I’m having so much fun with watercolor! I love the way the pigment moves and flows into the water. I love the vibrant colors of course, but also the subtle and more muted ones.
For now I’m simply playing and trying them all out, making friends… We haven't known each other all that long and it was a bit intimidating (and not very inspiring) to see all the little pans neatly lined up in their case... It was time to shake things up and take them out! I've selected some favorites and added a few extra ones I've purchased individually (like a lovely turquoise of course!).
Mine are Sennelier paints, which are made in France (with honey, yum!). I usually prefer to work with brands that are local to me (like Liquitex for acrylics) and in France we are spoilt for choice. Yet I still couldn’t resist ordering a few extra watercolors from Daniel Smith!
Each little pan only has a number printed on the side, so I’ve spent a rather meditative hour labeling them all and trying them out. Then I want to reorganize the case with all my faves in a way that feels much more ME. That’s the problem when you get a ready-made set of any kind of art supplies: you will often use up your favorites, while others will remain pretty much untouched. So it’s important to not stay stuck with the standard way things are organized, and make it yours! Which requires a lot of playing and exploring… and not necessarily “making art” straight away.
On the left - experimenting to find my favorite light peachy flesh tone.
I find that one of the best ways to get acquainted with a new kind of paint, and see how it moves and reacts, is to focus on one color only, or one color family. When I first got this paint set, I had a lot of fun playing with all sorts of reds and pinks, and exploring all the ways I could create roses! Another kind of experimentation I really look forward to, is trying out lots of color mixes and come up with a few palettes I really love.
Trying out different papers should be fun to! I’m especially excited about painting over vintage papers, book pages etc… all the papers I already use for mixed media collage, and of course in my art journal!
“You can learn new things at any time in your life if you’re willing to be a beginner. If you actually learn to like being a beginner, the whole world opens up to you.”
There’s something so exhilarating about embracing the beginner’s spirit and I truly believe that, as an artist, it’s important to be constantly learning and evolving. That’s the joy of the creative journey! I have no problem admitting that I'm a watercolor newbie, and I’ve asked my community for their best tips on Instagram a few days ago. I got so many good insights there, so if you’re new at watercolor too, I encourage you to check it out and read the comments of THIS POST. And of course, if you have any good tips yourself, please let me know in a comment below!
join me for a free art journaling session!
Join me in the studio for a free art journaling session, as we close the year with gratitude and welcome new beginnings! Every December I create a gratitude page in my art journal, and one for my “word of the year”. I will be filming a new page in the coming days and until then, you can watch the making of past pages in my free “New Beginnings” video series! I will add the new page to the series as soon as it’s done. Enjoy!
Art journaling is such a lovely, personal and deeply meaningful creative practice. The past weeks have been super busy and I’ve missed my journal! All I’m longing for now is some quiet, cosy time in the studio with a nice cup of tea, my journal and no expectations. I hope you will join me!
“The Artist & the Journal” opens again in the first week of January! This beautiful online course is all about creating an art journaling practice that works for YOU, so you can express your emotions, and tell your stories page after page. It is jam-packed with fun techniques and inspiration: a wonderful way to start the New Year with renewed creativity!