Dear reader,
This is your official PSA. Let me just remind you of a few watercolor golden rules. Embroider these on pillows and remind yourself of these often.
In all things rinse. The most important color in watercolor is the white of a paper. Rinse rinse rinse your brush before applying a new color and anytime you can really.
Keep it clean. Keep your supplies and mixing surface out of the brown zone and get the colors that you want instead of slipping into the mud puddle of bad watercolor hygiene. Always paint with clean, transparent water. Fill up a large jar or vase of water and change often. If your paints no longer look like the color they are supposed to be, use a wet paper towel to clean off the surface to get it looking like its true self again.
Save the white space. Even if there’s a white watercolor in your set, it will never be as white and pristine as the white you save on the surface of the paper. Always mark the white spaces you don’t want to paint with a light pencil line or use drawing gum to mask the paper from where you don’t want to add paint.
You can always add more, but you can’t take away. Much like adding salt to food, dose out pigment with a light touch. You can always add more if need be.
When in doubt, scrap it. Art is inherently wasteful, my friends. Watercolor is unforgiving in the fact that you can’t really paint over mistakes. If something isn’t working, don’t beat it to death. Let it go and start over. Or cut out the elements that are working and make a collage instead.
A few other good practices to keep in mind….
Set up
Watercolor is the ultimate act of the present. A lot can happen in the moment or two that the surface of the paper is wet. Colors can be added, smears can destroy, magic can happen. A distraction may lead to something unsavory. Put your phone on silent and get yourself set up to stay for a while.
I like to fold a paper towel in half and rest it under my hand when I am painting so I don’t smudge what I am painting.
If you are using a loose sheet of paper, tape it down on your work surface with masking tape to avoid warping. To avoid roughing up the surface of the paper, unroll the tape and dab it on your clothes several times to remove some of the sticking power.
Now go forth and paint! Stay inspired, dear reader. And don’t drink the watercolor water. -jkw
Wanna take your watercolor-ing to the next level? I’ll be hosting a boho chic watercolor workshop in Paris from May 27th-31th. I’ll delve into nitty gritty of watercolor 101, how to synchronize your eye with your hand and we will extract inspiration from some of the most iconic Parisian sites and landmarks. Interested? Check it out here or drop me an email at jessiekanelosweiner@gmail.com.