Wally’s Workshop

Having been recently criticized for an incredibly simple 2 stage learn how to paint watercolors course, I have to admit that the critic was absolutely correct…

It was aimed at artist beginners who wanted to learn to paint without having to learn to draw first. This meant that although they may not be too good at drawing, they could still get started painting. Painting landscapes, still-life painting, portraits and mechanical objects can come later.

Here are 2 reasons why you should return to basic watercolor painting techniques…

1. It is a good idea to learn how to paint before painting a Mona Lisa

2. It is a good idea to go back to first principles when your paintings are going wrong

It is true that there are unusually lucky people. When they pick up a box of paints and a brush they can easily paint their first watercolor landscape painting. They never seem to struggle with their art. Such fortunate people are a minority.

Alternatively, most of us aren’t blessed with such talents…

* Learning how to paint watercolors isn’t easy

* It can seem almost impossible to paint a good watercolor picture

It is easy to find that every brush mark you make turns into a mess. It is far too easy to create a nightmare of badly mixed colors. You’ll find color washes flooding the wrong areas of your painting.

All too soon you can turn your great art ideas into a muddy shambles. When you do you are lost. Unless you understand what is happening when watercolor paint flows across the paper, your painting will never get better…

* You should look at how color goes where water takes it

* Understanding that you will wreck a color wash if you haven’t left it to dry before adding the nest wash

* It is good to know how to paint a range of color intensity and tone from a single color before advancing to adding other colors to the mix

As the old saying goes… “Don’t try to run before you can walk”

Watercolor painting can quickly convince you that you have no artistic talent. It can make you look like you have no painting skills. It is a shame to become disheartened when your watercolors go wrong.

Which do you think is better?

“Disappointment and frustration… or a deep understanding of how simple and easy watercolors work in your painting?”