Ana Victoria Calderon - Creative Watercolor: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

Ana Victoria Caldern

Painting means so much to me. Its a delightful companion I can always rely on, a soothing, yet stimulating, activity that transports my mind to the most relaxed state. Im thinking about my next move while repeatedly stroking my paper with my brush.

Experiencing the movement and flow of watercolor is a beautiful and rewarding sensation. The more you paint, the more you learn to trust the process and appreciate that watercolor dries in mysterious ways. Texture, flow, surprises, timing, and an almost mathematical way of thinking is implied when painting with watercolors. This medium has its secrets; its translucent nature makes layering completely different from other mediums. We must paint in a strategic manner to achieve interesting results while letting the medium do its magic. We know, and embrace, that there are some results we wont able to control completely.

This may sound a bit intimidating or complex; watercolor definitely is unique and has an approach all its own. But the good news is its easier than you think! All you need to know are a few basic techniques, some imagination, and, in my opinion, the spirit of experimentation and being happy just playing around to achieve some truly magical results. Keep in mind that there are many ways to use your watercolors, and there are no rules. In this book, I teach basic techniques that have worked for me and my illustrative style, followed by step-by-step activities and ideas for projects you can do at home.

You might think that someone who paints for a livingthis is my full-time jobdoesnt have any room left for personal projects, but youd be mistaken! Some of my favorite watercolor projects are the ones Ive created for my day-to-day life. Making personalized place cards when friends come over for brunch, seeing the menus I painted for my best friend when I arrive at my table at his wedding, watching my familys reactions when they see my handmade Christmas cards, gifting my friend the painted and framed name of her newborn child to hang in the babys room and knowing its something shell see throughout her childhood all these projects make my heart glow and add sentiment to special occasions. Ill illustrate ideas and motifs you can apply to your lifes special moments to make them memorable with your own handmade projects.

Nature has always been a great source of inspiration: Organic shapes, colorful subjects, and textures encourage us to observe and attempt to re-create versions of our own. Although I demonstrate specific motifs in this book, including daisies, roses, leaves, beetles, butterflies, and berries, I highly encourage experimentation. (Experiment is my favorite word when it comes to teaching watercolor!) Use what you learn here, continue to develop subjects on your own, and find a personal style.

WHEN PAINTING WITH WATERCOLORS, you can keep it simple with a paint set (that will last for years) and paperor be an avid collector, like me. Supplies are like candy, theyre colorful, fun, and sometimes you just cant get enough. Whether youre keeping it simple or love to play around with art supplies and mix it up, this chapter will give you a good overall view of what you need to know about this medium. I also share some of my favorites brands and tips on how to mix color.

Watercolors are an incredibly versatile art medium. Although they come in a few different forms, the key characteristic they all share is that they can be reactivated with water on a palette even if theyve dried completely. Because watercolor paints contain very few ingredients, they dry true to the pigment in each color.

For the activities and projects in this book, you can use any or all the watercolor paints described hereeither on their own or mixed together. I like to create my own palette for each project by using some of each type. Sometimes, I like how a pan paint works with a tube color that Ive mixed with a vibrant liquid. The skys the limit!

In the chart on the right-hand page, I summarize the pros and cons of each paint type and mention some brands I like to work with. I encourage you to experimenttry out new paints and brands or work with what you haveto find which types and brands work best for you.

Pan Watercolors

One of the most widely available types of watercolor, pan watercolors are small, square cakes of dried watercolor paint that are typically sold as a set in a metal or plastic box. The pans can also be purchased separately to add colors to a set. Pan watercolors are handy and travel well, can last for years, and the boxes they come in usually include a mixing palette. To activate them, add a bit of water to the color you want to use.

Tube Watercolors

Tube paints can be purchased in sets or individually. I love working with a pan set as my base, then acquire tubes when I find colors that complement the ones in my set. The main difference between pan and tube colors is that tube paints are creamier and smoother. To use, just open the cap and squeeze paint onto your palette. Dont worry about needing to use all the paint youve squeezed out during one session; you can always keep it on your palette and add water later to re-constitute it.

PAN PAINT TIPS

To thoroughly moisten pan paints so theyre easier to load on a brush, place a drop of water on each color you want to use and let it sit for a couple of minutes.

To keep your pan colors pure, wipe them with a clean damp sponge or paper towel as youre working.

Liquid Watercolors

If youre looking for intensity and vibrance, liquid watercolors can give your paintings a real punch of color. Because theyre usually dye-based rather than pigment-based, theyre extremely concentrated and offer a range of bright, bold colors, including fluorescents. They usually come in small glass bottles with a dropper. Keep in mind that although these paints are liquid, because theyre so concentrated they must be diluted with water, then tested on scrap paper before using. You can use them on their own, on a separate palette, or mix them with your pan or tube paints.

Liquid watercolors were originally formulated for use in graphic work or illustration, with artwork thats scanned or photographed for reproduction and archived in dark storage, so their colors can fade over time, particularly when exposed to light.