If you’ve ever picked up a brush and a tube of watercolour paint, you know that adding water to the paint is the key to unlocking its potential. Adding water to watercolour paints is the best way to lighten the colour and create fluid washes of paint that add depth and texture to your artwork. The more water you add, the lighter the watercolour will be, whereas less water will result in more pigmented areas of paint.
One of the main goals when working with watercolours is to avoid creating a colour that is too thick and opaque. If too much paint is applied, it can look flat and lifeless. To help you achieve the desired result, start with a light wash of paint, and then gradually add more water and pigment as needed. You can also build up washes of glazed paint to create more intense areas of colour, and you can use a variety of techniques such as wet-on-wet or dry-on-wet to achieve the desired effect.
Remember that adding water to your watercolours is an essential part of the creative process, and it can help you create beautiful, vibrant artworks. Be sure to experiment with different amounts of water and pigment to get the most out of your paints. Just as we might explore colour mixing and swatching we can explore a colour and the water we add to it.
These kinds of exercises can be ones which are so easy to approach using a mindfully based approach. By combining them we gain the benefits of mindfulness and increaser our understanding of what our paints and water can do. The combination of watercolours and mindfulness can bring us many benefits, from helping to reduce stress and anxiety to deepening our connection with ourselves and others. Watercolour painting can be a powerful tool to engage in mindful practice, and to bring us into the moment.
Being Present: When we are engaged in watercolour painting, we are completely present in the moment. We are not thinking about the past or the future, but instead focusing on the task in hand. This helps to reduce stress and can be a grounding activity. It also encourages us to observe our thoughts and feelings without judgement.
Being Discerning: Mindful watercolour painting encourages us to be discerning. We become more aware of our own thoughts, emotions and physical sensations. We learn to trust our intuition and be more selective about what we take in. This allows us to make healthier choices and to become more self-aware.
Being Curious: Mindful watercolour painting also encourages us to be curious. We explore the materials and are open to experimentation. We can learn to be more flexible and creative, and to discover different ways of expressing ourselves. This can help us to develop greater self-confidence and self-expression.
This approach has gently brought about huge changes in me; in my students too. If you want to learn more I’d love to share this part of your art journey. Currently the FaceBook Group is the easiest place to have a lot of resources and a supportive community. See you over there.
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