Don't Draw... Paint!
Love Watercolors but Hate Drawing?
Stay Tuned!
For much of my youth - and into early adulthood - I was afraid of watercolors. The classic fears of "watercolors are too hard to use," "with watercolors, you need to use the white of the paper," and "you can't correct mistakes in watercolor" created a block that kept me away from painting for years.
I fell into thinking that I would be terrible at painting because I could never master those chalky weak watercolors you get in grade school. And remember those plastic brushes whose bristles were sticking out every which way? When I was in college, my mom discovered watercolor painting for herself and let me in on a little secret: inferior supplies create inferior works. If you've never worked with real watercolors before, you're in for a treat!
Watercolor Painting is NOT as Hard as you Think!
Watercolors are one of the most expressive, rich, and fun media I've worked with. There's nothing like watching deep, vibrant colors bloom on your page. In our Free Resources section, you will learn to avoid the pitfalls of watercolors. Before you know it, you will be creating your own works of art!
Whether you're looking to relax with loose watercolor washes over ink illustrations or to focus on fine detailed paintings over pencil sketches, we've got resources for you.
Our Free Resources
Will Teach The Basics of Watercolors.
There are many obstacles to learning watercolors that are hard to overcome without signing up for art lessons. At $15 to $100 per hour of class time, learning watercolor techniques can be pricey. Add in the time to travel to classes and - on the low end - not much personal direction, it's easy to see why more people don't take up painting for relaxation and enjoyment.
Learn the Basics for FREE!
Knowledge is Key - With a foundation of some of the most important tricks to working with watercolors, you can learn some basic fundamentals that will make a huge difference in your journey. Our free resources are built to give comfort with watercolor materials, techniques, and resources with NO cost to you.
Once you have a basic understanding of the fundamentals of watercolor, and you've collected the materials you want to use, you'll be ready to test out our Free Tutorial.
Watercolor Painting is a Fun Way
to Relax and Express Yourself.
Whether you enjoy bold abstract strokes with expressive colors or realistic art with fine details, watercolor painting fits the bill.
Drawing is NOT for Everyone.
Painting IS.
Remember that freedom of squishing your hands around in finger paint and smearing it on a huge piece of paper? Back in the days when things didn't need to be perfect - just fun. With the right foundation, you can recapture that creativity of expression.
Remember how my mom let me in on the secret of using quality paints and materials when I was in college? I took to painting like a duck takes to water. Watching the brilliant colors wet the page and build up depth and contrast was exhilarating. Now that I had experienced quality materials, I was obsessed. Yet it took me over 20 years from that first experience to complete my first watercolor painting.
I was scared. I would take a long time to draw the perfect sketch. Then I would build up layers slowly until I got to the point where I though an area was starting to look good. Then I would stop. I did not want to mess up my beautiful but unfinished work.
I spent years researching techniques, watching tutorials, and learning as much as I could. But I always failed to follow through on my ideas. I adore painting. But I don't love the process of drawing a sketch or reproducing my colors. I was frozen in my creative tracks because of my fear.
Watercolors Have A High Barrier to Entry.
Watercolors have earned their reputation for being difficult to work with. Even once you've learned to deal with things like removing mistakes, using light-fast paints, and getting the right amount of water on your brush, you are still just getting started with your painting.
Drawing is a skill that artists spend years, even decades, mastering.
Not everyone has the time - or desire - to do so.
Watercolor painting requires building up layers. These layers can be very hard to visualize.
Choosing and Mixing Colors can be difficult. Getting colors right requires knowledge of color theory - and good color vision.
I Had Some Ideas to Simplify My Process
I Started to Think About How to Make Watercolor Painting Easier...
If I could bring down the barrier of entry to starting a painting, I would be more likely to actually paint more. I would be able to play with paints, colors, and techniques without feeling the need to make my painting perfect - and I would instead be able to make my painting experience fun.
I wanted to make Watercolor Painting
as Accessible as Coloring In.
Right when the Adult Coloring Book craze was just beginning, I realized that this popularity with a low-entry point is just what watercolors need. I started to think about how to solve some of the problems that painters face when using watercolors. It took me years of experimenting to develop processes that would make watercolors easier and more accessible to both the artist and the novice.
Get Ready! WaterColoringIn Is Coming Soon!
Grab your Supplies!
If you want to paint with me, start getting your supplies together for the FREE tutorial - a painting of this Northern Cardinal. Remember that if you already have a set of paints, you can use what you have before deciding if this site is for you. If you're in the market for supplies,
