So now you’ve done your research about painting and you’ve decided to know how to get started with watercolor painting. Good for you!
Starting can be the toughest step in any creative endeavor. Seeing amazing paintings can inspire you, but when you actually try to paint, you realize how much more you need to learn.
In fact, you may already be feeling lost and overwhelmed while still beginning to try.
Even though this feeling is not uncommon, it can be crippling. I know how it feels and trust me that feeling is not permanent. You can overcome it!
I’m here to equip you with the right mindset, methods, and tools to unleash your creativity!
With these in your arsenal, you can brave the beginner’s struggles and embrace your creative superpower! Besides, no one begins as a master, right?
So let’s now begin to explore on how to free your creativity and how to get started with watercolor!
how to get started with watercolor: step 1
Unleashing Your Creativity
The first roadblock you have to get rid of is a limiting mindset, a defense mechanism that your mind uses to avoid failure. It’s what stops you from getting out of your comfort zone, fearing that you’re not going to make it.
You can never get started with watercolor painting if you don’t try. I understand that it can be intimidating but you won’t know unless you get your feet (or hand in this case) into it.
However, comfort is the enemy of progress which means you will understandably feel uncomfortable with watercolors at first.
But you will get in the groove later on and the learning process will be a lot more fun!
Once you silence your limiting mindset, you will find the courage to let yourself be challenged; to set your creativity free!
how to get started with watercolor: step 2
Set simpler goals. Learn one sub-skill at a time.
If you look at your journey as a long road without an end in sight, you’ll be filled with uncertainty and fear.
To avoid this, take the journey one step at a time. One of the most important step on how to get started with watercolor is to set simpler goals –
Set simpler goals by breaking down the watercolor painting skill into its sub-skills (which we will tackle in our blogs) and learn them one by one.
Any skill is made of sub-skills, the component skills, milestones, or rungs of the ladder you need to climb to ultimately learn the complex skill of watercolor painting.
This method of setting smaller, more achievable goals makes learning less frustrating, and can boost your confidence to actually help get started with watercolor painting
sub-skill 1: Learning the materials
You need to learn how to choose and use the right materials in watercolor painting because their make and quality can affect your process. Stay tuned because we’ll discuss the materials in our next article!
sub-skill 2: Color Harmony
You need to know what colors complement each other and learn the do’s-and-don’ts of color mixing so you don’t end up with muddy colors.
sub-skill 3: Learning the relationship of
water to paints and paper
These three can make or break your masterpiece so you need to understand how they work together and affect each other.
sub-skill 4: Techniques and design
Know how to make magic happen with application techniques and brush strokes. Also, start practicing with beginner-friendly designs.
how to get started with watercolor: step 3
Commit a healthy amount of time.
Now that you only need to accomplish one goal at a time, you don’t need to spend eight (8) hours on it every day which makes it easier to squeeze into your daily affairs.
In order to help you get started with watercolor painting journey you must familiarize yourself with the brush, the paper and the paint.
I hear you, it’s a lot, but trust me, once you get into the zone, that’s where the fun starts.
I understand that it takes time before the fear of making the first steps goes away. That’s why we need to make the process less intimidating and less time-consuming until you feel more confident to move forward.
So, regularly dedicate a healthy portion of your time to learning and practicing a sub-skill. Once you’re happy with your skill level, proceed to the next.
The word healthy is important here because even though you need to practice consistently to build muscle memory, you need breaks even more.
It’s scary being outside of your comfort zone so remember to be kind and patient with yourself by allowing time outs.
Don’t worry; eventually, your mind will piece all the sub-skills you learned and things will simply “click”!
how to get started with watercolor: step 4
Hold on to your “why”.
Learning how to get started with watercolor painting is one bumpy road for beginners. Trust me I know how it feels. There are times that you will feel frustrated when you can’t do things right, sometimes you’ll wake up unmotivated to keep learning.
The only way to pull through is remembering why you pursued watercolor painting in the first place. Living your passion makes every challenge you face bearable and worth it. So, always hold on to it.
These steps are life-savers! They will help you make consistent progress in your journey without burning yourself out.
If I have piqued your interest in trying out watercolors, I will guide you on your journey from novice to pro through my book The Beginner’s Guide to Watercolor. I will be launching it in October, but you can pre-order it now on Amazon.
Good luck on your creative journey!
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