Watercolour — How to start?
Grab your children’s art supplies or the cheapest palette you can find at your local stationery store…
and just START!
The palette that i started with was inexpensive,
the paper that i started with was inexpensive,
the brush that i had at the time was cheap and frayed
which left little chance for detail work.
But what i learned is that we make unnecessary excuses about why we cannot start something new.
Because we are scared, so we convince ourselves that:
“Art is only for artists”,
“I cannot afford expensive supplies.”
or my favourite excuse
“ I do not have the time.”
When really those are just excuses, as we can doodle with a ball point pen while we are sitting on the phone with our mom, or while we are waiting for the spaghetti to boil...although please don’t let it boil over -like i did!
I’ve trained myself to sketch standing up, while waiting in a queue. I don’t enjoy queuing, so any excuse to keep me busy is welcome.
I have sketched while on a bumpy bus ride and while on an airplane. The bumps in the page give the pieces a loose whimsical feel. And they make for a great conversation starter to fill up those awkward silences, especially if you are shy like me.
My very first customers were my friends and family.
Not sure if i can call them customers as i didn’t make any money on the gifts, but i saved money on what i would have spent on a store-bought birthday gift. And the oohs and aahs i received in payment were well worth it for building up my confidence in my abilities.
Two years later i still consider myself a self-taught beginner watercolour artist, but that does not exclude me from having fun or making something special.
I hope this encourages you to step out of your confort zone and try something new. It does not have to be watercolour and it does not even have to be in the art category.
The first step is always the most challenging
Let us stop making excuses and just START!
