Watercolor is a medium I simply love and learn to work with - very slowly. I probably should practice way more often and regularly, but I only have so much time. Whenever I can I do sit down and play with my watercolors.
I remember loving watercolors in school (many decades ago), but I never learned how to use them correctly - if there is something like "correctly". Maybe I should use the term "creatively". Beside the student grade watercolor I had in high school I never owned "real" watercolors until a few years ago.
I started out with watercolor pencils and watercolor crayons.
Although I did enjoy them, I missed the "flowing" of the colors with the water. So my first set was a travel set of pan watercolors by Winsor & Newton. You can see how heavily I used some of those colors.
Very soon I wanted a bigger set and thanks to my tutoring money I was able to afford one. This is also from Winsor & Newton.
I used and still use this set a lot. I learned to mix colors which I throroughly enjoy. You can also easily see which colors I feel drawn to - the reds and the earth tones.
After a while I became very curious what the difference was to more professional colors. Eventually all of my tutoring money went (and still goes) into art supplies, mainly those more expensive watercolors (thank you, students of German!).
This set contains professional watercolors by Winsor & Newton plus some metallic ones, also W&N.
Beautiful colors, but so far I haven't used them too often. However, they do make a difference to the "regular" pans.
My latest set is from Sennelier. Oh my word. These are honey-based watercolors from France and they are - yummy. I don't have a different word. Buttery and brilliant. I'm completely taken by them.
When Karen Abend offered a Sketchbook Revival get together with Kimberly Hyndman about "Delightful Doors in Ink and Watercolor" I signed up. Since I didn't have too much time, I only did one of the doors (instead of three), but I enjoyed it so very much. I mixed the bricks and door frame with Payne's Grey and Ultramarine Blue and the door with Alizarin Crimson and Burnt Sienna. I probably could have done better, but I'm quite content with my painting.
And I already have a new set of watercolors I want to try - a Schmincke set, a German company. And better paper. More tutoring...
I'm joining Nicole's Sunday in the Art Room.
14 comments:
Your watercolour door is so wonderfully done! I use Winsor & Newton watercolours too. Schmincke is supposed to be the best brand there is, but I'm too intimidated to buy and try those, LOL!
This is a beautiful watercolour door, Carola! I appreciate your creative talent!
Lovely Art
Well I'm thoroughly impressed. This door is excellent. As you may know I took a watercolor class many years ago. The instructor wasn't very good but I did learn a few things. However, I just can't seem to get the hang of it. I have tubes of Windsor watercolors and some watercolor pencils. I didn't know there are water color crayons. I also save my money for more quality art supplies. I don't have Sennelier watercolors but I do have Sennelier acrylic paints and I feel the same they are so buttery and full of pigment. I have enjoyed this post so much and have learned a bit more about you as an artist. Thank you so much for sharing with SITAR. Have a nice evening.
...a skill that I wish to have.
I just read your comment. Carola, of course I'm NOT mad at you. And of course I know Africa is a continent duhhh. LOL I should have written that the Fulani hats are from West Africa. I would love to see the art your daughter has brought back from there.
I very much enjoyed your post thank you for sharing. Love your door
I have never dabbled in painting, but I do own several watercolours. I am sure it is a wonderful hobby and I have watercolours sent to me by two bloggers They are really quite wonderful. Many people have family portraits of a family member on their nightstand. I have a glorious American Robin sent to me by Ludmila in Poland. She captured the bird perfectly! Keep on painting, Carola! Big hugs - David
I also love how watercolors run with lots of water, but I also like the control you get from the crayons and pencils. Actually, I like to often mix them. Do you mix them? I know everyone has their own way of working which is the beauty about creating, isn't it? I love your door, and I really enjoyed seeing your watercolor sets. And by the way, yes Iceland yarn is a bit scratchy, but those sweaters are really meant to be worn over shirts or or other layers. Just like the LL Bean sweaters too-at least for me. Have a super rest of your weekend and new week.
WOW! You paint beautifully. This is very interesting. I love art <3
Best regards, and I invite you to see my new painting :)
I hear you on Sennellier. I only have a few tubes of that -- I can't get them locally. But wow -- wonderful. I'm so thrilled you are doing this. And getting wonderful results. Pretty soon you'll be buying the blank palette and filling it with the tube colors you use most! The small travel palettes are really so useful. (If you do that, get big tubes for most; it's only a few dollars difference and a huge amount more of paint!) I'm going to be so interested in seeing what more you do and I hope you share some soon!
oh i love all your art supplies. My favourite! watercolours are simply fun to play with. Lovely artwork and I am so happy you are making some art. :) Have a lovely Sunday and thank you for visiting my blog.
Keep painting, I like your watercolour door! :)
There is a Hungarian poem in which the poet compares autumn to a watercolor. The translation was made with Google Translate and is very far from the original, but perhaps its beauty can be felt.
I brought it to you as a gift:
"...Leaves soaked in the mirror of eyes
A pale watercolor without contours
A canvas hesitantly finds a color that is spilling
On abandoned roads, they lie pale"
(Gabriella Major)
Es ist so schön, sich neue Fähigkeiten zu erschließen.
Ich bin ja nun bei bunten Stoffen angelangt, aber einen Aquarellkasten mit 24 Farben habe ich mir auch gekauft, er it von Paul Rubens. Meine ersten Malversuche sind zwar sehr schön geworden, aber ich habe die Farben völlig falsch eingesetzt - im Prinzip habe ich ausgemalt, wie wir es im Schulmalkasten gemacht haben. Und ich war überrascht über den Verbrauch der Farben... deshalb habe ich mich im Internett informiert :-)) und jetzt male ich so wie es sein soll. Also erst die Farben mit einem Topfen Wasser aktivieren und dann entweder Nass-in-Nass oder Nass-auf-Trocken aber immer mit Wasser :-))
Dein Tor ist schön geworden, liebe Carola. Ich wünsche dir viel
Freude bei deinem neuen Hobby.
Wie gesagt es ist einfach ganz wunderbar neue Dinge auszuprobieren, auszutesten und sich hineinzuarbeiten.
Eine Umarmung für dich.
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