I have always loved crafting, ever since I was a kid. I loved being creative, but growing up I loved more of a structured creativity. I painted a lot of acrylics on ceramics and wooden boards that were already cut to a shape or made into a sign. But, my very least favorite medium was watercolor.

It wasn’t until I started to learn to paint pictures rather than use wood or ceramic forms to paint on that I even started to think about watercolor. For some reason in my mind when someone mentioned watercolor, my thoughts always went to the cheap 10 or so color paint sets that you send to school with kids, with the plastic brush that never works right, and I saw puddles of brown where all my colors ran together.

But, when I discovered I love painting pictures, I decided to buy some painting books. We were at Barnes and Noble one day looking for good story books for the kids, and I wandered over to the art section. I looked at all sorts of painting books, but the watercolor ones intrigued me as the results of those artist’s paintings were much more detailed and refined than I ever thought watercolor could be. That day I purchased 3 books, 2 on acrylics and 1 on watercolor.

I had watched a number of YouTube videos and seen a friends paintings about both styles, and had some mild success with watercolor, but thought for sure acrylics were the medium for me. But when I got home, instead of starting with the acrylic books, I remember distinctly thinking to myself that I should start with the one I didn’t like, I already knew I could successfully create at least something mildly good with acrylics.

And so the journey began. I painted some pretty basic scenes with help from the book and started to learn how to control the watercolor. I became intrigued and started watching an actual class on watercolor painting. I had more success and learned more. I have never looked back. It is my preferred medium. I still do paint with acrylics on occasion, there are certain effects that I haven’t learned to achieve in watercolor yet, but overall, I absolutely love watercolor.

Some of the things I love about watercolor are the colors, they are not quite as bold necessarily, but that really depends upon a number of factors. I guess I shouldn’t say not as bold, but just softer in a lot of respects. Watercolor is a different, more thoughtful way of painting as you cannot restore light very easily if you forget to account for it in the beginning. I love how it is controllable and yet not at the same time. Sometimes it seems to have a mind of it’s own.

You have to understand how it works, unlike other mediums where a brush stroke stays where you put it. Watercolor can spread, create blooms and runs, and do all sorts of things that may or may not be wanted, if you aren’t paying attention. This means that when I’m painting, I am very present in the moment. It helps me focus but also relax at the same time.

Watercolor changes as it dries. Usually it lightens, but depending on the paper and the paint and whether it granulates, it can be smooth, textured, almost rough looking, the transitions from light to dark or from color to color can be seamless or hard edged. I also love that I am still learning about watercolor. Because of it’s many sides and the range of effects that can be achieved, I never tire of creating.