Emotional Experiences and Art
Undercut Forest, Watercolors and Colored Pencils, 2022
Watercolor was my least favorite medium for a very long time. For two decades. It was unpredictable, it tore up the paper, and wasn’t bright enough for me to be happy with it. My paintings were blurry. Undefined. A mess. I gave up.
Because of this, colored pencils and acrylic paints were my go-to throughout college. Until I watched Cutie and the Boxer in 2016 and saw a woman making dynamic, bold, and engaging pieces with watercolors. She (who goes by Cutie) inspired me to pick the watery practice up again.
And I practiced. And practiced. And I still practice. And I will continue practicing. Every new piece has something to learn.
I tried a lighter hand. A firmer hand. A thinner brush. Pre-wetting the paper. A different brand of watercolor paint (sorry Crayola). I was gifted a Ko-I-Noor Watercolor Wheel and enjoyed using it so much that I brought it to class for my students to try. They loved the wide array of colors. My fellow instructors loved the affordability and portability due to the compact nature. My students enjoyed twisting the tower open to use the colors, and building the tower to close it after their studio sessions. These little disks were a huge success.
But it’s not about the products. I’ll to tell you the biggest thing that helped me feel comfortable with watercolors, and even prefer them over colored pencils. Do you want to know the secret?
Watching other artists paint. Yes, you can join a class, but there are also many free options that don’t require leaving the house. YouTube is your friend. Your friend is your friend. Visit the library of videos I curated while I taught virtual art classes during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.
If you’re curious about where to start and would like a pleasant introduction to watercolor painting and one of the masters of the craft, I highly suggest viewing the Paint like William Turner Series by Tate.
And although he’s using tempera paint instead of watercolor, this artist has a calming pace and talks you through his process (It’s in Japanese, and has great subtitles)
It’s completely normal to have anger and to feel foolish when making art. It doesn’t mean you’re bad at making things. Even the very skilled feel this way. Hayao Miyazaki from Studio Ghibli expresses the malaise and pleasure of making art very well. He remains vulnerable about anger, depression, discontent, the simple joys, and how he copes with it all in these documentaries: The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (on HBOmax) and Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki. There’s also a four-hour documentary series that I haven’t seen (yet) called 10 Years with the Master.
Above all, have fun. If you’re frustrated and feeling hot, walk away. Come back to it when you’re cool. There is no rush.
Be kind to yourself and don’t take it too seriously,
