Floating into World Watercolor Month

 Yesterday I mentioned that World Watercolor Month is coming! 

It absolutely is coming and each day during July I hope to paint something fun like this! And push myself to learn some new techniques. Charlie O'Shields has given us a list of prompts for the month so I can start thinking about how I want to approach it. 

Like any other 'art' it begins with gathering the correct supplies. I started with a sheet of Strathmore Watercolor paper and added painters tape along the edges. To that add some water, paints, a good brush and an iPad for watching Netflix while you work. 

This is what I drew to get started. No paint yet, just a waterproof permanent pen. I use a Sharpie. Don't worry about those wobbly lines, they get worked out in the end. 

Then I did a crazy thing. I painted the entire page in yellow and pink. Plenty of water was used to allow the colors to bleed into each other and I let it dry naturally. Mostly. Until I got impatient at the end and finished with a heat gun. You know how I can be.

Then I painted the background various shades of green, teal and yellow. Do you see where the color went over into the petals and there are green blotchy areas where there shouldn't be green blotchy areas? Don't worry about those either. They will all work out in the end. I promise. One thing this shows you is that I am not perfect in my painting, or in my drawing. Hahahaha! Not by a long shot. My motto is go big and then make it better. (Or add more pink.) 

And this is when I started working those lines. Still using that waterproof pen. I had that big center part and you know it was just screaming for printemps! Then just outline and backline and outline the petals till you like it. 

And add more lines. As many as you want. Remember how the entire background was yellow and pink? Then I added green and teal and more yellow for the background between the petals? Those pinks and yellows show through in the petals but they also add life to the background. Win/win. 

A white paint pen can be your best friend. The Sharpie water based paint pen in fine point is getting next to impossible to find, if you find them in your store . . . buy every one they have because you might never find them again. 

Add a little definition around the edges. When you remove the painters tape you are left with a stunning border which draws your eye into the painting. 

Isn't that amazing? Hahahaha! I am so easy to make happy. As long as there is some pink, or teal, or purple . . . I am probably going to be happy. 

And then I decided I liked this better upside down. Hahahahaha! Go figure! Really happy with this one. This Strathmore paper is cut ready to go into an 8" x 10" frame. With the way I put the painters tape evenly around the edges, the picture comes with its very own built in mat. Isn't that cool? But let's go back to World Watercolor Month. 

World Watercolor Month is all about having fun with watercolors, learning and stretching and trying new things. Even more than that, WWM is about raising awareness for art education and helping nurture art and creativity in children. Worldwide. That is where the International Child Art Foundation comes in. 

There is an artists shop located on the Doodlewash site dedicated to WWM. In this shop you can purchase Limited Edition Souvenirs with 100% of the proceeds going straight to ICAF. I have the honor of having my artwork featured on one of the collectible bags this year. I would love for you to go purchase one if you are able. None of the money comes to me, it all goes to ICAF to further art education with the children. 

Here is the list of daily prompts Angela Fehr put together for WWM, 2021. The prompt are ideas, building blocks, jumping off points. Ideas to get the ball rolling, so to speak. Or you can use any idea of your own. Just watercolor paint each day. Let it become a healthy habit. 

There are other ways to get involved with WWM but that is news for another day. 

My artist bag can be purchased here. 

All artists bags - including mine - can be purchased here. 

More information about WWM can be found here.