Figurative Watercolors – Sand Castle Princess

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Figurative Watercolors – Sand Castle Princess

I took a pause from my fun Mokulito printmaking experiments to work on this small watercolor of a sand castle princess. I’ve included a trio of helpful resource links for you below… read on.

One of my favorite things about watercolor is the simplicity and portability of the medium. You can paint with a lap desk on the couch, at the kitchen counter, on a boat, or from a squeezey seat on an airplane.

If you don’t have a drawing ready to paint, you can always try direct painting, or play with abstract shape and pigment mixing, or experiment with a particular watercolor painting method you’re not yet familiar with. All of those approaches are a date with your creative self, and every minute adds to your arsenal of skills.

Three Creative Resources for You

• If you’ve ever pondered taking an online watercolor painting course, have a look at this option from an intrepid plein air painter Liz Steel – Watercolor Sketching Now. There are over 15 hours of instructional video material, and it gets excellent reviews. I haven’t taken the course, but Liz is a great watercolor artist and a frequent teacher of face-to-face workshops. Artists who teach regularly get very good at articulating their processes and methods. And as a fellow course creator, I can relate to the amount of work that went into this course. If you’ve already taken it, please share your thoughts in the comments.

• If you’re looking to get exposure for your art or sell it from an online shop, Social Media is a conduit to collectors, fellow artists, resources, and inspiration. Many of my artist friends say they don’t know where to start with sharing their work on social media. This is an excellent article on social media tips for artists by Elizabeth Campbell

• Do you know about the Google Arts and Culture page? You can choose a color (in this case, I chose green), and roam through a beautifully diverse arrangement of paintings featuring that color using a slide bar across the top. From the Main Page, scroll down and select the arts topics that appeal to you. But be warned; it’s a rabbit hole of wonder. Maybe brew a cup of tea, open a sketchpad, and harvest some art-making ideas from the experience.

Taking Time to Make Art

I’ve recently gotten emails and comments about the appearance of my having an enviously huge amount of time to make art. Somehow, each post scratches a scab of discontent for more than a few artists who wish they had more time for creative pursuits.

I am truly an episodic artist. I make art in fits and starts, with 30 minutes here, and an hour over there, sometimes separated by three (or thirteen) days of non-art-life-stuff.

The pencil sketch under the little sand castle princess watercolor in this post was done three years ago. The Tetra Pak plate intaglio collagraph print from two posts back was started in the Spring of 2020 and finished in the Fall of 2022. Most of the art shared in this blog was started in one season and finished a lot later, because Life happens.

If you’re waiting for entire days, or a whole uninterrupted week to make art, I’m afraid you’re not going to create much in each spin around the sun, unless you’re a hermit.

If your non-art life tasks are viewed as resented Debits from Art-Time, I want to encourage a shift in perspective. Life is what seasons our topic choices, colors and courage in creativity. Take time to *add* creative pursuits in between your daily obligations, and make a little art.

Thirty minutes of sketching is good for your mental health, and your better mood will benefit the people you spend time with. That and a cookie. Pinky promise.

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you in the next post –

Belinda

P.S. Bill Inman, the creator of Master Oil Painting courses posted a great article for managing time as an artist here.

Art Quote

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Theodore Roosevelt

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