Three Things You Can Do Now To Improve Your Watercolour Painting

1. Draw more.

Keep a #sketchbook, make #drawing fun, use #charcoal, use markers, #pencils, #crayons, whatever, just draw more! At this point, you might be admitting to yourself that you are no good at drawing. If I get paid every time I hear this in one of my #demonstrations or classes I’m on my way to being rich. My response to that kind of declaration is: ‘how much drawing do you usually do?’ I can always predict the answer, which is not much or even none. So if you are this person, first check in with your inner self and challenge that negative belief.

It all boils down to building the coordination between your eye and your hand, and the memory process that is involved.

I’m amazed at how many people say to me they were told in school to never draw or #paint again. I mean, just what? Ok, outdated and poor teaching practise aside, drawing is a skill that can be learned, like learning to drive or play a piano. But if you take up piano, and you aren’t able to play Chopin in lesson one, does that somehow mean you can't play and never will be able to? What I am saying is, if you think you cant draw, you can!

Start by purchasing a #sketchbook, some #pencils and an #eraser, get drawing and you'll soon begin to see your #painting improve. So why does drawing improve your painting? It all boils down to building the coordination between your eye and your hand and the memory processes that are involved between seeing something and recording it. The more you do, the greater these are strengthened, and it is that exact same skill that you employ when painting. We all know that working in #watercolour requires some pretty fast decisions right? So the skills go hand in hand.

Boats, Mersea Island.

A quick #sketch, starting with a few light pencil marks to achieve the proportion, then freely drawing with marker pen and