Learning How to Watercolor

It’s never too late to learn a new skill! This summer I decided to learn how to paint with watercolors. Turns out, there’s quite a lot to it and it’s definitely not a fast skill to master.

Watercolor paints are random and weird and I can honestly say I don’t know what I’m doing. But I’m having fun!

The thing I like best is the unpredictable nature of this paint. I use too much water intentionally so I get really weird results. I’m aiming for nice color washes with great light / dark effects for each color. It’s definitely a work in progress!

What I love most about learning something new is the flow of trial and error. I paint something and it dries and I have to decide if I like it or not and if I want to throw more paint at it or leave it be.

I’ve ruined a few tests, but that’s kind of the point – they are tests! The more I paint, the more I know how to handle the paint and what to do with it and how much water to add and so on.

This same set of lessons also apply to quilting. Every quilt is a test. Every quilt is an experiment. Make something, finish it and decide if you like it or not. If you decide it’s awful, throw more fabric, thread, yarn or glitter at it (glitter makes everything better) and see if you like it better. You hate it more? Sorry, try again!

The point is to learn by doing.

Do more stuff. Make more messes. Don’t get attached to the results.

I’m off to make more messes with watercolors! What will you make a mess with today?

Let’s go quilt,

Leah Day