In a blog one post comes right after another, but in real life things just get a bit mixed up. Like two different kinds of paint that pool up and suddenly give you the effect you were not expecting. Though I wanted to continue with my art course and was scheduling time for it I got sidetracked by lots of board games and a little DIY coffee table project. But hey, I am back!

Last time we spoke I was struggling with the brush pens I was using. The frustration was making my eyes water like the smoky effect was really getting to me. Luckily i was able to find a really amazing art supply store with extremely helpful staff who directed me in the right direction.

So first things first, proper testing. I tried the flexibility of the tip, the darkness of the ink, but most importantly, how permanent the ink was. And this time I tested it not only with water, but with the same watercolor I was going to use later on.

Previously I hastily went into the project. Just mixing and painting and then not liking the end result. This time, I decided to plan ahead a bit. See which are the colors that I like which are the ones that my mind’s eye sees when I think of this little beach, and go from there.

I learned that although the watercolors I use are not that bad, they are definitely not the best quality either. They have a lot of fillers. They are extremely translucent even with the tiniest amount of water. So it was a bit of a struggle to work with them. The good thing is that while testing the colors, trying to come up with the best combinations I managed to learn a lot about the nature of the paint, the brush and its relationship with the aforementioned beast, and my patience.

At the end there was a look back at my final sketch of the beach…

lots of reflection on what I missed or might have done incorrectly in my previous trial….

and the final end result.

I am really happy how this paining turned out. It is one of those little exercises which I might have done twice, but I don’t regret it. I dipped my toe into the water (color) a bit and have come out unharmed. I know I’ll venture back, but it will take me some time to be confident to get myself into deep waters. But it was an (very) important first step.