The Dictionary defines Watercolor as "artists' paint made with a water-soluble binder such as gum arabic, and thinned with water rather than oil, giving a transparent color."
My definition of watercolors - a beautiful transparent painting medium that allows for many techniques and styles and allows for expression of feelings and dreams.
I started painting with watercolors when I was a little girl and never looked back. I did take an extensive break, but went back to painting a few years ago and have never stopped since, and never plan to again. So why watercolors? Why is that my chosen and favorite medium?
The reasons are numerous but I'll talk about a few most important ones in this post.
To me, watercolor has the quality of lightness and joy. This is not to say that it cannot be used to portray heavy subjects. But because of its fluid and transparent characteristics, it has that elusive something that other painting medium just may not have.
There is a great variety of techniques that can be used by themselves or have beautiful results when used in conjunction with each other (wet on wet, wet on dry, dry on wet, drybrush, etc.). Watercolor painting style can be loose or tight. Interestingly, it's harder to paint in the loose style and takes more skill, I feel.
Painting with watercolors is not easy and it may take a while for someone to reach the point where they really enjoy it - unless they let go from the beginning and just explore and have fun with the journey. There are certain properties of watercolor that can make it more difficult to control. It's not a very forgiving medium and it can be hard to correct mistakes or "take out" errors (although some techniques exist to a limited degree, and I'll cover those in one of the future posts). The very fluidity that I love about it can make it harder to work with, as it makes it more unpredictable. By the same token, that very unpredictability can make for some wonderful and unexpected discoveries. The way the colors mix together on paper, the way water can make fun and charming patterns - it all adds up to the beauty of this medium.
Another aspect that I love about watercolor painting is that it can be done anywhere, anytime and with a limited amount of supplies, unlike some of the other mediums, such as acrylics and oils (I love those in a different way). You can start with a limited color palette, a couple of brushes and a watercolor pad or a few pieces of watercolor paper. Yes, it's important that all of the above are of good quality for best results, but the point is, you don't need a lot to start with. And it's the most versatile to paint or sketch on your travels. You don't need heavy easels, chemicals to mix it with or special brush cleaners.
The spontaneity and immediacy, the intimacy and liveliness of watercolors has conquered many hearts and will continue to do so.
What do you love about watercolors? I would love to hear from you in the comments.
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