Something to do before January Watercolor classes begin

Now that the holiday season is winding down, you may be looking for a project or two to refresh your watercolor skills before our usual class schedule resumes.

As always, daily sketching and painting will keep you busy and be an enjoyable way to get your art skills going again. Charlie O’Shields has his January prompts ready at doodlewash.com. Here’s what he says about next month:

“January is the start of winter and the days can be a bit dark and gray. Thankfully, with the help of a sketchbook, a bit of creativity, and lots of lovely color any day can be made bright and beautiful. So, this month is a celebration of colorful things from flamingos to macarons. And a wonderful chance to practice with color, try new mixes and have a totally delightful time in the process!”

Another option is to join a Facebook group that inspires your watercolor creativity.

      Two Facebook groups that I enjoy are Watercolor Enthusiasts

      And 30x30 Direct Watercolor 

Each of the other two above mentioned FB groups have challenges of their own.       

1. The challenge at 30x30 Watercolor is to paint directly without any preliminary drawing.  This group is the home base for a participatory art project started in 2019 and hosted by Marc Taro Holmes and Uma Kelkar.

2. Here’s what Watercolor Enthusiasts did for their December Challenge:

    “Here comes our DECEMBER CHALLENGE! Let's get creative, take out your brushes and paint "Magical Forest". The winning entry will be published as the group's banner. This time it is also a Member's Choice: a winner will be chosen by the number of "likes" given by members.”

Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/136128046842511/?ref=share to see the winning artwork.

The 30x30 Watercolor Challenge for June

Since 2007, the subtitle of my blog has been Daily Painting Practice to Grow as a Painter. The masthead artwork of my blog is from a 15x22” watercolor that I painted directly without preliminary drawing. As you can see, from the beginning I have included many of my watercolors that were “direct paintings”.

I’ve been painting a majority of my watercolors  directly without preliminary drawing.for years. When it comes to architecture or portraits I generally depend on a light pencil drawing or even a sketch in pen for line and wash.

All this took place before I ever became aware of the urban sketching international group or any of the pivotal people involved. Fast forward to the present and I am pleased to be a blog correspondent for Seattle USK and a faculty member for the Urban Sketchers 10x10 Workshop Program. In fact, I just finished my Spring Workshop, First Steps into Visual Journaling.

Imagine my excitement when Marc Taro Holmes announced a new online watercolor challenge and Facebook group just for this event!

Naturally, I’m in! Are you?

Looking for the FAQ/Announcement < click here!