Playing with Paints Watercolor
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Senior editor: Kate Burkett
Senior art editor: Emma Clayton
Designer: Rachel Cross
Photographer: Phil Wilkins, Michelle Gibson, and Sara Funduk
Art director: Gemma Wilson
Publisher: Samantha Warrington
pid_prh_5.5.0_c0_r0
Meet Sara
Chapter 1
Jump right in
Basic watercolor supplies
Get to know your paint
Exploring lines
Create a color wheel
Blending and bleeding watercolors
Your first pattern
Making moons
Layered abstract piece
Monochrome doesn’t mean boring
Frenemies: complementary colors
Soothing analogous colors
The fun triadic palette
Light, dreamy layers
Adding special details
Create a pebbles pattern
Spatters and drips
Design some crazy socks
Showcase a special date
Chapter 2
Surprise yourself
Explore a piece of fruit
Replicate textures with paint
Weird, wonderful animals
Look for inspiration in vintage china
Paint the white space
Fuzzy kitty faces
Exploring leaf shapes
Yum! Paint a sweet treat
Pattern hunting on the go
Take a shelfie
Layered confetti
Color blocking
Paint a mushroom garden
Growing a floral pattern
Fixing and embracing mistakes
Paint a cloudy sky
Expressive brushstrokes
One-stroke flowers and leaves
Easy gradient flowers
Create your packing list
Practice painting faces
3, 2, 1!
Recreate a favorite photo
Dimensional potted plant
Paint a month
Keep it simple
Pixel-perfect landscape
Moving paint
Thumbnail it
Layered plaid pattern
Create a repeating pattern
Chapter 3
Best friends
Watercolor markers
Watercolor pencils
Rainbow abstract background
White gel pen detail
Not-so-simple stripes
Swirly watercolor galaxy
Resist techniques
Rubbing alcohol effect
Go big and bold
Start small and grow a wreath
Not-so-simple circles
Watercolor salt texture
Resist birthday card
Tree texture using watercolor pencils
Watercolor plus gouache
Mixed-media florals
Tea time with pen accents
New life for an old painting
Paint a tiny town
Doodles in a floral explosion
Paint a frosty winter scene
Gel pen leafy tangle
Find the essence
Show your love
Chapter 4
Pulling it all together
Create a colorful jungle
Compose an agate diptych
Custom alphabet
Paint a mandala
Unexpected color choices
Keep an experimental sketchbook
Personalized letter painting
Pressed-flower painting
Beautiful bugs
Paint your dream house
Watercolor gems
Mini-landscape paintings
Flowy hand-lettering
Moody floral pattern
A record of your day
Mundane pattern
Create a patterned landscape
Paint a terrarium in a jar
Simple collage studies
Custom phone wallpaper
Map it out
Paint your own stamp collection
Make painterly bookmarks
Put it all together in an art journal
Design your own stationery
Create bold gift wrap
Deconstruct a bouquet of flowers
Geometric collage cut-out
Watercolor quilt
Index
Credits
Meet Sara
Hey you! I’m so happy you picked up this book! Are
you ready to create some art with me?
My name is Sara Funduk and I live in Ontario, Canada, with my
husband Ryan, my son Stanley, and our two grumpy old cats. I am
an art-supply hoarder; I use all the colors when I paint; and I am
completely obsessed with patterns. I have been making art since I
was old enough to hold a crayon, but it took me a long time to
discover watercolor.
When my son was born, I almost let my creativity dry up. I felt
like I had no time to paint and I definitely didn’t have time for all
the setup and cleanup work that went with it. One day, during nap
time, I pulled out a barely used watercolor palette from my stash
and it all clicked.
This medium is wonderful for so many reasons, but I especially
love that it is so approachable and affordable. All the supplies you
need to create a beautiful watercolor painting can fit in your back
pocket. With my tiny watercolor palette and small sketchbook, I
painted whenever I found a spare moment and completely fell in
love with art all over again.
Watercolor has a reputation for being unpredictable and hard to
control. But, if you ask me, that’s exactly what makes it so much fun
to work with. If you learn to let go, beautiful and unexpected things
will happen on the page. Quite often my “mistakes” turn out to be
the most exciting part of a painting!
In this book, I’m not going to teach a list of specific rules to
follow. Instead, you’ll find plays, prompts, and projects designed to
show you just what this beautiful medium is capable of. I hope
these exercises will show you how to paint with joy and take
pleasure in the process. Incorporating art into your life is something
anyone can do even if you’ve never picked up a paintbrush before!
And if you’re more experienced, I hope I can teach you to use your
watercolor skills in new and exciting ways.
So, get ready to have some fun, make mistakes, surprise yourself,
and fall in love with watercolor!
1
Jump right in
In this chapter you will learn how to put together a
beginner’s watercolor kit to suit any budget and
start experimenting right away. Don’t worry too
much about the rules! The first few exercises will
show how this surprising medium behaves and how
easy it can be to achieve beautiful results. You will
learn all about color and how it blends and works
together. Then jump right in by exploring your
brushes and making some marks. These simple
brushstrokes will come together to form some lovely
pieces of art. I will guide you through a few
beginner techniques and you can take off from
there.
Basic watercolor supplies
Getting started with watercolor painting does not require a
ton of supplies. Any watercolor set you can get your hands
on will teach you how to work with the paint. As you fall in
love with the medium (and you will!), you can upgrade your
supplies as you go.
Paint
Watercolor paint generally comes in two forms: tubes (1) and pans
(2). Paint from a tube is wonderfully vibrant and beautiful to work
with, but can get a bit pricey. Watercolor pan sets are generally
more affordable and can vary in quality. For most of the exercises in
this book, I use tube paint, but use whatever you have at hand, or
can afford, and work up from there. You can make lovely art even
with a children’s set of paints!
Brushes
A round brush with a good point is definitely the brush I reach for
the most. You can complete almost every exercise in this book with
just a medium round brush (3). I also love water brushes (4) that
have a handle which can be filled with water. They are great for
painting on the go. When you are ready to expand your collection,
you will probably need a large flat brush (5) for washes and a small
liner brush (6) for detail. Be sure to buy brushes specifically made
for watercolor because they will hold the most paint.
Palettes
The best things about a set of pan paints are that it comes with its
own storage case and the lid doubles as a mixing palette. If you are
using tube paints, you’ll want to get a palette (7) too. I use a plastic
one with a lid so I can take my paint with me anywhere. I almost
never clean my palette, because the paint can always be reactivated.
Paper
Thick, good-quality watercolor paper is important for achieving that
signature watercolor look. Watercolor paper (8) comes in bound
books, sheets, and blocks that are gummed on every side to prevent
wrinkling. I tend to practice on cheaper paper and save the more
expensive paper for finished projects. Not all watercolor paper is
created equal. You will notice a big difference in your finished
artwork when you use high-quality paper.
Water
It might seem obvious, but clean water is an important tool! I like to
keep two jars of water when I paint: one for cleaning my brush (9);
the other for mixing with the paint (10). If your water gets too
muddy, it will start to affect the color of your paint, so clean water is
essential.
Tape
Tape the paper to a hard work surface with painter’s tape or washi
tape (11). It prevents wrinkling and gives a nice clean edge. But be
sure to wait until your painting is completely dry before pulling up
the tape.
Pens and pencils
A black waterproof pen (12) is a great way to add some linework and
detail. I also love to add accents with a white gel pen (13). You’ll see
pens used a lot in this book as a finishing touch. And be sure to
always have a light pencil (14) at hand for making initial sketches.
Other useful tools
Masking fluid (15); Watercolor markers (16); Watercolor pencils
(17); Salt (18); Rubbing alcohol; Gouache (19); Paint pens (20);
Props and photos for reference.
PRO TIPS
Be sure to always rinse your brushes well after each painting
session and store them pointing upward, to ensure they keep
their shape.
Watercolor paint can always be reactivated after it dries on the
palette, so there is never any waste. Even paint from a tube
can still be used after it has dried.
Keep a spray bottle of water at hand to quickly mist your whole
paint palette before you start.
For paint that is especially old and dry, warm water will
resurrect even the crustiest of palettes! Just spray and let it sit
for a few minutes.
If you are covering the page with paint, be sure to use a
watercolor block, or tape the paper to a hard surface. Let the
painting dry completely before removing the tape.
