Impulsive Artistry : A Sunset Watercolor Painting + Video!

"Evening." Watercolor on Paper, 7.5x10in. Artist Charles Wolf.

Hello Everyone, I am very excited to share my newest creative project/passion – watercolor painting. For my birthday this year, back at the end of October, a few generous family members and friends provided the funds for me to invest in the basic materials I needed to begin working in this medium.

I find that watercolors present a unique challenge in that they are not as easily controlled like acrylics or oil paint, finding the right balance of water to paint (pigmentation) requires some practice, and due to the opacity of the paint, there is an emphasis on layering, building up color intensity. Another difference I discovered was that it is harder to fix mistakes in watercolor. By comparison, acrylic paint can be dried with a blow dryer and then painted over, and oil paint can be covered up by adding some linseed oil to your paint before layering it on top of what is already on the canvas. When working with Watercolors, at best you can dab some of the water off with a paper towel, but you may not be able to fully get rid of the pigmentation.

Can a beginner paint in this medium? Of course! But the techniques and approaches are a little different from other styles of painting and tend to be less forgiving to mistakes. That being said, stylistically this medium is more abstracted than the others, and if you are like me, not as interested in painting all of the little details, watercolor painting may be for you!

Materials:

I do strongly recommend purchasing professional-grade/artist quality paint if you are interested in starting with watercolors. The student grade/less expensive paint contains less pigmentation, will not mix properly, and will not be as vibrant. I know that the kid version of watercolor, the plastic flat of ovals, abound, but the watercolor medium is very delicate and it is really worth the extra investment.

Artist Quality Watercolors:

Alizarin Crimson

Bright Red

Lemon Yellow

Yellow Ochre

Burnt Sienna

Burnt Umber

Ultramarine Blue

Payne’s Grey

Bight Brush

Rigger

Water Cup

Stay-Wet Palette

140lbs Watercolor Paper – Artist Grade

Clips

Flat Surface or Easel

"Evening" - Instructional Watercolor Painting Video:

Etsy Sale:

Huge Painting Sale right now on the Impulsive Artistry Etsy Shop: All of my paintings have been marked down, as low as $40!

ETSY SHOP LINK!

Take a look and consider supporting my artwork, this blog, and me by purchasing an amazing piece of art that you can use in your own home or office or give away as a gift! Here are the few of the paintings that are on sale: