That is impressive if you ask me! The fact that someone began a movement that led to a global event called World Watercolor month is so inspiring. So exactly how did this come about?
Evidently, based on what I found out, a man named Charlie O’Shields founded World Watercolor Month in 2016 after his blog and online community dedicated to “all things watercolor” exploded. He started with a blog, gained an online community, and built a huge following of watercolor artists from all over the world. You may have heard of Charlie O’Shields because he is the creator of “Doodlewash”, which is, from what I can tell, a website that offers a ton of goodies for watercolor enthusiasts. Here is the link to his website if you would like to peruse the site at your leisure. It would be well worth a quick look because he offers a ton of information. Here is the link to his site: https://doodlewash.com/may-2022-art-challenge/. On the World Watercolor Month tab of his website, you will find a shop, giveaways, a gallery, and details for the July challenge.
The month of July has been chosen as the month for watercolor artists to celebrate the medium together. There are a host of events open to any watercolor artist. For example, you join the challenge of painting a new watercolor every day and posting it online during the month of July. His website gives you 31 prompts, one for each day, to get you started! This is a great way to create your own art, have fun, be a part of a community of like-minded artists, and fine tune your abilities as you practice watercolor for 31 days! “Brilliant!” (As my dear friend from England – Clare – always says!)
By creating this art challenge, Mr. O’Shields wants to raise awareness that there is a need for art and creativity. I must say that he has inspired me afresh! He has so many resources that I would spend a month on his website just playing!
So, let’s talk a little bit about the actual process of watercolor painting. To be perfectly honest, watercolor painting is not my first choice. I know that Staci really enjoys it. As such, she has prompted me to spend more time playing with watercolors. If you are a beginner artist, I do not recommend that you begin your artist journey by trying to master watercolor painting. Unlike oil or acrylic paints, watercolor has a mind of its own, especially if you are using the cheaper watercolor paper pads. This is why I suggest that you begin your artist journey with the cheaper acrylic paints, such as DecoArt (https://www.michaels.com/americana-acrylic-paint-2oz)acrylic paint that is located in the craft paint section of Michaels and Hobby Lobby. You can practice on an inexpensive mixed media pad with this craft paint without it impacting your budget too much. Watercolor, on the other hand, becomes much easier to work with if you purchase the more expensive paper. As an example, the 140 lb. Strathmore 400 Series Watercolor Paper costs about $5.99 for 12 sheets (https://www.michaels.com/strathmore-400-series-wired-watercolor-paper-pad/M10014395.html) whereas the Arches Cold-Pressed Watercolor Pad of 12 sheets is around $25.99 per pad ( https://www.michaels.com/arches-cold-pressed-watercolor ). The more expensive the paper and the watercolor paints, the more control you have over your painting. Just sayin….
But, back to the actual process of painting with watercolor. It does produce a beautiful painting overall. I love that I can reactivate the paint a day or even a few days after painting a subject. I also love the fact that I only need water, the paints, and the paper. Other mediums require a larger array of supplies when painting. It is also very portable for those plein air outings!
To sum it all up, I hope you take advantage of World Watercolor Month and check out the website https://doodlewash.com/may-2022-art-challenge. Get inspired and be a part of something bigger than you – World Watercolor Month.