Category: how to paint with watercolor

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The golden flow of fall season watercolor

Fall season watercolor, golden lake view

Many of my watercolor paintings are created as demonstrations, spontaneously, without much planning. It’s difficult to know what each group or student wants, so I have to switch swiftly from one subject to another, from one color palette to the next. Fall season watercolor paintings shine through the light and numerous shades of red, burnt sienna, golden ocher, warm, deep or cool yellow shades, orange, grey, purple an so forth. Fall season watercolor paintings allow using many approaches and techniques.

Fall season watercolor, creek and trees
Autumn creek, fall season watercolor

I am sticking this time to fall season watercolor, but we have done also many new acrylic artworks. It is a good time to be indoors and immerse oneself in bright colors. I paint in layers which means I create a map of a painting with weaker tones at first and then gradually bring it to the necessary value and color temperature. None of that is visible on my photos which look mostly yellow. There’s a reason I dislike Apple and their iPhone. No chance to get true colors. I’ve tried everything, but it’s too automated to recognize all colors at once.

Fall season watercolor, creek painting

Nevertheless, the actual paintings are large (24 x 18” or 61 x 46 cm) and look quite impressive, just as required for display of the fall season watercolor versatility. I’d love to let images speak for themselves, even though photos are all wrong.

Fall season watercolor painting
Fall season watercolor painting for sale

The attendance at classes is fairly good and I have to repeat some observations. If you intend to learn painting, you have to go big. Postcard size images don’t allow to implement many things. I haven’t seen any student yet who learned painting using video tutorials and online courses. Quite the opposite – nobody knows anything about brushes, paper, how to use whatever they have and so on. There’s no knowledge of direction of light or values. We usually start from scratch. First purely basic techniques and then more complex matters.

Birch forest path painting
Birch forest path painting in watercolor, large

This time is a fantastic for observing nature. Many people try painting trees, structures and buildings, but the first step is to look at them as they are in nature or in reality and try to remember what exactly a tree looks like. There are numerous sorts of them, but none here has wider and fatter branches than the trunk. The branches thin out rewards the top. Natural things have randomness to them and it’s important to remember that nothing in nature grows equal distance apart. Basically, your subjects are everywhere and you just have to look at them.

Fall season watercolor, golden lake view
Fall landscape, watercolor painting

It’s a great season to start painting. The most gains and successes come from practice and observation. We make errors to learn from them. We learn from doing, not exactly watching. Watching gives an idea, but doing is superior to watching. Or talking, or thinking about it. Doing makes one master of the trade, so, the next step – take your brush, paints and paper and on to painting the colors of fall season!

Group art classes

Original watercolor paintings for sale

Art collections by Inese Poga

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Spring color palette

Spring color palette private art classes

Spring color palette with grey

I am impatiently waiting for spring, and while it is still cold, windy and cold with snow covering most of the soil outdoors, I paint spring. I paint spring using my spring color palette which is pretty much always the same. My spring color palette includes different grey tones, as well, but camera cannot keep up with my soft color transitions and frequently sees grey as blue. I hope, the spring color palette can be perceived as you look at my paintings on your device. As we well know, any device has its own settings, thus, impacting heavily what one sees.

Color palette for watercolor painting
My recent spring color palette

Color palette also changes

I have had many favorite color stretches over many decades while painting. I have had totally grey phases, and very blue, very green and bright multicolor painting periods also. As an artist, I never stay the same because everything changes and our hate-love relationship with colors changes, as well. I love balanced color palette and use it whenever possible. Phone camera wasn’t designed to get things look real, but rather enhance everything. It also destroys correct perspective regardless of how you adjust it.

Color palette for spring road watercolor

Imagination at work

Spring color palette is vivid and rebirth-affirming. I’m very sure if you live in different climates, your color palette is quite distinctive from mine. I don’t paint mountains or oceans, just because I don’t see them here. I also don’t rely on photos, but rather on imagination and visual memory. That makes things easier for me. Simplicity which excites is a good term to describe these paintings.

Saturated colors

The old house was painted in 2018. Apparently, watercolor works much better on thick Arches watercolor paper. Layering colors is easier and the entire painting has more saturated values. Pictures which I took with iPhone back then, are rather dark and some look even blurry. I should get new pictures of all paintings which I still have, but that’s too much of work and too much of re-posting and editing. I did, however, take new pictures of the old rural house.

Old rural house, spring landscape
Old house watercolor painting in spring colors, 20 x 16 in or 51 x 41 cm

Still grey and Road into distance paintings

Still grey with birch tree and the Road into distance are new watercolor paintings. They are created using the same color palette, but I couldn’t get a good image of the large one, the Road into distance painting, It’s a fantastic, large size watercolor with beautiful color transitions. I would say, it has gentle and soft spring colors and all values are simply perfect. If you ever happen to be in Ajax, Ontario, you could stop by and see with your own eyes how no picture can ever match the original painting.

Road into distance, watercolor painting
Road into distance, 24 x 18 in or 61 x 46 cm watercolor painting

If you just started painting with watercolor

If you just started using watercolor, always test your colors. Nowadays, the color name alone doesn’t mean much. I have 3 Payne’s grey paints from different manufacturers, and they range from rather blue to very black color. The same goes for Sap green and Green gold. Burnt sienna and Raw sienna are very different colors from different manufacturers. All blue colors can be anything. Yellow is usually quite weak color from the student grade sets.

Spring painting color palette
Still gre, spring landscape painting with birch, watercolor

What you can do on your watercolor paper

You should also test watercolor paper. It’s not advisable using anything lighter than 140 lb for watercolor painting. Non-cotton paper generally buckles, warps and doesn’t absorb neither water, nor pigment. Therefore, you cannot expect watercolor wash to be perfect, adjust it with paper towel. If there’s too much water on such paper, it settles down at the lowest point due to gravity and you see the “blooms” which look good in abstract art, but wrong in improper area. It’s very easy to lift paint from non-cotton paper. It’s easier for beginners because you can correct many aspects of your painting.

Don’t expect the same outcome

Spring color palette with grey birch

Cotton paper, like Arches allows achieving fantastic washes. It absorbs paint and pigment, therefore, one needs to plan painting. You can stretch and soak it before painting or use water on it before you start painting. I didn’t use Arches this time, but Strathmore 400 series paper. Getting paint on it is more difficult than lifting it. The number of layers is limited. If you use Arches (at least 140 lb. paper), number of layers is quite unlimited. Arches 300 lb. paper doesn’t buckle at all. It’s like wood, thick, firm and allows using and creating great effects. It’s very expensive at the moment, though.

Thanks, talk to you later in spring again! This post is different, thanks for reading!

Art classes, schedule and registration

Original watercolor paintings for sale

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Watercolor, beating the blues with art

Sunny spring creek watercolor

Bright and sunny watercolor art

On TV, they were talking about winter blues. How this dull and wet January weather makes people feel down and upset. Our mind tells us that spring is far away, and to make everything worse, the sky cries with us. Bright and sunny watercolor art is my personal cure, my response to mood swings and upset mind. I paint the places where I want to be and flowers which will start in April or May.

Uplifting creativity

Not all people are artists, but many have paint sets at their disposal. Brushing bright, sunny colors on paper or canvas makes a big difference. It’s an immersive activity which allows to create our own imagined reality, very distinctive from the current settings. This year has been tough so far, so taking our mind off the painful and upsetting matters is vitally important.

New watercolor paintings, pansies

New large-size watercolor art

All of these watercolor paintings are the same size – 24 x 18 inches or 61 x 46 cm. Well, to express ourselves, we need space. Tiny paper just won’t do that for you. It’s not cotton paper I used for these paintings. All of our art stores are closed now, and that leaves online shopping which I dislike. Paper is a very important part of watercolor painting, and each paper acts differently. This paper allows lifting paint easily, but it’s very problematic when adding paint layers.

Spring pansies, watercolor
Spring pansies, painting
Pansy bloom, watercolor
Pink pansy bloom

Spring pansies, 24 x 18″ watercolor painting

Watercolor painting with pansies was started in the winter of 2021. So, it sat in a folder until I decided to add a few layers of paint and finish it up. Photos show way more white space, and I just cannot do anything about it. That’s how phone camera acts when there are white or light areas. Just imagine more purple and pink color on blooms because that’s how they look. Anyway, pansy blooms make a great subject in all regards. Use any color, any number and view of blooms.

painting of pansies

Early spring flood, 24 x 18″ watercolor painting

The Early spring flood is based on views around our place. It’s a painting where you just throw on colors – Payne’s grey, Cobalt blue, Burnt sienna, Green gold, some yellow and Burnt umber. This all mixes itself on paper and then we swipe clean the areas which we would prefer to be white. We outline the trees, add leaves, wash on more color and sprinkle with a little of leaf green.

Spring landscape painting

Watercolor wash and color

It is much easier to create watercolor paint washes on cotton paper, but if you don’t have it, any firm and thick watercolor paper will do. It needs to be thick and heavy since thin paper just rolls off and buckles. It was tricky to get any pictures of this painting since I don’t have good photographing light, and it’s been cloudy and very dark almost every single day. I love the dreamy quality of this painting, although I couldn’t get it on pictures. Colors are balanced – I used warm and cool shades to create the early spring mood.

Watercolor, part of landscape
Part of painting
Spring flood, watercolor

Sunny spring creek, 24 x 18″ watercolor painting

I started the Spring creek painting (one more!) for a private art class last spring. It was half-done, just as many of art classes paintings are. It took me a while to get back to it, but I am very satisfied with the play of colors and placement of details. This painting is done with Cobalt and Brilliant blue, Burnt umber, burnt sienna, Lemon and Cadmium yellow, as well as Raw sienna and Sap green and little bit of Payne’s grey. This painting involves quite many layers.

Sunny spring creek watercolor
Spring creek painting, top part
Part of creek painting

Bright and happy art reality

I’d say these paintings show a very bright and happy place and that’s where I reside when I don’t have to deal with daily chores and other issues. It’s a perfect escape from daily routines, a perfect way to beat the winter blues. I think it’s time to write a new guidance for beginning artists. Trust me, tutorials cannot teach much about painting as such since it’s always something a particular person prefers and does. When we learn paint, we decide on everything – style, colors and subject, but tutorial requires to simply follow and copy.

Spring creek, watercolor painting

I hope you’re dealing well with everything which comes your way. Spring will arrive eventually. Thanks for reading!

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Watercolor – fantastic medium for any painting style

Watercolor fall paintings

Watercolor: good choice for any style artist

Watercolor has been one of my most favorite painting medium options for more than 5 decades. I still have a few of my first paintings somewhere, deep in my numerous art folders. I was about 10 years old, I was drawing very well, just like I do now, but my watercolors were not sparkling. I come from a family which didn’t have any relationship with art. In the neighboring house, an artist was renting a room. Her watercolor paintings were way larger and way brighter. They had more volume and more contrast. I asked her to see her paints. She showed me the most fantastic box of watercolor paints. Back then, they were Leningrad watercolor paints which later transitioned to St. Petersburg, and then White night paints. The difference was astounding. Clarity and saturation of pigment charmed me on the spot.

Watercolor, rose hips
Rose hips, my smallest size painting 14 x 11 in or 36 x 28 cm
Watercolor painting rose hips

Why to invest in good art supplies

Ever since I tried St. Petersburg watercolor paints, I always tried to find them and use. When I relocated to Canada 18 years ago, I had only a tiny paint box with me, but I quickly realized I will need more paints. So, I shopped the brands available in North America. Expensive they were, the artist grade paints, but they didn’t come even close to my favorite brand. Now with all the Russian issues, I’m in trouble again, but I hope to get some replacement paints. The most understated feature when learning to paint with watercolor is the quality. That refers to quality of paints and quality of watercolor paper. With bad paints and using them on a bad paper, all we can get is unsatisfactory color and contrast, plus bad paper simply cannot take layers and corrections and it buckles and warps. It is limiting.

Rowan tree berries, watercolor
Abstract fall watercolor
Captures of fall using watercolor washes and fine detail

Importance of good watercolor paper

Good watercolor paper is very expensive in Canada. The 300 lb cotton cold pressed paper comes to almost $30 or more (with taxes) per 1 sheet. Sheet is approximately 29 to 30 inches x 22 to 23 inches depending on brand. The use of bad paper and weak paints might be the main reason many potential watercolor users give up. Well, I am using sometimes non-cotton papers, too, but no other paper compares to the real thing when you need to apply a wash, gradual wash and fine detail. I prefer using the large size and full-sheet paper since there’s no way to paint something meaningful on tiny size paper.

Shop watercolor paintings
Beautiful sunflower painting
Autumn leaves and sunflower, both are 20 x 16 in or 51 x 41 cm

Fall colors for beginner artists

Fall season is a great time to consider painting in colors because it is very simple to apply warm and cold opposites and create something great. It is easy to use more abstracted style or add definite detail when necessary. Inspiration is everywhere assuming you get a chance to be in an area which has trees and other landscape elements. Even a few leaves can create a good composition and then you can just add fence, brick wall or washes for background. It is definitely more rewarding to use real things as models for painting. Not everybody knows how to use photo, and your style will emerge sooner when you are not affected by pre-set colors and composition. You have more freedom.

Watercolor birch path

Relaxing experience with watercolor paints

I usually do not participate in challenges because days are filled with numerous tasks as it is. I cannot be sure I will have enough time to paint something of decent quality every day. For me, it makes sense working when the time is right and I don’t feel rushed. People who have similar conditions to mine, frequently experience depression. It comes and goes, and can be of different severity grades. I noticed, however, a few days ago when I finished up the Fall tree on lake shore, I felt simply excellent. For me personally, painting with watercolor is an extremely relaxing and calming experience. Creating the bright color transitions makes me feeling way better than usually. I could say, using bright colors cures and soothes upset mood.

Watercolor birch painting
Birch path is large, 30 x 22.5 in or 76 x 57 cm

Dark colors without actual black in watercolor

I never use black color in watercolor painting, and I do not like dark watercolor paintings also. The reason is simple: black color indicates areas absent of light. If you are in a totally dark and black space no light waves are coming through. Generally speaking, I don’t like dark spaces, dark clothes and dark living environment. From the practical painting perspective, black color can make other colors muddy in watercolor painting. For extra strong values, we can use raw umber (very dark tone of brown), Payne’s grey (almost black blue), sepia (practically black with brown undertone) and mixes of dark blue, dark violet with other colors of your palette. The safest combinations in my experience are with Payne’s grey.

Autumn tree, watercolor

Art classes for adults in Ajax, Ontario

While there are many art classes, it’s so that lots of them are the paint-night type where there is no actual learning. Good painting takes time and skill. You might want to paint more abstract art, but you still need to know how your paint pigments interact and what your brush, sponge, other tools and materials, as well as paints can do on that particular paper you’re using. Every type of paper acts differently. With globalization, art classes have become part of online domain. However, I’ve never met a student who was able to paint whatever they had intended after watching online instruction videos. In reality, you need to obtain some habits which facilitate painting. My art classes are different. And I provide students with skills which root in my many-decades-long experience.

Shop watercolor paintings
Lake tree watercolor is 24 x 18 in or 61 x 45 cm

Adult artists in and around Ajax, Ontario! You might find your passion this fall season engaging in creation of colorful watercolor art. Calming, soothing and very uplifting! Especially when the days get shorter. Thanks and have a good fall season!

5 stages you can count on

Fall still life

Group art classes

Private art lessons

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How and why to use watercolor for spring flowers

Floral art by Inese Poga

Watercolor paints: easy to take with you, easy to use

I love watercolor paints because they are compact, light and easy to apply whether painting outdoors or indoors, while traveling or working at a comfortable desk. When traveling, I do not use paint in tubes, but rather in tiny containers or pans. Therefore, I can make use of my watercolor paint set which I am taking with me everywhere, just in case some attractive subject happens to be around. The same goes for a few small (approximately 11 x 14 in) sheets of firm, quite heavy Arches or Saunders-Waterford watercolor paper. It is archival quality cotton paper.

Spring in nature and in art

Spring is a moody season in Latvia where I spent this month. Snow mixes with rain drops, but hopefully, the white cover will melt soon. The forecast says: by the weekend. I had not planned to travel this early, but that was what I had to do. From what I saw on the current news, spring does not want to arrive in Southern Canada either: temperatures might be not that low, but we will have to wait for some time until grass turns green and buds on trees are ready to pop.

Paint spring before it arrives

This is the time when we can have what we are longing for by simply painting it. Imagined spring or spring around you: there is always something great to draw or paint. One more great feature of watercolor is its ability to cover paper fast. I use lots of water to create soft color transitions. Small landscape can be done in half an hour. Still life or floral painting will take longer, but not the entire day.

Early spring flowers: your best subjects

Around March, I would be happy if there were already the first snowdrops, crocuses and similar early bloomers showing above the tiny grass stems and sprouts. I’ve seen that happening, but not too often.

My art is based on drawings. I am too good with drawing and always have been, therefore, I don’t think I will ever switch to completely abstract painting. Watercolor requires some planning, therefore, value sketch in the actual size is the absolutely best reference.

Drawing for watercolor painting

If you are new to watercolor, you should know that drawing can and most often should be done on some other paper. I use for that purpose the transparent transfer paper which is attached to a thick white sheet of firm paper. To transfer drawing onto watercolor paper, I use simply daylight. That way, I have hardly visible, accurate pencil lines, but initial drawing serves me as a value drawing. That helps deciding where to apply whatever color.

Floral art by Inese Poga
Spring tulips in many colors, watercolor painting which I completed while in Latvia

Painting in layers

I paint in layers starting of with mapping my painting and leaving marks wherever I decide it is helpful. I know people who paint one segment start to finish and then move to the next one. I prefer going all over the painting with first, second, third and more layers if necessary. That is the way I like it.

Ready to create painting of spring flowers?

Are you in mood for some creativity and relaxing moment with paints? Do it in watercolor and don’t be afraid of water! If it won’t work out perfect, no problem. Start over and don’t put any limitations and pressure on yourself. Spring flowers and landscapes will make you feel happy. The well flowing watercolor paints can capture softness of flowers beautifully.

For art classes, please sign up here: Registration for art classes

To decorate for spring, you might check out my art prints which come at a reasonable price from Fine Art America.


Enjoy my demo painting of tulips and get creative with watercolor paints!