Yoga - Watercolor on Paper

Hi there,

Lately I'm more focused on pencil drawings than digital painting. Last post I've mentioned that I love old school sketches, they are simpler, straight forward and have more soul. I began to color some of my sketches, and liked the results. So I decided to purchase some colored pencils and to use them more often, I went to the art shop and chose some. they looked normal and affordable, but to my surprise they were actually watercolor pencils - they work like regular colored pencils but they dissolve in water. I decided to take the chance and to try water painting for the first time.

The process was pretty easy : 1. sketch 2. fill with dried color 3. use the brush to actually water paint.

Here are the stages :

Sketch :

A friend's photo inspired me to sketch a yoga position, I liked the posture and the scenery, I really felt the spiritual uplifting. I imagined a free bird flying on top of a mountain, staring at the horizon... it was magical.

I loved the sketch, but I wanted to use the color pencils, so I didn't add more details with the graphite pencil. It was a bit risky to color the sketch with unfamiliar medium, but I took the chance :) (and took a picture of the original sketch with my camera, just in case...)

Coloring the sketch with the pencils:

Carefully, I started to fill in the sketch with some color,especially the main subject. The result was OK, nothing more. A little advice for those who want to use those watercolor pencils - use less color than you'd think! You can always add more color, but once the surface is fully covered, you can't undo it, and it might ruin your painting.

I wasn't too impressed with the result, but I knew that there is one more step...

Using the brush:

Using the wet brush on the paper has changed some things - first, the color, the tones were different and more intense, the other thing was the paper - it wasn't a proper watercolor paper so I had to handle it with extra care and try not to over abuse the surface. I had to use short and light brush strokes (and a lot of patience).

The sketch has become more colorful and vivid. Real watercolor paper and more brushes would probably help me create better paintings, however for a first attempt with limited equipment I'm pretty content :)  

The main advantage with the watercolor pencils is that you can carry them anywhere. You can sit in a cafe or in a park and just use them without any fuss or mess. You can watercolor on the spot, or just to fill the sketch with some color and finish it at the comfort of your own home. I think I'm going to carry them to the park next Saturday and try to paint some of the action!