Too soon to start watercolors?

[MindCandyMan]

Hi guys,
I have been drawing now for about 6 months now and I have a LONG LONG way to go to get better but I was just curious about when to begin painting. I got an easel for my brithday and I am going to be using it for cast drawings and stuff like that but I was wondering if it would be too soon to start doing watercolors. Ideally, should I wait until I can draw and render really well with pencil, graphite, charcoal...etc... before I get into watercolor?...or is it ok to start experimenting now. I know nothing is "forbidden"...but I just want to make sure I don't stunt my growth by trying to take on something too early. Thanks.
jon

[egerie]

I don't think you'll stunt your growth by practicing :) It's good to experiment and start slowly. Of course keep the focus on your drawing and never neglect that.
the first thing I tried in watercolour was glassworks.. ethereal, see trough.. might be a good idea ?

[MindCandyMan]

Yeah I guess I should look at it as another form of still life study. Thanks. Glass sounds hard to do...yikes.

[Kyrn]

Read before you buy paints: http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/


I get tired of people whining about how watercolor is so hard to control. It's simple. Don't use so much water. Do not get your paper wet first. This is what people think makes it difficult. Because if you do that your paint will be mixing all oer the place. Start with a tight drawing and think of it as coloring a drawing. Use it like any other kind of paint, except from light to dark. You only need enough water so that your paint will come of the brush. You can also use white paint. The whole watercolor has to be transparent thing is recent. They used white all the time in the 19th century.

[MindCandyMan]

Cool Thanks kyrn :o

[jester]

MindCandyMan, my Mum started with watercolors (we share a history here, she stopped in arts in her early twenties and re-started by her end-thirties...) when she picked up arts again. It's a great medium. I suggest that you buy some really good ones (the manufacturer Schmincke is the best I know, I don't know whether it's available in the US - it's got the finest pigments and is long resistant against light). and not start with digital watercolors (which I find more difficult to handle since you don't see and feel the brush). apropos brush - buy the best and largest you can afford!

Jester

[MindCandyMan]

I am excited to try them out. Thanks I will look into those brands...it sounds like they won't be available though heheh just by the nature of the name. I might have to stick with winsor and newton.

[Kyrn]

Windsor Newton is good, but expensive and in rather small tubes. I use M. Graham paints. They have pretty much the same quality of pigment but are a much better value (much larger tubes too). Read the link I posted above:) It has rating of different brands as well as how to read the labels so you know exactly what's in the paint.

[Orban]

Uhmm, when I begin art school, the second day we were told to have watercolor, the third to try it(just trying it, how it blend, how it react on different paper, how it is when the paper is wet or dry...) and compose non figurative thing with our try :) I think we do non figurative thing for 2 month, after that we begin with illustration thing :)
The best watercolor i've try are Lukas(Sminchke are ok too :)). For both take painter one, not the newbie one, they're bad :D Take care of the different quality! And try lot of paper, each has different behavior :)

And yeah... don't use digital watercolor, neither in Painter 6 or 7 they're not near reality :evilbat:

Good luck :D