How to Start a Travel Journal or Paint Journal or Sketch Journal
Before I started painting in a journal, I was intimidated about painting something that didn’t turn out, feeling that since it was a permanent page it my journal it better be good. Once I let go of this fear and
How to Track Your Watercolor Progress
Sometimes as artists we don’t see our progress because we are too close to what we are creating. So what I recommend is to put up your paintings so when you walk into the room they are at a distance.
What to Do When You’re in a Creative Rut
I’ve been in a creative rut a number of times in my life -- it happens to many of us. The deepest rut I found myself in was about 20 years ago and it coincided with a bout of depression
How to Take Travel Photos to Paint for Later
I used to carry a variety of cameras, storage drives, memory cards, and back in the day, rolls of film. Now, it’s so much simpler to just take photos for painting with my small iPhone. When I travel, I can take upwards
Painting En Plein Air – TOP TIPS for Beginners
I remember my first plein air experience, I had way too much stuff. If you pack less, you'll paint more is what I've learned with over 25 years of painting en plein air. Watercolors are the easiest medium to travel
Ten More Unique Watercolor Painting Ideas for Beginners
What are some unique watercolor painting ideas for beginners? When I was asked about unique watercolor painting ideas for beginners, I started with the concept that everything is a shape. Simple organic recognizable shapes are the easiest to start with. A single
Starting with Watercolors: Watercolor Supplies with Cindy Briggs
Choosing Watercolor Supplies Starts with Quality Watercolor Paper Watercolor works best on quality watercolor paper. Students often think they should start out with cheap paper, but this can be a disappointing mistake. I always encourage using 140# Cold Press Watercolor paper to
How to Start Watercolor Painting for Beginners–Inspiration
How to Start Watercolor Painting for Beginners If you're wondering how to start watercolor painting for beginners and looking for inspiration, it may be challenging to choose what to paint. The most important first step is to find something you are inspired
Watercolor Painting: Where to Start
Q&A with Cindy Briggs Should background washes be painted before or after the subject? It all depends on the subject. Sometimes the colors in my background go with my subject and I may work those out as I'm painting. Otherwise, you lose
