Happiness Project: Watercolor Painting with Skillshare

Awhile ago, I decided to stock up on watercolor supplies. I bought a basic watercolor palette, brushes, and paper, and prepared to start painting. I remembered loving watercolor painting as a kid, and always wanting to learn how to actually use the paints as an adult. I even got a book, Water Paper Paint, so I'd have a guide. The best intentions, right?

This morning—just three short years after pulling together my basic painting kit—I finally dug everything up from its exile in the bottom of a box in the back of our storage unit in the basement. I unwrapped the individual blocks of paint, took the brushes out of their packaging, and pried open a block of paper. Then I turned on my computer and pulled up Skillshare, where I started watching this great beginning class on watercolor techniques. It's the first time I've done something artistic with my hands in....well, a really, really long time.

I spent my morning dabbling in color and water, experimenting with transparencies and gradients, trying very hard to paint straight(ish) lines. (I think I need to find a class on how to create the same shape multiple times. My rectangles just starting going all over the place, no matter how hard I tried to make neat little rows of congruent shapes.) And it's been great to dedicate time to learning and practicing something I've always wanted to do.

I'm not even halfway through the class yet, though I'm hoping to finish it this week, and then try to start making my own experimental paintings (in all that free time I'll have when the new baby is here!). I hope to be able to do some painting when the boys are around, so they can see their mama engaged in something artistic, and become interested too. Though that may be wishful thinking.

Look at those circles! I tried to so hard to paint three circles of the same basic size and shape, and look what happened. And how about that (lack of) gradient in the blue? This is the point of practice, right?—doing it again and again to learn the basic techniques and constantly improve.

If you're interested in this—or any other—Skillshare class, sign up now! They currently have a great introductory deal: three months of Skillshare Premium for only $.99, but the deal ends soon (beginning March 1, the offer will switch to just a one month free trial). Now's the time!

I have to admit that the only reason I bothered to do this today was because I committed to for my happiness project. I think this final month, focused on learning, has been my most successful. Having some sort of accountability (ie, telling my readers I would do it) has helped provide the impetus I need to get started on these projects. I hope I can maintain some of the skills and knowledge I've gained even after the sleeplessness of parenting a newborn sets in!

Note: I am a member of Skillshare's Ambassador program, which means that I make a small commission if you join Skillshare through my links. I joined the Ambassador program after being a member of the platform for over a year—I would only ever recommend a product or service that I believe in and use myself. Thank you for supporting the companies that support Dear Sabrina!