Back in December, I was scrolling through Facebook when I came across a post by Winsor & Newton (art supply company) offering free tutorials in the New Year. I’ve been wanted to get back into my art for a while so I signed up.

I consider myself a self-taught artist because, though I took Art all through school, very few teachers ever actually taught technique – they just gave us an assignment and we were left to do our best on our own.

The exceptions were:

My Grade 7 Art teacher (who’s name I can’t remember, though I can picture him clearly). He was the person who taught me how to draw faces proportionately, and also how to use a grid to help making sketching easier.

and

My Grade 12 Art teacher - Mr. Izatt – who taught me how to properly use acrylic paint.

Though I’d never been taught it, I’d always had a love for Watercolour. I was first given a set when I was probably 8 or 9, and would play with it every now and again.

In my teens, I discovered watercolour pencil crayons… and I had a blast with them. The media I’m most comfortable in is pencil crayons. And as much as I loved them, they didn’t give a “true” watercolour look.

In my early twenties, I interviewed an artist who did watercolour on canvas. During the interview, she gave me a quick, 10 minute lesson, and I went home and tried it on my own.

With this technique, you use them thick, like acrylics, and pull colour off with a wet, clean brush for your highlights. It also requires a special type of canvas, and I haven’t seen them in stores for years.

Still – I’ve always wanted to do “traditional” watercolour properly. Though the tutorials came out in January (there are four), I haven’t had a chance to sit down and actually try one until last Sunday.

I decided to start with one that was a butterfly.

I’d forgotten that painting something would require me to sketch something first. Luckily I had Lemmy to help me, as my sketching skills are a touch rusty too.

Eventually I got him to settle elsewhere…

And set to work on following the tutorial with paint.

Step by step I followed it and eventually ended up with something that definitely looked like a butterfly…

But, if you compare it to the guide on my screen, I definitely need more practice.

So… I’m on the hunt for more tutorials because… I’ve had a book of these since forever…

And I think it would be fun to use them all up this year!