Loose watercolor warmup for recovery and relaxation

If you haven’t painted for a while you’re sure to feel a bit rusty and stiff the next time you pick up a brush, but don’t let that put you off! Sometimes a break, be it for reasons of health, holidays or just being too busy, will bring you back with new ideas and fresh eyes. So don’t hesitate, grab a brush, any paper you have to hand, and start splashing around!

My Materials

My paints for this project were the Winsor and Newton set shown below, plus a few others I have always lying around. I used only a few colors, namely: Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson, Olive Green, Burnt Sienna, Quinacridone Gold and Neutral Tint. You could substitute any yellow for the Quin Gold, and Paynes Grey or Black for the Neutral Tint with no harm done.

I decided to use a sheet of Clairefontaine Etival 140lb watercolor paper, size A4 or about 9 x 12 inches. Etival is a relatively inexpensive cellulose paper which is ideal for watercolor students and is very well-behaved no matter how you treat it! You can easily get it on Amazon. Alternatives for warmups (not too expensive!) include Bockingford and Strathmore for example.

I used as well some ink by Sennelier and a dip pen to do the linework on the painting.

I used a size 13 round nylon brush from Drawell of Japan, but any brush you are comfortable with will do nicely. I always suggest you go bigger rather than smaller!

I also used a white Sigma pen for a few highlights, and a Sakura Pigma Micron pen could be used instead of the dip pen and brown ink.

Watch Getting Back into the Flow here:

I have links below to various fantastic materials which would be ideal for a project like this. The Kuretake paints for example are powerfully pigmented and made a dramatic painting if you give them their head! All the papers and other materials are available through my Amazon shop at amazon.com/shop/dianeantonestudio. See you there!

And here are some options for inexpensive paints as a beginner.