Around the age of 10 I was enrolled in a community art class where, on the first day, we were instructed to sketch a bowl of fruit placed on a table in front of us. Tracing the silhouette of bananas and grapes didn’t come naturally to me, but I nevertheless had a good time—that is, until I later learned the teacher suggested to my mother I pursue an alternative extracurricular. I did not return to the class, but that didn’t stop me from continuing to paint poorly for years to come. In exercising my inalienable right to produce subpar art, I’ve learned a valuable life lesson: You don’t have to be good at something to gain from it. My latest summer hobby illustrates this best: watercolor painting. Do I excel at watercolor painting? I do not. Does it relax and stimulate me? Reliably!
Vogue’s Favorite Watercolor Paint Sets:
Luckily, watercolor is well-suited for beginners for a few reasons. “First, it’s a very accessible medium,” illustrator Meagan Morrison of Travel Write Draw says, pointing out that beginner sets are easy to find at most art supply stores. “I also think the ability to build up transparent washes makes watercolor feel more approachable for someone who’s nervous about putting that first brushstroke down on a blank sheet of paper.” Every mark doesn’t have to be perfect; rather, you can gradually develop a painting. “Watercolor also dries relatively quickly, making it an easy medium to travel with and paint wherever inspiration strikes.” In fact, one of the best things about watercolor paint sets is that they’re portable, meaning this is a hobby you can take with you, to paint en plein air wherever your vacation takes you.
Once you’ve got a handle on brushstrokes, consider your color palette. Morrison (who is classically trained in fine art and fashion illustration) is a proponent of learning to mix shades from a foundation of primary colors. “There have been countless moments throughout my career when I didn’t have the exact color I needed,” she says; thanks to her knowledge of color theory, she’s able to create custom hues. It’ll take a bit of trial and error, but this is especially useful for skin tones, botanicals, landscapes, and other natural subjects. “I think mixing your own colors creates a much richer and more believable result,” she says. If you’re unsure of your mixture, she recommends keeping a spare sheet of watercolor paper to test before committing: “It’s an easy habit that lets you check both the color and the value, giving you the opportunity to add more water or pigment before it reaches your painting.”
The watercolor kit I’ve been using this summer is by Japanese brand Kuretake. It comes in a teeny tiny travel case and has 12 non-toxic watercolors, a built-in mixing tray, brush, pencil, and water bottle. It’s so compact and easy to use (and clean up) that most evenings after I wrap up work, I find myself switching on some music and painting for 30 minutes to unwind from the day. Now that I’ve established a routine, I’m looking forward to bringing my set along on upcoming travels, as Morrison recently did. “I was just in Sardinia, staying above Cala di Volpe in the Costa Smeralda region,” she says, “and the incredible range of aqua blue waters, along with the vibrant blooms framing the view from my terrace, immediately inspired me to pull out my paints and capture the scene.”
