Most people feel like watercolor painting is very hard in my opinion. They think that once you make a mistake on a painting you;ve started it cannot be fixed. I want to encouraged new watercolor artists that most of the time it is not true. There are certain times that you have to scap a painting and start over, yes. However I have found that a lot of mistakes that an artist thinks are a disaster can be corrected or used in the painting.  

Recently an interior designer friend told me that Japanese inspired art is trending in homes.  So I decided to go on a rabbit trail and design some small watercolor paintings that had Japanese themes.  I started one and made a lot of mistakes. So I will insert a pic and explain.

The first mistake I made was to draw on the watercolor paper.  I say that because I don't know how to draw a good swan.  I erased so much that I am just at that ruining the paper point.  That is a mistake that cannot be fixed. 

Secondly I did not really plan the composition of this painting. I feel like it is off. That could be fixed by adding another object to balance.  It might feel better after I paint the rest of the trees.

I realized that I didn't want that swan to be black.  You can pull some colors off in watercolor however not colors that stain. Some yellows, blues and reds stain and can't be pulled out from the paper.  

What I learned?

1.  Draw and compose on drawing paper first. You can trace and transfer your final drawing to the watercolor paper.  Just make sure to press lightly. The transfer paper can make your lines very dark. Most of the time you cannot erase those.  So if you like lines on your watercolor painting that's okay, if you don't just be careful. 

2. Plan.. plan the composition, the color theme, the colors ahead of time. Taking the time to do that will be worth it. 

3.  Don't be afraid to start over. It doesn't mean you are a bad artist, it doesn't mean you can't do it.  It means you get to learn more and get better. 

I will share more of my mistakes in the future mostly to encourage artists that not all mistakes are the end of the painting.  Many times a painting can be saved and those mistakes fixed.  

Thanks for reading,

Christina