Finale | The Half Month Project pop-up newsletter: learning watercolour painting #4/4

: The Half Month Project ends today. What a journey. And we’re just beginning!

May 18, 2022

This is it! The last issue of this pop-up newsletter, The Half Month Project. The Half Month Project is a 15 days challenge for me to kickstart learning watercolour painting. And I did it!

GIF: a blonde guy with an 80s shaggy hairstyle and a moustache saying, “Yes, that is awesome!” — Why, thank you for your affirmation.

For this final issue, let me take you on a walk down memory lane

Started line drawing in 2020 and selling them in 2021.

image: photo of me using a fine liner pen, drawing a close up of a hand in line drawing style

image: photo of my completed line drawing artwork of In Its Place. A landscape drawing of a majestic scene of the sun with intricate lines as sun ray, front by the mountain, and ocean with a rolling wave.

2022 | Increasing desire to try watercolour. Wanted to paint gorgeous landscapes. So, I experimented with a tiny strip of paper, using brush pens, dipped in water!

image: a photo of the experiment, and a bookmark with landscape trees.

Early March 2022 | Did two short urban sketching classes. But, they didn't teach watercolour painting!

27 March 2022 | 1st and 2nd watercolour sketch with waterbrush. Almost zero foundational knowledge of watercolour painting. "Maybe need to take a watercolour class. I'm doing this blind!”

Image: a hand holding up a sketchbook against a landscape backdrop. The watercolour sketch was inspired by the landscape of turquoise blue sky, a greenish, greyish mountain range in the distant background, and surrounded by trees in different hues of greens in the middle ground.

Image: a watercolour painting of a late evening scene. The colour of the sky is a velvety shade of ash with a tinge of burnt orange. The sky was fronted by the silhouettes of the trees.

End April 2022 | Started 15 days learning watercolour challenge. Shared my experiences with a limited-time pop-up newsletter, The Half Month Project.

May 2022 | Completed the challenge. And you are now reading the final issue of The Half Month Project.

image: an icon of The Half Month Project. Created with handwritten type of font, with a dark pink curved line at the bottom.

Why The Half Month Project?

Because I want to set myself up for success. A 15 days commitment is a time length I’m more confident in pulling off.

The whole point of The Half Month Project is this:

Get started.
Set yourself up for success by making it easier to complete.

Highlights and key points from The Half Month Project

Issue #1

I’m a believer in getting a good foundation and learning the techniques.

I want to have the artistic choice to say: I don’t want to draw/paint this. And—not avoiding drawing or painting something because I don’t know how to.

Unless budget is a big constraint, get artist-grade watercolour paint even for a beginner.

Reader, Peter Moore commented: Watercolour is such a good excuse to sit outside and really study a landscape. And it’s so portable and accessible, and those little tubes of paint last forever. Buy em’ once and you’re set (almost) for life.

Issue #2

The learnings taught me things beyond learning watercolour painting:
Humility. I have to start from the beginning. When I already have something going on with my pen line drawings.
Authenticity. No waiting until I can show a decent painting before I share them with you.
Vulnerability. These are real behind the scenes. Mistakes, frustrations and all.
Self-discipline. To be willing to do the groundwork. To persist even when I don’t have to.
Frustrated by working with papers that are not suitable for watercolour. Need to get watercolour paper!

Reader, Anne Chandran commented: Your experience reminds me of the Dunning-Kruger effect: a cognitive bias that states that the less we know, the more confident we are.

Issue #3

Wowed by the generosity of a friend, who’s also a reader and paid subscriber of HopeMail (my regular newsletter)—he gifted me with 12 great quality watercolour brushes.

Tested five watercolour brushes out of the 12 and videod (yes, that’s a made-up word) the results.

And now.

Week 4 notes

My takeaways from 15 days of learning watercolour painting.

I’m still adjusting my mindset, moving from using just a few pens and paper. To this barrage of tools.

Image: top view photo of watercolour brushes, two bottles with water for the watercolour brushes, kitchen towel for drying the brushes, and a glass of water. The wording on the photo is “For drinking.” (Pointing to the glass of water). “Not for drinking.” (Pointing to the two bottles with water to wash the watercolour brushes)

However, I’m intrigued enough to move forward with watercolour painting. And as with my line drawings, painting makes my soul happy. So, I’m gonna keep doing both of these mediums.

🤓 Geek out

Tools: paper

Satisfied that I’ve seen the results from trying different watercolour techniques on different types of non-watercolour paper; I finally bought watercolour papers.

I first bought a 100% cellulose one (cheaper) to practice on because I thought I don’t need the paper to last. Only to find out, a 100% cotton one holds water better, especially when doing washes with more water.

It’s hard enough learning something new, tools either make it easier for you or harder for you. - Kateri Ewing

I chose “easier” and went back to exchange the paper!

And, I got rewarded with this bundle of furry cuteness in the shop.

Image: an adorable ash black cat with a maroon colour bowtie, lying contentedly on the cashier countertop! — I shall paint you one day, Leia. Yes, that’s the cat’s name.

My use-what-you-have studio set up

Image: a photo of my painting set-up. I used a packaging box (cut into a piece of board) to paste my watercolour paper on it (using washi tape). Then, I propped it up with a box (a box used to keep new face masks! Haha) The wording on the photo says: No board to place your watercolour paper on? No problem. Find any board-resembling item at home. No easel? No problem. Use anything suitable to prop the paper up. — I still need to get big pieces of paper to line my pristine white table, as the watercolour paints are liking my tabletop a bit too much now. Yikes!

Watercolour technique: basic wash

Very happy to be finally putting a technique into practice. Here’s a video of me painting a simple still life.

Image: a photo of my basic watercolour wash painting practice. A background of lemony yellow, with a china blue bowl on a bluish, greenish table. — Tadah! Do not laugh. It can only get better.

What’s next?

Keep drawing, painting, sketching, and writing; take risks.

Thanks for coming along on this four weeks pop-up newsletter journey with me. Thank you for commenting, buying me coffee; thank you, Kateri (who might be reading this) for the solid, foundational watercolour painting class. And Stanley, thanks for the brushes!

The Half Month Project newsletter ends today—May 18, 2022. I will remove the newsletter a week from now.

My regular newsletter since 2017, HopeMail, will resume on June 3, 2022. We will continue with 13, 14, and 15/24 new drawings for HopeMail. Counting down 9 more issues till we complete 24 new drawings in a year in October 2022.

👉🏼 For newer readers who signed up for The Half Month Project newsletter, HopeMail is musings and art from chapters of my life. If you don’t want to stay on to receive HopeMail, please unsubscribe from the list. Thank you for reading The Half Month Project newsletter. :)

Well, I guess it’s goodbye for now. Feel free to leave a comment. See you in HopeMail.

🎨 Melinda

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