I draw every day for a month. What I learned. Watercolor challenge

Hello, gals and boys. One day I just drew a pic with watercolor using glaze technic and negative space. I thought that it would be nice to try it one more time. And also for that moment, I thought a lot about the new 100-day challenge (I finished one with vector illustrations around a year ago). Here is a speed paint.

1/100 So here we started

First few days I tried to find style and media that I'll gonna use. Here, for example, is the black and white pic in my old 'tattoo' style.

3/100 In a past I drew "smoke" like this a lot

4/100 With color pencils

7/100 I drew this one with acrylic paint

After few days I realized that I want to draw with watercolor. For this moment I used Winsor and Newton Cotton travel set, but I wanted to create my own pallet so I have been started to buy tubes – quinacridone lilac and cobalt blue. In the same time, I found floral negative space style that I was related on for a few weeks.

9/100 Telegram logo with leafs and flowers

10/100 I LOVE birds and animals in general

12/100 Crystals

14/100 And more Telegram (Digital Resistance logo)

15/100 More flowers

I continued to buy new tubes, now I add turquoise blue, Indian gold, ruby, carmine. I also got bored with negative space floral style. I know that If I'll continue to draw in the same style with the same pallet it will look more interesting and like a set, but furthermore, I was understood that then I learn nothing. So I started experimenting more with colors and styles. Here the freedom comes - after 2 weeks.

21/100 One more birdy

22/100 Kid

23/100 Bunny

Next, I add in my pallet Indigo and hooker green deep.
Then I stretched a paper and create this big work with the masking fluid. And realized that my brush too small for work like this. One more speed paint!

27/100 It was cool and pretty scared, a3 format

29/100 Mermaid tail for mermay :)

30/100 Full mermaid

31/100 Instax. I want it so much!

For now, I continue to experimenting and searching for my style. Here are the latest works.

36/100 Elf character

38/100 My Conan Exiles character

What did I learn?

• Start with a few colors, and then gently add more.
• If you mixing colors and the resulting color too desaturated and muddy, then you probably used cold and warm hue together. Here is the video about that.
• Not every paper good for masking fluid. If you use cheap cold press paper – be ready then fluid could destroy top layer of paper. Make a test before creating your artwork.
• Big brush even for an A6 size is your friend. Definitely, purchase one. You can start with small, but when you'll feel more freedom –you'll need one.
• Mixing media is OK. You can use gouache, pencil, pen, everything. I highly recommend gelly roll white pen for highlights.
• If you want to search inspiration, don't look at the paintings – use video, design, films, games, photo at least. Then you'll find interesting ideas. Maybe they'll won't be genius, but one time you'll feel that you really WANT to draw this – and that's the point.
• Take a shoots with a daylight, then even with a phone you'll get normal colors and quality of white balance.
• If you didn't have a good background for photos — buy paper for pastel. They have so many colors and sizes!

Thank you for your patience, I hope you enjoy it! Leave your questions and suggestions – I read every comment. :)

Valentina Egorova aka Octopaper

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