My Thing with Watercolor
My relationship with watercolor is a bit of a weird one. I’ve only recently started playing around with it, but I’m really enjoying it. The colors have been in my life for a long time, sure - but I never truly explored what they could do until now
For years, my drawing process has been shaped by thoughts like: Is this sellable? Does it fit my style? Will it look professional right away?
It’s kind of a twisted mindset, one that slowly kills the joy of making stuff. And honestly, isn’t that joy the whole reason I chose this line of work?
To try and break out of that pressure-cooker thinking, I’ve tested different things. One was the classic “one drawing a day” challenge. But even though the drawings were super simple, I ended up turning every one into a finished poster… and yeah, I burned out after seven days.
.
Same deal with sketchbooks. Every single page had to look like it belonged in an art show.
Why? I honestly have no idea.
Things only started to loosen up when I began writing short, messy journal entries. And alongside the thoughts, I started sketching tiny doodles with fineliner, then added color with watercolor. I got this tiny travel kit with brushes you fill with water (not the best brushes out there, but hey, just like with cameras, the best one is the one you have with you). That’s when I discovered the magic of watercolor, how quickly, easily, and beautifully it can bring little fineliner drawings to life. Most importantly, I actually had fun doing it.
After that, I got curious and started watching tutorials, especially ones where people paint without outlines. That part’s wild. It’s the total opposite of working with acrylics. You start with the lightest colors and build up layer by layer toward the darks. At some point in the middle it always looks kind of wrong, but you have to keep going. That’s the trick.Trust the process.
I really love these experiments. Watercolor painting is a long way from the style I’ve developed in my illustration career, so it’s not something I use for client work (at least not yet). But it’s become this meditative side thing and a way to feed my creativity without expectations.
I heard music producer Rick Rubin say in an interview: “Make art for YOU, not other people.”
And that hit deep.
So now I’m asking:
Do you have a creative outlet you love, but rarely use in your creative work?
What happens with your style when you make creative stuff just for yourself?
