In this class, Create Intense Watercolor Abstracts with Watercolor Sheets, I am going to demonstrate how I created a visually appealing watercolour with a unique look. I’d like to invite you to join me and we will practice our skills by completing a project together. This project follows a variety of processes from start to finish until we end up with new “abstract” piece. At the end, I have a vivid design which can be used for large wall art pieces, tapestries, cel phone cases… even shower curtains and the like. These Viviva paints are so awesome! Honestly, these abstract pieces look good on ANYTHING! Best of all, this art piece is authentically hand made using these vivid sheet watercolours, complete with bleeding paint called backruns, and variegated saturation inherent in watercolour work. We even end up with authentic watercolor blooms!

What is a bloom, you ask? A bloom is a flow mark created when liquid is added to an already drying wash. These unpredictable textures are also known as blossoms, backruns, or even florets. These terms all refer to the same thing. They occur because water always seeks a state of equilibrium. An area of very wet paint will always flow towards an area of less wet paint. This takes some practice, but since watercolor painting is all about the flow of paint, it’s worth the effort to observe what’s going on. Blooms will happen if the surface of the paper dries unevenly, or when you add more paint to an area, thus creating an uneven distribution of moisture. It’s these kinds of differences in paper wetness that we will experiment with. If your paint is no longer sufficiently wet, then stop working and wait for it to dry before applying more pigment.

These lessons are the perfect place to build watercolour skills in a “safe” environment and work in an instinctive and intuitive manner. If you have yearned for a daily practice of just creating art, this class is for you, whether you are a professional artist/illustrator or you just want to make art for fun. Check out the links provided in the course materials for example work, and just imagine what you’ll be able to create after completing this class. You don’t need to know how to draw, or even have ever worked with sheet watercolour paints before. All you need is an open mind, the willingness to learn and take risks, and the drive to have a ton of fun! If you don’t have sheet watercolour, any watercolour will do, or even liquid inks, and I recommend watercolour paper, and a variety of brushes or mark making tools.