When looking for an artistic hobby to start with, it’s helpful to begin with something that will take minimal time to learn the basics and not break the bank. My suggestions include watercolors and digital art. In this blog, I hope to give you affordable option to get started.
First, let’s discuss watercolors. If you are a parent, it’s a strong possibility you have a watercolor set in your home. Although the sets purchased for public school are handy and reasonable, I would not recommend them for someone looking to explore watercolors for the first time. They are inexpensive, but with that said, the low cost also means major limitations (and often frustration) for beginners. I find that a set of Prang watercolors is an inexpensive option with room to grow. They come in a basic set of 8, or an expanded set of 16 colors. There are other good options, which can be purchased at Hobby Lobby, such as Winsor Newton for $35.99 (which I would definitely purchase with a coupon or one sale). The key to choosing is not the number of colors, but the quality of the paint, you can always learn how to color mix to create a more extended pallet. Secondly, a person needs good brushes. I would recommend an assortment of shapes and sizes. A good value can be found on Amazon, such as Art Paint Brush Set for Watercolor, Acrylics, Oil & Face Painting - 15 Brushes with Carry Case/Pop Up Stand by Craftamo, which runs about $25. Finally you need a good watercolor paper. Trust me when I tell you, the paper will be the number one determining factor in your success with watercolors. I recommend Strathmore Cold Press 140 lb. watercolor paper. If you purchase it in the pads at Hobby Lobby when on sale or with the discount coupon, it will run you around $5, or $7 on Amazon. Size is completely up to the artist, however, I prefer the 9” x 12” size paper because I can work from an 8” x 10” printed image for my pattern.
Now that we’ve discussed equipment and supplies, let’s discuss how a person can go about learning how to watercolor. Of course, one can look around for watercolor classes – my area has them offered at Hobby Lobby and Michaels. However, for those like myself who like exploring new things on my own or with a friend or two, I highly recommend YouTube. There are many artists who have videotaped hours of instruction that will make your learning experience a positive one. You just have to decide what you what to paint and put those parameters in the search bar. Pinterest is another good source to use when searching for video lessons.
My favorite way to work with watercolors is easy. I find an image, either in my own photos or doing an image search on the web. I print it off in black and white, and create a pattern by tracing the elements I want onto tracing paper. I then transfer the pattern onto the watercolor paper using graphite paper, pressing just hard enough to get lines, without making them too dark. Then it’s a matter of painting in the lines. I shade, outline, and add texture effects that I’ve learned on YouTube until I am satisfied with the results. Now on to the world of digital art.
The digital art options are extensive these days. I started out with a free program my son recommended called GIMP. I’m sure that aged me with many who will read this post, but it filled a niche at the time. Eventually I invested in Photoshop and fell instantly in love. After a few tutorial sessions with my son, I was well on my way to creating art in a uniquely different way. My son is not available for teaching Photoshop these days, but I soon discovered that, once again, YouTube is a wonderful source of instruction. My favorite thing to do on Photoshop is to manipulate photos I’ve taken. There are so many options for manipulating photos to produce some interesting projects. I have created a digital art gallery of some of my projects to show you what’s possible with a minimal amount of knowledge about how to use Photoshop. For a fee ranging from $10-20 per month, a person can experience the Creative Cloud of Adobe, which gives access to a number of creative digital programs. However, Adobe isn’t the only option. Today there are a number of digital tablets that allow a person to explore a full range of digital art. I personall have no experience with tablets, but several of my art students got them for Christmas and love them. For the hobbyist, prices range from $35-200; however I did find a website that offers a good review of tablet options under $150. http://www.thebestgraphicstablets.com/best-affordable-graphics-tablets/
Once digital artwork is completed, it’s a matter of a good color printer or printing at your local print or photo shop. I don’t own a colored printer, but opt to print on demand. My local vendor can print up to poster-sized, and I have printed through Walgreens photo department. The end results produce difference finishes, allowing me options to completing projects.
You might ask, “What would I use my art projects for?” Good question. I have used my digital art in brochures and flyers. I like to make notecards to attach to gifts or to give out as gifts to friends and family who still like to send notes using my watercolors. I have liked a couple of digital images so much I ended up enlarging them (with an overhead projector) painting them with acrylics on canvas.
Well, I hope this post has been informative and inspired you to consider either watercolor or digital art as a new hobby. Remember to check out YouTube and Pinterest for inspiration and tutorials. May art bring you new challenges my friends!