Arizona Watercolors

As part of my quest to draw something from each of the 50 states, I wanted to both explore what might be interesting in the big ole country and rekindle my love of drawing and art.

I also wanted to explore different mediums of art.  My daughter had an old watercolor set that was designed for kids and I decided to give it a go.

As part of this project, I typically spend some time searching pictures and photographs on the internet to see if any images resonate with me. 

I was looking for a bunch of cacti in the desert that I remember seeing on a long drive to Mesa, Arizona when I was 22 years old.  I found some pictures and with very little technique I jumped on to painting my interpretation of what I saw.

Here is the result.  Not too bad for a first timer.

 

Arizona reminds me of cactus, sunshine and sunsets. 

It was fun to do. Especially considering my 7 year old daughter painted along side of me.  

Keeping the colors and paints from bleeding was hard to do and I didn't know how to add texture without making a muddy mess. So I got out some markers to clean up the edges and add some brush to the foreground.  

I'm posting this in retrospect so I can honestly say that I had no idea at the time that  this painting would lead me to binge watching YouTube instructional videos and even more  reading of watercolor books and websites to learn about the various techniques, styles and artists in the world of watercolor painting. It has been fascinating.

 I'll also admit into purchasing a bunch of supplies I never thought I needed. In fact, I think after plain pencil, watercolors are my favorite medium.

More posts about watercolor painting to come :)