Why on earth are we scared of the same art supplies we enjoyed as kids?

Once you’ve fallen in love with the watercolor masterpieces of John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, and J.M.W. Turner, you might feel both inspired and intimidated.  Your job is to keep the inspiration, ditch the intimidation, and grab that sense of play you had as a kid, knowing you will learn a lot faster if you’re having fun.

“It’s only paper; no one will die.” – quote from my wise mentor

Hours and hours of studying watercolor books won’t get you very far, any more than book-learning about gravity will make you a champion ski jumper. “Get some water and do it!”

You know that’s true, and yet still you hesitate. Ask yourself, “What’s really holding me back?”

You only need the same four things you needed as a child:

Water * Paint * Brushes * Paper

Aha, I see the problem. The Fear of Ruining a Perfectly Good Piece of Paper.

That’s why it’s best to have 3 kinds of paper:

• really nice paper (but not so precious you’re scared to use it),
• good-but-not-great paper, for value studies, compositional experiments, planning time,
• “scrap” paper for color testing, warm-ups, and doodling.

“What’s better:  sheets of paper or a bound sketchbook?”

Even as a beginner, you need both.

I adore working in a nice sketchbook, especially outdoors on site. It is gentle, meditative, and very relaxing.

Having said that, I am less likely to splash and scrape and turn my paper at different angles when I have a bound sketchbook in my hands. My experiments in a sketchbook are less juicy, less aerobic (!) than when I have a single sheet of paper taped to a board and propped on an easel. When I have that set-up, both hands are free and I can step back to make larger, more gestural marks. 

Surprisingly, you don’t need a large sheet of paper to experience this sort of liberation. 

The Joy of Blank Postcards and Business Cards

 That is why, in the back of my sketchbooks, I also carry a small stack of 4”x6” (postcard) and 2”x3.5” (business card) blank watercolor papers. One great option for pre-made blank watercolor postcards is the Hahnemuhle Watercolor Postcards. 

(Note: Make sure the word “rough” is not part of the paper description. Their style of textured embossing detracts from your final artwork.)

These postcards come in a handsome metal box which serves as an instant easel when I tape a blank card to the back of the box.

Best of all, there is no pressure if the experiment goes terribly wrong. Just flip it over, and the back of the paper makes a handy-dandy paint tester sheet for your next well-thought-out masterpiece. 

But what if your quick little vignette ends up lovely?

Don’t hoard your genius!  If the results make you smile, stick a stamp on it and mail it to a friend!  (Yes, I do keep a few postcard stamps in the tin box for just such an occasion.) I mailed one of those sketchy postcards just a few minutes ago, sadly neglecting to snap a photo of it first. But never mind, it’s the thought that counts, right? 

You Might Already Have a Great Source for Recycled Postcard Paper and Color Test Sheets

I recently gave up on a sketchbook that just didn’t work for me. It was heavy and I wasn’t crazy about the paper. I never waste my priceless time and energy fighting against art supplies I don’t like (this is Herron’s #1 Rule), so I kept the book mostly intact, but ripped out the blank pages in the back of the book. What catharsis!

I initially planned to use the newly liberated pages (roughly 8.5 inches square) for classy scrap paper, to test the color and value of the paint on my brush before putting brush to paper on next masterpiece.

But then I thought, “Why not make them smaller, easier to carry?” 

The U.S. Postal Service’s official postcard sizes range from 3.5″ x 5″ to 4.25″ x 6″, so I cut all those ripped-out pages down to about 4″ x 6″, to fit perfectly into one of my empty Hahnemuhle postcard tins.

Reminder: Be sure to jot down the Date/Time, Location, and Materials you used for your sketch. It’s a good habit that you will find useful in the future. (The images below are business-card size.)

I can still use the 4”x6” cards for scrap paper to test paint colors, and I will, but they will also be available to turn into instant postcards. 

And who says a paint tester sheet can’t also turn into a postcard???

Sometimes those scrap pieces of color-testing paper reveal the freshest, most colorful paint marks we make in a day.

We do our best work when we’re happily playing in the colored water!

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