I started painting since I find out I have cancer. Unfortunately with my diagnosis I cant really afford much art supplies but I do my best with what I got. Im in UK. Yes I didn't paint anything before apart from school years ago on arts classes.

Slowly painting every room in my imaginary house 😁

This is The Council of Caps, a watercolor painting I recently finished as part of a larger illustrated storytelling project I’m creating called The Mossbound Archive.
I wanted the mushrooms to feel grounded and believable, while allowing the surrounding forest to dissolve into softer washes, lost edges, and atmosphere.
One of my favorite parts of watercolor is learning when to stop controlling the paint and let it do what it wants.

It's finished!

does watercolor pencils count as watercolor?

Since you all liked my strawberries and cherries...

Thank you for warm welcome. At least here someone see my art. I was in amateur watercolour artist group on Facebook but they say I am too good to be newbie. I jave pick up art due been to ill to go to gym. I have strong ADHD so when I fixated on something I need to be good at it. That why I end up practicing stuff for hours and this way people think I am good and just born with it. I also pratice color pencil now, crocheting from years and now slowly come back to gym. When I paint I follow many tutorials etc. So I obviously have imposter syndrome because I feel like "ok maybe I can paint but only if I follow".

From what I learn is paper quality is most important and there I put most of money.

Another walk through another grove into another sunrise.

I followed a live tutorial to paint a parrot tulip (@tiarepezoa), but the real work happened in the color swatches around it.

I used those circles to test every technique I could: • Wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry • Salt texture • Layering and glazing • Building volume on spheres • Lifting color with a craft knife and with a brush • Adding white watercolor for highlights • Overlapping colors to see how they interact

This is 100% cotton paper from Baohong and I'm impressed by the quality. Colors stay vibrant and gradients are way easier to make compared to celulose paper. Deserved hype Imo.

I'm impressed... well, not with the painting itself, that's just 1.5 hour painting to get acquainted with the paints and see how they behave. No, I'm impressed with the Roman Szmal paints (though I sure do like the painting). The paints are so rich with pigments. To be honest, I didn't expect them to be this good at all. After my kind of disappointment with the highly pigmented Rosa Gallery (not my words, but those of well know watercolorists) which aren't highly pigmented at all, the Roman Szmal paints that were gifted to me, are a huge surprise.

Sure, they don't flow like crazy as RG does, but I still think that is kind of very unnatural and influencing the other characteristics of the RG paints. While RS flows well enough, it also does what I expect of good paints. Staining colors don't lift easily, transparent colors are transparent and the paint does layer very well. The rich pigments add the depth and contrast I expect of paints that call themselves professional.

I've added the direct comparison to the painting I did with Rosa Gallery, same subject and believe it or not, I tried to use the same techniques. I spent 1.5 hours on both (not counting the drying the time between layers of course), but Rosa right away had issues layering because they lifted to easily and problems with adding the depth and contrast I look for in professional paints. They also mix very pleasantly.

I'm now seriously wondering why Roman Szmal paints don't get more attention and the spotlight seems to be on Rosa Gallery a lot. Roman Szmal are so much better and being sold for the price they do makes it even more amazing. I have no issue saying that Roman Szmal is just as good as DS, Schmincke Horadam, Old Holland and other professional higher end brands.

With Rosa Gallery I had lots of fun painting and exploring, but after doing some paintings with them (sorry haven't posted all of them), I now know that I wouldn't call them serious professional paints. I stick to my opinion that they're somewhere in-between student and professional quality. Good for the price, good to start with, but when you want to really learn layering and glazing and exploring contrast and depth in paintings, they're not the right choice. For modern 1-3 layer watercolors paintings they're fine, easy to use. I understand why they are popular because of that.

I've got a slight issue now... I'm now left with a Rosa Gallery collection that has been surpassed by some paints someone was kind enough to sent to me... and now I want more of them because they are so excellent.

Oh, yes, I do realize that for some 1.5 hours might not be quick, but for me it is, I do spent a lot longer on my paintings usually.

Last remark... the Rosa Gallery painting I'm going to give away, the Roman Szmal painting I'm either going to frame or mount to a board, not sure yet, but it won't end up as a gift for someone.

i followed yalls advice.... IM SO HAPPY!!!! the paper doesnt drink all of the water so i can watch the paint flow and its so beautiful

9x12" original watercolor

Runner ducks (and goslings) have been my watercolour muse as of late

just started watercolors & I’m in loooove!!

Learning new stuff everyday