American poet Charles Bukowski once said, “If I have any advice to anybody it’s this: Take up watercolour painting.” And who wouldn’t agree! Yes, it takes a great amount of patience and dedication to perfect the art, but the end product is nothing short of pure bliss.
So, this World Watercolour Month, which is celebrated around the globe in July to raise awareness and funds for arts education, we speak to local artists about their love for the art form and have them share some secrets to master the art.
Bheem Malhotra, an artist, associate professor of art at the Chandigarh College of Architecture and chairman, Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, says, “Watercolour is a unique and spontaneous medium that requires dedication, sincerity and above all, originality.”
“Also, it is the best medium to capture moods of nature and people, alike,” he adds.
Nayagaon-based art instructor Sikander Singh says, perfecting watercolour painting is every artist’s dream and when I saw that there aren’t many known watercolourists from Punjab, that inspired me to work with this medium.
Sikander says, it requires a lot of practice and patience so one must not rush through it. “You may fail once, twice, thrice... but if you keep going, success will be yours,” he adds.
{{/usCountry}}Sikander says, it requires a lot of practice and patience so one must not rush through it. “You may fail once, twice, thrice... but if you keep going, success will be yours,” he adds.
{{/usCountry}}Artist Neha Mehta says, three years back while working in Gurugram, I would try my hand at painting during the weekends. “Initially, I worked with acrylics but I would get anxious as they are tough to work with. So, I switched to watercolours and was amazed at how therapeutic the experience became. They are very calming,” she says.
To her fellow artists, her advice is to make mistakes – “lots of them” – as that’s the way to learn while having fun.
“During my initial days at Government Arts College, Sector 10, I was attracted towards watercolours and that’s how my journey began,” says watercolourist Nakshdeep Singh.
He says, the level of maturity one wants in their art comes with time and after uncountable trials and misses. “Watercolour painting is like meditation. It takes time and patience to get enlightenment and satisfaction,” he adds.
Sarabjeet Singh, who owns an art studio in Sector 19, says, “Quite early in life, I got fascinated by the final look and the technique of watercolour painting. It’s a medium where 90% of your artwork’s future is on how the water reacts to the colours and what that leads to. Also, it’s easy to carry while travelling.”
His advice to newbies is to not seek instant fame. “Good artistic hand comes from minute observation of works by great artists and your surroundings,” he says, adding, “Just like in music, the more you listen, the better you perform; in art, the more you observe, the more you’re able to bring it alive on paper.”
“I firmly believe in the saying: watercolour is a swim in the metaphysics of life... a mirror of one’s own character – unpredictable and colourful. It’s one medium that lets you dare to be adventurous, to try and fail and try again,” says artist SN Sarangi.
TIPS TO PRESERVE WATERCOLOUR PAINTINGS
The artists shared some secrets to protect your hard work:
- Use acid-free or PH-neutral materials as acid can cause yellowing and degradation over time, which is accelerated when heat and sunlight are involved
- Use lightfast, pigment-based materials as they too impact a painting’s quality and longevity
- Maintain cleanliness while painting as dust, food residues, smoke, etc can damage your artwork
- Take into consideration environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, light, etc and store your works in dark and dried places
- Glass framing your art will protect it from dust and moisture damage, or you can wrap and store them in non-plastic sleeves