Today, I feel like sharing one of my newest watercolor works :) and here it is:
Sure, I enjoy every single time I finish an artwork, but there were times where I would think: Is that all I can do? That's why I decided to foray into calligraphy, and watercolor creation of other subjects.
I remember doing calligraphy last year, but only started learning the techniques this year, as influenced by my best friend, Zai. I used to think so low of calligraphy, like I would think, 'That's so easy, everyone can do that in seconds!' Truth, everyone can do it, false, it isn't easy and you can't do it in seconds (unless you're a pro, round of applause to you😀). Like any other art forms, calligraphy entails a lot of practice and trial-and-errors. A lot of times, I would be frustrated with how unnatural my swishes and letters would appear, but of course that shouldn't discourage you from continuosly studying this amazing craft.
Here's the thing, those people who are close to me would affirm how sketching women in wonderful garb has been my comfort zone since who knows when. Though, there was also a phase in my childhood where I got addicted to sketching Daniel Radcliffe's face, but the thing is I got stuck to drawing women in fancy clothes.
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| Exhibit 1 (not the Dan Rad obviously hahaha) |
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| As always |
Aside from learning calligraphy, I decided to face my biggest challenge: Florals. I'm not that fond of flowers, especially those bundled in a bouquet, because I think it's a waste to get a thing of beauty, kill it, then pass it off as a gift. I suppose that kind of mentality stuck with me ever since I was kid, that's why I never got interested in learning the dynamics of watercolor florals. But since florals make a good companion to dainty calligraphy, I thought, 'eh, why not?' So, I decided to watch a lot of Youtube Tutorials, and ask my artist friends for tips and criticism.
As I've mentioned awhile ago, everyone can learn this craft, and I have some quick tips for those who want try it out 😗
1. Start small, dream big: It's ok to start with the simplest creations, like doing letters for instance. You have to make yourself accustomed to creating, then slowly but surely you can try out doing more difficult creations.
2. Make the most of what you've got: If you're not originally artistically inclined and do not own tools, that's ok. I recommend that you buy the affordable ones available in the market right now. For watercolor pans, I recommend dipping your brushes on a set of 16 watercolor pan from Simballion which I think retails for around Php 300 or $6. Another good reco, one that even my Artistic Director friend fondly recommends is the basic 8 color Prang watercolor palette, that retails for Php 250+ or $5. For brushes, go buy generic ones from best buy or from local craft stores.
3. It helps if you have a friend who enjoys it as well: I'm actually lucky to have a bestfriend who enjoys calligraphy, and watercolor Florals as much as I do. With that, we get to exchange ideas, and tips, also we get to encourage each other to be better artists.
4. It's not in the tools, it's in your talent: I remember talking to a young girl from this Facebook calligraphy group that I'm affiliated with. The girl is really good, but her confidence level is low, because she thinks she's not doing well because she's using low grade materials. It sure is great to have top-of-the-line materials (and I'm not shaming those who got the fancy stuff), but these does not define the artists' ability and talents. You can do well using whatever resources you've got, and managed to be an amazing artist, which leads us to...
5. Practice, practice, practice! In practicing, you get to make it a muscle memory, hence helping you be more accustomed to creating. Also, in practicing as much you could do, you make wonderful progress! Hence the saying, practice makes progress.
I think that's about it! Doing Art is actually very therapeutic, that's why everyone should do it 😗 Make Art Not War!
Love Always,
Nicoco
P.S.
You can check out my Art-inspired Instagram Account at @nicjustwannadraw , as well as my bestfriend's page at @fangirlletters 😙 Happy Arts day everyday!
