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Writer's picturecmfischertonks

Celebrating Georgia O'Keefe - Creating a Watercolor Painting

Every year it seems to be the same thing. The Christmas season just goes by too quickly. As we were boxing up Christmas yesterday in our home, my hubs especially was sad to see Christmas coming to an end. With all the excitement of our 2021, he really struggled to get into the Christmas season. Technically our tree is still up. Maybe we give him a little extra time with that before we completely get our living room and the rest of life "back to normal".


But at this point, I am not even sure what is "normal" anymore. Seems a while since we have had any kind of routine, including me posting here, posting videos... Yeah. It's been a while. I am not going to lie, I have been VERY nervous about doing this first video. I have probably been putting off doing this video for a few weeks, maybe even a month. Why? FEAR. Yup, just fear. Fear my work wouldn't be good enough. Fear I would screw it all up. Fear. But you know what I had to finally tell myself? It's JUST fear. Nothing more. Nothing less.


Fear can be so darn yucky. Fear can hold us back. Fear can stop you from doing the things you want to do. Fear can potentially stop you from living out your life purpose. BUT fear can only stop you IF YOU allow it too! And that was what I had to remind myself of. Not that I am certain this is my life purpose, but what if sharing my love of art & helping and encouraging other homeschooling mamas to add in art and creative stuff into their homeschooling schedule each week is my purpose? And I am NOT gonna let fear stop me from doing that!


And maybe you are allowing fear to stop you from doing something. Maybe fear is stopping you from doing art with your kids. Are you one of those who claims you cannot even draw a stick figure? I'll bet you can. In fact, I know you can. I believe in you. Don't let fear stop you from letting your kiddos experience all that fun of playing with art mediums and getting their creative juices flowing. You may even enjoy it, too. In fact, that is where I started getting back on track with my art journey - with my kids asking me to do more actual art projects, less crafty projects. So, this arting dream that was sitting on a shelf for YEARS collect dust is now back in full swing, thanks to my kids wanting to learn how to do more.


For this project, I decided to use watercolors. I have created 2 different flowers with wastercolors. The first is a poinsettia that I used watercolor pencils on. I have just recently been digging into watercolor pencils and I LOVE them! Holy cow, they are amazing, especially for people who get frustrated with watercolors because of how loosey-goosey and out-of-control they can be. Watercolor pencils are your answer. You put them down, just like colored pencils, and then you take out your paint brush with water...and THAT is when the MAGIC happens! All those amazing colors just come together and look AMAZING! The reference photo for this poinsettia can be found here.


The second painting I did was an amaryllis. You can find that reference photo here. For this painting I used watercolor paints, the kind you find in tubes. I like how creamy they are, and I personally like how much I can control the intensity of the pigment. But, honestly, the cake-type watercolor paints are awesome, too, and often I have used those and have created LOTS of fun watercolor paintings. Use what you have. Play, try, experiment. Most of all have fun with it and enjoy the learning process of what works best for you.


Now, Ms O'Keefe did not only paint flowers. She was also known for her skyscraper and desert landscape pieces as well. So, find something that speaks to you, to your kiddos, and make that the subject of your work. What will you need for your watercolor painting? Water, a container (or 2) for your water, watercolor brushes, watercolor paints, watercolor (or mixed media) paper, paper towels, blue painter's tape, pencil, eraser, a reference photo (if you want one)....and I think that is about it! Bring some fun, maybe sprinkle in some music in the background. And I hope you enjoy creating something awesome for you and/or with your kids.


You can find the video on YouTube, should you choose to watch. Let me know if you have any questions or need any help. I would love to help and encourage you in your arting journey. Have fun, all...and happy arting!

If you are looking for more details in how I tackle a full painting, check out this real-time video of my Amaryllis watercolor painting. I will confess, again, I was nervous. You can hear how many times I tell myself, "I can do this." And, you know what...SO CAN YOU! I believe in you. Have fun and make some creative memories!



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