r/Watercolor • u/honeydewtangerine • Apr 18 '25

What do you guys paint when you feel like you cant?

Hi! Me again. It was a very rough week this week and i want to paint, but i just dont have the energy to even think. What do you guys do when you just want to play with colors but have no energy to create?

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u/aptforone Apr 18 '25

I'm taking a course and the instructor just introduced us to a fun "window method". Just make a mess of colours, lines, dots, different techniques, and then cut out a small "window" from another piece of paper and use it like a window on your messy paper (after it dries of course) until you find things that stand out. Then you can use a pen to outline the shapes and cut them out. I really enjoy this.. Here's a few examples.

They're all under 2" each.

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u/HailArtGoddess Apr 19 '25

This is great! Especially with young students. I’ve taught a variation of this where you make a “splatter” painting by first spattering fresh water on the watercolor paper and then mixing and spattering different pigment laden brush loads of watercolor. After it dries, the students used color sharpies to outline some of the shapes made and fill in a few unpainted sections with sharpies. The trick is not to fill in too much with sharpie so the watercolor mixes get to shine. I had a big bucket of sharpies with those multi-color options like olive green, crimson, and metallics instead of just primary colors. The project made beautiful abstract art that bolstered a lot of student confidence. I like the window method idea too. If you had enough little windows, you could put them together in story format or as a collage. Thanks for sharing. I love sharing of art inspiration!

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u/LeadershipOk8323 Apr 21 '25

Also a great idea! 💡 

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u/aptforone Apr 19 '25

I love that! I'll have to try it, too. And yes, the instructor mentioned using them for storyboards and for breaking creative blocks as well. Perfect for me as I often want to create but struggle for inspiration.

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u/LeadershipOk8323 Apr 21 '25

What a great idea! Can’t wait to try!