Water Colour World is developing a free online database of documentary watercolours

Watercolours have been used for a long time to document the world before the invention of the camera. Painters – both professional and amateur – produced hundreds of thousands of pictures recording life as they saw it throughout history. Every one of these paintings has a tale to tell, but many are now too fragile to view due to age or fragility. The Watercolour World was established to allow them back into the public eye.

Water Colour World is developing a free online database of documentary watercolours painted before 1900. For the first time, you can view these exciting visual archives on a global map, search for topics that are important to you, and compare watercolours from different collections in one place. We hope that this initiative will not only preserve the watercolour record but also revive it, generating new discussions and discoveries by making history more visible to more people. We may enhance our understanding of the world by seeing it with other people’s eyes.

What is a watercolour painting?

Watercolour, which may seem rather thin and lightly transparent when compared to other materials, can be thick and softly opaque, as in Frederick Walker’s Autumn (1865). The term ‘body colour’ refers to a medium that is thick.

The term ‘bodycolour’ was also used to describe watercolours with white (the alternative French term ‘gouache’ only caught on in the early twentieth century). Chinese white, which was first produced in 1834, may be added to watercolours to produce a more velvety feel. White highlights could be created using Chinese white, as seen in the sunlight shining off of leaves.

3 Reasons Why Watercolor Painting Is More Than a Way to Learn to Paint

Watercolours are paints that contain water as their primary ingredient. They’re typically made with water, pigment, and paper. However, painting with watercolours is a completely different matter. It might be challenging, perplexing, and enjoyable at the same time.

It may be challenging at times. Consider this snippet from a book review by someone who was clearly frustrated: “I know I can’t expect to become an expert immediately, but her flowery language and encouragement of ‘just keep it loose and have fun made me feel deceived when I was going through such a difficult learning experience.”

Learning how to paint with watercolours is more than just watercoloring.

Those Watercolorists who like it and want to improve aren’t in it for the money. Have you ever asked yourself why you want to learn, how to get better, or why it can be so satisfying? I’ve given it some thought and come up with three reasons why watercolours are so much more than simply learning to paint.

1. WATERCOLORS TEACH US TO SLOW DOWN

Watercolours, like other leisure activities, might serve as an escape from your daily life. I’ve seen people bring their painting materials to the hospital to pass the time and relieve tension. I’ve known others who took up watercolours as a means to relax after a long day at work.

For me, watercolours provided a sense of meaning and something to anticipate when I was down. Every person’s narrative and emotions will be different, but there is serenity and pleasure when you discover a pastime that you like and have the opportunity to practice it.

When we’re quiet and deliberate, we can find peace, flee the rat race, and discover meaning. Watercolours are just one option for achieving this. Painting with watercolours necessitates careful preparation and a goal to pursue.

Painting, like any other form of art, necessitates looking. Making art is how we communicate how we see the world, whether it’s from memory or a reference photo. Painting and drawing both start with looking at something. What colours are in this thing? What form does it have? Where are the shadows falling? What elements make it distinctive?

WATERCOLORS HELP US DISCOVER OUR CREATIVITY

Creativity is typically associated with artistry. You know, painters, musicians, and art directors…but we’re all creative individuals, even if our work doesn’t seem that way. We make – or can create – creative decisions every day, from how we dress to coming up with new ideas or solutions for issues at work and at home.

The potential of our own creativity as adults is frequently masked by layers and layers of practicality and life-stuff that has built up over time. Do you recall when you were a kid? Do you recall inventing with abandon? Creating whatever you want, constructing forts and putting on costumes without fear of being judged? If that’s not your memory, look at how young children create to understand what I’m talking about.

Discovering our creativity doesn’t just mean that we’ve taken up painting as a new hobby; it also implies that we become more creative in all aspects of our lives – which to me is an amazing concept. The following is a passage from “Creative Confidence” that goes much deeper than I could.