Swatching: Stop Over-Thinking It

Welcome back everyone! This video has been a long time coming. Arteza sent me some watercolors a couple of months ago to try out and put in a video and I’m just now getting to it. I’ll tell you why in just a second.

VIDEO DETAILS

I have a video that you can view down below or HERE on my Youtube channel. I’m swatching out the colors and doing a little “shop” talk about how I feel about watercoloring.

DETAILS

The first thing I’m going to tell you is …. STOP OVER-THINKING IT! Yep, I capitalized that. I’m just as guilty of it and I pushed passed it.

Part of why this video took so long (other then being super busy!) was because I was so intimidated by watercoloring. Yes, I’ve used watercolors in the past and have even done some videos but I was so scared to do this swatching video.

I’ll be brutally honest. I don’t know a lot about watercoloring. Not in the technical terms. I have a hard time sharing things without knowing a reason behind the madness. It was a barrier. No more barriers! Grab those paints, some paper and water and let’s do this!

A couple things I do know about watercoloring is paper can make a difference. Unfortunately, I do not own a lot of watercolor paper. Today, I’m using Canson Watercolor paper which you can find almost anywhere for a reasonable price. It’s not the most high quality but it gets the swatching job done.

Since I really don’t know what all the numbers/values mean, I’m approaching this with what will be helpful for me. The first thing I wanted to do was put this in rainbow order because the original packaging was not, as you will see in the video. This helps me so I’m not hunting for the reds in 3 different places.

The swatch grid is something I created on my own with a ruler and a pencil. Waffle Flower carries some great tools to help swatch, which I do not own at this time.

What I did notice while swatching is these paints are very smooth to me. I do not have a ton of experience with all the watercolors out there but these made me happy.

Once my swatching sheet is complete, I can put it in the lid of my watercolor pan and it will always be there for reference.

Arteza has graciously provided my viewers/readers with a discount. You can receive 10% off your purchase through the Arteza website by using the code MindyEggenDesign1 at checkout . This discount is only valid until September 25, 2019. Please note, this is an affiliate link that when you purchase through my link, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

If you are like me and just starting out with watercoloring, I do think this is a good set. You have a variety of colors to work with and they are easy to pop into a bag and take with you in your travels.

SUPPLIES

I have both U.S. and European links provided for your shopping convenience.

https://linkdeli.com/widget.js?1559654439292

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1 Comment

  1. You did a FAB job on these watercolors. The watercolors are so beautiful. I’m like you. I am majorly intimated that my coloring is going to look stupid. ha-ha Now you have motivated me to JUST DO IT. =) I really liked the watercolors and how vibrant and beautiful the colors are. They’re not too pricey either. Great job, Mindy. Greetings from hot San Antonio, Texas, where we go BIG or we go home……101*F. ha-ha

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