December Watercolour Challenge

Daily Painting Exercises
Watercolour painting exercises for beginners and intermediates to aid in getting a daily routine.

December Week 1

  • 1 DEC
  • 2 DEC
  • 3 DEC
  • 4 DEC
  • 5 DEC
  • 6 DEC
  • 7 DEC
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First of Advent

In Germany where I was born, the first Advent is celebrated as a preparation for Christmas. It is on this day that we buy a 24 day calendar counting to the day of Christ's birth. 

​The term advent is a Latin version of "coming". 

Fashion Illustration 1

This simple watercolour illustration is a neat example of a fashion demonstration for a range of products. 

Fashion Illustration 2

Here a second example of a simple fashion illustrations for a product range. 

Fashion Illustration 3

Today the last of three examples for presenting a fashion range to a client or to for usage of advertising. 

Feather Variety

The variety of feathers is astounding, so why not go on a little hunt to search for all the possibilities? Choose those you like the most and go ahead. 

Green Plant Variety

Use 3 different kinds green plants and make quick sketch painting of them. Keep it simple. 

Catch Up Day

Today you can either rest, or try to finish some of the uncompleted work due for this week.

December Week 2

  • 8 DEC
  • 9 DEC
  • 10 DEC
  • 11 DEC
  • 12 DEC
  • 13 DEC
  • 14 DEC
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Flower Designs

When it comes to the variety of subject matter, we should never be out of ideas for painting. Just think of the variety of feathers or cacti as we have used heavily in this one year painting challenge and you can see what immense possibilities lie ahead. So in the next couple of days we are using flowers, feathers, butterflies and keys to create different versions of design.  

Flower Design 2

For the second design we use two different kinds of flowers that are different in colour. Add some feathers and some beads and design. For this type of work I use thumbnails, that is small drawings of ideas before deciding what to paint. 

Flower Design 3

In our last flower design project we are using mostly white flowers with a touch of some other soft colours. 

Paint a Parrot

Parrots are a good source for paintings. The idea today is to tone down strong colours a bit and by doing so creating a harmonious feel to the image.

​This exercise will train you to keep colours with similar tint. Tint is when white is added to a colour. In watercolour the white is paper of course, that is seen by adding more water to the paint to make transparent. 

Jar and Candle

The simplest of paintings are still lives with just two items. One should be substantially larger than the other. Any jar and a candle is a good subject matter for a daily painting. 

Reef Fish

Talking about variety in subject matter this week. Corals and reef fish are filled with variety. The use of complementary colours is always dramatic.

Catch Up Day

Today you can either rest, or try to finish some of the uncompleted work due for this week.

December Week 3

  • 15 DEC
  • 16 DEC
  • 17 DEC
  • 18 DEC
  • 19 DEC
  • 20 DEC
  • 21 DEC
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Christmas Decoration

We are entering the time of Christmas in remembrance of Christ's birth. So the last two weeks we will be painting Christmas decorations and other related items.  Hope you enjoyed the lessons throughout the year. 

Christmas Candy

The first candy stick was recorded at an exhibition in  in Massachusetts in the USA. Once only white, the red stripes were added a few years later. 

Christmas Decoration 

Cinnamon, pine needles and other typically related Christmas decorations make all a good subject for painting. 

Pine Cones

Pines cones are part of Christmas, be it used of table decorations, or to hang on the Christmas tree. Sometimes we dipped the tip of a cone or single leaves in gold or silver for decoration.  The best is to use gold powder combined with an acrylic binder medium to achieve this. 

Christmas Balls

What would the Christmas tree without the tradition of hanging colourful balls for decoration? They can be made of glass, metal, wood or ceramics. I rather love the idea of keeping decorations year after year to build a collection that can be handed down to the next generations. 

The glass baubles come originally from Germany around the 1550's to 1600's. 

Mistletoe

One of the typical Christmas greens are mistletoe as here in this illustration. Other options would be the Holly Scrub with its red berries, the red poinsettia and Ivy. Each a good subject for painting. 

Catch Up Day

Today you can either rest, or try to finish some of the uncompleted work due for this week.

December Week 4

  • 22 DEC
  • 23 DEC
  • 24 DEC
  • 25 DEC
  • 26 DEC
  • 27 DEC
  • 28 DEC
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It's Christmas

Only two day to Christmas eve, the time when the baking starts all over the world.  Ginger, cinnamon, icing and many other herbs will play their part to make Christmas a special time. Almost everything can used as subject matter for painting. So let's start. 

Tree Decorations

What we hang on Christmas trees can be used for smaller sweet Christmas illustrations. 

Christmas Tree

Although living now in Australia, I could never shed the tradition of coming together with family on Christmas the 24th to gather and meet once a year and open presents. Boxing day was always for me on this day. 

I wish you all a most wonderful Christmas and hope that this year was a COLOURFUL time and that art will continue to be a part of it. 

The Gift of Christmas

The greatest gift ever given was Christ, and this joy has extended to the whole world by celebrating the giving of gifts. I hope that you will find the joy of both receiving and giving gifts instead of stress.  That the world is need we all know, so by just thinking that a person can get his or her sight back for only $25 or a child receives food for a day would make one person happier at a time.  Don't let us only talk about harmony and peace but be part of it actively creating. 

Snow Flake

Snow, one of the wonders of the world. Each one of a kind like our fingerprints. The variety in life is beyond comprehension and the beauty of it all is what gets me. The outrages beauty that chance alone could not have done, at least through my eyes. 

Snow Season

Snow although actually colourless is translucent, which doesn't leave light going through it as seen with glass, but reflects, which creates the white.

However it works, it is breathtaking when a scenery is have laden with snow.  

Catch Up Day

Today you can either rest, or try to finish some of the uncompleted work due for this week.

December Week 5

  • 29 DEC
  • 30 DEC
  • 31 DEC
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Poinsettia Plant

We are reaching the end of our journey for this year. I hope that you have enjoyed the challenge as I have and have kept on going. If so, you will have without question have greatly improved.  Every bit you do, even the smallest steps lead to a massive great one when combined. Keep at it and never ever ever give up.

White Christmas

Have fun. 

Happy New Year!

This is it, a whole year of watercolour painting.  May for the next year love abounds and truth upheld.

Wishing you all peace. 

​Martina