January Watercolour Challenge

Daily Painting Exercises
The challenge is to paint a smaller watercolour picture every day for 10 minutes or longer if you feel like it. Anyone who wishes to draw or paint regularly must make painting a habit. It is much easier to achieve this goal by taking 10-15 minutes a day, rather than a couple of hours per week. It is the daily repetition that creates a new routine. If I mention a technique or art materials you don't know about, search it on the Internet or get some art lessons to help you.

I hope that the following images will inspire you to follow your goal through for a whole year. There are 6 days of the weeks with new projects and the seventh day is reserved for work you haven't finished.

Please note that these painting exercises are for beginners to intermediate to aid in getting a daily routine.

Martina Pook

January Week 1

  • 1 JAN
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Start With a Simple Leaf

We begin with the simplest of form of a leaf. The white lines are applied with masking fluid by using a nip pen. Let the masking fluid dry until it is gum like and can be touched. Then assign colours.

The most common mistake in watercolour is going over and over an area to fix mistakes. Once applied it is to be left, not like in oil. Going back to fix things usually makes it worst, as it disturbs an even blend.

Paint Jellyfish

Another rather simple form, the Jellyfish.

Draw the shapes first and paint with watercolour.

Draw Any Shapes and Colour in

This is a simple yet useful exercise. Draw any shapes you like, animals, people or things and colour the complete shape in one go by blending colour smoothly into each other. 

Don't do any further details.

And once more...

Because this is such an easy and fun exercise we will be repeating yesterdays lesson.

Choose some different shapes and fill them with even looking watercolour in different colours that run smoothly into each other.

Refrain from trying to add more detail.

Paint Wooden Board

This is another beautiful and easy exercise.

First use only one colour for the top and another darker for sides of each board. The mix the darker tone and add more detail, then an even darker tone and so on. Note that the scratches on the round board are very closely in tonal value to the colour underneath, just a bit more grey. Do not make them too different in tonal value, as that would be overkill.

Paint a Honey Pot

Paint a honey pot and if you have more time add some honey comb.

Paint Free Day

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

January Week 2

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Paint a Handbag

This is a simple form of a handbag and yet is appears quite 3 dimensional. It is a brilliant image to learn how to blend softly without making a mess.

Always remember that it is better getting your result in fewer steps rather than too many as most will make a mess.

Try this handbag several times until you are happy with the result.

Paint a Cup Cake

Here you can see how to simplify a form. The brain usually complicates images we see, it is an art to learn how to reduce what you see to its minimum without lacking clarity.

Paint a Vase

Today we do a simple painting for which we will need masking fluid. This is a lightly coloured liquid that you can apply with different size nip pens to create the white lines within this painting. The masking fluid will dry to a gum like substance within a few minutes and prevents the colour from spreading beyond where the lines have been applied.

You then easily can apply the colours without having to be so careful to create even lines. Once the picture has completely dried rub off the masking fluid and voila!

Paint Bamboo

Paint some stalks of bamboo by using nice fresh green colours. 

To give  your painting a final touch,  use an old toothbrush to flick some watercolour onto the painting. Try this first on another piece of paper to see how much watercolour to use for it to work well.

Paint Silhouettes

This is just a bit of fun painting the silhouette of a row of houses and then do the same with a much weaker colour behind for more interest.

You can use almost any shapes for doing this, from flowers to trees.

Paint Wedding Rings

This is a beautiful  simple exercise creating a golden shine on wedding rings.

Paint Free Day

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

January Week 3

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Paint Succulent Plants

This is almost as easy as number painting. Draw the bowl with succulent plants with a 2H pencil on a mid-rough watercolour paper and paint the different sections in watercolour.

Always let a colour dry before painting a shape right next to it.

Paint Fern

Today we are painting a species of fern that so wonderfully curls. In front we are setting some pointy thick leaves as a contrast.


Paint a Tree

Paint a tree by drawing a few outlines in pencil and then begin adding the lightest colour first. Wait for it to dry and add the next darker colour on top.

When painting greenery, always paint a smooth background with little details and add some more defined details on top. Watch out for where the light and darker areas are.

Paint Ice cream

Please not that within the ice cream between the light and the dark is a sharp line mostly on the left, whereas on the right the light blends softly into the darker areas. 

In the diamond shape dark section on the waffle notice that the dark is slightly stronger on the top of each section and lighter on the bottom and a little to the right.

Paint another Tree

Once more another tree and a bit of grass to continue with some flora.

Bushes and Grass

Today we just do a couple of bushes and grass. When mixing greens and find that your colours are too bright, add some mid red to it to make it look more natural.

Paint Free Day

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

January Week 4

  • 22 JAN
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Paint a Pot

Start with the lightest colour and fill in the whole form apart from the couple of highlights.  With every further layer use a bit if a darker colour. The last highlight can be achieved buy dropping a bit of clear water after you have applied the mid tones while they are still wet. Or you can use a tissue to gently withdraw the colour in those areas.

Have precise outlines, but let some accidents happen within the form to give it character.

Painting a Cheeseburger

The beauty with watercolour is that you get relatively quickly a realistic look.

Always start from light to dark, adding more colour with every layer after each layer has dried.

Create the Sesame seeds by using a q-tip to take some of the colour off while it is still a bit wet.

Paint Stacked Books

This is a sweet little setting for using watercolour.  Do a quick sketch with the pencil before using watercolour.

Paint a Simple Pot

We are painting a simple metallic pot. Notice the different kind of greys. Some are more green whereas others are more yellow or blue.

Whenever grey is involved, all primary colours are used, with the blue being the most dominant and usually involves ultramarine blue.

Painting Hazelnuts

Maybe you have some still some hazelnuts left from Christmas you can use or use this example to do paint some closed and opened nuts.

Place them by overlapping some and others keep separate for interest.

Paint Peanuts

Nuts again! Paint some with their shell and other that have been opened. You can also leave some who have the soft red brown thin skin on them for interest.

Again let some of them overlap and other keep separate for good composition.

Paint Free Day

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

January Week 5

  • 29 JAN
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All About Coffee

For the rest of this week we are painting different items related to, yes one of my favourite drinks, coffee!

I hope you enjoy this coffee grinder and the other examples as much as I enjoy painting and drinking this amazing exotic drink.

A Cup of Coffee

The subject today is a cup of coffee with some cinnamon and almonds. 

This is a simple but effective painting.

Paint Small Coffee Sack

On the last day of this coffee week, we are painting a little sack for holding the rest of our coffee beans.

Enjoy.