Kerrie Woodhouse's Blog, page 7

Are Creative Hobbies Important? (How to Paint Yourself a Little Wellness)

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you buy something we may possibly get a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Ever doubt the importance of your creative hobby? 🤔

Rest assured, creative hobbies offer a range of health benefits that improve our capacity to cope with life in general.

Reduced stress and anxiety, better problem solving and a more joyful and optimistic outlook on life are just a few of the reasons a creative hobby is one of the best things you can do...

Watercolor Brush Strokes - Let your Brush do the Work!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy something we may possibly get a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Are you wondering about the best brushes for watercolour?

Let’s talk about choosing the right brush for watercolour painting and more importantly, the brush techniques that will give you the most effective watercolor brush strokes - even if you are a beginner.

  ...

How to Paint from Multiple Reference Photos

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you buy something we may possibly get a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Sometimes you get an idea for a painting but you just can’t find the right photo reference for what you have in mind.

Luckily, it is possible to combine multiple references to create the image that you are after. However, there are a few potential pitfalls to avoid.

Let’s review them and figure out the best approach to painting from two or more referen...

Why Value is More Important than Colour in Painting

Colour is one of the things we painters get most excited about - of course!

Colour might attract as to paintings and definitely calls to the painter, but it is not what makes the painting make sense - value does that.

Let me show you what I mean. I’ll also tell you how to alter values in watercolour and tell you something about the colour wheel that just might surprise you.😮

  ...

How to Create a Mood in Your Painting

How marvellous is it that looking at a picture can instantly change your mood?

You can be grumpy and tired but when you see that cute kitten photo you can’t help but smile and feel just a tiny bit better.

The reason we love art is that it stirs an emotional reaction - it makes us feel something. An image can convey so much in an instant and each of us has our own unique response. 

So how do you create a mood in your painting?  ...

How to turn a simple line drawing into an easy watercolour painting

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you buy something we may possibly get a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Watercolour painting needn’t be complicated - in fact sometimes it doesn’t take much more than a simple line drawing.

This comes in handy rather often, for instance…

You know how you carefully pack up your sketching supplies because you are going away for a few days… and then carefully unpack them untouched when you get back?

It’s not just me is it?

 ...

How to Choose the Best Colours to Paint the Sea

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you buy something we may possibly get a small commission at no extra cost to you.

How do you go about choosing colours for painting the sea?

The sea is never just one colour, but since it is that colour that draws us into wanting to paint the sea in the first place it feels like something you really want to get right.

  ...

What art supplies are best for beginners?

What makes good art supplies? It’s such a loaded question. Good on what level?

Price?

Ease of use?

Archival quality?

Accessibility?

Figuring out what art supplies are best can be a bit of a minefield, especially for beginners!

A bit of googling and you will most likely collect multiple opinions probably contradicting each other. So ignore other people’s opinions and let’s figure out which art supplies are going to be best for you.

  ...

Are you artistic? (Here's how to tell)

Do you ever doubt your own creativity?

Ever wonder if in fact you are artistic at all? Well, wonder no more, Creative Soul.

Here’s how to tell.

   

I am lucky enough to hear from painters all the time - my students write to me often, and I love that! What I now know is that ...

4 Techniques for Creating Texture in Watercolour Painting

There are many ways to incorporate glorious texture into your watercolour backgrounds. Its part of what gives watercolour paintings so much life and interest!

Here are 4 of my favourite techniques for adding watercolour texture.

Three of them are about learning how to get the most out of your supplies and choosing the right tools for your desired effect.

The last is quite a lot of fun - using something you are sure to have in your house already.

  ...