Playful abstract watercolor painting can be a great learning tool in itself.
If you don’t have a specific plan, composition that is well thought-out, it may be a viable exercise to just put some paint to paper.
In this video demo I show you how I approach such exercise.
I don’t draw any lines on the paper beforehand, because I don’t have a completely worked out design. I may have an idea, but that’s all.
I approach the paper with a big brush and I simply carve out a central white shape with a middle value wash. If you’re going to try this exercise, you may want to start by working with a three or four differently sized shapes, instead of one large one (what I show here is a little more tricky).
Once I have “carved out” the white shapes start adding some variety to the middle values by introducing gradually darker washes. You can do one or two more dark-middle value washes.
Finally, finish with some darks. Don’t place them haphazardly but try to space them out so they’re balanced. Also, try to put them into strategic positions, meaning the darks should accentuate points of interest.
Once you’re done, look at the painting and appraise its pattern, rhythms and overall feel. Have fun!
