Reference Guide for Painting Pages
If you found this page, it is likely because you purchased a set of painting pages, a DIY experience provided by Sketching Summits to give you the opportunity to enjoy the meditative nature of painting without the stress of drawing.
If you happened upon this reference guide by other means, and are interested in these painting pages, you can purchase a set for yourself or a loved one HERE (link coming soon!).
What are painting pages?
This is essentially the same as a coloring book page, except they are printed on watercolor-friendly paper, giving you the opportunity to play around with watercolor paint. If you would like to color them with colored pencils, markers, any any other medium, that is totally an option as well! You also have the opportunity to purchase a watercolor kit alongside painting pages.
In my experience teaching both adults and young adults, I have realized that drawing is often the most stressful part of creating art for most people. It takes years of practice to achieve accuracy and it is easy to get frustrated with. Painting, however, can be as simple as coloring inside the lines, and is often a meditative and peaceful experience. With these pages, you can bypass the frustration of drawing, and enjoy the simple process of painting.
This kit has three trail-inspired illustrations: Shelter in the Smokies, Virginia Creeper Trail Bridge, and Roan Highlands.
Where to start?
If you purchased the available Prestigify travel watercolor kit, start by explore the different components of the kit. On the surface, you have a sponge like material that can be used for cleaning or drying your brush. Notice that is attached with velcro, so as it gets dirty you can remove and clean it with water. The fan-like tiers open to display an arrangement of 42 vibrant colors. The last tier is an empty tray that can be used for mixing colors. The kit comes with a brush. The brush can be used like a normal paint brush, but also has an inner chamber that can be filled with water by unscrewing the brush from the handle. Then, by squeezing the handle, you are able to eject water through the brush to activate the pigment.
In addition to this kit, you will need a cup of water nearby. I often find the sponge that comes with the paint kit gets dirty too fast, so I like to have a paper towel nearby as well.
Set up on a flat surface. Watercolor paint is easily removed from clothes so you don’t need to worry about what you are wearing. Putting down newspaper, cardboard, or another surface to protect your table top might not be a bad idea. Take the time to light some candles, pour yourself a beverage, and play some enjoyable music. I suggest also having a scrap piece of paper nearby to test colors before adding them to the page.
How does watercolor paint work?
Watercolor paint is pigment that is activated by water. No matter how long the paint has sat dry, it can always be reactivated with a few drops of water (making it easy to remove from clothes or surfaces!). To start, you will want to get the tip of your brush wet. Then, rub the wet brush onto the color of your choice, and it will begin to liquify. Using that scrap piece of paper, paint some simple shapes. Play around with the paint for a while before getting started. Notice that the more water you add to the pigment, the more transparent the paint appears. The less water and more pigment you use, the more opaque the paint is. This is a great technique for achieving value.
There are two main approaches to watercolor painting.
Wet on wet: With a clean brush, add wet, clean water to your test page. Now pick up some color with your brush and add it to the page while it is still wet. See how the pigment bleeds with the water? This creates the more classic watercolor appearance that you probably think of when you think of watercolor painting. It is a beautiful texture but can be hard to control.
Wet on dry: This is how I, personally, paint for the most part. This means adding water to your brush, picking up some pigment, then adding it to dry paper. This approach is probably easier to get a handle on, as it is similar to just coloring with colored pencils.
Once the paint is on the page, you can spread it out by moving it around with a wet brush, even after it is dry. You can even partially erase by dabbing at it with a clean, wet brush, but you won’t be able to entirely remove the pigment from paper.
Layering watercolor paint is challenging, as it is always slightly transparent so you won’t be able to cover what is underneath. You won’t have much success adding a lighter hue over top of a darker hue. The reverse, however, works well.
Let’s get painting!
For most paintings, I start in the background and move my way forward. This generally means starting with the sky (or in the instance of the Virginia Creeper Trail Bridge, starting with the forest in the background). Start with what is called a “wash”, a watered down, light and transparent mixture of pigment and water covering the subject that you are painting. Then, with a more pigmented mixture of paint, you can add the shadows or darker sections to the subject. For the sky, I often start with a light blue, but then add streaks of darker blues throughout for more variety. Perhaps even a splash of pink or purple. For a dense forest, start with a light green wash. Then, add another layer of paint sporadically to imply shadows, the deeper parts of the forest being darker. To achieve white, you must leave the page blank, letting the white of the paper show through.
If you are noticing that your paint isn’t fully covering the area you are painting, and you can see that it isn’t filling the textured bumps in the paper, try added more water to the paint. If your painting is bleeding and taking ages to dry, try working with less water (or keep a fan nearby to help dry it quicker).
As you move forward in the painting you can keep things as simple as you like. You may just pick up brown paint and color the trees in. You can also get creative and experiment with gradients or blending colors.
Some of these illustrations are more complicated than what you might find in a child’s coloring book- be sure to pay attention. It might be easy to confuse a tree with the sky in the background before it is painted in. Make sure you know what a shape is supposed to be before adding color.
You will notice that the paint repels itself from the black lines printed on the pages. You don’t have to worry about covering up the original illustrations as paint wont absorb into the paper where there is ink. This makes it extra easy to stay inside the lines!
What colors do I use?
I encourage you to be creative and explore your own approach to color! It doesn’t have to be accurate- make it surreal if you want to. Its your painting- who is to say that leaves can’t be purple and the sky can’t be green? That being said, I understand that you might want a little bit of guidance. You can scroll through the images below for examples of what colors to use for different elements of your painting.
Share your finished work!
You may notice that the water has caused your paper to curl up. You can correct this by leaving it under a heavy book, or pinning the corners down on a cork board for a day or two.
If you post your finished paintings online, I would love if you tag me at @sketchingsummits- I can’t wait to see what you create! These pages are 9”x12”. If you care to get them framed, you should be able to find some pre-made frames at a reasonable price online or at your local frame shop.
I hope this experience has been a fun introduction to watercolor painting, and I hope you consider bringing the travel friendly paint kit on your next hike. The joy of painting nature, and painting IN nature, is one that can’t be beat. Happy trails, and happy creating!
