Cheap Paints Challenge

Cheap paints shouldn't be a problem! In the video today you can see me try out a set of inexpensive watercolor paints to see if I can still paint something beautiful. I have gotten a lot of nicer paints over the years but I wanted to challenge myself to use these cheaper paints to see what I could create.

See how it went here:

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You can probably find a watercolor set like this at any craft store. The one I found was $5.75 USD. It has a good color selection but we know the pigment quality isn't exceptional. I am still going to be sure I use my good watercolor paper and brushes to give this a fair shot.

I want to create something really beautiful, and I am hoping I can, so my first step is going to be mixing a palette of colors that look good. Using a cheaper set can be all about mixing the paints. You need to think about how you want the colors to look. I am going to paint a floral so I want my colors to be a little more natural and muted than they are.

I am beginning with some burgundy and pink flowers, although we will use a lot of color to test more of the paints out. I don't think about the finished design but more about the brushwork and each petal as I go. Letting the colors bleed together is giving the paints a very sophisticated look as well. By blending colors and letting them bleed you will get that loose watercolor look.

I loved the way the yellow turned out after adding some brown to it, and then some white to turn it more pastel and natural. While painting wet on wet gave us the great blending of colors, now we can add more detail painting wet on dry. A couple of lines around the stamen gives flowers a concave look, and adding darker colors adds shading.

At this point, I am really pleased with these paints! I have mixed a lot of colors I love. If you are starting out you should definitely start with these cheaper paints. Just make sure you are using a good quality watercolor paper. To make the most of your paints, mix the colors you want to use first. Decide if you want muted colors, jewel tones, pastels, or even use a color wheel from google to understand how the colors mix together properly. Finally, watercolor is all about the process and not the end product. Focus on your brushstrokes more than the form of each individual flower or leaf.

The paints do tend to sit on top of the page more than soaking into it, so they will fade over time, but they are great for learning. For $5.75, these paints were awesome and I'll be using them again. You can make beautiful paintings with inexpensive supplies! That has always been a part of my channel and philosophy; you don't need the supplies or education to have fun and get creative.