What I do first when I start a watercolor?
After several years of painting watercolors, I realize that I approach watercolors in different ways. Everything has a reason and objective.



1) When it comes to a portrait of an animal or a person, I start with the eyes. This has several reasons. On the one hand it is the connection with the work. The eyes are what give it expression in the first place, it is the first thing we generally look at in a painting. That leads to the second reason. The eyes can't be wrong. (It is of utmost importance, that the eyes are "right") They must express what one wants, otherwise the whole picture is spoiled. Therefore it is better to start with them, so if they turn out badly, not too much was invested.



2) When it comes to a hyper-realistic painting, the development of the background plays a crucial part in creating that perfection. (Initially I gave little importance to the background, but challenging my limits, I decided to pay more attention and dedication to that part of the painting). And since the energy and motivation at the beginning is not the same as at the end, it is a good strategy to start from the bottom. In addition, if the main object is blank, our view is more critical of what is painted.



3) When it comes to a composition of several elements, for example a bird perched on flowers and a diffuse background, I dedicate myself to one element at a time. That is, all the flowers, then the entire bird, and finally the entire background. Or in different order. What I don't do, however, is paint a little of each thing. With this procedure one makes sure to keep the same color palette for the same element.



4) Another way to start with a watercolor is by layering the colors of the entire work. It is a very common strategy among watercolorists, especially for landscapes or the composition has to respect the same colors in the work. Rather, I use this glaze as a final touch to the work to unite all the elements together, to "turn off" the background or make it vibrate more.

Of course these strategies varies according to the objective that is pursued and what type of style. Abstract art, for example, surely works differently.