In this mindful blending patterns exercise, we’ll let our blends decide what to draw.
Watercolor is so relaxing, especially when you use the wet-on-wet technique. This means that you add another layer of wet paint when the previous layer is still wet. This will make these two layers blend together.
You never know how the blends will turn out, which makes it fun and interesting. I love to stare at my blends and slowly watch the colors bleed into each other. It’s so relaxing.
In this exercise, we’ll let small circles with different colors bleed into each other and let the blends decide where we have to draw our lines. Because of the unpredictability of your blends, you can do this exercise multiple times and end up with a different result every time. This also means that there’s no right or wrong way to do this exercise. It’s all about having fun and relaxing.
Just enjoy the process!
Have fun with this mindful blending patterns exercise! Please let me know if you’ve tried this one, I would love to see it.
You can find a small video of this exercise on my Instagram @thecreativecooldown
Supplies used:
Watercolor paper 300gr (Fabriano), watercolor (Kuretake Gansai Tambi), paintbrush (Da Vinci), washi tape, sepia fineliner no. 0.5 (Winsor & Newton), a white acrylic marker (Ohuhu), paper towel.
Alternative supply suggestions:
You can use your kids’ watercolor paints or use other kinds of paint.
You can use pens, crayons, colored pencils, or markers to add your details.
If you only have regular paper, please be aware that your paper cannot hold that much water and will probably warp. Try taping it down to prevent it from warping too much.
Instructions:
Step 1
Before you start, slowly breathe in and out a few times to clear your head and get more relaxed. Put washi tape around the edges of your paper. This will create a nice border around your painting. It’s time to choose your colors. I opted for different shades of green, but you can choose whatever colors you like. Pick colors that make you feel good or calm you. Now start with your darkest color and paint 2 lines of small circles. Make sure the circles are touching each other.
Step 2
Next, we’ll grab our second color and add another two lines of small circles to your paper. Make sure the lines above are still wet when you do this. This will make the colors bleed into each other and will create interesting blends. Continue adding lines of small circles with slightly different colors until your page is filled completely. I thought it would be fun to make the circles slightly lighter every time. This also meant that I added extra water with every line. You can copy this or do something totally different. You can even make a rainbow. Do what feels good.
Step 3
Now, we have to wait until the paint is completely dry. Then, you can grab a fineliner or a pen and start tracing your blends. This means that you follow the lines of your blends. These are the areas where one color or shade blends into another. As these wet-on-wet blends, as they are called, are unpredictable, you’ll get a different result each time you do this exercise. That’s what makes it fun and means that there’s no right or wrong outcome. The blends determine where you draw your lines.
Step 4
Lastly, you can add some extra details to your circles. Add some dots, lines, or other patterns to your circles. You can also play with different colored pens or pencils. Do you want to add details to every circle or just a few? It’s your artwork. Do what feels good.
Slowly remove your washi tape when you’re done. Make sure to keep the tape parallel to your paper when you remove it, this will prevent your paper from tearing.
Now you’re done with this mindful blending patterns exercise! Hope you had fun.
If you liked this exercise, you might like my mindful neurographic watercolor exercise as well.