Welcome to my Take a Line for a Walk Lesson! Are you ready to have some fun?!

Before we dive into the course, let's make sure you have the materials you need to complete the painting.

For this painting you will need:

1. Thick Paper (Watercolor Paper, Mixed Media Paper): I prefer to use a mixed media sketchbook, which I have linked below. When you paint with watercolor, you want to use a paper that is thick enough to hold its shape and not wrinkle up or tear when it gets wet.
2. Watercolor Paint: I have linked a few of my favorite watercolor paint sets below.
3. Watercolor Brushes: It is nice to have a variety of brushes, all different shapes and sizes. This gives you the ability to paint larger areas as well as the small details in your painting.
4. Black Sharpie

Look through my recommended materials below and pick the ones that are best for you!

Here are some of my recommended materials:

Canson Sketchbook: https://amzn.to/2wg7qcu

I prefer this sketchbook because the paper is thick and it has perforated edges for easy removal from the sketchbook after you finish your painting.

Sakura Koi 24 Assorted Watercolor Set: https://amzn.to/2QkOC2Q

This is my favorite set of watercolors. The pigment of the paint is beautiful and they last a very long time.

Artists Loft Fundamentals Watercolor Set : https://amzn.to/3aZrjn0

These are a great option if you are on a tighter budget. They are not as pigmented as the Sakura paint set, but they are still very good quality paints.

Crayola Watercolor Paint Set: https://amzn.to/33otygZ

These are another great option if you are on a tight budget or have some lying around the house. There aren't as many color options, but you can always mix colors to create the color you need!

Transon Watercolor Brushes: https://amzn.to/2wgv8pd

This set of brushes has a great variety of shapes and sizes.

Heartbay Paint Brushes: https://amzn.to/33lAv2y

This is a great set of brushes to buy if you are on a tighter budget!

Ok, now that you have all of your painting materials we can get started. It is now time to find INSPIRATION!

In this tutorial, I will walk you through the steps to creating a beautiful geode watercolor painting. I know that some people may be very experienced with using watercolor paints while others may be using them for the first time. This is a great tutorial for everyone, and I encourage you to experiment and try new things as you complete this painting. I hope that you will take the time to explore, practice, and create more than one painting throughout this course. Feel free to watch this tutorial as many times as you need to.

I want to mention a few DOs and DON'Ts to remember while creating this painting and working with watercolor paint.

DO

1. Experiment Spend some time experimenting with the water and paint on a blank piece of paper. I want you to get a feel for what the paint will do when it is mixed with the water. Watch it move and watch it blend. Get a feel for how much water you will need to use to get the right movement, color, texture, etc.

2. Have Paper Towel It is very important to have a paper towel near by. You will need to frequently wash and dry your brushes. It is a good thing to have on hand anytime you are using watercolor paints.

3. Keep Creating As I mentioned before, I encourage you to do this painting multiple times. Each time you do it, you will learn something new. You will get a better feel for the paint and how it moves. Don't give up after your first painting, KEEP CREATING!

DON'T

1. Tear Your Paper If you push to hard with your paint brush, you will begin to tear through the layers of your paper. Be very light with your brush strokes, you are not coloring, you are PAINTING! :)

2. Over Blend Try to allow the paint to blend on its own. You can do this by adding more water, gently moving the paint with the tip of your brush, or slowly moving your paper up and down. Try not to over blend as this will cause the painting to get very dark and muddy. Just breathe and let the paints do their thing!

Ok, let's paint!