Tips to Paint and Relax with Watercolors

Who says you can’t paint and relax with watercolors? I’ve been practicing mindfulness and relaxation with watercolors for the past seven years and here are my favorite tips so you can do the same.

As always, start out with a short breathing session. While you’re breathing, remind yourself that even if you make mistakes, it’s going to be okay. This painting session is not to produce anything complete. It’s to help you soak in and enjoy the process.

I like to sit in a comfortable position and place my hands with palms facing up on the table or on my lap. You can keep your eyes open or close them – up to your comfort level. Take four breaths in through your nose, hold it for a second, then let it out for six seconds through your mouth. Do this slowly.

Then, when you’re ready – set up your workspace and let’s get painting.

Remember to check out all five videos that feature real-time videos and relaxing exercises for you to follow along.

Tip #1: Pre-choose a few colors

We find it hard to relax sometimes when we’re faced with too many choices. Pre-choose just a few colors to eliminate decision fatigue. Choose colors that you don’t normally use. Or a color combination you’ve been wanting to try.

A watercolor painting by Audrey Ra Design featuring abstract lines, circles, and rectangles using a bright pink and coral colors. Used as a graphic to demonstrate how to relax with watercolors.

Tip #2: Focus on one “technique” at a time

When it comes to watercolors, there are so many techniques you can practice. There are the basic ones like wet-on-wet, dry brush, textures, etc. In each of my videos, I focused on a basic technique.

In the photo below, I practiced wet-on-wet.

A watercolor painting by Audrey Ra Design depicting the wet-on-wet technique. Used as a graphic to demonstrate how to relax with watercolors.

And in the photo below, I practiced layering.

Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to do it all. Just focus on one thing at a time, and do it well.

Tip #3: Try a different brush

Another great tip for relaxing with watercolors is to use a different brush. Especially one that you don’t use often. I typically use round brushes for all of my paintings. So for a few of these exercises, I used my 5/8″ and 1/4″ flat brushes. When you use a different tool, you put less pressure on yourself because you know it’s something new and you don’t expect to have the same results as you would with your “go-to” tool. Is there a brush that’s collecting dust? Pull that out and try it!

Tip #4: Paint abstract shapes

If you want to relax with watercolors, choose to paint more abstract shapes than actual figures or subjects. If you do the latter, you’ll end up focusing too much on the details and you’ll lose the relaxing aspect of it.

Tip #5: Create smaller paintings

This is my tip for most artists no matter what. When we have a large piece of paper in front of us, we tend to freeze up because we feel the need to have to fill every inch of it. Now, we know that’s not true, but that doesn’t mean the fear isn’t real. so I always recommend using smaller sketchbooks, cutting to smaller pieces, or taping to mark off areas. You’ll also realize that you don’t need to use such large tools. Use a manageable brush size like a round size 4 or 6.

Tip #6: Set a time limit

This tip might not be for everyone, but I find that a time limit helps to prevent perfectionism. When we have endless time, we obsess over what else could be fixed. But when you have a set amount of time, you can let yourself put down the brush and walk away. Even if you didn’t finish, you can always come back and set another amount of time and keep going.

How much time should you set? I can’t really answer that for you. Perhaps you can start with 10 minutes, and see what happens. If you feel like you can go a little longer, then add 5 minutes at a time. You might find your sweet spot eventually.

If you feel like you’re starting to fixate on small details, that’s when the timer should stop.

Tip #7: Do not overlook the preparation process

Sometimes we think that the actual act of painting is where the relaxation starts. I disagree. I think relaxing with watercolors starts with the prep before the paint even hits the paper. It actually begins when you decide to paint today. It continues when you do your breathing exercise. It extends into the preparation process as you fill up your water cups and pull out your paper and paints.

For me, in each of these videos, I used washi tape to divide my paper into smaller sections. Although there were times when I wanted this process to go faster, I intentionally went a little slower than normal so that I could mentally prepare myself even during this time. Continue the breathing exercise as you peel off the tape. As you wet your brushes. As you activate your paints.

You’ll be amazed at how making the shift to relaxing through the preparation process helps you relax with watercolors even more while you paint.