I asked ChatGPT for a bit of “help” to keep me going when ideas are scarce…
(The course that inspired me: Naturen i närstudie at Gerlesborgsskolan, Bohuslän. All booked up though…)
Create a 30 days plan for practicing different watercolor techniques?
Each day should include a short session based on a basic/intermediate/advanced technique and an idea on what to paint to practice the specific technique. There is no need to from easy to harder, mix it all up.
And then I changed my mind, just a bit:
Can you tweak this 30 days plan to prepare for a water color course called “close up nature”? Same idea, 30 days, mixed up levels technique, small exercises.
This is what I got: 30 Days of Watercolor: Close-Up Nature Focus
I will ask ChatGPT to specify the exercises day by day… and follow the instructions. Mostly…
Probably most of it will not be pretty, time is limited…
Day 1 – Wet-on-wet blending (Basic)
Technique: Soft transitions in wet washes
Paint: A dew-laden petal or soft flower bud
Day 2 – Dry brush texture (Intermediate)
Technique: Scratchy brush for fine texture
Paint: Lichen on bark or fine moss
Day 3 – Negative painting (Advanced)
Technique: Define form by painting around it
Paint: Overlapping leaves or veins in a fern
Day 4 – Flat wash control (Basic)
Technique: Flat, smooth pigment
Paint: A clean-edged leaf or shell
Day 5 – Glazing for depth (Intermediate)
Technique: Layer transparent tones
Paint: Beetle wing or a petal with shadow
Day 6 – Fine Line Practice (Basic to Intermediate)
Technique: Practice creating clean, flowing fine lines.
Paint: Stems, Tendrils, and Tiny Twigs
Day 7 – Cauliflower Effects (Intermediate)
Technique: Controlled Cauliflower Effects
Paint: Mossy Rock Study
Day 8 – Dewdrops & Gloss (Intermediate to Advanced)
Technique: Highlights with Lifting and Masking
Paint: Dewdrops on a surface
Day 9 – Dry Brush on Soft-Edged Backgrounds (Intermediate)
Technique: Fuzzy, Soft, and Fragile
Paint: Contrast between softness and texture
Day 10 –Blades in the Wind (Intermediate)
Technique: Negative Painting for Grasses
Paint: Tall grasses or reeds blowing in the wind
Day 11 – Color temperature play (Intermediate)
Technique: Use warm/cool contrast
Paint: A snail shell or curled autumn leaf
Day 12 – Line and wash (Basic)
Technique: Ink line + watercolor wash
Paint: Pinecone or tiny twig
Day 13 – Monochrome texture study (Basic)
Technique: Single-color, full-value range
Paint: Walnut or seed pod
Day 14 – Masking fluid (Advanced)
Technique: Save highlights with masking
Paint: Sparkles on a bug’s eye or dew on a leaf
Day 15 – Layered shadows (Intermediate)
Technique: Add dimension with glazing
Paint: Underleaf shadows or curled petal folds
Day 16 – Splatter + bloom control (Basic)
Technique: Add random texture with intent
Paint: Soil, bark, or weathered wood
Day 17 – Painting translucency (Advanced)
Technique: Soft edges and controlled light
Paint: Butterfly wing or jelly fungus
Day 18 – Color harmony study (Intermediate)
Technique: Analogous or complementary limited palette
Paint: Close-up of a flowering herb or berry cluster
Day 19 – Dry-on-dry linework (Intermediate)
Technique: Tiny details with very little water
Paint: Spider web or insect leg
Day 20 – Lost & found edges (Advanced)
Technique: Fade some edges, sharpen others
Paint: Leaf against light or wing in motion
Day 21 – Staining Pigments (Basic)
Technique: Learn how to work with staining pigments
Paint: A piece of fruit that requires saturated color and form
Day 22 – Two-Color Layering (Intermediate)
Technique: Layering two transparent pigments
Paint: Trees or folded fabric (or even tree bark that looks like fabric)
Day 23 – Iridescence effects (Advanced)
Technique: Subtle shine with layering + gouache
Paint: Dragonfly wing or snail trail
Day 24 – Painting from Memory (Intermediate)
Technique: What Lingers, Paints
Paint: Capture mood, color, and feeling
Day 25 – Color Temperature (Intermediate)
Technique: Depth through Warm & Cool
Paint: Simple mountain range or a stylized portrait
Day 26 – Flat Shapes (Basics)
Technique: Paint Like a Pair of Scissors
Paint: House, plant, or face – but stylized, graphic, and bold
Day 27 – Reworking Dry Paper (Intermediate)
Technique: The Art of the Comeback
Paint: Modify dried watercolor layers with glazing, softening, lifting, and layering techniques
Day 28 – Scratching with Tools (Basic )
Technique: Texture in the Raw
Paint: Rough wood, fine grasses, or wiry animal hair
Day 29 – Limited Palette Challenge (Advanced)
Technique: Less is So Much More
Paint: A full, cohesive scene – either a travel memory or a still life
Day 30 – Combine 3 techniques (Any level)
Technique: Your pick from previous days
Paint: Make your own “nature study” square with multiple elements