Summer Bay Studio

What's New...

Paint a Watercolor Autumn Maple Leaf - Step-by-Step Tutorial

I am so excited to share with you my step-by-step watercolour tutorial showing you exactly how to paint the beautiful Autumn Maple leaf, like you see at left.

To get started, I've provided the drawing pattern you'll need to use to trace onto your watercolour paper. You can draw a leaf yourself if you prefer, but you don't have to. Click here to access the done-for-you drawing. You will need the password to access the Lesson Library, which is free, so you'll need to enter your email address to be sent the password. Check your inbox right away.

Step One - Download the drawing

Quick and Simple Guide to Choosing Your Watercolor Palette Colors

Let's talk about choosing watercolor paints. This is a confusing subject for a lot of beginning watercolor artists, so we're going to cover it today using my quick and simple method. But before we get started, take a moment and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

I know how it feels to go to an art store, you can see the watercolor section and there are masses of products. There are little tubes, big tubes, little pans, and boxes of paint. What do you choose? It can be so overwhelming that sometimes you just want to leave.

Choosing Watercolor Paper - a Guide for Beginners

How to choose watercolor paper, watercolor sketchbooks with sunflower painting.

Today, I'm going to talk about watercolor paper. For beginner painters and watercolorists and sketchers, the topic of watercolor paper can be quite confusing, because there's so many types, so many options, so many sizes, finishes, textures.

I'm going to start from the smallest to the largest and show you some of the options you have. But before that, I'm going to suggest you decide how big you want to paint.

Choosing Fonts for Designs

As an artist and a writer, love art and words, and I especially love them together. When I designed my series called Sea Dreams, I wanted not only to evoke the feelings we have about the sea with soft, fresh colours, but also to incorporate words.

I chose to keep the words simple, using only the names for each shell pictured in the watercolour. While the words were simple, choosing a font was not.

From Sketch to Product - DIY Note Pads

People often ask me where I get my ideas, how I get started, and how a design or painting develops. And once the art is created, how it becomes a product.

Creating a design is a process that can take only and hour or so, or weeks, and sometimes even months. I'm always on the look out for ideas to create designs. These ideas can come from:

The colours in the early evening sky
Flowers that I see on my morning walks

Directions and Re-directions

After I opened my online store, SummerBayStudio.com, where I sell multiple cute and useful products featuring my watercolour artwork, I attended a social event. While there, someone congratulated me on my "new direction”. This took me by surprise because making art is something I’ve done ever since I was a child.

I’ve also been a writer since my school days. Over the years I’ve focussed on one over the other, depending on things like raising children, working at jobs, or moving continents and starting over.

Want to be more creative?

Quick and easy watercolour flower painting.

DIY Artist Envelopes, easy to make in minutes.

Use your sketchbook. Tips and ideas to get started drawing.

FEATURED PRODUCTS

SADDLE NECKLACE

For lovers of the country life.

RV HAPPY

For folks who love to travel and camp.

BABY LOVE

For the baby in your life.

I'm Wendy Dewar Hughes, an artist and a writer. I love creating fun and pretty watercolour art for all of the products featured in my store at Summer Bay Studio, and writing and designing books.

More Ways to Make Life Pretty

Beginners' Guide to choosing watercolor paper.

Like to travel? I love Booking.com.

Booking.com

Wendy Dewar Hughes is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and/or Amazon.ca.