I love painting with watercolours. It’s a captivating medium that not only produces beautiful artwork, but unlocks a treasure-trove of other benefits. And in times of overwhelm (I’m looking at you pandemic lockdowns… ) I’ve found myself leaning heavily on watercolour for relaxation. Those experiences even inspired this class: A Mindful Approach to Practicing Watercolour: Values, Palettes & Brush Control.

In this post, I’m going to delve into why watercolour is more than a creative endeavour; I think it offers an opportunity to challenge perfectionism with play, provides a refuge from incessant brain busy-ness, and gives a sensory smorgasbord that soothes and relaxes.

Dive into Fluidity

Watercolour painting is characterized by fluidity, where our pigments flow and dance with the water on the paper. There is an unpredictability that invites us to play and to fully embrace the present moment, cultivating mindfulness in action. It asks us to pay full attention to what we’re doing and as we watch those paints swirling and merging, we detach from the whirlwind of daily life and wake up to the present moment.

Be a Rebel

In an online world dominated by perfect, polished sketchbooks and timelapses, playful watercolour painting stands as a form of rebellion, encouraging spontaneity and experimentation. If you embrace the medium it will provide (sometimes) delightful surprises, leading to unique and unexpected outcomes. Embracing the journey, working with the unexpected and incorporating the mistakes that occur along the way fosters self-acceptance and encourages an open-minded perspective. These are all things that nurture our ability to relax.

Engage the Senses

Painting with watercolours provides an immersive sensory experience. Their beauty is an obvious treat for the eyes, but our other senses appreciate them too. The subtle sounds of water swooshing, paint mixing, and bristles kissing the page. The smooth feel of the brush handle, the bumpy texture of the paper and interplay between brushstroke and page. The faint scents of the paints and paper. Watercolours engage multiple senses, weaving them together into a tapestry that anchors us in the present moment and calms us.

Go with the Flow

The concept of a “flow state” characterises deep focus and immersion, and this is something you can experience during watercolour painting. This state acts as a mental sanctuary, allowing us to temporarily escape the pressures of life and find solace in the rhythmic strokes of brush on page.

Painting Decisions as Mindful Choices

Watercolour is not the easiest medium to master (sorry). It’s layering technique demands mindful decision-making about composition, tonal values, and colour palettes, not to mention water control, paint consistency, and brushwork. This process requires focused, present-moment attention which actually gives our brain a break from overthinking.

Using watercolour for relaxation transcends artistry – it’s about going on a journey towards mindfulness, mental freedom, and peace. The interplay of water and paint, coupled with the medium’s spontaneous nature, encourages us to leave our daily stressors behind and be present in the here and now. Engaging in watercolour painting lets us tap into our creative well, while finding solace in the serenity of the process. So embrace your inner child, forget about the end result, and get lost in the watery, swishy process.

And if you’re a nerd (like me) and interested in the science around this, check these out:

Kaplan, S., & Berman, M. G. (2010). Directed attention as a common resource for executive functioning and self-regulation. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5(1), 43-57.
Hass-Cohen, N., & Carr, R. E. (2008). Art Therapy and Clinical Neuroscience. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Kaimal, G., Ray, K., & Muniz, J. (2016). Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants’ Responses Following Art Making. Art Therapy, 33(2), 74-80.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row.