June 2026 Links & Additional Resources

Below are additional details, ideas, and tutorials for you to try with your powder watercolor! (This month's letter was quite short because I wanted to include more papers for you to try!) Regardless of your skill level, try the projects that look interesting and fun to you. Don't be intimidated or think something is too hard--or too simple! Give it a go, enjoy the process, and have fun with it!

This post gets pretty long--use the headers to navigate :) If it feels overwhelming start by picking one project or technique and go from there. If you feel stuck or unsure what to paint, send me an email and we can talk it through together!

PLEASE NOTE:

A little powder goes a long way! I like to dab a dry paintbrush into the powder to pick some up then tap it onto my palette (which is a yogurt lid most of the time :)) or directly onto the paper. You can also use a tiny scoop if you have one (or a 1/16th teaspoon) or a flat wooden toothpick (or something similar).
How do you want to use your papers? You can use the papers included to make 4 individual paintings OR use them together in one piece (such as a collage, weaving, etc.)
Incorporate other materials. If you want to also use watercolors you have on hand, acrylic paint, markers, paper, colored pencils, etc., feel free to do so! Or focus on using the powder watercolor only and see what you can create with that.

PAINT BRUSH

Use brushes you have on hand.
I have a couple of water brushes that I always use I like that you can squeeze the brush to add more water! They are also great for traveling.
If you'd like more information on watercolor brushes and what to have on hand, you can refer to this helpful beginner's watercolor brush guide.
Get creative with your brushes! Try something unconventional including your fingers, kid's toys (the tires on a toy truck, a doll's feet, etc.), q-tips, toothbrush, palette knives, sponges, and other tools and items you may have on hand. Make your own using materials from nature or with items around the house and a wooden clip!

WAYS TO TURN THE POWDER WATERCOLOR INTO PAINT

Mix it. On a palette (you can use a plastic yogurt lid like I do or something similar), prepare the paint by mixing the powder with water. Start with small quantities of each. Then add more as needed to your liking.
Add to dry paper. Sprinkle some of the powder onto dry paper. Go in with a wet brush to mix with the powder directly on the paper.
Add to wet paper. Start by adding water to your paper in the area you'd like. Then sprinkle some of the powder to it. (This one is fun because the powder is actually made up of many different colors and you can see them in this method.)
Spray water. Sprinkle some of the powder onto your dry paper. Then take a small spray bottle and spray the water onto the dry paper.

Here's a short video I created showing add to dry paper, add to wet paper, and spray water. Note that the only spray bottle I had on hand had sanitizer in it so I ended up spraying mostly alcohol, which was cool to see! It doesn't blend as if water was used and sort or preserves a very intense color! Watch on Tiktok or Instagram.

PROJECTS TO TRY

Warm Up

Before starting on a piece, try playing with the paint and warming up! This gives you a sense of what the colors will look like, how much water you may want to use, getting comfortable with your brush, etc.

Included in your mail is 4x6 piece of mixed media paper. While it doesn't hold as much water as watercolor paper, I like using it to warm up and test out the colors or ideas I have.

It's also nice to use if you need paper that isn't as thick, like for weaving.

Meditative & Intuitive

LINES Mix your powder with water on a palette to create as many colors as you'd like (I used each color on its own then mixed the two to create a green.) Paint lines on your paper in varying widths (pictured above). You don't have to plan anything out--just begin with one line and go from there.
BLENDED CIRCLES Mix your powder with water on a palette. You can start with each color and mix as you go or create a few different colors to use. Make sure your brush is quite wet and start painting circles (they don't have to be perfect!) with the edges touching so the paint mixes and bleeds together. Cover your page with circles and observe how the paints mix and the different colors it creates. You can make rows like how I did in the picture above or try a more free form approach.
GLAZED CIRCLES Learn more about glazing and try this exercise from Anthony of Watercolor Affair.
SECTIONS Use a sharpie to draw random lines all over your paper (sometimes I do this with my eyes closed!) to create different sections. Then fill in the sections with the watercolor. Here's an example from Let's Make Art. (I like using lines without thickening them.)
ADD OUTLINES. Wet your paper and start adding colors randomly. Make splotches and blobs, let the colors mix. Let the entire page dry. Then take a waterproof pen or fine tip marker and add some outlines
- Pick something to draw over the paint such as flowers
- See what the shape of the dried paint reminds you of and add outlines to define them
- Add patterns and outlines

Play With Patterns

GEOMETRIC Fill your page with different shapes and patterns. I used this as an opportunity to mix as many colors as I could with the paint and used a different color for each shape (above). Here's another version of a geometric pattern. You can also use lines or dots to create a pattern as well (play with width and size, grouping several together, etc.)
FLORAL Try creating a floral pattern. Instead of geometric shapes, use flowers. You can use one type (for example all roses) or mix different kinds (you can add leaves and foliage as well!) If you'd like more guidance, search for flower tutorials on YouTube to learn how to paint different types of flowers. Then mix and match to create your own pattern.

Experiment With Abstract

Textured watercolor paper works well for abstract pieces because the paper itself can help create lines and shapes and add depth and dimension.
- For my abstract piece above I wanted to represent the yellow and ultramarine individually and also see what happens when they mix together. I let the water and paper guide where it would mix.
Find a starting point. Abstract can sometimes be difficult because it's so....abstract lol It can help to decide on something you want to express such as an emotion, song/music, phrase, water, fire, etc.
Play with mark making such as making splatters or using different brushes.
Find more guidance in this watercolor circle tutorial by Hedwig Theeuwen. I also loved this video from Hedwig as well.
Watch this abstract watercolor landscape by Camilla Damsbo come to life! She uses a lot of different techniques (plastic wrap, swiping the paint, etc.) and can give you some ideas!

Collaborate With...

NATURE Wet your entire paper with clean water then add your watercolor to it (already mixed or in powder form). While it's still wet, press leaves, flowers, twigs, rocks, etc. onto your dry paper and leave them there. Add more paint if you'd like onto the paper and on top of the items you added. Let it dry. Once it's dry, peel everything off and see what imprints and shapes you captured! Here is an example from @raising_up_wild_things.
SALT Here's a great guide on how to use salt in watercolors from Karen Rice.
ALCOHOL Rubbing alcohol can be used to manipulate the paint. Learn more from Jennifer Funnell.
PLASTIC WRAP Try using plastic wrap like in Camilla Damsbo's video linked above. Here is a slower step by step tutorial of this technique from February Rose.
TISSUE Sometimes taking away paint is just as impactful as adding it on! Here's an example using clouds of what that can look by Nano Art.

Have fun!

BUBBLES I always have fun when I use this technique! Mix some of the powder with water and dish detergent. Start with small amounts then add more as needed. Blow bubbles and spread them on your paper. Let it dry then add another layer, outlines, other types of paint and material. Here's another way to use bubbles from Abstracts by Anna and several bubble ideas from Asia Marquet. Below is a piece I created using purple bubbles as the background layer--you can see it peeking through!