July was World Watercolor Month, and I decided to jump in! My only goal was simple: put brush to paper every single day. I didn’t follow the official prompts, and I didn’t feel the need to finish a complete painting each day. Some days I found inspiration in YouTube shorts, and I just let the creativity take me where it wanted. It was such a fun month of making art.
Of course, not everything went as planned. I spent weeks trying to paint a beautiful cloudscape, and as you’ll see…none of them quite worked out. But that’s all part of the creative process, and I learned something from every attempt. Timing is key.
The whole month turned out to be the perfect warm-up for the September Creative Gathering—which is almost here! Time for me to start prepping!
The first nine images were the top performers on Instagram. Most are 5 x 5 in. Some are 4 x 4 in., or 3 x 3 in. They’re not in order. Keep scrolling for a closer look at a few of my favorite pieces!
Thanks for stopping by and taking a look.
Until next time, may your world be rich with color and texture & layers of inspiration.
A global community of artists exploring new mediums while starting the year with creativity, curiosity, and connection.
As we begin the 8th year of The Creative Gathering, we’re celebrating another inspiring season of creativity, dedication, and community. This month, our artists collectively created and shared 588 pieces of art. This is a wonderful reflection of the passion and commitment within our global creative family.
Throughout the gathering, artists worked in a wide range of mediums. These include pencil, pen, watercolor, gouache, inks, and oils. They also used photography, mixed media, nature art, colored pencil, assemblage, and journaling. Each piece reflects a unique voice and perspective, with artists of all experience levels sharing their creativity and vision.
What makes The Creative Gathering so special is that it’s truly international. Artists from around the world come together to share not only their work, but also encouragement, ideas, and support. Beyond the art itself, the gathering fosters camaraderie and connection, reminding us that creativity thrives in a supportive community.
Artists often spend long hours working alone, which makes these moments of connection especially meaningful. We share our work and cheer one another on. We witness each other’s creative journeys. By doing so, we build relationships that enrich and reward the creative process.
Each year, participants challenge themselves to try new mediums, experiment with unfamiliar tools, explore new techniques, and learn new approaches. The Creative Gathering isn’t just about making art—it’s about growing as artists and embracing curiosity and exploration.
The gathering is also a wonderful way to start the year on a positive note. By committing to create daily for one month and sharing that work publicly, artists celebrate both discipline and courage. While some complete the full month, we believe that even showing up for part of the month is worth celebrating. Every sketch, photo, journal page, or painting represents a moment of creativity and intention.
You will want to have a seat to view the video. It is over six minutes long! Enjoy!
To everyone who participated this year—whether you created every day or joined in when you could—congratulations. Your creativity, dedication, and willingness to share help make The Creative Gathering such a special community.
We look ahead to gathering again in September to continue our shared creative journey. Together we’ll support one another, explore new ideas, and celebrate the joy of making art. Let’s see where our creativity takes us next.
Congratulations, everyone! And thank you again, for sharing your exceptional work with us all.
I’ll admit, I had a moment of pure panic when I started this gathering session. What am I doing? 😆
Why would I try something completely new when I have a tight working window? I really struggled the first two weeks. I felt like I was failing horribly. And I was behind in posting. But we all have days like that, don’t we?
I look ahead to painting, practicing, and learning more about gouache. I know there will be more frustrations, but there will also be successful days. Below are some of the things I have learned.
The Pros of Gouache
1. You Can Re-Wet It
Like watercolor, gouache remains workable. If you finish a painting and later realize you want to make changes — you can. It’s very forgiving. Of course… this can also be considered a con. (More on that later.)
2. The Pigment Is Rich, Saturated & Easy To Mix
Gouache is incredibly pigmented and naturally opaque. While watercolor relies on transparency, gouache achieves lighter values by mixing with white instead of just adding water. This makes the colors vibrant, saturated, and velvety — and very easy to mix.
You can paint delicate watercolor-like washes or build thick, forgiving layers. You can even layer light colors over dark ones. Because white is part of the mixing process, it feels more intuitive.
3. It Dries Matte, Flat, And Fast
Graphic designers and illustrators are fond of gouache for these reasons. You can build layers quickly, and changes are easy to make. (That’s code for: mistakes can be fixed.) 😄
Another advantage? It reproduces beautifully without glare. Often with watercolor, I have to adjust the scan to get the colors true to life. I didn’t have to do that this month at all.
Gouache is great for small studies, plein air, and travel. It lasts for years in sealed tubes, is lightweight and compact, and requires minimal equipment. And cleanup is a breeze.
Unlike watercolor — which really shines on high-quality paper — gouache is more flexible. You can use it on watercolor paper, mixed-media paper, Bristol board, illustration board, tinted paper, canvas, or even wood. It works best on heavy, slightly absorbent, smooth surfaces.
You can use inexpensive brushes or watercolor brushes. I’ve used both synthetic and watercolor brushes with good results. I’ve used high-quality white gouache with watercolors, but I have yet to try professional-grade gouache beyond that.
For student-grade paints, I did my research and found that both Arteza and Meeden are often recommended by artists. I can honestly say the Arteza paints are really nice to work with.
5. It’s Non-Toxic, Odorless & A Little Goes A Long Way
Because gouache is so pigmented, you don’t need much. Every day this month I ended up with leftover paint on my palette. If my paintings look cohesive, that’s probably why. I used tiny amounts and just kept mixing from the same puddles.
The Cons of Gouache
1. It Can Get Muddy Fast
Because gouache reactivates with water, you can accidentally lift the layer underneath while adding a new one. If you’re not careful, things can get muddy quickly.
The general rule is thick over thin — use less water as you build layers. I definitely need more practice with this. I tend to go thick too soon. (Maybe because I’m thick in the head.) 😄
2. The Value Shift Is Real
Always mix more paint than you think you’ll need.
Gouache changes slightly as it dries. Light colors dry darker. Dark colors dry lighter. You do not want to run out of your mixed color mid-painting. Even working small this month, I ran into that problem more than once. Usually because I kept layering.
I struggled with values because of this. I already have a hard time seeing values, and the drying shift didn’t help. I plan on spending more time making swatches and mixing colors. Hopefully, I will become more comfortable with this aspect of the paint.
3. It Dries… Too Fast
Yes, this is both a pro and a con. Are you seeing a trend?
Blending is easiest when the paint is fresh. If one area dries before you’re finished, blending into it can be difficult. You also need to let the paint dry before judging the final color.
There is still much more to learn. Now that I’m not under a daily deadline, I can concentrate more on technique. I can also work on water control, layering, and consistency.
I really enjoyed getting to know this medium. And while I was sincerely frustrated each day from my lack of knowledge, I enjoyed painting with gouache.
Here’s another look at some of the details from the paintings.
