Marco Boer, The Lonely Bike, 2018. Watercolor on paper 8.27 ×11.69. Image: Artist and Facebook
A watercolor painting titled The Lonely Bike by Marco Boer, a member of Watercolor Addicts, one of the Facebook Watercolor Groups where artists can share ideas, watercolor tips, techniques, and celebrate their addiction. Image: Artist and Facebook
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BY KAZAD
Any artist who has used watercolor for painting will tell you it is a challenging medium to manipulate. Unlike other media used by painters, watercolor also has so many techniques relevant to the creative process. There is the wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, scratching, glazing, and many others. Due to the challenges posed by the medium, watercolorists are constantly looking for places to learn and develop their skills. Many are turning to Facebook watercolor groups to get a better understanding of the medium and learn new techniques. While some of these groups are Public Groups, others are Closed Groups or members only. For members-only watercolor groups, applicants have to gain the approval of the admin to join. Approval does not take long.
Watercolor has a long history and its usage transcends many cultures and artistic traditions. From the Renaissance to the Baroque, impressionists and others, watercolor was a medium of choice for illustrators, painters, printmakers, and artists. The word watercolor refers not just to the medium, but also to the artwork.
In Europe, Asia, China, Korea, Japan, India, Ethiopia, and many others, watercolor medium has been interregnal in one way or another to the creative process for decades. For instance, in East Asia, watercolor painting with inks is referred to as brush painting or scroll painting.
In the early 19th Watercolor, American artists began to show interest in watercolor but not as a full medium like oil colors. For them, watercolor was just necessary for sketching. In that way, the medium was relegated to the background for many years. However, as time went on, several artists began to see the importance of the watercolor medium beyond sketching. In a recent show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, there was a particular focus on how American artists came to embrace the medium.
Titled American Watercolor in the Age of Homer and Sargent, the works on display highlight the progression of how a rejected medium moved from the periphery to the center. The show included works by Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, John La Farge, Thomas Moran, and William Trost Richards. Others are Thomas Eakins, George Inness, Maxfield Parrish, Jessie Willcox Smith, Louis C. Tiffany, Childe Hassam, Maurice Prendergast, Charles Demuth, and Edward Hopper.
By the 20th and 21st centuries, the use of watercolor as an important medium for artistic expression had grown among artists. Artists like Wassily Kandinsky, Emil Nolde, Paul Klee, Egon Schiele, Raoul Dufy, Charles Burchfield, Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Charles Demuth, and John Marin produced seminal works using the watercolor medium.
Many contemporary artists continue to use watercolor because of its translucent and luminous qualities. The common support for watercolor painting is paper, which artists often refer to as watercolor paper. In addition to watercolor paper, other materials include papyrus, bark papers, plastic, vellum, leather, fabric, wood, and canvas. Of all the materials, watercolor paper is the preferred material for contemporary artists. Made entirely or partially with cotton, watercolor papers have good texture and the ability to minimize distortion when wet.
Many Facebook watercolor groups provide watercolor tutorials and techniques in an effort to help watercolorists sharpen their skills. They serve as platforms for amateurs, professionals, and watercolor enthusiasts to share their work and learn how to use watercolor from their peers. Beyond watercolor techniques, there are also discussions about watercolor materials, including watercolor papers, brushes, and other materials that can help with creating exceptional watercolor paintings.
Members of many of the Facebook watercolor groups come from across the globe. Members present works from landscape to portraiture and still life. Some of the Facebook watercolor groups are very specific in their expectation of members. One of the groups mentioned in this list is just for portrait and figure painters. Anyone not interested in these areas of painting cannot join the group.
Other Facebook watercolor groups mentioned in this article are sales groups. It simply means members can sell their works. It is not surprising that many of the works on sale in these groups are of high stands. Furthermore, some groups serve as bulletin boards, focusing on letting members post information about events related to watercolor painting. Events include seminars, workshops, and exhibitions of works by watercolor artists. Even then, members still find time to present their works before their peers. If you love watercolor contests, there are Facebook watercolor groups for that purpose.
Many Facebook watercolor groups provide watercolor tutorials and techniques in the effort to help watercolorists sharpen their skills.
Watercolor and Watercolour are used interchangeably in this article. In naming their groups, some of the Facebook watercolor groups used the British spelling of the word ‘colour.’ Therefore, in order to stay true to their ideas, we have used the names as expressed on the groups’ pages. Overall, however, we have used the American spelling of the word ‘color” throughout the article.
There is no doubt that this is a long selection of Facebook watercolor groups. However, the selection does not even scratch the surface. There are so many Facebook watercolor groups that they cannot even fit this post. What we have done is to feature the best of the best that we could find. It took a lot of effort, research, and debate to arrive at this list. Clearly, this is not an exhaustive collection, but it is our hope that readers will find the compilation useful. If you do not see a group that should be on this list, let us know about it by leaving a comment.
The popularity of the group among watercolorists across the globe is not surprising. There are some amazing watercolorists in this group. They include Sritam Sona Banerjee, Kendi Kendinin Koçu, Sumio Wada, TC Berrin Duma, Ahmet T Kürüm, and many others.
This is not a group for any other genre of art: you can only post watercolor paintings. If members post anything other than watercolor, group admin removes them. According to the admin, violators will have to go to another group.
Watercolor Addicts is one of the Facebook watercolor groups open to the public. The group attracts members from around the world, and it is 109, 749 strong. The group is not just for professional watercolorists, it is also where aspiring watercolor painters can learn and grow.
Watercolor Addicts cherishes the participation of every member. Consequently, Members have the opportunity to teach and learn from each other. As a way of focusing on individual works, members can only post one work per day. This provides the opportunity for other members to adequately comment and give feedback on works posted.
Admin and moderators of the Watercolor Addict include Ron Morrison, Matt Moberly, Lori Underwood, Marva Wickre, Phil Hocking, Kimbo Jackson, and Cindy Dore. Some of the top contributors include Arūnas Vilkevičius, Daniel Pito Campos, Les Ducak, Barbara Litwiniec, and several others.
Watercolor Addicts is not a group for anyone interested in self-promotion. Any member who does not follow the rules will be expelled.
Watercolor Addicts cherishes the participation of every member. Consequently, Members have the opportunity to teach and learn from each other.
The Mystery of Watercolor is a platform for professionals and amateurs to share, learn, educate, and encourage each other. This is not a group where members can be satisfied with their achievements. Therefore, members have the chance to push the boundaries of the medium by confronting its endless possibilities. The Mystery of Watercolor is a space where members can get watercolor ideas and experience new ways to improve their watercolor techniques.
Members of this group are located across the world, making it a fertile ground for creativity. Even at 109, 493, the group continues to grow in leaps and bounds. Some of the popular topics in the group include portrait, landscape, still life, floral, and abstract. No matter your topic, the most important thing is to do it in watercolor.
Members and emerging watercolorists get to learn from the masters who are members of this group. Participation is integral to this group. Therefore, the group coordinators encourage every member to analyze, comment, and provide feedback for artworks posted on the group’s page. In analyzing any work on the group’s page, members must be civil and respectful.
To allow for a better understanding of works posted, members posting works have to discuss their techniques and the materials used in creating the work. Although members can only post their works, they can, however, post works by other artists that have relevance or can benefit the group. Whenever this happens, the member posting the works has to mention the name of the artist and other details about who is posting. In order to make the group a civil environment, members have to be on the lookout for and report those violating the group’s rules.
To allow for a better understanding of works posted, members posting works have to discuss their techniques and the materials used in creating the work.
This is a closed group and coordinators have to approve all those who want to join. Admin encourages members to ask and answer questions so that everyone can grow in the use of the medium. Watercolor Enthusiast is a platform where no one should be afraid to show their works for the fear of being castigated. As clearly stated by the admin, the objective of the group is not to be critical but to encourage each other to grow.
Members can only post three works a day. This allows members to focus on individual works and make thoughtful comments. It is against group roles to post links. However, members can post links to tutorials, watercolor videos, and educational material relating to watercolor that will benefit members. Members can only post their own work, and if that work was created with photography as reference, the owner of the photograph must be credited. There is no room for self-promotion in this group.
Watercolor Enthusiast is a platform where no one should be afraid to show their works for the fear of being castigated.
Since it was formed in 2016, the group has grown to be one of the biggest Facebook watercolor groups. It has more than 69,785. This open group allows artists of all skill levels to join. An interactive and supportive group, members can have discussions about watercolor paintings, techniques, and ways that can lead to improved skills.
Members are advised to learn from the masters, and there are many in this group. Because of the large membership, members cannot post more than three works per day. In addition, artists can only post their own work. Although this is an open group, members have to follow the rules. Additionally, they cannot post announcements or advertisements on the group’s page. It is important for members to participate in conversations, and above all, must keep trying to sharpen their skills.
Posting marketing materials and advertising is against the group’s rules. According to admin, “Any member posting irrelevant posts, like someone else’s work, marketing, and promotional posts, any commercial posts, their own page links will be removed directly and permanently banned without any warning.”
Members of this public group come from across the world. Some of the works on the group’s page include portraits, still life, landscapes, seascapes, wildlife, and flowers. Anton Batov, Pocholo Issa Eztremoz, Steve Everest, Pavel Podder, Zan Barrage, and many other talented artists are members of the group.
There are portraits, still life, landscapes, and seascapes paintings on the group’s page. Like some of the other Facebook watercolor groups, International Watercolor Artists has works by emerging and professional watercolorists on its page. Members include Dobril Yankov, Karen Paul, Leo Kahl, Simon Jones, and many amazing painters.
Although members can promote their Instagram pages, promoting other Facebook groups, Etsy Shops, and others are not allowed. The group has strict rules against profanity, rude language, or comments. Additionally, nude or partially nude paintings have no place on this group’s page. Breaking the rules set by the Facebook group can result in expulsion. Therefore, read the rules before joining. Megan Jones is one of the administrators of the group.
Although the focus is not on photorealism, artworks by members must indicate the effort to capture the subject accurately. A key objective for this group is to encourage members to confront the challenges posed by using watercolor to paint realism. “The medium is very unforgiving, and a mistake can mean a disaster which cannot be recovered,” notes the group’s admin. From landscape to flowers, and portraits, members must focus on realism. For those who are able to surpass the challenge posed by this medium, the group notes, “earns the respect of artists in all other genres.”
Although the focus is not on photorealism, artworks by members must indicate the effort to capture the subject accurately.
Since this is a watercolor sharing group, that is the only medium allowed. Members can only post original works. Additionally, they have to include size name & year of the work, and artist’s nationality. Like many of the other Facebook watercolor groups, Watercolour Confluence does not allow nudity, advertisement, and vulgar language. It is not a group where you can put things up for sale. If you break the rules, you will be expelled from the group.
The main objective is to provide a platform for watercolorists to share, discuss, and exchange experience about their works.
Members are encouraged to give feedback to those who specifically ask for them. Another area Watercolour Sketchers is different from all other Facebook watercolor groups is that members can offer their works for sale. However, in spite of the flexible nature of the group, there are rules that all members must follow. Group admin will dismiss members who break group rules.
The objective of the posting on the group’s page is to ensure that members are aware and able to locate programs that will benefit them. Konstantin Sterkhov, the Admin of the group, is very clear about expectations for this group. “This group is NOT for sharing your personal artistic achievements, no matter how skillful you are,” the admin notes.
While members can post as many paintings as they want in a day, they all have to be in watercolor. Members can also post videos, articles about watercolor, and update about development in watercolor. It is against group policy to post things for sale, share nudity or use the group for self-promotion. Admin and moderators include Hermie Sigua, Fraze Sigant, Ricardo Sigua, Willy Sigua, and Viven Balsomo.
A major rule in this group is that members can only share their original works. While they can post up to three images per day, they cannot contain pornography or inappropriate images. Group admin will remove political, racist, and religious images. Júlio M. Jorge and Adnan Kandemir, an amazing watercolorist, are moderators of the group.
The fact that members have different skill levels makes it an important place to learn and teach. From landscape to still life, and portrait paintings, members have the opportunity to learn about styles and watercolor techniques. Moderators for the group include Haruo Endo, Sumio Wada, and Masao Hatada. The group has specific rules that members have to follow. Members can comment, discuss, and ask questions about artworks on the group’s page.
The fact that members have different skill levels make it an important place to learn and teach. From landscape to still life, and portrait paintings, members have the opportunity to learn about styles and watercolor techniques.
Members of the Watercolor Painting group come together to show their works and learn from each other. Artworks on the group’s page include landscapes, still lifes, and portraits. As with many other Facebook watercolor groups, there is so much to enjoy in this group.
In addition to watercolor paintings, members can also post drawings because as the admin of the group notes, drawing is the foundation for any watercolor painting. This is a fun group to join for all those who love watercolor painting. However, the group has strict rules that members must follow. It is important for new members to read the rules and follow them if they want to remain members of the group.
There are some amazing figure paintings on this group page. A major rule for the group is that members can only post their own artworks. Peter Ward who also serves as Admin for the group founded Portraits & Figures (People) in Watercolour on July 2, 2012. The objective was to create a space where watercolor artists interested in portraits and figure paintings can present their works to a larger audience. Since its inception, the group has grown and continues to grow. Members include Judy-Joy Bell, Alfi Ardyanto, MV Renju among many others.
Many of the comments on the group’s page are cordial and respectful. Perhaps this is because there are strict rules about courtesy when commenting on works in the group. Additionally, there are rules about how many images members can post each day. Anyone who posts more than three watercolor paintings per day may be dismissed. Sandy Askey-Adams, Sandy Askey-Adams, Sandra Nunes, and Sandra Nunes are admin and moderators for the group.
Many of the comments on the group’s page are cordial and respectful. Perhaps this is because there are strict rules about courtesy when commenting on works in the group.
This is not a group for impostors. If you are not an artist, please do not apply. An important membership requirement for this group is that applicants must provide evidence that they are artists. One way of doing this is for applicants to visibly display their works on their Facebook page. Another is for them to have their art as their profile picture.
In addition, is important for applicants to be members of other art groups. The requirement for proof, the group notes, is “to try to limit our membership to artists and not to non-artists looking to troll our group.” The group has very strict rules. One is that all posts have to go through the admin. Members must also submit questions that they want to be answered along with their works.
This is not a group for impostors. If you are not an artist, please do not apply.
Over the years, the International Watercolor Society Art Contest has grown exponentially in terms of membership and recognition. In addition to providing members with the opportunity for members to share their works, the group also organizes watercolor painting workshops and seminars around the globe. For its programs, professional watercolor painters get to teach others about how to handle the medium. Today, the International Watercolor Society Art Contest is one of the most popular groups responsible for the propagation of the watercolor medium
As a way of helping other watercolorists, members have the chance to discuss their works, especially the materials, including types of paper used in the creation of the work. More importantly, they also have to discuss their techniques.
The main objective of the group is to enrich members’ knowledge and engender opportunities for mutual learning and growth. Consequently, members get the chance to participate in discussions about artworks on the group’s page by providing comments and feedback. In providing comments and feedback, members have to be respectful and courteous. Admin includes Shu Laang, Fine Moon, Yu Tian, and several others.
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