There is a new book online by Garima Srivastava, the author of ' Watercolor in 10 minutes a day'.
Can you first briefly introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?
Hi, I'm Garima Srivastava, an artist, surface designer, and art educator. I create joyful designs with hand painted elements and share my art process through Instagram and my classes on Skillshare.
Can you tell us a bit about your background? Where are you from and how did you end up in the Netherlands?
I am a Computer Science engineer from India and came to The Netherlands after my marriage.
Have you always been creative from a young age, or was there something else that inspired you to be creative? How would you describe your style? How did it develop?
I've always been a creative kid. Scissors, glue and paper were my best friends. I've been a handmade gift kind of girl and loved exploring different forms of art as a hobby throughout my childhood. I think style is ever evolving. My true love still remains loose watercolor style but for my design work my current style dances somewhere in between illustrative and semi realistic.
What is your creative process? Do you have any habits?
After becoming a mother I realized that I need to optimize how I use my creative time. I think about what I want to paint and keep my inspiration-absorbing eyes open the whole day. This helps me remain focused when I do start painting. It usually starts with a very rough sketch followed by watercolors and then some extra texture on top with pencil colors or pastels. As for habits, I do like to keep my art supplies always ready to paint to avoid any form of procrastination.
Are there specific themes that often recur in your work? Is there a specific thought behind this?
Just like Matisse said, “There are always flowers for those who want to see them,” I love adding flowers to whatever I paint. Botanicals are a big part of my creative journey, but I do equally enjoy painting subjects that tell a story; they can be cute little people, critters, and sweet but lonely homes.
How do you deal with moments when you feel less inspired? Do you have any tips for overcoming an art block?
In this world where we are constantly bombarded with inspiration, whether it is physically in front of us or through our digital devices, I never really feel like I lack inspiration. It is rather the available time or motivation that I sometimes struggle with. Tips to overcome art block: keep thinking of ideas that you want to try out even when you are not actively creating, it keeps that creative flame burning in you. Trying a different subject and using a new art medium is always very refreshing for our brain.
Do you have a tip for the readers to paint more, or to finally start painting?
If you have never painted before, my biggest tip is to get a simple set of art supplies and simply start painting just like we did when we were kids. No inhibitions and no restrictions. Simply play with color and explore shapes. Playing with colors is so addictive that I am sure they will be able to pull you in the moment you simply start. As for readers who want to create more, my suggestion is to build a daily or at least a regular creative routine. It can be for just 5-10 minutes a day or more, it can be a simple pencil or ball point pen sketch or a quick painting. Once you start picking up your art supplies every single day you start to think differently about art. It becomes a part of you. I find working on collections to also be a great way of creating a cohesive body of work.
What inspires you? Are there certain artists that inspire you, or are there other things that influence your work?
I have been able to tune my head in a way that now everything inspires me. It can be the texture of a tree trunk, a florist's window decor or a seasonal color palette at the home decor stores - it al inspires me and I make a mental note of these things. I follow thousands of creatives from various fields on instagram and just seeing how productive everyone is, is inspiring in itself. Among the masters, Monet and Van Gogh are my favorites. Among the contemporaries if I was forced to name just one, I do absolutely love watching Helen Dardik paint, it's magical!
In your work you mainly use watercolors, how did you get started with this material and what do you like about it?
I started painting with inks somewhere in 2014 and gradually moved to watercolors. I love how easy it is to get started and I still get mesmerised by how two pigments interact on paper. I can still very intently watch wet colors drying on paper and never use a hair dryer. You have to paint with watercolor just once to fall in love with it.
What are your absolute favorite watercolor colors?
I don't use a very elaborate color palette and do mix my colors to create certain favourite go-to color mixes. Sap green and burnt umber are some of my favorite colours.
What's the most important thing in your toolkit?
My brushes and colours. Once I pick up a brush, it might never leave me. I still use some of the brushes I started to paint with almost a decade ago.
Congratulations on the launch of your book Watercolor in 10 Minutes a Day! Can you give a brief description of the book? How did you come up with the idea for this book?
Thank you! The book is a perfect companion for those interested in building a creative routine. It brings plenty of inspiration and guidance in the form of 45 simple but interesting watercolor projects that you can paint in more or less 10 minutes. It's like painting with a friend every day. I am a strong believer in the power of painting something small everyday to keep the creative juices flowing and also to build the skill and I wanted to encourage others to give it a try.
Can you tell us something about the creative process behind the book?
Although the book contains lessons on the basics of watercolors, I wanted to keep the techniques used for the project quite beginner-friendly. I know how people struggle finding what to paint, so I wanted to fill the book with simple projects that relate to everyday themes such as florals, food, celebrations, and many more. I painted almost 70+ projects for this book and recorded every single step photographically and my live instructions simultaneously.
How do you hope your book will inspire or motivate readers to take up watercolor painting?
I know it’s hard to get started with watercolors or any creative hobby. We often burden ourselves with harsh expectations. I want you to start enjoying playing with watercolors. I hope when you flip through the book, you’ll find enough encouragement and inspiration to simply pick your art supplies and paint along just as if we were sitting together and painting.
Why 10 minutes a day? How does this approach help beginners learn the art of watercolor painting?
Beginners will learn the art of watercolor painting with every minute they spend on it. From my own experience, I know that sometimes life is so busy that we only have 5-10 minutes in our day. We can spend that time procrastinating or paint something small in that time. Every single time you will paint, you learn more. Whether it’s mixing colors or water control, you get better the more you do something. Of course, your learning curve will be steeper if you can spend more time practicing, but 10 minutes a day is a good place to start.
Thanks for the nice interview Garima! Curious about the book 'Watercolor in 10 minutes a day? You can order it here.
Love,
Judith
