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Obsessed with the CURRENT Watercolor Confections Set by Art Philosophy (PRIMA)!

24/7/2023

If you've been following me for a while, you know how much I LOVE the Complexions Watercolor set by Prima. Since falling in love with that little palette for creating watercolor portraits, I've continued to add MORE Prima watercolor sets to my art supply stash- just like the Terrain set I reviewed last week.

While I was in Scotland for my last Scottish Castle Art Retreat, I happened to be in a little art shop and noticed the CURRENT watercolor set by Prima that I'm reviewing today.

It's kind of hilarious because I've been meaning to buy this little set forever, at home, and just hadn't. So, while in Scotland, I decided it could be an artsy keepsake from my trip, so into my suitcase, it went!

All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support.

If you aren't familiar with any of the Watercolor Confections sets by Prima, there are TONS of things to love! First off, they're SO AFFORDABLE! A cute little palette of 12 half pans will only run you about $20-25 on Amazon, or just $2 per little half pan of color!

Love the paintbrush shown below and featured in ALL of my watercolor and fountain pen ink videos? ME TOO! It's by the lovely and talented Polina Bright. Learn more about WHY I love them in this video (or get 10% off your own brushes on her website using the coupon code KARENCAMPBELL at checkout!).

Last week on YouTube, I reviewed the Terrain watercolor set by Prima, and shared with you how much I also love the cute little swatching card Prima includes with their watercolor sets.

As you can see below, somewhere in my swatching journey over the years, I decided to DOUBLE swatch my watercolors using these cute, skinny watercolor journals - even when a swatch card is included with my set! The main reason I do this is because the little swatch cards are exactly THAT- small. It can be super easy for these little cards to fall out and slip away into oblivion when you open and close the palettes.

Because it's a LOT harder to lose an entire watercolor journal, I started doing this as a backup, just in case :) Plus- I've kinda just fallen in love with the mindless activity of swatching watercolors. It's like art therapy! There is no skill involved, and zero pressure of any kind. I simply put on whatever music suits my mood, grab a paintbrush and totally enjoy myself. Something about it feels kinda like spending time getting to know a quality, new friend to me.

In terms of the colors represented in the Current watercolor set I'm demo-ing today, I LOVED them. I did, however, feel there were a couple of shades that were SO similar to another one that they almost felt redundant.

I know!! That's if I'm being really picky. Instead of focusing on that, I tried to appreciate the subtle differences of the colors that felt alike, and challenged myself to use EACH and EVERY shade in the project you're about to watch unfold!

The project featured in today's video is from a lesson in my Celtic Collective art club over at Awesome Art School.

The Celtic Collective is ALL about fantasy art drawing and painting, all things fairies, elves, castles, unicorns, you name it!

If you'd like to learn how to draw AND paint this magical (dare I say, HOT?!) elf - hop over to the Celtic Collective for the step-by-step drawing and painting lessons in real-time (no timelapse!).

You're also in luck if you happen to be reading this in July 2023, because I'm currently taking on NEW Celtic Collective members right now (enrollment is also currently open for the Mixed Media Society and Fun Fab Drawing Club if those are more your style!).

Can't decide which club sounds more fun?! Me either!! I love them all!! There's a club for that too, called The Wonder Bundle. Buy two clubs, and get ONE ABSOLUTELY FREE!!

Enrollment for new club members only happens 3 times a year, so if you're looking for an amazing art community overflowing with FUN lessons designed to make YOU an awesome artist - I'd love to have you!!

If you're not in the mood to draw or paint along today, and would rather watch this hottie come together in minutes, meet me over on YouTube instead!

Think Swatching Art Supplies is Boring?

I used to feel exactly the same way (and at times still can if I'm doing it on a day when I can't sit still). I created the two books below to make the entire swatching process more fun! They're available on Amazons worldwide.

If you'd like to use these books for watercolor swatching, I have a little suggestion because these books have not been printed on watercolor paper. Pick a page from one of the books and use it as a reference! Draw the image(s) onto your own sheet of watercolor paper, and swatch away :)

And - in case you're a newbie here, or just need a reminder, paper is JUST AS IMPORTANT as the other art supplies in your stash (these are all my faves on Amazon). Sometimes paper is THE MOST important art supply - like in the case of watercolors and water-soluble mixed media art supplies.

Wanna learn MORE about how to choose the right paper for your mixed media art projects? This one's for YOU!

Want MORE Prima
Watercolor Confections Set Demos/ Reviews?

Here's the one from last week about the Terrain set:

The one below is about the Complexions set. I'm OBSESSED with this for creating watercolor portraits because I WAY prefer dipping my brush right into the exact color I want, instead of mixing my own skin tones!!

Enjoy!! And thanks for hanging out with me today!!

Need More Resources?

❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books on AMAZON
❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my online art classes @ Awesome Art School
❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON (affiliate links)
❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP

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MASSIVES Advantages of Buying Watercolor SETS - EVEN if You Have ALL the Colors Already!

18/7/2023

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I've been a fan of Prima Confections watercolor sets for years and can't wait to demo the latest palette I picked up. Instead of a straight-up product review today, I'd LOVE to share with you WHY I continue to collect watercolor sets (even though I have a bazillion colors already!), and how a prepackaged watercolor set can benefit YOU in your own art!

Today's video is perfect for watercolor beginners who might not know which watercolor sets to buy, people looking for a little stress relief/ enjoyable art therapy activities, and advanced watercolorists looking for ways to challenge their creativity by limiting themselves to ONE palette of color.

If you've been following me for a while, you know I'm a HUGE FAN of Daniel Smith watercolors and totally love creating my own watercolor palettes filled with shades I love.

I've also enjoyed watercolor sets by Prima for years - and recommend their Complexions Set to ALL my students because it's amazing to have a little palette filled with SO many perfect pre-mixed skin tones right at your fingertips.

These cute little sets by Prima like the "Terrain" one I'm demo-ing today, are a great "value set" because you get 12 colors for $20-25.

In case you're not familiar with Prima Confections Watercolor sets, these are NOT fine art quality paints, they're basically mid-range products and considered a "craft-grade" product. This doesn't mean they're bad in any way or that you have to spend more money on your supplies- they just may not all be light-fast, so if you're creating a gift or a commission for someone, your work could fade over time. Just something to be aware of :)

If you're just creating for fun, Prima sets are awesome because they're super affordable and the color combos they've developed are beautiful and richly pigmented.

How to Unwrap Watercolor Half Pans

If you're completely new to watercolor and bring a set home like the one I'm working with today, it may feel overwhelming to just get started.

Make sure youclick over to watch today's video because the demo shows you exactly how to unwrap each tiny half-pan of watercolor and assemble your palette before you start painting.

This can feel really tedious, but just pop on some music or a podcast and get going. Before you know it, you'll be ready to swatch.

Why You NEED to Swatch Watercolors

Watercolor swatching is something I used to ignore for YEARS! I just couldn't be bothered. I've got 3 kids and was always way too busy. Plus, when they were little, I had zero time to create, and didn't want to suck up all my artsy time with swatching before I even got to the good part of making something!!

Here's what I learned the hard way, and want to help you avoid...

I spent YEARS grabbing the wrong colors and diving right into my creation process. Years, throwing what I *thought* I wanted on my paper based on the color cap or what it looked like in the pan, etc.

There are SO many things wrong with those choices! For starters, check out the first color in the second row of the set I'm demo-ing today. It looks like a super dark blue, almost black right?

It's NOT!! When I took the time to swatch this set today, I was a little shocked at how light this blue came out on my paper. Check it out...

If the old me had grabbed this and started painting, expecting a dark navy to appear on my paper, I would've been SO MAD because it's totally not, right?! Swatching your set ahead of time REALLY helps avoid future frustrations like this and eliminates the guessing game of not knowing what's REALLY in your palette.

One of the things I really love about the Prima sets is they come with a tiny blank swatch card (shown above & below), that I can fill out myself and pop right back into my case.

I also love that the swatch card provided by Prima has been printed on watercolor paper (SUPER important if you're a newbie - never swatch watercolors or water-soluble products on just any old paper - you need a thicker, sturdier paper that can absorb the water - so always use watercolor paper or watercolor journals).

As you'll see in today's video, I not only swatch directly onto the swatch card that came with my Prima set, I ALSO swatch into a cute, rectangular watercolor journal at the same time. This might feel like overkill, but I've found that it can be easy to lose these little swatch cards for my watercolor sets, and I kinda love having a little reference book of colors as a backup.

Color Swatching Reference Books

To make swatching more fun, I've created a number of resources to help you. I've got a FREE Fun Fab Swatch Sheet and TWO books about swatching, my latest one, Swatch! Copy! Color! ...

and my Fun Fab Swatch Pad, created with my beloved Facebook Group a couple of years ago!!

You can swatch directly into the books for markers, colored pencils, and other dry products.

Remember, for watercolor swatching and swatching water-soluble art supplies, you always need to be working on watercolor paper or watercolor journals.

If you love the swatching backgrounds or faces in these books, feel free to freehand them into your own watercolor journals to make swatching even more fun for you at home!!

Why I LOVE Collecting Watercolor Sets
(Even Though I Already Have a Bazillion Colors!)

This is huge. And it totally goes along with why I always tell my mixed media art students to buy scrapbook paper pads or collections. It's so simple- whatever has been packaged into these sets - whether it's watercolors or scrapbook paper, already GOES TOGETHER!!

This may seem super simple, but this means you can do your art projects with CONFIDENCE AND EASE because you already know the colors and patterns will work together in your project. You can spend more time CREATING, and less time wondering what colors of paint to grab, etc! I don't know about you, but I'd much rather spend more time creating and less time planning :)

Another reason I love collecting watercolor sets is because it's fun when a set comes along filled with my FAVORITE COLORS!!

This might feel super simple too, but I've learned over the years, I gravitate to blues and greens. Why fight that?! Lean into it and own that part of you!! If you find a watercolor set pre-filled with your favorite colors - grab it!! The colors will make you happy and you'll enjoy your art time with them even more.

AND if you love your art, you're gonna wanna to MORE of it. And if you do more of it- you're gonna get really good at it!!

Sneak peak at NEXT WEEK's video in some of my fave colors!!!

Which Mixed Media Art Supplies
Go Well With Watercolors?

When it comes to combining other art supplies with watercolors to create a mixed media piece, there are a TON of things you can do! You do need to be careful, because not everything will "play nicely" with watercolor.

Before you add any art supplies on TOP of your dry watercolor layers, ask yourself :

DO I WANT THIS WATERCOLOR TO MOVE? (Because it will!).

If you're a watercolor beginner or mixed media beginner, it's important to understand that dry watercolor WILL re-activate if you add more water to it, or add another water-soluble art supply on top of it like I do in today's video with my watercolor markers.

If you really love the way your dry watercolor layer looks, and don't want it to re-activate, DON'T add any doodles or additional shading with a water-soluble product. Reach or something permanent like Molotow fineliners, colored pencils, etc.

If you DO want your dry watercolor layer to move or blend - try adding some shading with water-soluble supplies like watercolor markers, watercolor pencils or NeoColor IIs!

Not sure if your art supplies are water-soluble? TEST THEM OUT! Simply swatch them off to the side and add a little water. Do your lines melt into puddles, or stay put? This will help you feel more prepared before using the supplies on top of your artwork.

If you feel like you'd like some tried and true art supply combos to play around with at home, check out my FREE Mixed Media Hot Dog Packet! This is SUPER helpful and will give you tons of ideas, not only from me, but from a bunch of my artsy friends!!

Make sure you click over to WATCH today's video, because I have packed this one FULL of even MORE tips and tricks I didn't even get to here - like what makes a good composition, and how advanced watercolorists can enjoy pre-filled watercolor sets as well to challenge themselves!

Plus, I don't know about you, but it's so fun to just watch the timelapse of a project coming together isn't it?? Join me over on YouTube for today's super fun video!!

Wanna Learn How to Draw the Girl in Today's Demo?

Awesome!! She's a lesson in my Celtic Collective art club membership over at Awesome Art School. I run this club with my Scottish bestie, Lucy Brydon. This club is all about fantasy art and features online art lessons on fairies, unicorns, mermaids, mythical creatures, castles and so much more!! We'd love to have you join us! Learn more here.

What to Watch Next

If you're a watercolor newbie and need a fun and easy watercolor painting idea, look no further than this video:

If you'd like to learn how to create your own watercolor palette instead of using a pre-packaged watercolor palette created by someone else, check out these videos:

As always, thanks for hanging out with me!! I hope you learned a TON and had FUN!!

Need More Resources?

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The Celtic Collective Fantasy Art Membership with Artists Karen Campbell & Lucy Brydon

10/7/2023

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If you LOVE fantasy art drawing and painting, you're in the right place! Today on YouTube, I'm sharing a sneak peek at lessons inside the Celtic Collective art club that I run with Lucy Brydon over at Awesome Art School!

Lucy and I became instant friends on an art retreat in Scotland quite a few years ago. We kept in touch, and in 2019, decided to put our combined 30 years of art experience together to host OUR OWN art retreat at Wardhill Castle in Scotland! (Our most recent retreat was just a couple of weeks ago).

The fun didn't stop there!! In 2020, we decided to form an art membership just for people who loved all things fantasy art and have been having a blast with our artsy community ever since.

Here we are (below) on one of our monthly zoom calls together!! We have so many awesome members, we'll never all fit on one screen together!!

Our monthly art lessons explore drawing, watercolor, acrylics, gouache, alcohol markers- you name it! We hold NOTHING back, and share ALL our tricks, tips, and SECRETS plus one-of-a-kind projects that you can BINGE away on until your heart's content!

Each lesson is FUN, filmed in real-time and step-by-step to help you create beautiful art you can be proud of from start to finish.

One of the BEST PARTS about the Celtic Collective is that you don't need ANY prior art experience to join! In fact, we have TONS of beginners.

If you've always been drawn to fantasy art but have NO IDEA where to start - we've got you covered!! As teachers, Lucy and I always take our time making sure our students feel supported with EVERY line drawn and painted - no matter what level of art experience they have.

Once youjoin the Celtic Collective, you can choose to start with the basics or refresh your knowledge if you're a returning artist who hasn't created in a while.

Or, if you've been around the block and know what you're doing, feel free to dive right in based on the projects YOU want to create!

Check out this recent unicorn lesson from Lucy! See it in progress during today's Celtic Collective sneak peek on YouTube!!

Learn how to draw a unicorn in pencil, step-by-step, and then how to watercolor your unicorn with gorgeous techniques shared by Lucy. Aren't her metallic watercolors divine?!

Not in the mood to paint? I hear ya!! Check out one of my MANY alcohol marker projects, like this gorgeous mermaid!

Loving the watercolor and want to try painting a mermaid partly underwater? Check this project out from Lucy, and enjoy the sneak peek in action over on YouTube.

These projects are beyond fabulous and SO MUCH FUN to create!

Not sure what you'll be in the mood to create from one day to another? You're gonna LOVE our Visual Project Index!! Check this out - once you're a member, simply log in, scroll through the Visual Project Index, and click on whatever floats your boat that day!! OR -- you can choose where to begin based on your level of art experience.

There's never a dull moment in the Celtic Collective, and you'll NEVER be at a loss for something FUN to create!!

We'd love to have you join us!! Learn more about the Celtic Collective and how to join, HERE at Awesome Art School.

Need Other Resources?

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Scottish Castle Art Retreat @ Wardhill Castle June 2023 with Karen Campbell & Lucy Brydon!

5/7/2023

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Welcome, fellow art friend!! I can barely believe my most recent Scottish Castle Art Retreat at Wardhill Castle is already behind me!! I've only been home a couple of days and I can't get the memories out of my mind! I'm thrilled to share some footage from the trip with you!!

Join me for a behind-the-scenes peek into how it felt to be on this super special art retreat last week!

Upon arrival at Wardhill, we received a glorious welcome from a local bagpiper on the front porch. He was so majestic! Make sure you click over to watch the video to hear him play. He added so much to the ambiance for the guests!

Our first full day was dedicated to art-ing and exploring the castle's hidden treasures. This hauntingly beautiful Scottish Castle offers breathtaking views and a sense of stepping back in time in every room.

We just loved sketching and painting the rooms, grounds, portraits, patterns in the wallpaper, and still-life arrangements we made with flowers from the castle grounds!

After a luxuriously long day of art-ing at the castle, we were spoiled rotten with fancy meals by Cafe 83!

I'm getting hungry again just looking at these pix!!

This dessert tasted even MORE amazing than it looks!!

In addition to art-filled days at Wardhill, we enjoyed lovely walks on the grounds through the forest. Just look at the trunk of this tree! I wish I had time to draw them all!!

We took three excurions off-site to visit the adorable seaside town of Cullen...

...the majestic Fraser Castle (no relation to my beloved Jamie from Outlander!). Check out the view from the top!!

And of course enjoyed the fairytale favorite, Crathes Castle! (Yes, it's truly PINK in real life!!)

I just loved getting to know each of these incredible women last week and am so grateful for our time together!!

Interested in the Art Projects Featured in Today's Video?

If you love fantasy art lessons and can't get enough of fairies, elves, florals and castles, you HAVE to check out the Celtic Collective art club I co-host with Lucy Brydon over at Awesome Art School!

We have SO much fun drawing, painting, and enjoy getting to know our students during our monthly zoom calls!! Learn more here.

Need More Resources?

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blog

Obsessed with the CURRENT Watercolor Confections Set by Art Philosophy (PRIMA)!

Think Swatching Art Supplies is Boring?

Want MORE Prima
Watercolor Confections Set Demos/ Reviews?

Need More Resources?

MASSIVES Advantages of Buying Watercolor SETS - EVEN if You Have ALL the Colors Already!

How to Unwrap Watercolor Half Pans

Why You NEED to Swatch Watercolors

Color Swatching Reference Books

Why I LOVE Collecting Watercolor Sets
(Even Though I Already Have a Bazillion Colors!)

Which Mixed Media Art Supplies
Go Well With Watercolors?

Wanna Learn How to Draw the Girl in Today's Demo?

What to Watch Next

Need More Resources?

The Celtic Collective Fantasy Art Membership with Artists Karen Campbell & Lucy Brydon

Need Other Resources?

Scottish Castle Art Retreat @ Wardhill Castle June 2023 with Karen Campbell & Lucy Brydon!

Interested in the Art Projects Featured in Today's Video?

Need More Resources?

Karen Campbell

Whose work has appeared in...

Archives

Categories

What Fans Are Saying

Contact ME

blog

Obsessed with the CURRENT Watercolor Confections Set by Art Philosophy (PRIMA)!

​Think Swatching Art Supplies is Boring?

​Want MORE Prima ​Watercolor Confections Set Demos/ Reviews?

Need More Resources?

MASSIVES Advantages of Buying Watercolor SETS - EVEN if You Have ALL the Colors Already!

How to Unwrap Watercolor Half Pans

Why You NEED to Swatch Watercolors

Color Swatching Reference Books

Why I LOVE Collecting Watercolor Sets (Even Though I Already Have a Bazillion Colors!)

Which Mixed Media Art Supplies Go Well With Watercolors?

Wanna Learn How to Draw the Girl in Today's Demo?

What to Watch Next

Need More Resources?

The Celtic Collective Fantasy Art Membership with Artists Karen Campbell & Lucy Brydon

Need Other Resources?

Scottish Castle Art Retreat @ Wardhill Castle June 2023 with Karen Campbell & Lucy Brydon!

Interested in the Art Projects Featured in Today's Video?

Need More Resources?

Karen Campbell

Whose work has appeared in...

Archives

Categories

What Fans Are Saying

Contact ME

Think Swatching Art Supplies is Boring?

Want MORE Prima
Watercolor Confections Set Demos/ Reviews?

Why I LOVE Collecting Watercolor Sets
(Even Though I Already Have a Bazillion Colors!)

Which Mixed Media Art Supplies
Go Well With Watercolors?