Turning Real Life Encounters Into Watercolor with @tamra.cha
For more photos of Tamra’s artwork, follow @tamra.cha on Instagram.
When Tamra Chatikanon (@tamra.cha) started exploring with watercolor painting four years ago, he quickly became drawn to its delicate techniques. “I like watercolor because it is difficult but challenging,” explains the 24-year-old artist from Bangkok. “It uses water to melt the colors, and it’s hard to control the water. Also, in other types of painting, you can start from painting the shadow and add the light in the last step — but in watercolor, most artists do not use whites.”
Tamra, who now also teaches watercolor painting, believes that the best way to master the skills is by learning the basics and practicing as much as you can. “Sketching in location is good experience,” says Tamra. “In Thailand, you will find that the heat of the air dries paper very quickly,” he says, explaining that it’s harder to fix mistakes once the paper dries. He also likes to take note of moments that impress him, since most of his drawings are inspired by things that he encounters in real life. “When I see something and love the light and shade of it, I will take a photo or do a sketch on the spot so that I can paint it at home. I often do work from my imagination and add or cut little details to make the painting look beautiful.”
