Start Abstract Painting by Paying Attention to Your Marks

You don’t need a plan, a perfect subject, or even an idea to begin an abstract painting—sometimes the best place to start is simply by observing the marks you make during your daily warm-up practice.

Notice the brushstrokes, lines, shapes, textures and unexpected colour combinations that naturally appear, then ask yourself what you like about them and how you might develop them further. This simple abstract watercolor painting exercise can turn a few playful marks into the beginning of an intuitive painting practice, helping you loosen up, experiment with composition and develop your own artistic style.

In this video, I share a quiet look at this process and how everyday watercolor warm-ups, mark making and abstract art practice can become a creative starting point rather than something you simply do before painting.