Gather your paintbrushes, get a new canvas, and put on your relaxation cap because it’s World Watercolour Month. Did you know there are 6 significant types of watercolours?

1. Watercolour Tubes
2. Watercolour Pans
3. Liquid Watercolours
4. Watercolour Pencils
5. Watercolour Markers
6. Watercolour Sheets

Which type is your favourite to work with? If you don’t know the answer to this question because you have no clue what watercolour is, how to start watercolour painting or where to find inspiration on what to paint, PNA’s got your back with some helpful articles on the above when following the links (wink-wink).

Regardless of your skill level, we suggest gathering your family and friends and start painting using the official 2022 prompt list from Doodlewash, with 31 themes for 31 days. This is an exciting whole-month activity to understand how the people around you see one thing entirely different than you, for example, ‘pride’. Then there’s also the enjoyable part to it – expressing the theme and your creativity.

Each time you post your watercolour art to social media, ensure the whole world sees it using #WorldWatercolourMonth and #PNAPaint because we can’t wait to see how you innovate and create either!

Why World Watercolour Month?

Why not?! With the winter bringing all its dullness around us, we should raise awareness of the importance of art and creativity – a colourful world, even if it’s just on paper. By participating, you’ll also be part of raising awareness for art education and helping nurture art and creativity in kids worldwide.

If a child’s creativity is not nurtured, it could be lost forever. According to an American psychologist, E. Pal Torrance, kids’ creativity levels are evident and flourishing when they begin school. However, when they reach 4^th grade (referred to as the 4^th-grade slump), they are more conforming, less likely to take risks, and less playful or spontaneous.

If not averted, this decline in creativity may continue throughout school into adulthood. Hence this day and the official charity this year, International Child Art Foundation (ICAF). ICAF employs the universal language of art to cultivate creativity to prepare them for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and develop mutual empathy for a peaceful future.

Cultivate Creativity at Home

If you have a little artist at home who thinks that the white walls are empty canvases needing some colour, don’t stop them. Instead, provide alternative ‘tools’ for them to continue presenting themselves, their thoughts, and their imaginations in an exciting, colourful way.

Visit your nearest PNA store to pick the brains of our friendly staff on how to best keep your little ones entertained for the rest of their lives (or at least for the school holidays coming up). Pssst… watercolour is your best bet when it comes to washing out of children’s clothes and everything else. As an adult, you can choose something more permanent.

However, we can’t wait to see what you share with us throughout the month!

Just one final word – gouache!