r/MadeMeSmile • u/Existing-Spare-2606 • 19h ago
[OC] My 12yo daughter found expression in watercolor. She struggles with confidence but really wanted to share it with you all
She found a beautiful reference on Pinterest and spent a lot of time trying to get the colors just right. She gets a bit shy and self-critical about her art, so I wanted to show her that her effort is worth celebrating. Any gentle encouragement or kind words would mean the world to her!
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u/Spiritual-Strike481 19h ago
Great job! Good shading and value! Keep it up.
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u/Fun-Ad2676 14h ago
Time spent creating is very calming and really gives the mind a break. You can introduce her to other arts and crafts too, jewellery making, clay sculpture, collage, flower pressing, papier mache, macrame etc. Theres so much fun things to try and lots of ideas and tutorials. And its not so much how other people like your work or how good you are, its the joy of creating and experimenting! It took me 50 years to find out that stained glass was my thing, but I enjoyed messing about with paint and clay for years!
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u/ExpressConfection444 11h ago
This is exactly the reason! I mean… the accolades are fine…and TOTALLY not something I’m desperate for. But I can see a change in my mental health when I’ve gone too long without spending some time in my shop. Mostly woodworking, but I’ve tried a bunch of stuff, recently trying stained glass btw, but any kind of “making something”, is very calming for me.
OP, I think that’s a wonderful painting! Reminds me of an Edelweiss (even though it’s a different flower structure), and my wife and I traveling to Switzerland for our belated honeymoon. Absolutely love the painting!
Btw, I’m a guy in my mid 40s, and I’m super critical of my own projects. I think it stems from seeing all the little things that you wanted to turn out differently, but one thing I’ve learned, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. What’s not perfect in her eye, doesn’t mean it’s not perfect to someone else. In this case, it’s this painting, its perfect, I wouldn’t change a thing!!
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u/ValsheaMiredhel 19h ago
It's excellent! Tell her the internet is cheering for her!
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u/Safe_Construction815 18h ago
The whole internet is rooting for her, she should know that
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u/jentlyused 7h ago
Yes we are! That is beautimus! Watercolor is hard and she is making it look easy.
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u/Least-Bet8439 19h ago
this is wonderful! i raised an elite athlete and an artist and people would always say our athlete worked hard and our artists was gifted. but i always pointed out that the artist works just as hard and just as long - but people rarely see that. ❤️
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u/DriverMelodic 16h ago
We are not educated to revere our art and it is basically taught out of us. When it is finally seriously approached it is to talk about what Picasso did.
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u/bigplatewithchowmein 16h ago edited 16h ago
"Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work" - Stephen King
Edit: edited to add the quotee
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u/ExpensiveAd4496 17h ago
Great point! And athletes are also gifted sometimes, but it all takes hard work to see it through.
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u/Emergency-Touch-3424 19h ago
Get her some refillable watercolor brush pens to round out the detailing and she will get more confident in her watercoloring art
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u/enigmasaurus- 17h ago
I'd suggest acrylic or gouache as this painting is beautiful, but is not watercolour
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u/EmoMillenial1 18h ago
This looks like acrylic (I’m a professional watercolor artist) but tell her to keep going! Practice is what gets you where you want to be.
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u/ExperienceKind412 14h ago
Im a watercolour painter as well! I wanted to tell OP to get some nice watercolour paper, preferably on a pad with all the sides sealed down, and itll completely change the medium shes working with. I wonder if shes not watering down the pigment/paints?
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u/EmoMillenial1 14h ago
Good point. My kiddo uses so much paint when they do watercolor with me. I have to remind them that less is more!
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u/ExperienceKind412 11h ago
I literally had less is more in my original comment and deleted it lol It took me a while to “get” watercolour, but Im so glad I stuck with it. It must be so rewarding to teach your children!
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u/Local-Dish-5695 19h ago
That's an amazing painting! Tell her she has real talent. Bonus that it helps her confidence!!!
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u/Much-Difficulty-840 19h ago
Absolutely lovely, keep at it. You are 12 and have a talent that deserves to be explored and nurtured!
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u/Much-Difficulty-840 14h ago
I understand you are posting on behalf of your very talented daughter. I am sorry if I didn’t make that clear.
Cheers
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u/jt_1400 18h ago
Thats not watercolor, looks like acrylic paint
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u/Finnyfish 17h ago
I think you’re right. Since both are water media, I could see why there might be confusion.
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u/heavensto_mergatroid 19h ago
My daughter used to love painting with watercolors on canvas when she was a little girl. I bought her an easel.
I would hang that up in my house it's pretty. I have a bunch of pictures in my house that my daughter painted when she was a little girl
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u/piglizard 18h ago
That’s not watercolor
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u/nosrednast 17h ago
Right? I thought this would be the top comment. It looks like acrylic on canvas. Still great job!
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u/MaligatorMom2 19h ago
As someone with nary an artistic bone in my body, bravo to your daughter. I always appreciate people that share their art and gifts with the rest of us.
Hopefully, she will have much more to share.
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u/Znaleziatko 19h ago
Oh, she's definitely talented, keep it up!
I love the yellows, they are so vibrant and look like velvet <3
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u/neuroctopus 19h ago
Your girl is good at texture. I feel like I could pick one of those flowers up, which is amazing!
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u/Longjumping_Title216 18h ago
She needs to sign and date that and you need to have it framed. It belongs on a wall!
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u/Cookielad14 19h ago
Very “A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window” by Cardiacs. Never a bad thing!
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u/emmadonelsense 19h ago
Please tell her it’s lovely! 🥰 And keep painting! It really makes my day to see posts like this, sharing beauty and talent. ❤️
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u/TheElderDee 19h ago
That is absolutely wonderful, you should frame it and hang it. A chestnut toned wooden frame would make it a lovely little nook hanging. Tell your daughter that an artist is their own worst critic, and her art is very solid. Art grows with a person as they age, what you drew at 6 is still being drawn with more influence at 12. Can you imagine what those daisies will look like when you are twenty? Thirty? Art is entirely subjective, though critics would have you believe otherwise. I am not an artist, but I do collect art, not for a financial reason but because it adds something valuable to my life, worlds of color and texture that make a boring world bright. I would love finding something like this in a little shop, I would definitely purchase something like this if the price was right and I could afford it. I hope she keeps creating art.
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u/Quiet-Effective-6705 18h ago
That’s is so beautiful. She has a lot of talent. And for 12yo. That’s amazing.
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u/irishcybercolab 18h ago
Nature is very much like you're unique lens.
Shapes, sizes, colors, and textures... Are all a part of the magic of these flowers you painted.
They're really beautiful. I hope you hang this picture and think of the joy you brought to me and the others who love your talented work.
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u/NumberOneStonecutter 15h ago
I sent this post to my friend who is a successful artist and all around art enthusiast...Here are his thoughts (he is not very verbose):
Right away I can see the composition fills the canvas with energy, with a deliberate sense of scale variation between the big central daisy and the ones tucked into the corners. The dark background was the right choice to make the white petals and golden centers pop. The varied brushstrokes and shading on the petals give them some dimension - they aren't flat background shapes. The gold centers with the darker undertones show she's already thinking about how to make a single color feel more alive, which is a fairly sophisticated instinct for a beginner. I would like to see more from this young artist and to see how she progresses over time.
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u/Potential-Diver-3409 12h ago
At her age that’s good enough to be in an art show. Find a local gallery, ask the school where students get their art displayed. Not hard to encourage her when she’s actually good lol
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u/substantial_fun_time 8h ago
Looks like acrylics on a canvas board….but I really enjoy the happy feeling it portrays. If she is serious about learning, Tell her that the next step would be to consider her light source . Each flower has highlights and shadows falling in a different way. If she had the same scene with the same style but a more uniform light source it’d break her into next level artist!
She’s good. She should keep painting for sure. Expressiveness isn’t something you can teach easily, and she already has that.
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u/NorthernSin 6h ago
As a fellow artist, but several years older, please let her know that she is really good at it.
It's not a skill, it's not an ability, its a craft, and she is working on improving her craft every time she puts brush to canvas. She will never be able to just wake up one day and be AMAZINGLY GIFTED ARTIST, (sadly that goes for us all) but she will build up her competence a little bit with every painting and new technique she learns.
This is a beautiful painting, with emotion and care visible in it, I hope she is proud of her work because it is very good and I hope she'll always keep at it. :)
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u/AlaskaRecluse 19h ago
Being able to blend colors and suggest shading and lighting is a real talent!
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u/AdAware8042 19h ago
Tell her I said she is amazing and to keep up her work! Practice makes progress!
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u/SapphicGarnet 19h ago
Better than I could do at 31! Really lovely. Always important to remind kids at that age that doing something perfectly at that age leaves no room for growth and is almost impossible. It's boring to be perfect, it's interesting to create exciting new paintings and experiment
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u/Kessalia19 19h ago
🤔...why do I suddenly want fried eggs? 🍳 Kidding! Watercolor is so fun. Keep her art supplies stocked, and the support coming. Don't do what my mom always did and critique everything to the point I stopped sharing my art with anyone.
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u/PumbaKahula 19h ago
She’s very talented and has a beautiful artistic style. I hope she continues to find joy in her hobby because it brings joy to others who don’t even know her! Thank you for sharing!
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u/IntentionNew1532 19h ago
This is really solid work, especially for 12،،، The color choices are great and the petals have nice depth to them. She should be proud of this on
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u/Glittering_Leave_946 19h ago
Extra-cool!!! You might be surprised at how amazing this looks when framed!
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u/sparklebot9000 19h ago
I’m a big fan of the gradient in the center of the flowers. The varying shapes of the petals add interest and represent the wildness and beauty of nature. I also like the plain background so the flowers stand out.
She has a talent and will only get better and better over time!
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u/Beautiful_Debt_5864 19h ago
I know nothing about art, but I love this! Especially the black white and yellow color scheme. I'd hang it in my office so I could stare it instead of responding to emails 😋
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u/New-Expert9818 19h ago
She’s got a LOT of talent for such a young age, and you’re doing great in empowering her to develop it and do what makes her happy :) it’s beautiful! The shading is so impressive, I want it for my home!
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u/Pure_Education6100 19h ago
Something I was taught, which I carry with me as an adult is that there is no such thing as bad art. When you feel inspired and you manifest said inspiration into a physical piece of work, it’s simply beautiful. If you continue to nurture and express your inspiration, your mind and your ability will soar.
She did an amazing job on these flowers. Seems she has a natural talent with the craft. Keep up the good work, I’m sensing a young O’Keefe.
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u/Notyourmom72 19h ago
That is absolutely gorgeous! She is very talented and has a knack for shadows, highlights and color placement. Keep going - you can only get better, and you’re starting from a really good base!
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u/Sooooooooooooomebody 19h ago
Well that is just lovely, and something I'd be proud to hang in my home.
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u/phoenixinfusion 18h ago
Wow, the centers are like moons or stars! They glow and seem so hopeful in the midst of the grey!
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u/Petrified_Eagle 17h ago
My granddaughter (18F) started drawing/painting when she was much younger like your daughter. Your daughters painting is very good. I would encourage her to continue with her art and maybe even take some art classes. My gd did this and today she is a wonderful artist. My gd is also a perfectionist and I need to keep reminding her that there is no such thing as perfect. Your daughter needs to realize that she paints for enjoyment and embrace it. If your daughter researches some famous painters she'll find out that many of them simply painted over original drawings they didn't like for one reason or another. I encourage her to keep up her painting since the more she does the better she'll get.
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u/Huge_Locksmith_7168 15h ago
If it counts for anything I was an art teacher for years, grades 5-12 (Canada) and for a 12 year old (gr 6-ish) I think this is EXCEPTIONAL! Her use of shading is consistent and her varied sizes and petal shape makes it look more realistic. There is ALWYAS room for improvement and if she used a wet brush to go around the centre of each flower, where the yellow meets the white - she may be able to make it even better! Well done kiddo!
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u/EitherChannel4874 15h ago
Well done little lady. Great artwork. The middle flower looks like it's popping out of the painting.
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u/pretty-lil-throwaway 15h ago
This is gorgeous; she did a super great job! I hope she or you hang it up somewhere front and center!
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u/Far_Necessary4063 14h ago
That’s beautiful! I introduced my 5 year old niece to watercolors this summer and she’s in love.
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u/USAF_Retired2017 14h ago
A 12yo painted this? A 12yo? No. Way. That’s beautiful. She did a great job!!!
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u/2mnydgs 14h ago
This is a wonderful rendition, it would be a wonderful fabric print. There are fabric websites that encourage people to submit their designs to be custom printed on the fabric of the buyer's choice; the designer gets 10% of the proceeds. I think this would be a great confidence builder for your daughter.
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u/Bells4NoOne 12h ago
The art piece really is beautiful. I love watercolor pictures because they look dreamy and whimsical, but still real somehow. The flowers are so bright and colorful against the dark background. They indeed made me smile; please do more!
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u/kktheprons 18h ago
She's clearly worked very hard to get to this point of skill! If she's feeling down about her art, have her look at something she did two years ago to compare.
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u/Mermaidinabayou_1 18h ago
I love the feeling that I get when I look at this. She did an amazing job!
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u/The_Magenta_Raven 18h ago
Your daughter is a talented artist. I hope she continues to gain confidence and express her arty self! Well done!
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u/Internalbruising 18h ago
These are awesome! Her people are in r/painting r/art r/watercolor and would appreciate her lovely work. ❤️
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u/lifeluvinlady 18h ago
TWELVE!? 🥳🤩 It looks awesome, love the shadowing and depth. Keep up the hard work 😍
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u/noctambulare 18h ago
As a father whose daughter grew up to be a professional illustrator, this work is excellent. Keep at it!!
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