Ugh, witch painting styles. Sounded cool online, right? All sparkly and magical. Then I actually tried it. Let me tell you exactly how this disaster unfolded step-by-step.
The Frustrating Start
Honestly started feeling overwhelmed immediately. Clicked around, saw like twenty million styles people call "witchy" or "magical". Dark Academia? Watercolor Witches? Arcane Abstract? What even is that? My brain felt scrambled. Decided, screw it, I gotta just dive in headfirst. Grabbed my dusty paint box and some cheap printer paper – figured I shouldn't waste good stuff while figuring this out.
The Messy Experiment Phase
First up was this "Ethereal Watercolor" thing everyone raves about. Looked soft and dreamy in the tutorials. My attempt? Total mud puddle disaster. The paper sucked up the paint like a sponge, colors bled everywhere. Trying to make a delicate witch silhouette? Ended up with a soggy, purple blob. Threw that paper across the room. Big frustration energy.
Switched gears hard to "Bold Graphic Ink." Sharp lines, deep blacks, looked powerful. Bought some fancy liners, felt cool for about three minutes. Tried drawing a witch profile. Hand shook like crazy – my lines looked like a drunk spider stumbled through ink. Smudged it bad trying to add shadow. Whole thing was wobbly mess. My wrist started hurting. Should've warmed up, maybe.
Feeling stubborn, I eyed the charcoal sticks gathering dust. "Moody Charcoal Witch," why not? Got my hands absolutely filthy within seconds. Seriously, looked like I dug coal. Aimed for dark, smoky vibes. Ended up with a smoky mess alright – but more like a bonfire gone wrong. Every little bump erased bits I wanted to keep. Couldn't get any crisp detail; everything was just… sooty grey mush. Smelled weird too.
The "Aha?" Moment (Sort Of)
Sitting there covered in charcoal dust, staring at my muddy watercolor blob and my wobbly ink mess, it clicked. This ain't about finding the "best" style magically. It's about what doesn't make you wanna rage-quit and chuck your supplies out the window.
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Here's what absolutely bombed for me personally:
- Watercolor (Ethereal whatever): Requires patience, good paper, precise water control. My talent level: impatient, uses scrap paper, pours water like a clumsy ogre. Bad match.
- Ink (Bold Graphic): Needs super steady hands, confidence in your line. My line confidence wobbles more than my shaky hand. Very bad match.
- Charcoal (Moody Vibes): Dirty, messy, hard to fix mistakes. I hate mess, I make many mistakes. Disaster match.
The One That Didn't Make Me Cry
Scrapped all that nonsense. Found a stack of coloured pencils I forgot I had. Started just doodling. No fancy "style" name, just trying to draw a simple witch hat, maybe a cauldron, no pressure. Added some loose stars, a crescent moon. Didn't overthink it. Used a reference pic on my phone beside me.
Guys, it didn't suck! Sure, it's not gallery material, but I didn't hate the process. I could actually see what I was doing, fix little errors without wrecking everything, didn't need a hazmat suit to clean up. Felt relaxed, even. Imagine that.
So what's my big takeaway? Forget chasing "the best" magical art style when you're starting. Seriously. Pick something that feels achievable with the stuff you have lying around and doesn't have a steep learning curve on Day One. Based on my disaster chronicle? If you're new and easily frustrated like me, grab those colored pencils first. Get comfy just making marks and adding colour without the stress of bleeding water or smudged charcoal. Build from there. Save the messy, finicky stuff for later. Way later.
