Written by So my favorite color was blue when I was younger and green as I got older and now, Cobalt Teal, once I discovered painting and that this color even existed. It’s impossible for me to narrow down to just a single color, but I can say I love citrus hues and ocean blues. As for paint colors, while I have 18 colors in my tiny little metal tin you’ll most likely find me using the 4 colors found here: Cobalt Teal, Ultramarine Blue, Gamboge and Permanent Green Pale, normally with the addition of Pyrrol Red and Burnt Sienna to paint pretty much anything I see. I think my taste for color changes with the seasons and since it’s summer, bright citrus just seem the way to go. As for this cocktail, I’m not entirely sure what’s in it, so you can decide it’s whatever drink you’d prefer.
The truth is, I just love color! I’m a sketcher at heart, but watercolor called to me because I’m not satisfied in a world that’s black and white. I love all the wonderful diversity in life, each little thing is so unique and displays its own palette of colors, waiting to be observed and explored. I think favoring blue when I was younger was a side effect of always looking into the sky and daydreaming. I didn’t just imagine what the clouds looked like, although I did that too, I imagined whole worlds that might exist. I created elaborate stories in my head, for nobody in particular other than me and for my own amusement. And staring into that vast blue sky, I imagined I could do anything. Anything at all.
These days, I’m often feeling rushed and busy and I long for those childhood days when I had the luxury of just staring into the sky and dreaming. But at least, for just one little hour each day, I sit and paint something. I’ve realized that my sketchbook has become my sky. It’s my little bit of time to dream and create stories in my head. Some days, I like what comes out on the paper and some days I don’t, but every single day, I’m happy for the beautiful escape. And more than this, I’m happy that I’ve reserved a little time each day to dream and paint. I may not be that little boy anymore, staring into the infinite blue sky, but I’m the man the boy became. And we’re still very much the same he and I. No matter what’s happening in this weirdly mixed up world, we’ll always find our sky. And we’ll never stop dreaming.
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About the Doodlewash
M. Graham Watercolors: Cobalt Teal, Gamboge, Permanent Green Pale, and Ultramarine Blue. Lamy Safari Al Star pen with Platinum Carbon sepia ink and second pen with blue ink in a 5″ x 8″ 140 lb. (300 gsm) Pentalic Aqua Journal.
love your painting …… and your story…… and that this is a Mojito……. at least in my mind … and that is my third favorite adult beverage after dry red wine and gin and tonic! 🙂
Thanks so much, Jodi!! 💕😃Hehe…and we have the same taste in beverages. We could totally hang out!! Hehe
That mojito looks delicious! Gorgeous watercolour.
Thanks so much!! 😃Appreciate it!
‘My sketchbook has become my sky’. I love that! A lot! Wonderful discussion on color that I think all watercolorists can relate too,
I love, love, love teal too. My favourite colour is purple just because it always has been but I actually use teals and blues and turquoises in my artwork far more than other colours which suggests those are my favourites. Your painting is delightful. It makes me thirsty.
Thanks so much, Laura! 😃💕Teal looks lovely with purple too! Hehe… yeah, I can’t choose a single color. What I like to wear is different than what I like to paint!
My favorite color is also purple and has been for many years, but in painting ocean scenes, I also turn to turquoise and ultramarine blue the most. 😉
I am not even a good watercolorist but I do have favorite colors already!
In life I love to wear white and black and beige lol..but painting is a different story..I did pick up Pyrrol Red!
Looks like a gin and tonic..well done!
Thanks!! Glad you liked this, Monique! 😃💕 Your work is lovely! I seem to remember a banana and apple that looked fabulous! You need to paint and post more! 😉hehe… Hope you like Pyrrol Red!
I love me some citrus tones – perhaps it brings back tasty memories? Fabulous job Charlie; you picked all my favourites here, making for an especially tempting doodlewash cocktail!
I think if I had to whittle it down to just one colour, I’d go for turquoise. When I was a kid, though, everything had to be red – how tastes change 😉 But yay for all colours, and the life they bring to the party!
Thanks, Jacob!! 😃 Glad you liked this little doodlewash cocktail! Hehe Turquoise is a great choice! Hmmm…all red as a kid though. That’s interesting! I assume it was bright red…not muted?
Oh definitely, the brighter the better! Perhaps I’ve calmed down a bit since, hence the transition to oceanic blues and greens.
I love all colors but I do tend to have my favorites depending on the seasons like you and what my subjects are. Lately, I seem in love with Sap Green which is totally amazing to me because I’m not much of a green person probably because it reminds me of the avocado green carpet my parents had when I was a kid! 😬 But I’m rambling here… Great Doodlewash, Charlie! And fun to hear what your favorite colors are! 🎨💕😍
Thanks so much, Jill! 😃💕 hehe! Oh my gosh… “avocado” would probably go down as my least favorite color for the same reason! LOL It was everywhere! Of course, the only choices were that or Harvest Gold. Hehe
I love this doodle. Such fabulous colours, the lime slice and leaves are gorgeous!
Awww thanks so much, Georgie! So happy you liked it! 😃💕
LOVE this painting, Charlie! Oh my am I too late to invite you for another round of mojito? 🙂 <3
Awww thanks, Carrie! 😃💕 Glad you liked this. And what?! Too late? Is it ever too late to have another mojito? Lol
Hugs Charlie! Cheers for the weekend! 😀 <3
Yay!! Hugs and cheers to the weekend!!! 😃💕
Lovely article. I love colour too!!
Thanks so much, Anita! 😃💕Glad you liked the post!
Thanks Charlie! Love your work! 🙂
Awww thanks, Anita!! 😊
Keep up the good work!! 🙂
Oh yes, very nice I am with Jodi, and others, in that this is a Mojito, a drink I would like to say I have a bad memory of…..but I can’t! Because I actually cannot remember the evening. Consequently I don’t drink nowadays 😀 It is so interesting that we have so many colours available to us in our palettes, but we only use just a few, I love how watercolour works this way, ❤️
Thanks, Rebecca! 😃💕 Sounds like a wild night out with mojito you had! hehe… I don’t drink hard liquor anymore. I just get sleepy. But yeah… all the colors in the world and we always gravitate to our chosen few. hehe
Oh it was bad……alcohol free these days, I don’t see the point now of wasting a day ….or two! Too much time needed to paint 😀
These are indeed such pretty colors! I also love the way you put your message across. You put it so beautifully! I love the idea of using art time as escape because some days we really do need an escape. (stumbled upon your photo website yesterday and what a pretty portfolio you have there!)
Awww thanks so much! Glad you liked this! 😃💕 And yeah… I haven’t done photography in years, but it was a fun journey at the time! I definitely prefer painting and sketching… just didn’t know that at the time! hehe
Wonderful glass of Mojito lovely decorated with a lime slice and green leaves! great color choice I love all the shade of blue which I use mostly for my paintings and like you I only use 4 to 6 colors which I love to mix together creating my own. And like you I loved and still looking at the sky so I love when you say ‘My sketchbook has become my sky’ it is totally true for us! 😉 <3
Awww so glad you liked this post, Carolina!😃💕 I do think our sketchbooks are a beautiful way to escape and dream! (Mojito is optional of course… hehe!)
Charlie, I love your view of color. I think it is my favorite thing about watercolor. Although I obtained many different colors in the beginning before I began learning about mixing, I still find myself buying a color I have read about or seen in someone’s work just to try it for fun! But lately I have been mixing more and experimenting. I LOVE the colors of your cocktail. I recently used almost the same ones for a sea turtle that is under water. It has become one of my favorite ones I’ve ever painted! Keep up the great work. I’m happy to be following your blog!
Awww thanks so much, Patsy!! So happy you liked this and your sea turtle was awesome!! Loved it!! Glad you like my blog!! 😊💕
You’re welcome! And thank you. I’m glad you liked the sea turtle. They seem to have become my passion along with other sea creatures.
I almost forgot to mention that your painting reminds me of the gin and tonics I drank many years ago! 😉
hehe… me too… I only drink wine now though! 😊
Yeah, me, too. And even that is very occasional! 😉
I like how fresh and cool the drink looks. You can almost hear the clink and pop of ice and glass.
awww thanks so much!! What a wonderful compliment! 😃💕
It’s ice cold water for me Charlie, and a beautiful one! Love your discussion and talk of dreams. This post calls for an Amen at the end. I’m shouting it for you, my friend!
hehe… thanks so much, Laura!! 😃💕 Cheers to dreams!! And water it is! Yeah…. I was actually thinking of water when I painted it as it’s been sooooo hot here.
Bro, I know you’ll be glad to see the heat go, just like me also!
Beautifully said here, Charlie. Your sketchbook is your sky…I will always think of that now as I draw and paint.
P.S. That is definitely a mojito up there. Mmm….mojitos 😄👍
awww so happy you liked this post, Nancy!😃💕 hehe… yeah, it’s probably a mojito… quite refreshing!
So here’s a fun question! What the heck does a mojito consist of? I have never heard of it! (Can you tell I don’t drink anymore?) 😉
hehe… I only drink wine now, but a mojito is made with: white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water, and mint.
Wow, that sounds good all except for the rum! I wonder what a virgin mojito would taste like? Thanks!
like sweet bubbly lime! hehe
Beautiful, Charlie!!! Love those colours too!!! 😍
Awww, so glad you’re a fan as well! Thanks so much, Ann! 😃💕
Beautiful post, so well said. And the painting is cool!
Aww thanks! So happy you liked it! 😃💕
My sketchbook has become my sky – that’s gonna stay with me forever.
Gorgeous doodlewash of the drink. I’m going to imagine it’s citrus and mint flavored ice water – yum.
Aww… so glad you liked that metaphor, Sharon! 😃💕 And glad you liked this! I know not everyone drinks liquor so I figured it was better to just let me people enjoy it as the drink of their choice!
Sweet bubbly lime sounds refreshing to me! I am going to get some soda water soon and just try it! I have never had white rum, but I don’t think I want to try that anyway.
Hehe… glad you were inspired, Patsy! 😃💕Yeah, lime soda is fine… doesn’t need the rum!
The colours are so vibrant, love it and your work ☺
Aww thanks so much, Chriselle! 😃💕
Never stop dreaming, in colors 🙂 … I adore..
Awww thanks so much!! So happy you liked this! 😃💕
I love this story,the words are so fitting to me and many more I am sure….the colors in this drink scream refreshing,just looking at it quenches ones thirst….
Aww thanks! I’m so happy you liked this story!! And doodlewash!! hehe Thanks, Pamela! 😃💕