Watercolor Pencils
I was introduced to watercolor pencils by a friend of mine, Becca. She set them in front of me and explained how they worked: I was supposed to color on a page then grab a paintbrush, dip it in water, and pull it across the pencil sketch.
It reminded me of those old watercolor books that seemed to come only in Disney Princess or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themes that would be previously painted and all you needed to do is blend the cross hatched, water activated paint, which always bled into a brownish mess.
I carefully chose an unimportant envelope to practice on. The blue pencil looked inviting so I sharpened it and drew a thick, bold square on the corner, making sure all the edges were nice and dark. However, when I pulled the hairs of the damp paintbrush across my geometric masterpiece, the hard edges wouldn’t run. In the midst of my colorful blob were four solid, un-blurred lines. I decided to change my strategy: instead of solid lines, I would thatch out an indefinite shape. This worked out perfectly, as soon as I smeared the paintbrush over my new form, the pencil flowed onto the page, no more harsh lines left behind.
It is the night before I start my sophomore year in college and I can’t help but think about these miraculous, water activated pencils. My whole life has been far too vague, and these watercolor pencils reminded me of that because I drew my life with no edges so I can’t be closed into anything definite. Like the pencils: if you draw a shape with too noticeable of boundaries, the edges won’t smear; but if you leave the edges just clear enough, the finished piece will look as seamless as the rest of the work.
Life doesn’t have to be only dark lines with definite beginnings and ends because then it won’t match the rest of the masterpiece.
Thoughts From an Uncomfortable College Mattress 
🙂 Great post on the first day of what will prove to be an adventure for us both. Looking forward to painting along side you this year.