By Khaula Siddique

Art is good for you! Research shows that art is good for mental health, everyone should have a creative hobby to help them unwind from their stressful, busy lives. You dont need to be an “artist” to do art, you just need to let go and enjoy it, the creative process is meditative, calming and it makes you happy!

To help you get started here is a step-by-step paint-along video, Ramadan themed(!) that you can tune into at your convenience. Materials you will need are a watercolour sketchbook pad (easily available at Walmart), a set of watercolours, some watercolour brushes, paper towels and a cup of water. If you dont have watercolour paper you can also use mixed media paper, it is thicker than regular paper – which is what you need as watercolour needs to be absorbed by the paper. These are all easy to find at your closest art supply store, Walmart and even Dollarama!

Set aside a quiet time for yourself, this is your self-care break and you need to fit it into your schedule at least once a week! Have your supplies ready, open the curtains so there is lots of light to brighten the room or if it is later in the evening turn on all the lights. Watercolour in particular is very good to work with for a self-care break as it flows and takes on a whimsical look, I hope you enjoy it!

Here is the video on YouTube…

About the Author

Khaula Siddique, artist at Khaula’s Art, has written for Dawn Pakistan and now paints stories on large walls. She loves bringing art to the community and achieves this through interactive art activities and public art projects. When she is not painting, she is over-indulging her large eccentric orange tabby who part-times as her critic and her muse. You can find her art shenanigans on her website, Khaula Siddique.com.