Using Watercolor Pencils to Create Contrast and Color Harmony

Creating artwork can be a means of art therapy. This collection uses art as a way to process and respond to current events and great tragedies. Little Boy and Ducks was created at the time of Hurricane Milton in 2024, when the entire state of Florida evacuated and government aid efforts worked to support affected communities. Girl Splashing in Water was already in progress at the time of the Guadalupe River Flood Tragedy on July 4, 2024—a devastating, catastrophic flash flood in Central Texas. Each piece was made as these disasters unfolded, using scenes of children and water to reflect how art can help address difficult moments and sensitive issues. By focusing on innocence and simple gestures, the work offers a calm, hopeful viewpoint in contrast to the surrounding tragedy.

The Process
Little Boy and Ducks was drawn using a reference photo found online of a boy in a yellow rain jacket reaching out to ducks in a puddle of water. Girl Splashing in a Puddle was a concept sketched at the same time but completed in the spring, still reflecting the impact of the Guadalupe River Flood Tragedy. This piece was created to match Little Boy and Ducks, and several studies were done and used as references for the final artwork. Although the girl was envisioned jumping in a puddle with joy, the hair, arms, and legs needed to be modified from the original concept. Using Photoshop Generative AI and photos found online as references, the figure in Girl Splashing in a Puddle was refined. The water posed an additional challenge—determining how it splashed upward, how shadows formed, and how droplets behaved. Photos of puddles in a parking lot helped guide the careful drawing of the water.

Both drawings began in pencil, with watercolor pencils layered across larger background areas. After applying water to activate the pigments, Prismacolors and graphite were added to refine tones, darken shadows, and soften trees and reflections.

Both pieces were entered into exhibitions following their respective catastrophic events. Little Boy and Ducks was entered into the New Member Exhibition in November 2024, and Girl Splashing in a Puddle was completed and entered into the All Natural Exhibition in July 2025. Each work is presented in a beveled white frame to reinforce the sense of innocence and strength.

Inspiration & Meaning
Little Boy and Ducks took on symbolic meaning as it was created—its child figure representing FEMA, helpful hands, and reaching out to the ducks as a symbol of the support extended to affected states during Hurricane Milton. The water in the foreground includes a dramatic reflection of both the boy and the ducks, contrasted against the soft, indistinct trees in the background. Girl Splashing in a Puddle, completed during the same period marked by the Guadalupe River Flood Tragedy on July 4, 2024, offers a gentle reminder of the joy of children at play. While many children died in the flood, the piece celebrates the joy and life of childhood innocence, bringing a positive light against the weight of tragedy. Though not created as a remembrance, it reflects resilience and a positive association in contrast to loss.

Together, these works draw from real events to show how moments of sorrow can also reveal compassion, hope, and the quiet strength found in small, joyful gestures.