February: The Return of the Light – Loosening Up in Watercolour

We welcomed February with the festival of Imbolc (1st February), which marks the halfway point between winter and spring. The days are growing longer, the first green shoots are piercing through the soil, and a quiet energy stirs beneath the surface.

This month’s mood board invites you to find inspiration in the lengthening light and a cool, understated late-winter palette that awakens with pops of green gold, and blush pink.

Seasonal Mood Board: February Light

Letting Go: A Season of Renewal in Your Sketchbook

Imbolc is a Celtic celebration that honours Brigid, goddess of creativity, renewal, and the returning light—making it the perfect time to embrace fresh inspiration and loosen up in your watercolour practice.

Imbolc invites us to shift from stillness to gentle movement, from tight control to fluid expression.

This month, let’s focus on freeing our brushwork and embracing spontaneity in our art.

🎨 Sketchbook Prompts to Explore

🌿 Abstract Beginnings – Start with loose washes in cool yellows, soft greens, and pale blues—colours of the returning light. Let the pigments mix on the page without controlling the outcome.

🌸 Emerging Forms – Allow blooms and shapes to emerge organically from your washes. See if early spring buds, trees and landscapes appear from your loose brushstrokes. Work with minimal detail and let suggestion do the storytelling.

Semi-abstract landscape inspired by the first signs of gorse appearing at Longniddry Bents ©Kat Healy, 2025

Colour Inspiration: Soft Light & Fresh Beginnings

February's palette is one of subtle transitions—the crisp blues of winter meeting the delicate sap greens and early pink blossom of the coming spring. Try blending these in gentle gradients or layering translucent glazes to reflect the softening of the season.

Wildlife & Symbols to Paint

• Snowdrops – The first flowers of the year, symbolising renewal and hope. Paint them loosely, focusing on movement rather than fine details.

• Hares – Associated with Brigid and the energy of spring, hares are perfect for exploring expressive, gestural brushwork.

• Candles & Firelight – A nod to the Imbolc traditions of lighting candles to welcome the sun’s return. Play with the warm glow and soft diffusions of light in your studies. Perhaps return to the Festive Candle tutorial, adding spring-inspired foliage around the base?

A Seasonal Poem for Inspiration

Pair your art with this excerpt from “Poem for Today”  by Kathleen Jamie, which beautifully captures the quiet energy of the season:

...your flute-phrases fall,

announcing spring again

- our northern spring,

stirring deep and dark

within bare forests,

advancing across plains

toward great cities

This passage reflects the arrival of spring, as heralded by birdsong. Jamie's work often delves into themes of nature and transformation, making her poetry a source of inspiration during the changing seasons.

Embracing Flow & Imperfection

Watercolour is a medium that thrives on freedom and movement—just like the shifting of the seasons. This month, challenge yourself to let go of perfection, embrace happy accidents, and trust the process.

🔸 Work fast—set a timer for 5 minutes and paint without overthinking.

🔸 Use a bigger brush than you normally would.

🔸 Let your brushstrokes be instinctive, expressive, and bold.

Share Your Light

Imbolc reminds us that small shifts lead to great awakenings. Whether you create a single loose sketch or an entire series, allow yourself to explore with joy and curiosity. 

Members, please share your work with the group, and let’s celebrate the return of light together.

Happy painting!

Kat 👩🏼‍🎨✨