Advice of taking up painting

I agree that watercolour is difficult, and I haven't picked up a brush for about a year and a half. Considering how much outlay there has been on paper and equipment, this is to my shame. However, does anyone agree with me that, even a little bit of knowledge of watercolour technique enhances one's appreciation of paintings in all sorts of ways. I have a watercolour on my staircase which everyone thinks is quite dull, but when I look at it, I look at the way the washes have been laid, the granulation in the blues (a wonderful technique) and the simple flicks of the brush that produce the most enticing detail. The subject hardly matters.

YES Old Blue. Water colour is difficult, and expensive as you get the best results from the best paper and then you need to get through several sheets of this paper before you have picture. I had to give this up as a hobby when I had children to bring up and no job.
I joined a group and we worked in oils. You can spend time on a painting and paint over it and try again, and you can paint on hardboard if you want.

Hi, I'm back!

There are adaptions you can use for brushes, pencils and pens, There is one website I have found which supplies these

www.enjoy-able.co.uk/grips

watercolour is considered a difficult medium to learn, as you cannot hide mistakes.
I use acrylics ( paint and inks, try splashing acrylic ink on wet pre-streched watercolour paper) and collage. I avoid detail as I have Parkinson's. I have adapted my style to my changed circumstances, and have enjoyed the journey.
You can easily adapt brushes using plastic insulation for pipes, look in your nearest DIY srore, there are also brushes with special grips, but I can't find them in my catalogues, I'll get back on that one.

Good Luck!

Could you hold a large brush? It is possible to do watercolour paintings using a brush called a hake which has a large flat head about two inches wide and a wide flat handle. They take a bit of getting used to but there are artists who create remarkable pictures using nothing but this brush. Also, if you are interested in oil and acrylic painting, there are a variety of painting knives which may be easier to hold than brushes. It is very freeing painting with a knife and you can also do quite fine work with them. There was an artist called Nancy Kominsky who used to have a television series and she used knives almost exclusively. Go to an art shop and try a few knives and larger brushes. The thing about painting is to go for it and do your own thing. Have a go and see what suits you. Problem with pastels is that they soon wear down and small bits can be fiddly to hold. If you do use them, here's a tip: keep a tin of ground rice and when the pastels get a bit grubby, put them in the ground rice and shake them around a bit. Cleans them up a treat! Good luck with it; it's a great hobby.