In today's fast-paced world, taking time for self-care is essential to maintain happiness, calm, and sanity. Watercolor painting is a fantastic hobby to help you relax and unwind after a long day. However, starting out can be overwhelming, especially if you have all the right brushes, paints, and paper but don’t know where to begin. If you’re feeling intimidated by watercolor painting or unsure about which techniques to try first, you’re in the right place. In this post, I’ll walk you through some essential watercolor skills for beginners, ensuring you can pick up your supplies and start painting with confidence. These tips will help you avoid burnout and find joy in the creative process, whether you’re just starting or looking to refresh your skills.
1. Know What to Look for in Good Quality Supplies
First, you want to become the master of your supplies, not their victim, by knowing what to look for in good quality watercolor supplies. Even if you think you’re just starting out, having good-quality supplies will make it so much easier for you to learn and have fun painting. Some techniques might not even work with poor-quality supplies.
For example, if your paper breaks, your paint is chalky, and your brushes can’t hold their shape, you might not be able to blend your colors beautifully, refine your artwork, and use different watercolor techniques. This frustration can deter you from painting. Learn about the different materials that paper can be made of and the differences in surface and weight.
You also want to start looking at the labels of your watercolor paints to understand what's inside and what to expect. For example, if the paint is staining, your brushes might stay blue after cleaning, or you might not be able to remove wet paint from your paper. The more you know, the more control you'll have over your supplies and results.
The same goes for brushes. Different materials and shapes can significantly impact your learning and painting experience. Using brushes designed for acrylic paint, for example, won’t give you the same smooth color blending as brushes made especially for watercolors.
Download my free watercolor supplies guide to discover what supplies will actually set you up for success!
2. How to Use the Brush
Learning how to use your brush effectively is crucial. I get a lot of questions about what brushes I’m using and what you should get. I focus on quality over quantity, investing in 1 or 2 good brushes that can be used for various tasks rather than 10 cheap brushes that are difficult to use.
With a single good brush, you can paint thin and thick lines and cover a larger area with paint or water because the bristles hold more water and paint. I also use a flat brush occasionally to cover a big area evenly with paint or water. While it may be shocking to see a $10 brush in an art store compared to $1 or $2 brushes in a craft store, think of it as an investment, like buying high-quality clothes that last longer.
3. Water-to-Paint Ratio
Next to identifying good quality supplies and using brushes effectively, it’s important to adjust your water-to-paint ratio. There are different stages of consistency depending on how much paint or water you’re using. If you have a background in acrylic or oil painting, it can be tempting to start with dark colors and layer brighter ones on top. With watercolors, which are transparent, this isn’t possible. Familiarize yourself with how your paint looks and feels on the brush and paper with varying amounts of water or paint.
4. Working from Light to Dark
Knowing how to control the water-to-paint ratio will help you create your painting layer by layer. With watercolors, start with light colors and build up to darker shades. This approach ensures you can add highlights and details effectively, as the transparent nature of watercolor doesn’t allow layering light over dark without losing vibrancy.
5. Layering Colors
Once you understand your water-to-paint ratio, get familiar with layering your paint. Pay attention to how much paint and water are on your brush, whether your paper is dry enough, and how gently you go over the previous layer of paint.
6. Color Mixing
I always go for quality over quantity, including colors and mixing them. A good watercolor set with a few key colors allows for better mixing and vibrant results. Take time to understand your colors. Different yellow, red, and blue combinations can create either vibrant or muted colors. Knowing this helps you control your color mixtures.
Download my guide to watercolor mixing here
7. Blending Colors
Blending requires attention to water levels on your brush and paper. Too much water can cause backruns (cauliflower effect), while too little can prevent smooth blending. Practicing with different water levels helps achieve the desired effects. Understanding your colors is crucial for blending. The wrong red and blue mix can result in muddy purple.
8. Removing Watercolors from Your Paper
Watercolor painting involves both applying and removing color. Techniques like lifting wet paint with tissue paper can add details or correct mistakes. This flexibility allows you to adjust your painting until you’re satisfied with the result. Don’t panic if something doesn’t go according to plan immediately!
Watercolor painting is not a mysterious medium that only the chosen ones can use. It comes with its own set of rules and techniques that you can master over time with exploration and practice.
If you want to learn more about starting with watercolor painting and need additional painting ideas for practice, check out my new watercolor book!
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