One of the most important aspects of watercolor painting is understanding the paint-to-water ratio. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced artist, learning how to control the amount of water you use can make a huge difference in your artwork.
Understanding Paint-to-Water Ratios
When using watercolors, you have two options:
- High Water, Low Pigment – This creates a very light, transparent color.
- Low Water, High Pigment – This results in a more saturated and intense color.
By mastering these two variations, you’ll be able to create depth, contrast, and smooth color transitions in your paintings.
Creating a Value Scale to Explore Your Colors
To fully understand the potential of each color, you can create a value scale—a gradient from the lightest to the darkest version of a single pigment. This helps you control light and dark areas in your paintings effectively.
Steps to Create a Value Scale:
- Start with a light wash – Create a small pool of clean water on your mixing palette.
- Add a tiny bit of paint – Lightly dip your wet brush into the pigment and mix it into the water to create a very diluted color.
- Gradually darken the color – Keep adding more paint (without rinsing your brush) to make the color darker step by step.
- Continue until you reach full saturation – The final step should be the most concentrated version of the pigment, with minimal water.
This simple exercise will help you familiarize yourself with each pigment and understand how to adjust colors for depth and contrast.
Adjusting Your Paint When It's Too Dark
If your color turns out too dark, don’t worry! You can easily adjust it:
- For wet paint: Use a clean, damp brush to blend out the color with more water.
- For dry paint: Gently scrub the area with a damp brush and lift off excess pigment with a tissue.
Water Control in Wet-on-Wet Techniques
Another crucial factor to consider is how much water you apply to your paper—especially when working with wet-on-wet techniques.
What Happens When You Use Too Much Water?
- You may notice pools of water forming on your paper.
- If you add more paint, it might dilute too much, causing uneven drying.
- Excess water can push pigment to the edges, leaving unwanted hard edges and inconsistent blending.
Fix: If you notice excess water, lightly soak it up with a damp brush or a tissue to maintain an even wash.
What Happens When You Use Too Little Water?
- The paint sits on the surface and doesn’t spread smoothly.
- Colors may appear streaky and difficult to blend.
Fix: Add a little more water to your brush to help pigments blend better.
How to Get the Perfect Amount of Water
A great way to determine if you have the right amount of water on your paper is to look for a light shimmer or gloss. Your paper should be evenly damp—no puddles, but no dry spots either.
Whenever you add water or paint, lightly dab off excess moisture from your brush with a paper towel to prevent too much water buildup.
Still Struggling with Uneven or Patchy Watercolors?
If your paintings dry patchy, pale, or with hard edges, your watercolor supplies might be the issue! I’ve put together a free guide on the best watercolor supplies and common mistakes to avoid.
I hope this inspires you to pick up your watercolor supplies and start painting. If you’d like a list of my favorite watercolor materials, grab my free guide on watercolor supplies here!
New to watercolor mixing? Check out my free guide on watercolor mixing!
Happy Painting!