Simple But Essential Steps to Paint Beautifully With Watercolours

We do offer Watercolour Workshops which are suitable for complete beginners as well as seasoned artists.

First and Foremost - Choose Good Quality Materials

If you need more information, you can read our post on picking the right supplies

Prepare Your Workspace

• Set up a clean, flat surface where you can work comfortably.

• Place two cups of clean water, your brushes, paper towel and palette nearby.

• Tape down your paper ( using masking tape around the edges will also give it a neat border ).

Lightly Sketch Out Your Composition

• Use an HB Pencil to mark where your shapes will be on the paper, keeping the marks light so they can be removed later.

• Keep it simple - aim for just a basic layout rather than a full drawing, you can add detail with paint later.

Plan your White Space

• Because watercolour is translucent ( see-through ) white paint has very little effect on white paper. Therefore to achieve nice bright areas we need to reserve the white of the paper. There are several ways to do this depending on your subject;

• The simplest and often most effective way is : Keep the white areas unpainted. You may want to sketch out the white shapes and highlights to make sure you don’t forget and accidentally fill them with paint. Best for medium-large areas.

• Create a wax resist using a white candle - rub or draw onto the paper. The areas where wax sticks will make the paper ‘waterproof’ resisting the paint from absorbing into that area. Once on, it can’t be removed. It can be difficult to see what marks you’re making as it’s transparent, but when done well, it’s very effective for texture and seascapes.

• Masking Fluid : Usually white or green in colour, masking fluid is a rubbery substance which can be painted on to make areas of the paper temporarily waterproof. The fluid dries into a tacky film which can then be painted over - and rubbed off once the painting is dry. The advantage is, once removed you can paint onto those areas again. The disadvantages are slow drying time, and tearing or damage to the surface of the paper. Therefore we recommend it only for small highlights.

Mix Your Colours

1. • For tube watercolours, squeeze out a small amount of paint onto your palette and gradually mix a little with water until you achieve the desired colour intensity. If using watercolour pans, wet your brush and lightly swirl it over the paint.

   • You can mix colors to create new ones. For example, mixing blue with yellow will give you green. Try different ratios to vary the shades of green. As a rule of thumb, use less of the darkest colour to achieve a balanced mix.

   • Use scrap paper to test your colours - remember watercolour paints dry lighter than they initially appear when wet.

Avoid these common mistakes when choosing supplies for Watercolour Painting - give yourself the best chance of success by spending a few minutes reading our tips for getting the best out of your watercolour art and save yourself time and money!