How to Paint With Watercolors as a Novice
Fill up two cups of water and put them next to your workstation., Squeeze out the tubes of paint on your palette., Wet your brush in fresh water., Dip your brush into the paint, and create a “puddle” on your palette., Apply broad strokes and get a...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Fill up two cups of water and put them next to your workstation.
You will need a lot of fresh water if you plan on painting with watercolor paint.
Place at least two cups of water next to your workstation so you don’t need to constantly get up and down.
Leave one cup of water so you can wash the paint off your brush after you are done with a particular color, and then dip it in the other cup to wet it.
When either cup of water gets murky brown or black you should empty it in your sink and get fresh water. -
Step 2: Squeeze out the tubes of paint on your palette.
If you are using a pan set, you don’t need to do this step, but you may still want to use a palette so you can mix your colors.
Separate the colors into their own zones, and use extra space on your palette to mix the colors.
You can create more colors than the ones you bought by mixing them together.
You can get a wooden or plastic palette that you wash after use, or disposable paper palettes that come in a book.
The three primary colors are red, blue, and yellow, and are impossible to achieve by mixing other colors but can be mixed together to create secondary colors.Secondary colors are orange, violet, and green, and can be further mixed to make six tertiary colors., It might be instinct to just dip your brush into the paint, but watercolor requires you to add water first.
Make sure your brush is saturated, and dedicate one of your water cups to wet your paint-less brush.
Weaker colors require less water, while richly pigmented paint can handle a lot of water without losing vibrancy.To get a fine tip on a round brush, hold it in your hand and flick your wrist while it’s wet.
You should do this over a paper towel so you don’t get paint and water everywhere. , If you are using tubed paint, dip your wet brush into the color you want to use.
Then transfer the paint on your brush to the palette in a circular motion.
Add more water until you create a puddle of watercolor that can soaked up by your brush.
If you’re using a pan, you should see a small puddle form on top of the colors you want to use.
Keep adding water to your brush until this happens.
When mixing, create a puddle exclusively for your new color. , Go from one side of the paper to the other in a thick line.
Tilt your easel or workstation backward so that the watercolor bleeds down, and doesn’t get built up on the surface of your paper.
The watercolor should be lighter than the color in your tube paint, and should uniform in tone.
If you want to achieve a darker result, apply more paint to the same area.
You can fill in a pencil drawing with water color or just do it free form.
Watercolor may not feel as intricate as other paint like oil or acrylic, but that's what makes it so unique.
Before you try to make a painting of an object, just get the feeling of painting with watercolors first. , Avoid rubbing or touching the surface of your painting because it will smudge.
Keep it in a dry area, and wait to see the results.
When watercolor fully dries it typically looks lighter than when it’s wet.
Unlike oil paintings, usually watercolors are done in a single sitting. -
Step 3: Wet your brush in fresh water.
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Step 4: Dip your brush into the paint
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Step 5: and create a “puddle” on your palette.
-
Step 6: Apply broad strokes and get a feeling for the watercolor.
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Step 7: Allow your painting to dry for at least 30 minutes.
Detailed Guide
You will need a lot of fresh water if you plan on painting with watercolor paint.
Place at least two cups of water next to your workstation so you don’t need to constantly get up and down.
Leave one cup of water so you can wash the paint off your brush after you are done with a particular color, and then dip it in the other cup to wet it.
When either cup of water gets murky brown or black you should empty it in your sink and get fresh water.
If you are using a pan set, you don’t need to do this step, but you may still want to use a palette so you can mix your colors.
Separate the colors into their own zones, and use extra space on your palette to mix the colors.
You can create more colors than the ones you bought by mixing them together.
You can get a wooden or plastic palette that you wash after use, or disposable paper palettes that come in a book.
The three primary colors are red, blue, and yellow, and are impossible to achieve by mixing other colors but can be mixed together to create secondary colors.Secondary colors are orange, violet, and green, and can be further mixed to make six tertiary colors., It might be instinct to just dip your brush into the paint, but watercolor requires you to add water first.
Make sure your brush is saturated, and dedicate one of your water cups to wet your paint-less brush.
Weaker colors require less water, while richly pigmented paint can handle a lot of water without losing vibrancy.To get a fine tip on a round brush, hold it in your hand and flick your wrist while it’s wet.
You should do this over a paper towel so you don’t get paint and water everywhere. , If you are using tubed paint, dip your wet brush into the color you want to use.
Then transfer the paint on your brush to the palette in a circular motion.
Add more water until you create a puddle of watercolor that can soaked up by your brush.
If you’re using a pan, you should see a small puddle form on top of the colors you want to use.
Keep adding water to your brush until this happens.
When mixing, create a puddle exclusively for your new color. , Go from one side of the paper to the other in a thick line.
Tilt your easel or workstation backward so that the watercolor bleeds down, and doesn’t get built up on the surface of your paper.
The watercolor should be lighter than the color in your tube paint, and should uniform in tone.
If you want to achieve a darker result, apply more paint to the same area.
You can fill in a pencil drawing with water color or just do it free form.
Watercolor may not feel as intricate as other paint like oil or acrylic, but that's what makes it so unique.
Before you try to make a painting of an object, just get the feeling of painting with watercolors first. , Avoid rubbing or touching the surface of your painting because it will smudge.
Keep it in a dry area, and wait to see the results.
When watercolor fully dries it typically looks lighter than when it’s wet.
Unlike oil paintings, usually watercolors are done in a single sitting.
About the Author
Edward Knight
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in crafts and beyond.
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