Tips&Tricks: Watercolor 101
written by: Kenya Ivana
(picture credit: pinterest.com)
Watercolor is a very delicate medium to color your artwork, but it can be very tricky to use for first timers and beginners. There are a wide range of techniques and tricks that can be explored to create a beautiful watercolor artwork. But first, here are 5 most essential tips that every beginners have to know before picking their brush up and jump into watercolor.
- Always paint on good quality watercolor paper
Watercolor is a water based media, and the saturation of the color depends on how much water you use when painting certain areas. A basic copy paper or even sketchbook paper is too thin to hold water without wrinkling when the paint dries. Recommended watercolor paper for beginner that has pretty good quality but won’t cost you a fortune is 140lb/300gsm watercolor paper from the brand Canson, which is also easy to find in bookstores.
- Use the right brushes
There are a wide variety of brushes to choose for painting in watercolor, but the most important thing to consider when choosing brushes is its material. Brushes with soft bristles are what we are looking for when it comes to painting with watercolor. Synthetic brushes are the most recommended brushes to start, since it has a good quality and a lot cheaper price compared to sable brushes.
- Always paint from light color to dark color
Watercolor is all about building color by layering color onto color, and unlike other paints that work from dark to light, watercolor works backward. This is very important to remember as it is impossible to go back to light color from dark color. It can’t be erased and darker color simply won’t lighten no matter how much water we use to try to make it lighter.
- Wait for the paint to completely dry before adding another layer
Building up layers can be very tricky and it requires the paper to be completely dry if you don’t want the color to be blended or smudged into the color you previously painted down on paper. It will result in just flat, plain color without the effect of built up shadows and dimensions you are trying to achieve. Have patience in your artwork, because as stated before, watercolor is all about layering color onto color.
- Keep a scrap paper while painting
Sometimes, the color of paint that you see in the pan will have different result when painted on paper. A scrap paper where you can make color swatches and compare color to color is essential when painting in watercolor. That way, you’ll be able to minimize the mistake you might make on your actual artwork.
Bonus tips that is the most important and essential of all tips; practice, practice, and practice! Investing your time in practicing daily won’t betray the results and improvements in your watercolor skill. Happy painting with watercolor!
