Watercolor Painting
Techniques Section
The medium provides the chance for virtually anyone to get into painting, with the minimum of cost and using relatively lightweight equipment.
For example, it's ideal for relaxing, holiday painting sessions. The almost immediate drying properties of watercolor paints mean you can produce a quick sketch of that wonderful landscape that's in front of you and will inspire you and remind you of that time for years to come... recalling the sights, sounds, aromas and emotions like no photograph alone could ever rekindle. Yet for many, watercolor painting techniques aren't always the easiest to master – certainly until you get used to them.
It has a mind of its own that can at times seem to fight you all the way. Yet when you learn to accept that it sometimes pulls you in directions you didn't expect, suddenly you start to see happy accidents in your pictures that you learn to exploit, that previously you regarded as disasters.
Because unlike say, oil paints or acrylic paints, where you work from dark to light, finishing with the lightest highlights, watercolor painting techniques require you to work from light to dark.
This means you need a bit more pre-planning your painting, which once mastered, will stand you in good stead, whatever type of paint medium you use.
And don't worry, this 'pre-planning' isn't rocket science. It's just thinking for a second where you want to reserve the lightest parts of your painting before you actually start to paint.
In the watercolor painting techniques tutorials, you'll find lessons on painting skies, water, textures, flowers - any subject you would wish. All of which enhances your confidence in working out your composition before you begin.
There's hints on color mixing to avoid muddy colors, creating mood, painting different types of light, shadows, in fact all you need to know to make that watercolor glow with light...
Watercolor Painting Articles & Videos
VIDEO TUTORIAL - How to Paint a Layered Hills & Mountains
Painting mountains, especially when you want to create depth in a picture, is quite straightforward, with a little guidance...
VIDEO TUTORIAL - How To Paint a Variegated Wash
What is a variegated wash? Well, it's a great way to paint an evening sky in watercolor. To find out how, watch this extract from my forthcoming DVD course on Watercolour Painting...
VIDEO TUTORIAL - How To Stretch Watercolor Paper
This short video shows you how to quickly and easily stretch watercolor paper, as well as how to make your own stretcher...
A look at some of the watercolor mediums around to help your painting
There are an increasing number of watercolor mediums and additives which can make life easier for watercolorists and add a new dimension to their painting...
VIDEO TUTORIAL - How to Paint Watercolor Trees (Distant Trees)
Painting believable distant watercolor trees needn't be a problem if you watch this video tutorial...
VIDEO TUTORIAL - How to Paint Watercolor Trees (Winter Trees)
This video shows you how to paint bare watercolor winter trees without having to paint every single twig ...
VIDEO TUTORIAL - How to Paint Watercolor Trees (Summer Trees)
In this 2-part video you'll discover simple watercolor painting techniques to help you paint beautiful summer trees in full bloom...
How to mix a multitude of grays
Follow this article on how to produce a host of vibrant and colorful grays without going near black and white. Works for oils and acrylics as well...!
VIDEO TUTORIAL - How To Paint Watercolor Clouds
Learning to paint watercolor clouds effectively is the key to good watercolor landscapes. Find out how to do it in this short video tutorial...
A four step tutorial on how to paint clouds without panic
Follow this introductory four-step tutorial on how to paint clouds and an authentic sky in less than five minutes...
A review of watercolor paints and how to get the best from your choice
What's so special about watercolor paints and why are watercolors by far the most popular medium...
Find out all you need to know about watercolor brushes
There are a multitude of watercolor brushes to choose from and it's easy to spend a lot of money and not get what you want......
Tips on selecting the right watercolor paper for your watercolor painting techniques
Using the right watercolor paper can really help with your watercolor painting techniques - but only if you know what to look for......
What Watercolor Painting Tips Can You Share With The Rest of Us?
If you like to paint with watercolors, you’ve almost certainly discovered some handy little hints without even realising. They may seem insignificant to you but don’t underestimate how much you can help others...
Perhaps you have some great tips for color mixing?
Maybe you're good at capturing realistic water or a beautiful still life? Or it could be something as simple as "how to protect those expensive brushes".
By sharing your tips and advice, it will help us all to enjoy this wonderful medium even more! Here’s how you do it...
See W/C Painting Tips From Other Visitors
Click below to see watercolor painting tips from other visitors...
TRAVEL WATERCOLOR JOURNAL - CHEAP
Purchase a hard cover photo-album where photo pockets are bound with screws, not sewn in or with metal rings. (I purchased mine for $2 for size 5 1/2 x ...
Bleeding (or fading) your watercolor wash
When you want to soften (bleed or fade) an edge, plan ahead.
1) Have one brush for your paint and another soft brush for plain water. This will save ...
Blending lines
As a self-teaching beginner, I am always interested in techniques. This one seems to be the "scientific method" (fast and with reproducible results) for ...
Another cloud method
As a beginner, I am still fiddling around with clouds. Another potentially successful method seems to be the following:
Make the whole sky area quite ...
Use a sponge painting clouds!
When reading about William Turner, I read that he used a lot of sponging for blending and textures. As a beginner, I had some trouble creating believable ...
Toothpicks
When I use masking fluid, I put it on with toothpicks. You never have to worry about ruining them because they are so inexpensive. They also make very ...
Little Tricks in Watercolour
Painting Petals
If you are painting watercolour petals, draw the petal shapes first then wet the shape, then choose the colour you want the petal to be....
fire
Thanks Joy and David for your feedback . This painting uses the same idea. This fire was a real one . I was living up North in Prince Albert Saskatchewan ...
How to put a perfect setting sun into a sunset .
I use a small sized velcro sticker on my watercolour paper to blot out the position of the sun when painting a sunset. You can get these stickers in different ...
Painting Fire In Watercolor
I wet the fire area...put bright yellow in the central hot spot... then a light yellow in the other fire areas. Add red to this and let it flow.
Note ...
Blending/grading #2
Not rated yet
This is probably re-inventing the wheel, but nevertheless... Here is another blending/grading method, good for 3D-effects. It needs some experience to ...
Slapping wet paper to a board
Not rated yet
Instead of tacking watercolor paper to a painting board or similar, a lazy method may be useful, esp. for wet in wet: Just slap the wet paper onto a smooth ...
Keeping brushes clean when using masking fluid
Not rated yet
Here's a tip I learned from my watercolor teacher at university. When you're using a brush to put masking fluid on the paper, dip it into a little dish ...
Featuring new drawing & painting videos in every issue, Starting Art, our free newsletter, will help you become a better artist... and enjoy the process! 
