by Colette Georgii

Created on: April 08, 2008

Watercolor Painting Tips

I consider watercolor painting harder to master than oil or acrylic. You have to be so neat to do good watercolor paintings. I find this very difficult; whereas with oil I can just mess around.

In order to define color and hue in watercolor you dilute your color with water. You can get many different shades from the original color, depending on the amount of water you use.

You don't paint in watercolor by just dipping your wet brush in the watercolor block or in the watercolor from the tube. You mix the watercolor with small amounts of water until you get your desired shade or color. When you do just dip into the original color from the tube or watercolor block you usually are adding some finishing touches and painting in the darker colors.

At all times, when painting in watercolor you must paint from light to dark. You can not paint from dark to light.

In other words you must always paint your light areas in first. You can let these dry and paint over them in darker colors.

You can dry your paintings quickly with a hair dryer. In the summertime they will dry quickly if you just lay them in the sun.

Small sponges can be used for various types of effects you wish to make on paper; or for mopping up excess water in a drawing. The natural sea sponge works best for effects; and the manmade sponge works best for mopping up.

The best watercolor paper is 40 lb. Wet your entire piece of paper and then adhere to a drawing board with masking tape. This will keep your paper in place while you are painting. Or you can tape the paper to the drawing board first and then wet the paper with a large brush.

A small pointed brush works best for finishing touches such as the little small things you add on to your bigger drawing - small blades of grass, little flowers growing by the roadside, etc. Use a larger brush for large background areas.

You can get great effects for sky, leaves, and water by painting wet and just moving your paper around to let the color settle on its own. In other words, you have wet your paper and now apply your wet paint onto the wet paper. Then pick up the paper and move it around to create natural looking clouds and sky, and ripples on water, etc.

Always use masking tape to cover parts you don't want the paint to move into. Water runs and you don't want it to run into a part that you are not intending to paint that particular color but another color. You can also allow one part to dry before tackling the part right next to it to stop running from one color into another.

Watercolor painting is tricky. In some instances you want the water to run to create effects. In other instances, there can be no running or the drawing is ruined.

Although I find watercolor painting difficult in comparison to oil, many people find it easier. It is definitely cheaper. So why not start your watercolor painting project today.

All you need is the paper, which however is expensive, watercolor, water, and good brushes. Nice soft sable brushes are the best for watercolor. You should have some tiny pointed brushes and some larger pointed brushes and a few large flat brushes.

If you have never painted in watercolor before it is good to find some interesting pictures to copy such as a lighthouse on the ocean, a vase of flowers on a table, or a barn in a snowy field. Once you have done these to perfection, you can start arranging your own still life projects or drawing and painting from real life.

First draw lightly on your paper with pencil the drawing you wish to paint. Erase your lines as you paint. Use a gum eraser, which will leave no smudge.

You are on your way to becoming a watercolor artist.

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