A Bunch of Watercolor Tips!
I love working in watercolor, especially with lots of details, dramatic lighting, and vibrant colors. So, I get a lot of folks who ask me for tips and tricks…and here’s a big compilation of them!
P.S. Find my watercolors on Instagram and Twitter too :)
Understanding how the paint works:
The more watery the paint, the lighter it will dry
If you add a more watery color into a partially dry color, it will bloom (those spidery effects) outwards from the wet paint (the wet pain pushes the pigment of the semi-dry paint away
Some paints are “granulated” which means you can see the pigment in little spots (reds and blues do this a lot). This is okay, just roll with it! It’s a beautiful part of the medium.
More water means less control, but it’ll give you more of those unique watercolor effects like “blooms”
Get one with a good point, as that will allow for clean lines (I use this in my art ALL the time!)
Lean towards using a bigger brush than you think you need. It’ll be more precise than you expect and that way you can paint a larger area before it dries. This allows for smoother gradients.
Synthetic and natural brushes both work well, but I find synthetic to hold more pigment and water, and to be more precise
Turn your paper as you work, so the brush tip is going along the edge of where you want to paint. Never paint with the middle/back of the brush as it won’t make a clean line.
For detailed spots, use a small pointed/round brush and not very watery paint. This’ll give you the most control.
Paper matters! So much! If there’s one thing to invest it, it’s good paper. I love Arches, but I’ve heard Baohong is great and cheaper too.
Hot press paper will dry quick and doesn’t allow for a lot of blending, and leaves crisp lines. It’s smooth, so good for lines.
Cold press paper allows for blending and dries at a moderate speed, but has some texture to it
Rough press paper has a lot of texture, but will allow for a lot of smooth blending
Student grade watercolors are totally fine, they just have a little less pigment to binder ratio–so you might need to use more paint to get a vibrant color. I found Cotman watercolors to be a good starting set (some people prefer pans rather than tubes, though)
Have a big broad palette, so you can mix lots of colors without them running into each other. I use a flat pan, and then have a smaller palette with separated spots for mixing larger color batches
The thicker the paper, the less it will warp (I love 300-400lb). Optionally, you can learn to stretch watercolor paper before painting to prevent warping!
Masking fluid can be SO helpful if you want to protect spots from getting paint on them (you can also use masking tape to cover larger areas). But fyi, these both almost always contain latex–so watch out if you have an allergy!
To use masking fluid, buy a “ruling pen” that you can dip in the fluid. It’s a weird metal contraption that can tighten and loosen to make lines. This way, you avoid ruining your brushes with the liquid.
You’ll keep your colors vibrant by using few layers. In the pieces I shared above, I used basically three layers max (besides a few deep shadows or tiny details)!
Don’t be afraid to blend while it’s still wet, by adding in a new pigment–just keep in mind it will bloom out if your new pigment is wetter than the color on the paper already
All layers are transparent, so keep color theory in mind. If you have golden skin and paint purple over it, you’ll get a more brown tone, since they are complementary colors.
Try not to use brown paints directly for skin colors (unless they are exact color you’re looking for). They tend to look too muddy, especially on darker skin. It’s more realistic to use a mixture of yellows (like yellow orchre or naples yellow), reds (like a nice magenta or rose) and blues to mix purple to darken the skin. This combo allows for more realistic highlights, shadows, and blushing/warmth!
Never use grays or blacks to shade darker skin (unless it’s a very intentional and careful stylistic choice), it almost always makes the skin look ashy and unrealistic
Use a spare piece of watercolor paper to test the colors you mixed first, to see if it’s what you want
Keep this in mind when having a light source: if the light (and things lit by it) is warm in tone, the shadows will be cool. If the light is cool, the shadows will be warm. So, anytime you make a gradient, think of how it’s lit and go from warm to cool (or vice versus) depending on your lighting!
It is actually okay to use colors straight from the tube/pan sometimes! Go for vibrancy. :)
Work from light to dark, as you can’t lighten watercolor well once it’s put down
…but if you do need to lighten/remove a color, try wetting it with clean water and then lifting it up with a tissue! I’ve also heard a magic eraser works (wild)
Keep a dry tissue nearby for the above reason
Think of watercolor like working in multiply layers. They are transparent coatings of paint over each other!
Want dramatic lighting? Check out this other tutorial I made!
Think through your lighting before you paint. Once you put watercolor down, it’s hard to go back…so mentally plan where you need to shade before you put your brush down.
For deep shadows, sometimes you will need to use a lot of layers, especially if you’re avoiding black (which can work, but it can also create a blah visual pit). Layers here are really helpful!
Try sketching with a colored pencil, so it isn’t as see through! (I like Prismacolor ColErase)
Or…draw your sketch and then roll a kneaded eraser over it to lighten it, so the pencil isn’t visible through the paint
Explore mixed media! I’ve done pen line art (microns) and then painted, and I’ve mixed acrylic and gouache for highlights and effects after the watercolor is done too.
Let your work bloom sometimes! Roll with that unique beauty of watercolor.
It can look really cool if you mix totally different colors alongside each other. Play with what it looks like to have an orange bloom in a blue spot, etc! :D
Play with fun effects! Drop alcohol, salt, or add plastic wrap that you leave to dry. These (and more) can all look really cool.
You can paint in whatever style you want! It doesn’t have to be that typical watercolor look. Mine is really graphic and different, but it vibes with me!
Have a question? Feel free to send me an ask, or reach out on Instagram or Twitter! If you use these tips, tag me and I’ll totally check out your work too!
