How To Start Painting Watercolor: Beginner Tips

Can beginners start painting watercolor? Yes, absolutely! Anyone can start painting with watercolors, regardless of prior experience. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to begin your journey in watercolor art. We’ll cover the essential watercolor supplies, introduce you to basic watercolor lessons, and explore fundamental watercolor techniques to get you started on creating beautiful beginner watercolor paintings.

Getting Your Basic Watercolor Supplies

Starting watercolor art doesn’t require a huge investment. You can begin with a few key watercolor supplies to experiment and learn. Think of these as your foundational tools for exploring the watercolor medium.

Essential Watercolor Paints

What are the main types of watercolor paint? The two most common types for beginners are pan watercolors and tube watercolors.

Pan Watercolors: These come in small, dried cakes that you activate with water. They are great for portability and often come in sets. They tend to be more economical to start with.
Tube Watercolors: These are like toothpaste and are more concentrated. You squeeze a small amount onto your palette and mix with water. They offer brighter, more vibrant colors and are easier to mix large washes with.

For beginners, a small set of pan watercolors is a fantastic starting point. Look for student-grade paints as they are more affordable and still provide good color quality for learning.

Choosing Your Watercolor Paper

Why is watercolor paper important? Watercolor paper is thicker than regular paper and is designed to absorb water without buckling or tearing. Using the right watercolor paper makes a huge difference in how your paint behaves.

Weight: Look for paper that is at least 140lb (300gsm). Anything lighter will likely warp and become difficult to work with.
Texture:
- Hot Press: This paper is smooth, making it good for fine details and smooth washes. Colors can sometimes appear more intense.
- Cold Press: This is the most popular choice for beginners. It has a slight texture (tooth) that holds pigment and allows for layering and various watercolor techniques.
- Rough: This paper has a pronounced texture, creating interesting effects and granulation. It’s best for experienced artists who want specific textural results.

For starting watercolor art, cold-press paper is highly recommended. It’s versatile and forgiving.

Watercolor Brushes: The Tools of Your Trade

What kind of watercolor brushes should I use? You don’t need a vast collection to begin. A few basic watercolor brushes will suffice for learning basic watercolor lessons.

Round Brushes: These are the most versatile. They have a pointed tip that can create fine lines (with the tip) and wider strokes (by pressing down).
- Size 4 or 6: Good for details and smaller areas.
- Size 8 or 10: Excellent all-rounders for washes and general painting.
- Size 12 or 14: Useful for larger washes and backgrounds.
Flat Brushes: These have a flat, squared-off end. They are good for broad washes, creating sharp edges, and filling larger areas evenly. A 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch flat brush is a good start.
Mop Brushes (Optional): These are very soft and absorbent, perfect for large, wet washes. They are not essential for starting, but can be a nice addition later.

Brush Hair:
* Synthetic: Affordable and a good option for beginners. They hold water well and are durable.
* Sable/Squirrel: Natural hair brushes are more expensive but hold a lot of water and have a good spring, allowing for better control.

Start with a few good quality synthetic round brushes in various sizes (e.g., a size 6, 10, and 14).

Watercolor Palettes: Where Colors Meet

What do I need for a watercolor palette? A watercolor palette is where you mix your paints with water.

Plastic Palettes: Many beginner watercolor sets come with a built-in plastic palette. These are functional and easy to clean.
Ceramic Palettes: White ceramic dishes or plates work very well. They have a non-porous surface that makes colors easy to see and clean.
Porcelain Palettes: Similar to ceramic, these are excellent for mixing colors and are easy to clean.

Any clean, white surface will do to start. A dedicated watercolor palette with wells for holding paint and larger mixing areas is ideal.

Water Containers and Other Essentials

Water Containers: You’ll need at least two. One for rinsing dirty brushes and one for clean water to mix with your paint. Jars, old mugs, or even plastic containers work perfectly.
Paper Towels or Cloth: For drying your brushes and controlling the amount of water on them.
Masking Tape or Artist’s Tape: To tape down your paper to prevent buckling and to create clean borders.
Pencil and Eraser: For sketching your initial design. A kneaded eraser is good as it won’t damage the paper surface as much.
Spray Bottle (Optional but Recommended): To re-wet dried paint on your palette or to create atmospheric effects on your paper.

Basic Watercolor Lessons: Getting Started

Once you have your supplies, it’s time to dive into some basic watercolor lessons. The best way to learn watercolor is to practice, experiment, and not be afraid to make “mistakes.”

Getting Familiar with Water Control

Water control is the absolute key to watercolor painting. It dictates how your paint flows, blends, and dries.

Wet-on-Wet: Apply wet paint onto wet paper. This creates soft edges, blurry effects, and seamless color blending. It’s ideal for skies, backgrounds, and achieving a dreamy look.
- Practice: Wet a section of your watercolor paper thoroughly with clean water. Then, pick up a bit of paint on your brush, add a touch of water to your palette to create a light wash, and touch it to the wet paper. Watch how the color spreads and softens. Try mixing two colors this way to see how they blend.
Wet-on-Dry: Apply wet paint onto dry paper. This gives you sharp edges, defined shapes, and more control over where the paint goes. This is how you’ll paint details and outlines.
- Practice: Paint a shape on your paper and let it dry completely. Then, paint another shape next to it or overlapping it. Notice the crisp line where the wet paint meets the dry paper.
Dry Brush: Use a brush with very little water and paint. This creates textured, broken lines where the paper’s texture shows through. It’s great for depicting grass, fur, or weathered surfaces.
- Practice: Load your brush with a small amount of paint and most of the water off. Lightly drag the brush across your dry paper. You’ll see the pigment skip, creating a textured effect.

Color Mixing Basics

Exploring color mixing is a fundamental part of watercolor art.

Primary Colors: Red, yellow, and blue. You can mix these to create secondary colors (green, orange, purple).
Secondary Colors: Green (blue + yellow), Orange (red + yellow), Purple (red + blue).
Tertiary Colors: Mixing a primary and a secondary color (e.g., blue-green, red-orange).
Neutral Colors: Mixing complementary colors (colors opposite each other on the color wheel, like red and green) can create browns and grays.

Practice Exercise: Color Wheel
Create your own color wheel on paper. Paint a circle for each primary color. Then, mix two primaries to create a secondary color and paint a circle between them. Continue mixing to create tertiary colors. This exercise will help you see how colors interact and what beautiful hues you can achieve with just a few basic paints.

Graduated Wash

A graduated wash is a smooth transition of color from dark to light, or from one color to another.

Single Graduated Wash (Light to Dark):
1. Load your brush with a good amount of color.
2. Paint a stroke across the top of your paper.
3. Rinse your brush slightly, add a little more water to your palette, and pick up the same color.
4. Paint the next stroke, overlapping the first slightly, ensuring the color is slightly lighter.
5. Continue this process, rinsing your brush and adding more water to the paint each time, until you reach the bottom of your paper with a very pale wash.
Color Graduated Wash:
1. Start with a wash of one color at the top.
2. Clean your brush thoroughly.
3. Pick up a second color and start painting a wash from the bottom, gradually overlapping the first color as you move towards the middle. The colors will blend where they meet.

Essential Watercolor Techniques to Explore

As you get comfortable with the basics, you can start exploring various watercolor techniques to add depth and interest to your beginner watercolor paintings.

Layering (Glazing)

Layering, also known as glazing, involves applying thin, transparent washes of color over dried layers. This builds up depth, luminosity, and subtle color variations.

How it works: Paint a layer of color and let it dry completely. Then, apply another thin wash of a different color over the top. The underlying color will show through, creating a new hue or a richer tone.
What to avoid: Don’t apply a new wash over a damp layer, as the colors will muddy and blend unintentionally. Also, avoid scrubbing too hard, as this can lift the previous layer.

Lifting

Lifting is the process of removing watercolor paint from the paper. This can be done while the paint is still wet or once it has dried.

Wet Lifting:
- While the paint is still wet, use a clean, damp brush to “lift” the color away. You can create soft highlights or remove excess paint.
- Practice: Paint a wash and while it’s still wet, use a clean, damp round brush to pull some of the paint off, creating a lighter streak or shape.
Dry Lifting:
- Once the paint is dry, you can use a clean, damp brush or a sponge to gently lift some of the color. This is more effective with certain pigments that are easily re-wettable.
- Practice: Paint a dry shape and let it dry. Dampen a brush and gently scrub the area you want to lift. Immediately use a paper towel or clean cloth to blot up the lifted paint and water.

Masking Fluid

Masking fluid is a liquid latex that you can paint onto areas you want to protect from paint. Once the watercolor painting is dry, you can peel or rub the masking fluid away to reveal the white of the paper or the color underneath.

How to use it: Apply masking fluid with an old brush, a ruling pen, or a dedicated applicator. Let it dry completely before applying watercolor washes over it. Once your painting is dry, gently rub off the masking fluid with your finger or an eraser.
Uses: Creating sharp white highlights, preserving the white of the paper for details like stars or reflections, and creating hard edges.

Salt Technique

This is a fun technique that creates interesting, starry, or crystalline textures.

How to use it: Apply a wet wash of color to your paper. While the wash is still wet, sprinkle coarse salt onto the wet paint. As the water evaporates, the salt crystals absorb the moisture and pigment, creating star-like patterns.
What to do next: Let the paint dry completely. Once dry, gently brush away the salt.

Splattering

Splattering adds a spontaneous, energetic feel to your paintings.

How to do it: Load a brush with diluted paint. Hold the brush over your paper and tap the handle of the brush with another brush or your finger to flick the paint onto the paper.
Control: Vary the distance you hold the brush and the force of your tap to create different effects – larger splatters from a distance, smaller ones up close. You can also use a toothbrush for a finer splatter effect.

Dry Brush Technique (Revisited for Texture)

As mentioned earlier, dry brush is excellent for creating texture.

Application: Load your brush with pigment and remove excess water. Apply to dry paper with light, flicking strokes.
Uses: Great for depicting textures like rough wood, tree bark, hair, grass, or the bristles of a broom.

Watercolor Mediums and Additives

While water is the primary solvent for watercolor, other watercolor mediums can enhance your paintings.

Gum Arabic

Gum arabic is a binder that, when added to watercolor paint, can increase its gloss and transparency. It can also help with re-wetting dried paint and improve adhesion. You can buy it as a liquid or in powder form to mix yourself.

Ox Gall

Ox gall is a wetting agent. Adding a drop or two to your water can help your paint flow more smoothly and evenly across surfaces that might resist the water, such as hot-press paper or plastic palettes. It reduces the surface tension of the water.

Masking Fluid (as a Medium)

As mentioned earlier, masking fluid acts as a protective barrier, allowing you to paint over areas you wish to keep untouched.

Glycerin

A small amount of glycerin added to your watercolor paints can keep them from drying out too quickly on the palette, making them easier to re-activate.

Painting Your First Beginner Watercolor Painting

Now that you have an idea of the supplies and techniques, let’s think about tackling your first beginner watercolor painting.

Simple Subjects to Start With

Fruits or Vegetables: Apples, pears, or lemons are great because of their simple shapes and vibrant colors.
Simple Landscapes: A basic sky with a distant horizon, a simple hill, or a single tree can be good practice for washes and layering.
Geometric Shapes: Practice creating perfect circles, squares, and other shapes using wet-on-dry techniques to get control over your brush.
Abstract Washes: Focus on exploring color blending and water control without the pressure of representing a specific object.

Planning Your Painting

Before you start, consider a few things:

Subject: What do you want to paint?
Reference: Find a photo or real-life object to work from.
Sketch: Lightly sketch your subject onto your watercolor paper with a pencil. Keep your lines light, as dark pencil lines can show through watercolor.
Color Palette: Decide which colors you will use and how you might mix them.

Step-by-Step Example: A Simple Apple

Sketch: Lightly sketch an apple shape on your cold-press watercolor paper. Add a stem and a leaf.
Base Wash: Mix a light red or pink wash. Apply a wet-on-wet wash over the apple shape, letting the color spread naturally. Add a touch of yellow to one side for a highlight. Let this dry completely.
Add Depth: Mix a slightly darker red or a mix of red and a touch of blue for shadows. Use a wet-on-dry technique with a smaller brush to paint the shadow areas on the apple.
Stem and Leaf: Mix a brown for the stem and a green for the leaf. Paint these using wet-on-dry techniques, adding a darker green for shadow on the leaf if desired.
Highlights: If you want a bright highlight on the apple, you can leave a small area of the paper white during the base wash, or use masking fluid. After the paint is dry, you can carefully lift a small area with a damp brush if needed.

Tips for Continuous Improvement in Watercolor

Starting is the hardest part. The key to improving your watercolor art is consistent practice and experimentation.

Practice Regularly

Even 15-30 minutes a few times a week can make a big difference. Focus on specific techniques or subjects during your practice sessions.

Don’t Fear Mistakes

Every “mistake” is a learning opportunity. Watercolor can be unpredictable, and embracing that unpredictability is part of the fun. Sometimes, unexpected results can lead to beautiful outcomes.

Observe and Analyze

Look at how other watercolor artists work. Pay attention to their use of color, light, and shadow, and how they employ different watercolor techniques.

Experiment with Different Watercolor Paints and Brushes

As you progress, try different brands of watercolor paint types or explore different brush shapes and materials to see what you like best.

Join a Community or Take a Class

Connecting with other artists, whether online or in person, can be very motivating and provides opportunities to learn from others.

Frequently Asked Questions About Starting Watercolor

Q1: How much do I need to spend on watercolor supplies to start?
A1: You can start with a basic student-grade pan watercolor set (around $20-$40), a few synthetic round brushes (around $5-$15 each), and a pad of 140lb cold-press watercolor paper (around $15-$30). This will give you a good set of essential watercolor supplies to begin experimenting with basic watercolor lessons.

Q2: Do I need a special easel for watercolor?
A2: No, not at all. You can paint on a flat surface like a table or desk. Taping your paper down to a board can help prevent buckling, but you can also tape it directly to your work surface if it’s something you don’t mind the tape touching.

Q3: How do I prevent watercolor paper from buckling?
A3: The best way is to tape the edges of your watercolor paper securely to a rigid surface, like a drawing board or a piece of thick cardboard, using artist’s tape or masking tape. Alternatively, you can stretch your paper, but this is a more advanced technique that might not be necessary for initial beginner watercolor painting.

Q4: Can I use regular drawing paper for watercolor?
A4: It’s not recommended. Regular drawing paper is too thin and cannot handle the amount of water used in watercolor painting. It will buckle, tear, and the colors will not blend or flow correctly. Always use dedicated watercolor paper.

Q5: What is the most important thing for a beginner to focus on?
A5: Water control. Mastering how much water to use with your paint and on your paper is the most crucial element for success in watercolor. Practice the wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques until you feel more confident.

Embarking on your watercolor art journey is an exciting adventure. By gathering the right basic watercolor supplies, engaging with fundamental watercolor lessons, and practicing essential watercolor techniques, you’ll be well on your way to creating beautiful beginner watercolor paintings. Enjoy the process of learning and discovering the magic of the watercolor medium!