Fluidity and transparency are the two extraordinary features of watercolors loved by both professionals and newbies. Though difficult to work with, watercolors bring out the depth and textures in the paintings as no other painting medium can. It is just the precise method of using these colors to highlight the best version of your art. Learning essential watercolor techniques will help you beautify your work with ease.
Watercolor painting skills require a great deal of effort to be mastered. Here are some essential techniques that would help you create exquisite art-
►Wet on Dry: It is the most widely used watercolor technique that uses wet paint on the dry base. You can add more textures to your painting by adding layers of wet paint on top of dried layers. It gives more control to the painter over their brush. The resulting stroke has firm edges and thinner paint in the center.
►Dry on Dry: The painter uses a dry brush for painting on a dry sheet. The paint does not completely cover the surface and leaves unfinished lines, adding more texture to the strokes. This technique is primarily used to give the effect of hair and fur. However, this technique can be a little harsh on your brushes, and it is advised you use brushes with stiff bristles like goat hair. Moreover, use textured papers like cold-pressed and rough watercolor paper for an enhanced effect.
►Wet on Wet: This technique involves painting over the wet surface with wet paint. You dampen the sheet with water and then charge the spot with tints. The color spreads by itself, producing soft-edged patterns. This method of painting is also called charging. You can further use different colors to create beautiful designs of bleeding paints.
►Flat Wash: It is the method of getting a uniform tone through the sheet. Ensure you take an adequate quantity of color before you begin, or you will get stuck in between. Start making horizontal strokes at the top, moving your way down to create a perfect flat wash.
►Graded and Variegated Wash: They are a more advanced form of a flat wash. The graded wash has tones forming gradients from darker to lighter. In comparison, the variegated wash uses multiple shades blending into each other.
►Glazing: Glazing, also known as layering, adds depth to your art. Watercolors are transparent, which means you can add multiple layers on top of each other, and the layer underneath will still be visible. You should remember to let every layer dry completely before adding a new one, or the paints will combine and produce a different color.
►Blending: When painting with watercolors, the edges are usually thicker than the center. Unless you blend them out, the edges are pretty visible. This technique helps you achieve a transition between different tones and adds a three-dimensional effect to your work. It can be done using wet-on-wet and dry-on-wet techniques.
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FAQs
There are 2 basic watercolor techniques that will be fundamental to your practice—wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry. In this tutorial, I cover what these terms mean, when to use each of the two techniques, and how to do it successfully.
What are the most fundamental watercolor techniques? ›
There are 2 basic watercolor techniques that will be fundamental to your practice—wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry. In this tutorial, I cover what these terms mean, when to use each of the two techniques, and how to do it successfully.
Should you paint dark or light first watercolor? ›
When working with watercolor paints, you want to begin with the lighter colors and then work towards the darker ones. We do this because in watercolors, the white comes from the paper, not the paints. So due to the transparency of the paints, your light colors wont “pop” when painted over darker colors.
When painting with watercolor, what should you always do before you start painting? ›
Before you start painting you need to mix some paint. Choose any color you like. Begin by getting your brush nice and wet so that it soaks up plenty of liquid. Then load it with water and press it against you mixing palette to release a puddle of water.
What is Eric Christensen's watercolor technique? ›
Using non-standard watercolor paper and employing a dry-brush technique, Eric starts out with thin washes then builds meticulously to over 30 subsequent layers of paint. You can actually see the build-up of the paint layers when you look closely at his originals.
Do you draw a picture before watercolor? ›
No - you don't need an underdrawing.
It is quite possible to paint directly onto the clean watercolor paper. This does take a dash of boldness.
How do I choose underpainting color watercolor? ›
The first step in the underpainting process is to choose a color. As mentioned, underpainting is most effective when painted in monochromatic tones. Many artists use darker tones, such as burnt sienna, raw umber, or ultramarine blue to achieve the most significant effect.
Do you use colored pencil before or after watercolor? ›
Watercolors First, Colored Pencils Second
You can color over a dry watercolor painting with colored pencils, but not vice versa. Sure, there are watercolor pencils that dissolve in water, but I usually use all of them dry. So I do a watercolor painting first, and then finish it with colored pencils.
Should you always wet watercolor paper before painting? ›
Should you wet watercolor paper before you begin painting? The watercolor paper only needs to be moistened prior to painting if you intend to use a wet-on-wet painting technique. Wetting the paper can lead to buckling, making brushstrokes challenging to control because of the resulting bumpy surface.
How do you correct mistakes in watercolor painting? ›
1. Correcting an error
- Runs:
- Bleeding: absorb surplus water with a sponge, then stump with a paper handkerchief or a rag.
- Contours: to soften a contour that is too strong, wet a cotton swab and stump the line.
- Small mistakes: cover them with opaque paint (gouache or white acrylic), allow to dry, then paint over them.
Should you wet watercolor paper before you begin painting? The watercolor paper only needs to be moistened prior to painting if you intend to use a wet-on-wet painting technique. Wetting the paper can lead to buckling, making brushstrokes challenging to control because of the resulting bumpy surface.
How many types of watercolor techniques are there? ›
There are many types of watercolour painting techniques including the wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, and dry brush techniques. As well, knowing how to apply a flat wash, graded wash, and variegated wash are all essential techniques that every watercolourist should know and master.
What techniques did Audubon use in watercolor? ›
This traditional technique was used in most of the birds, flowers and foliage, but Audubon developed a technique of layering of watercolor washes to an extreme degree. In a few of his works, he applied innumerable washes of transparent watercolor, building up the layers to make a dense opaque color.
What is scumbling in watercolor? ›
Scumbling is a technique that artists use to build a textured, layered surface that creates depth. It involves applying paint in a rapid figure-eight or circular manner to the colors below. He used his thumb nail to scratch at the surface of the watercolor paper to remove the darker color.
