Content

• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

1 Place a sheet of heavy paper on the table. Draw something very primitive with a simple pencil. For example, a square or a circle

2 Apply a small amount of watercolors of any color to the white surface of the palette.

3 Moisten the brush a little. If the brush absorbs too much water, remove it with a cloth or shake it slightly.

4 Place a drop of water from the brush on the paint previously applied to the palette. One or two drops are enough, no more.

5 Dip the brush into the paint and water formed on the palette and pick up a small amount of paint. Next, paint over the geometric shape drawn on the sheet of paper. If the paint is too thick and won't smudge, dip the brush in water and try again. Continue experimenting with different amounts of water and paint in the mixture until you get the consistency you want. If you want light dry shades with a dry brush effect, you will need less water. If you want juiciness and brightness, then, accordingly, more, etc. Paint over the geometric shape drawn on the paper completely.

6 Let the drawing dry.

7 Take a piece of watercolor paper and attach it to the drawing board with special duct tape. Use a large brush or sponge to moisten the entire surface of the paper sheet. Then try applying a few strokes of watercolor paint in different colors. See what results are obtained with different moisture levels of the paper by applying different colors of paint.

8 If you use paper that is too damp, you can get a very smooth and light color. Different colors of paint are mixed on paper to create new shades. Try applying a blue stripe next to yellow or gold to wet paper, and then red. You will see how the colors are blended, creating uniform color transitions.

9 Try letting the test pattern dry until the shine is gone and the paper is still damp. The applied stripes will now still have soft edges, but will be slightly sharper. After the paint is completely dry, add details with a wet brush over dry paper.

10 First, try to depict a very simple subject that can be multi-colored. Mix some sky blue paint. Sketch the hills and tree. First paint them with a wet brush on wet paper. After that start adding some large details with a wet brush. Finally, when the paper is completely dry, add the finest details with a wet brush over dry paper. That is, the larger the parts, the more moist the paper should be.

11 You can determine that the paper is completely dry by its temperature, which can be checked by holding the back of your hand over the paper, but without touching it. There should be no cold coming from the leaf. In order to acquire the skill of determining the temperature in this way, you need to practice a little. But this is necessary, since any touch can damage the pattern and the appearance of fatty spots on its surface from the skin of the palms. Do not remove the adhesive tape until the paper is completely dry. The tape helps the paper not to curl, keeps it flat and flat, eliminating the formation of unevenness caused by changes in humidity and exposure to ink.

12 You can use ready-made watercolor blocks, in which all four sides of the paper are glued like the top edge of a notebook. It's a little more expensive, but very beginner-friendly.

13 Try applying a light-colored paint to the surface of the paper and sprinkle salt on it while the paint is still wet. You will have interesting effects that you can use to paint landscapes with snowflakes in the sky or lichen on rocks.

14 Try drawing on paper with a white pencil, wax pencil, or the tip of a candle to see how the lines appear when the watercolor is applied.

15 Try cutting the shapes out of the masking tape and painting over the stencil to get specific shapes. Everything that is sealed with stencil film will remain unpainted.

16 Always start your watercolor painting by painting over the darker areas and outlining the light areas. Isolate or mask anything that should remain white. Get used to the "negative image", as it will also help you get more accurate outlines of objects than if you draw them first and then trace with the background. Try to start your image of the cup with its surroundings and background behind the handle, leaving details of the cup itself for last. You will feel a big difference in image fidelity!

17 Try the "glaze" technique. After the watercolor is completely dry, mix a small amount of paint in a contrasting shade and quickly paint over the area. This will change the color, and if you did it right, it won't smudge the images. Light golden paint, applied by glazing to illuminated areas of a landscape, can make sunlight much more expressive.

18 Read books and articles on watercolors and try to get new ideas from them. Watch videos on YouTube and other portals to learn more about watercolor painting techniques. After that, try to draw something that you really like. An interesting type of painting is Sumi-E or Japanese ink painting, which transforms perfectly into watercolor drawings.

Tips

• Many instructors begin their courses by teaching the wet-on-wet-paper technique, but it is preferable to start with the most common technique, the wet-brush-on-dry technique.
• If you're using quality embossed watercolor paper (like Arches), don't throw away your sketches or bad paintings. You can always paint over them again with acrylic or gouache, or use it as a background for pastel painting. This paper will also look better no matter what you paint on it, and if you paint something beautiful, your painting will last longer and will not turn yellow.
• Watercolors are produced in various forms: tubes, pencils or cuvettes. There are also watercolor crayons. In this article I used tube watercolor.
• Try to find the type of paper that suits your painting style. Different types of paper have different characteristics. Arches paper is free from most of the disadvantages and is the most versatile, even allowing watercolors to be washed off, dried and reused.
• If you use paint in trays, do not throw them away after the paint runs out. You can always reuse the cuvettes by filling them with paint from tubes, after rinsing them thoroughly, and you will have the opportunity to fill the cuvettes with your favorite colors, without being guided by the standard kits in which the cuvettes are supplied.
• Don't buy the most expensive paper or natural sable brushes. You can spend a large amount of money on a purchase, but this is not necessary! Quality synthetic brushes, a small palette with good paint (paint for artists is more suitable than paint for students) and cold-pressed paper with a weight of 300 g / m² is most suitable for beginners. Buy some supplies to start with and gradually buy them as needed.
• Ditch watercolor kits are handy for painting outdoors or when traveling. They are not easy to mix in large volumes, but they are very useful for wet brushing on dry paper. For travel, choose a medium to large sharp-tipped brush that comes with the drawer kit. However, you will need a smaller brush to draw small details. For sketching while traveling, class, or lunchtime, a pocket-sized block of watercolor paper will work. Some sets (for example, Winsor & Newton) include a water bottle, folding palette lids, and so on.
• One of the best manufacturers of watercolors is Winsor & Newton. The Cotman brand is designed specifically for beginner use. It is cheaper and therefore you can experiment with peace of mind without fear of high costs. Winsor & Newton "Cotman" accessories are of excellent quality and are suitable for students.
• The wet-on-wet-paper method is also well suited to the wet-on-dry method within the same painting.

Warnings

• NEVER leave the brush in a jar of water with the bristles down. However, if you have a brush cleaner that has a coil spring, you can leave the brush in the water without the bristles touching the bottom of the can. If you have Chinese-made brushes, try to squeeze them out with your fingers and hang them on a stud or hook and loop on the handle to keep the brush in optimal shape.
• Do not use the same brushes for water-based paints (watercolor, acrylic, gouache) and oil paints (for oil painting, pastels). Once a brush has been used for oil paints once, it should always be used for that type of paint. Mark the brush handle with the tape labeled to avoid confusion.
• Wash brushes with a mild soapy solution or a special brush cleaner (such as Masters Brush Cleaner & Conditioner). This will remove any residual paint, but some color may remain. It will also prolong the life of the brushes.
• Don't try to shape the brush with your lips. Use your fingers only. Remember that some coloring pigments can be toxic and hazardous to health.

What do you need

• Several tubes of multicolored watercolors
• 640g / m² watercolor paper that won't warp from too much water compared to other types of paper
• Watercolor Brushes - Size 8
• Two cans of water
• A piece of white plastic or porcelain plate for a palette
• A roll of paper towels or old clean rags.