Maybe you sit down to paint, and before you’ve even begun, your brain’s already juggling too many colors, too many details, and too many decisions. And halfway through, it’s the same problem – everything feels important, and you don’t know what to focus on. 

But what if I told you it doesn’t have to be that complicated? 

The truth is, watercolor gets a lot easier when you stop trying to do everything, and start simplifying. In this lesson, I’ll share 8 simple tips that help you start a painting without the overwhelm and keep it manageable all the way through. And believe me, you’re not alone if you struggle with this – more than 1 in 7 of my masterclass students say simplification is their biggest challenge!

8 Beginner-Friendly Ways to Simplify Your Watercolors 

Often when you sit down to paint, everything feels important, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the details and the different steps… The secret to getting past this confusion is, you guessed it, simplification!

And this is something I learned the hard way. So for example, back when I first started, I thought using every color on my palette would make a painting look better – but all it did was turn into mud! Or I kept fighting the paper, layering more and more, until everything looked dull and overworked. It took me YEARS of trial and error to discover that keeping things simple was the real answer.

And I don’t mean randomly leaving things out. It’s about making smart choices that let your painting say more with less.

The good news is, learning to simplify is a skill you can build over time. 

So to demonstrate what I’m talking about, I’m going to be painting this photo I took of a baking dish full of mushrooms. 

BEFORE PAINTING

To get started, here are few things you can do to simplify even before you put brush to paper:

Tip Number 1: Use a limited palette

One of the easiest ways to simplify a painting is to limit your color choices. 

Beginners often think more colors means a better painting, but honestly, it usually just means more confusion, and the possibility of ending up with muddy looking results. 

Simplifying your colors has two big advantages:

• Color mixing becomes much easier
• And the finished painting will look a lot more harmonious.

If you pick just two, three, or maybe four colors, suddenly your decisions are way easier. You don’t have to juggle fifteen different paint colors, and your painting will look more harmonious because all the colors naturally relate. 

The result is, fewer choices, fewer mistakes, and a calmer brain while you’re painting

Tip Number 2: The One-brush rule 

Try choosing a single, versatile brush and make it do all the work. Using a larger brush forces you to think in broad strokes instead of getting lost in tiny details. And if you’re anything like I was—a perfectionist obsessed with every tiny detail—this trick is a lifesaver for keeping things simple!

You’ll find that using a bigger brush keeps things loose and forces you to simplify the details. And it’s a brilliant way to stop yourself from fussing. 

The brush I used for the whole of this painting is this one-inch long sable brush by Rosemary & Co.

Using just one large brush might feel frustrating at first – but oddly enough, it makes everything simpler. You’ll be surprised how much you can achieve with just one good, large round brush.

Tip Number 3: Squint to See Big Shapes and Values

This one is a classic artist trick: 

Squint! 

Yep, literally half-close your eyes until everything blurs out. Squinting softens the scene and helps you focus on broad shapes and values instead of details. This simplified view is what you want to try to capture, not the complicated jumble of details crammed into your reference photo.

So try this: Squint like you’ve just lost your glasses! Suddenly, the world breaks down into big shapes and clear contrasts.

If you prefer a less squinty method, you can even turn your reference into a black and white version with a phone app like I did here… 

These quick and easy value studies give you a kind of roadmap to follow when painting. They help you plan your tonal values, and highlights – and over time, they also train your eye.

Tip Number 4: Pick References with Clear Contrast

This is another step that happens before you even start painting: 

Choose a reference photo that’s simple to read! 

If the lighting is flat and everything’s the same mid-tone, you’ll spend the whole time guessing what shapes to paint! Instead, use a photo with clear light and dark areas.

For example, with my mushroom subject, the overhead light created these strong highlights and deep shadows. That made it so much easier to decide where the values go, without getting bogged down in every last detail.

Simplified references work because they make it more obvious where to place shapes and colors.

DURING PAINTING

Tip 5. Paint Shapes, Not Objects

When you start painting, don’t think, ‘I’m painting a mushroom.’ Think, ‘I’m painting a light shape, or a dark shape, and maybe a few lines for suggestion.’ 

Don’t paint what you think is there — paint the shapes of different tonal value and color that really are there.

For example, I began the mushrooms with some big, loose variegated washes of color – just enough to lay down the foundation.

And all those little ridges on the underside of the mushrooms could drive you mad if you tried painting them realistically. Instead, I just used very loose brushstrokes to paint a few dark lines and shapes. And that was enough. Our brains are brilliant at filling in the gaps.

That’s really the heart of simplification: you’re not trying to spell everything out in detail, you’re suggesting just enough for the viewer to complete the picture in their own mind.

Tip Number 6. Work Light to Dark, & Broad to Detailed

Watercolor works best if you go from light to dark, and from broad shapes to sharper details. 

I say this often, but watercolor lends itself to this approach because of its transparency. Ideally you should build your painting gradually: start with your lightest and largest shapes, then add mid-tones, and finish with dark shading and details. Oh, and preserving the white of the paper for highlights.

Think of it like stacking transparent sheets of colored glass – each one adds depth without covering what came before. That’s why this approach simplifies things: instead of trying to solve the whole painting in one go, you build gradually, step by step.

Tip Number 7. Use Your Techniques Intentionally

For most paintings, you really don’t need a hundred different fancy techniques.  Just focus on two core techniques

• wet-on-wet 
• and wet-on-dry. 

For example, at the start, I used wet-on-wet to lay down big, loose shapes. This creates those beautiful blended transitions that watercolor does so well. Once that layer was dry, I switched to wet-on-dry for sharper edged shapes and details — and I can follow my “value roadmap” to add the next darkest shapes to lay on top of the underlying colors.

Sometimes I even mix a bit of both techniques in one layer. For example, I might drop in some wet-on-wet color to create variation, then define a shape with wet-on-dry leaving the edges unblended. 

By using just these two techniques thoughtfully and swapping between them as needed, you cover about 90% of what you’ll ever need in a painting — and it keeps techniques simple..

Tip Number 8. Avoid Overworking

Sometimes the hardest part of painting is simply knowing when to stop. Overworking is one of the most common struggles I hear from beginners.

So if you find yourself fussing with your brush for no real reason, that’s usually the moment to step back. One simple way to avoid this problem is to plan your layers ahead of time — and then stick to your limit. Most watercolor paintings only need three or four layers at most.

Sticking to just a few layers not only prevents overworking, it also simplifies the whole process by keeping your choices clear and your painting fresher. 

It’s tempting to keep going, but remember: in watercolor, less really is more. Your painting will thank you for it

Final Thought:

Simplifying isn’t about doing less — it’s about focusing on what really matters, and letting go of unnecessary details. So give yourself permission to stop overthinking or chasing perfection — trust me, your painting (and your sanity) will thank you for it.

Oh, and if you want more help getting started without overthinking every brushstroke, check out the free lessons in the link below.

The post Simplifying Watercolor for Beginners (8 Simple Tips) first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

This one simple idea completely changed the way I paint. It turned my flat-looking artwork into paintings that had real depth.

In this lesson, I’m going to show you how to apply that same idea, step-by-step, as we paint this artichoke still life together – and I’ll tell you why this idea made such a difference for me.

So… back when I was trying to make my paintings look more realistic, I was a bit obsessed with detail. I thought that if I could just draw everything accurately enough – every little shape, every detailed line – then surely, the painting would turn out looking real.

I used to marvel at those hyper-realistic paintings – like the diner scenes by Ralph Goings, or the incredible portrait works by Chuck Close – and I genuinely believed it was all about the level of detail.

(Includes brief references to artworks by Ralph Goings and Chuck Close, used under fair dealing/fair use for educational commentary. © respective copyright holders).

So…

I’d spend hours making really careful pencil drawings before I even picked up a brush. But even after all that effort, the end result still didn’t quite work.

The final paintings just looked… flat. 

They didn’t have the depth or the sense of space I was aiming for. And honestly, I didn’t understand why.

It wasn’t until years later – when I came back to watercolor after a long break – that I finally understood what I’d been missing. I was reading a book by Tom Hoffmann called Watercolor Painting: A Comprehensive Approach… and there was this one line that completely changed how I thought about painting. (Amazon link)

He wrote something like this:

“ Of all the tools we use as painters, value is the hardest worker. You can be loose with your brushwork or even use exaggerated colors – but if the relative values are reasonably true, we can still produce a believable sense of light and space.”

And I remember just stopping and thinking—wait a minute… is it really that simple? 

That was the light bulb moment for me!

“The key thing I learned from all this?”

If you want to create paintings that don’t look flat, with a convincing sense of depth, focus on values first.

And by the way, when artists talk about “values,” we just mean how light or dark something is. 

That’s it!

So in today’s tutorial, I’m going to walk you through exactly how I applied this idea when painting this artichoke still life. I’ll go through it step by step, and if you want to follow along, there’s a few links below to download the reference photo and my outline sketch for tracing. 

Hopefully this will show you how you can use values too, to bring more depth into your own work.

Step 1.

Begin by sketching or tracing the outline onto a sheet of watercolor paper.

Mix up a light green color and start painting the shape of the artichokes in one continuous wash – but be careful to leave some white highlights by painting around them. 

To help me with the painting process, I used a value app on my phone to quickly convert my photo into a black-and-white image – this just makes it so much easier to see the light and dark areas without getting distracted by the colors.

As you work towards the shaded side, make your green mixture a bit darker. I used the value study as a guide here. And you’ll see that once the first shape was complete, I kept working wet-in-wet –  dabbing in a bit of darker paint while the wash was still damp, to build up those deeper shadows in the leaves and stalks (this is a technique known as “charging-in”).

Next, paint the second artichoke in the same way.

Leave everything to dry before moving on. I’m not trying to define any detail with this first layer –  the result looks relatively flat, but there’s already a gentle gradient of greens that sets up the light and shadow. That’s all I need at this stage – just a foundation to build on later.

Step 2.

After the first wash of color was dry, I used a glazing technique to start adding form and shading to the leaves and stalks. (By the way, glazing just means painting a thin, transparent layer of color over a dry one – it lets the colors underneath show through, so you can gradually build up depth.)

Each leaf slightly overlaps the one below it, which creates a natural shadow at the base, (a bit like shingles on a roof).

That overlap creates lighter highlights on the tips of the leaves, where the light hits them, and darker shadows underneath, where they tuck under the ones above.

So when I’m painting, to keep it simple, I just keep this in mind:

• Lighter top edge
• Darker bottom edge

So for each leaf, you can see I’m adding a few darker brush marks along the bottom edge then roughly blending them out.

Also, I treated the head of the artichokes a bit like a sphere – thinking about where the light hits from the top left.  So I used lighter green for the leaves catching the light, and gradually deepened the color as I moved towards the shaded side of each artichoke.

It’s really just about gently adjusting your greens to match the lighting.

Step 3.

After this layer, I let the paint dry completely again.
Then I started adding darker green shapes to define the deeper shadows – in the folds between the leaves and along the stalks.

This builds up more depth, but this time I’m working with smaller, darker shapes to suggest the deepest shadows.

So far, you’ll notice the shapes I’m painting are gradually going from big to small – and that’s a pretty typical approach in watercolor.

You start by establishing the overall structure, then work your way towards the finer details.

Step 4.

By this stage, the artichokes are starting to look more three-dimensional. This illusion of depth has been built up gradually, layer by layer, working from light to dark.

But they still look like they’re floating on the white page.

So next, I added a background and some cast shadows using a wet-on-wet technique to get soft, blended edges.

To do this, I started by wetting the whole background with clear water. It’s a bit tricky to paint around the artichokes, but it’s worth the effort – the damp surface makes it easier to apply color and helps prevent streaky brush marks.

You can see how the colored pigments spread smoothly into the moist surface, creating soft transitions with no harsh lines. (I’m using a reddish-brown mix made from burnt sienna, toned down with a touch of French ultramarine.)

Then I added the cast shadows with a darker mix, using the same “charging-in” technique as earlier — dabbing color into the paper and gently pushing it around with the brush. This wet-on-wet method gives you those nice, gradual shadow shapes with soft edges.

You’ll notice how the shadows help anchor the objects — they suddenly feel like they’re sitting on a surface, rather than hovering in space.

Step 5.

In the final stage of the painting, I added a darker wash to the background (to contrast with the lighter colors in the foreground), using a mix of Burnt umber and French ultramarine.

I did this to help create a stronger sense of depth from front to back. Visually, lighter tones tend to come forward, while darker ones seem to fall away into the distance.

It’s a simple trick that’s often used in still life painting — but it works.

And that’s it

From flat shapes to something that (hopefully!) feels a bit more three-dimensional. All with a few layers of paint, a bit of patience… and maybe a few cups of tea along the way.

The post This Changed How I Paint Watercolors: Step-by-Step Tutorial to Add Depth first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

After all…  it’s just paint, brushes, and paper, right?

The surprising truth is, lots of traditional art supplies contain hidden animal-derived ingredients.

And animal products have been part of the art world for centuries.

This can make it tricky to know what’s lurking in your supplies!

These materials were used because they offered unique properties – like ox gall to improve paint flow, or animal hair brushes for high water-absorption. And until relatively recently they were hard to replicate with synthetic alternatives.

But as more and more artists move towards animal-friendly products, the demand for vegan art supplies is growing. And many brands are starting to rethink their materials.

I understand many artists’ desire to find “vegan” alternatives to watercolor supplies – I’ve had plenty of questions on the topic over the years.

And selecting the right supplies can be a bit of a maze!

But the big question is – can you switch to animal-friendly tools without sacrificing quality?

Whether you’re making the switch for ethical reasons, environmental concerns, or simply out of curiosity – this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about vegan watercolor supplies.

Vegan Watercolor Brushes: Bristles Without the Beasties!

“Can synthetic brushes truly match the performance of natural ones?”

This question pops up quite a bit, 

and the answer is a resounding…

“Maybe”

Modern synthetic brushes have come a long way, offering pretty good handling capabilities compared to their animal-hair equivalents. 

But…

To truly see how synthetic brushes measure up, I compared their water-holding capacity using a simple demonstration.

I tested two similarly sized brush heads  –  one made of Kolinsky sable, the other synthetic “sable” fibers:

The demo below represents continuous brush strokes of a fully loaded brush. In my tests, the water-holding capabilities of natural hair still surpassed the ability of synthetic fibers.

However, in other respects – such as stiffness, elasticity, and the ability to keep a fine point  – synthetic brushes cope very well indeed

The gap between synthetic and natural brushes is definitely narrowing, making synthetic options a great choice for vegan artists.

And in all honesty – if you’ve never used natural hair brushes, you won’t have a point of comparison to notice the difference. You’ll adapt perfectly well to using synthetics.  

Many well-known artists do!

The Evolution of Synthetic Brushes

Synthetic watercolor brushes have come a long way since they first appeared in the 1970s. Early versions were made from stiff nylon fibers –  better suited to oil painting than delicate watercolor work! 

The big breakthrough came when manufacturers found a way to taper polyester fibers to a fine point, and make them softer and more absorbent.

Companies like Princeton and Rosemary & Co. now offer synthetic ranges like the Aqua Elite and Red Dot Collection. I have both, and consider them great for quality and affordability.

So today’s synthetic brushes do a good job to mimic natural hair – and they’re getting better all the time.

My Top Vegan-Friendly Brush Recommendations

• Princeton Aqua Elite range: an excellent and affordable synthetic option.
• Rosemary & Co Red Dot Collection: This range offers synthetic fibers that replicate sable hair, providing all the qualities of natural hair but in a 100% synthetic form.
• Escoda Versatil brushes are another good example, said to mimic kolinsky sable. 
• Escoda Perla signature series selected by Joseph Zbukvic (Amazon link). These are typically stiffer and provide more control for detailed work, but they don’t hold as much water.
• Princeton Neptune Series are synthetic squirrel and amazing – these are very soft and best used for big washes of color.

Vegan Watercolor Paper: 100% Critter-Free

Next… “Is watercolor paper really made with animal products?” 

Surprisingly… Yes. 

Many traditional watercolor papers are sized with gelatin, which is an animal-derived product. 

“Sizing” is the substance that modifies the absorbent qualities of the paper. And it’s very important to get paper with a well-balanced sizing – this makes the handling properties of the paper much more user-friendly. 

Choosing the right paper is arguably the most important decision when it comes to your watercolor supplies. High-quality paper can dramatically affect how your paint behaves and how enjoyable the whole painting process feels.

Several manufacturers now offer vegan-friendly options.

Vegan-Friendly Watercolor Paper Options

• Hahnemuhle Collection: All their papers are sized without gelatin, making them entirely vegan-friendly. Their Collection papers seem to be particularly popular among artists.
• Meeden watercolor paper: Surprisingly, another vegan option – and a solution for learning on cotton paper without paying the premium price. I’ve been using this a lot recently and I find the dispersion of pigments with wet-on-wet is pretty good! (Amazon link)
• Fabriano Artistico: 100% cotton, mould-made paper and vegan-friendly sizing! I quite like the texture compared to my usual watercolor papers. I like the “extra white” version of this paper. The texture is similar to Arches…

Here’s a few more examples that I researched. These are not papers that I’ve tried myself  (let me know in the comments if you use them!)

• Canson
• Strathmore
• Legion

In my experience, all watercolor papers behave slightly differently, and this is down to the materials (cotton or wood-pulp) and the sizing. Vegan papers use synthetic, or sometimes plant-based alternatives to gelatin. So keep in mind, the absence of gelatin may result in variations in absorbency and surface properties. But it’s mostly a question of getting used to the handling characteristics of your choices

Vegan Watercolor Paints: More Pigment, No Piggies!

I’m happy to say, the paints of my favorite watercolor brand Daniel Smith are all vegan

Well… Almost all of them!

There are a few Daniel Smith paints that aren’t vegan friendly:

• Ivory Black. Also sometimes known as “bone black”, it contains the pigment PBk9, which is derived from charred animal bones.  
• Sepia, Joseph Z’s Neutral Grey & Payne’s Gray (because they all contain PBK9) 

It’s not just pigments you need to watch out for though… Some brands such as Sennelier and M. Graham both use honey in their formulas to make their paints smoother and help them stay moist for longer. So strictly speaking – not vegan

Please note that the watercolor brands mentioned are all high quality paints, and this is not a criticism of their quality. However, from a strict vegan perspective, they do contain animal-derived ingredients like honey and ox gall.

So while pigments themselves are typically mineral or synthetic, some paints contain animal-derived ingredients – it’s always worth checking the labels!

Navigating Vegan Watercolor Paints

• Daniel Smith extra fine watercolor: Most of their colors are vegan, with exceptions that contain Ivory Black (PBk9).
• Winsor & Newton Cotman Series: This student-grade line is mostly vegan-friendly, except Ivory black and Silver which both contain PBk9. For some reason Viridian Hue and Raw Umber are also stated as non-vegan.
• Rembrandt Artists’ Watercolor : According to feedback from the manufacturer, Royal Talens, these are vegan-friendly and cruelty-free (with the exception of Ivory black, color #701)
• Holbein: This Japanese brand of professional-grade watercolors are vegan, but again, Ivory black uses PBk9.

Other vegan brands I researched include QoR, Da Vinci, and Schmincke…

Conclusion: Crafting Your Vegan Watercolor Toolkit

So, does choosing animal-friendly watercolor supplies mean compromising on quality?

The answer is — not necessarily!

Synthetic brushes have come a long way, offering pretty  impressive performance – especially if you’ve never used natural hair brushes before. Vegan-friendly papers can rival traditional options, while many top watercolor paint brands are already free from animal-derived ingredients.

Have you tried any of the vegan watercolor supplies mentioned? I’d love to hear your thoughts or questions in the comments!

Happy painting!

The post Vegan Watercolor Supplies Made Simple! (Brushes, Paper, and Paints) first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

In this lesson, I’ll show you step by step how I painted this cute robin. If you’d like to try this for yourself, you can download a free sketch outline and reference photo – just check the link below.

The truth is I wasn’t entirely sure how this painting would turn out when I started. I had a rough idea of my approach, but watercolor is unpredictable, and it’s all about working with its quirks. In the process, I used three specific techniques to build layers of texture and add depth, and one very useful method to create the illusion of feathers – something that is often tricky when painting birds! 

If painting delicate textures in like feathers has ever felt intimidating to you, you’re not alone!

In this lesson let me show you how I did it, to give you some guidelines for your next bird painting!

Watercolor Robin – Getting Started

Ok… so to get started trace the outline of the robin onto a sheet of watercolor paper… I’m using cold-press cotton paper for this exercise… Then fix the sheet onto a flat board with masking tape. (I use a light box like this one on Amazon for tracing)

Before I started the painting I used some masking fluid to cover some of the small highlights in the eye and on the wing…

Wet-on-wet Underpainting

The first step is to wet the body of the bird with some clear water – I’m going to be using a wet-on-wet technique to establish a foundation of color, but I avoided wetting the red feathers on the bird’s breast to prevent any color from bleeding into that area.

The colors I used were Burnt sienna, mixed with some Hansa yellow deep, and a little Burnt umber. For the underside of the bird and the areas where the form is in shadow I dabbed in some French ultramarine. 

I often use a wet-on-wet technique like this to establish the “underpainting” of a subject – it’s a bit like laying down the foundation, creating a smooth base with soft blends of color before adding the following layers.

I adjusted the pigments on the surface, pushing them around with a clean damp brush – there was too much color on the front of the robin so I needed to remove some paint and smooth out the blending.

While the surface is still wet I continue to charge in some darker spots of brown – all the time I’m looking at the reference image to gauge where the light and dark colors should go.

I took advantage to add some color to the beak and smooth out the transition with the body before letting everything dry. 

Next I apply the same wet-on-wet technique to add the robin’s red breast. I only dampened the front of the bird so the color doesn’t spread too far. 

Here I’m using Hansa yellow deep and Pyrrol scarlet to paint the bright orange feathers on the breast. These are both warm pigments so mixing them together creates a wonderfully bright vivid orange color. I started with yellow, then an orange mixture, and finally dabbed in some pure red paint – this gives a nice variation of color across the surface rather than simply painting everything orange!

A couple of areas needed lightening up – on the front of the bird and around the eye. You can do this with a clean blotted brush to soak up damp paint off the paper – this is known as a “lifting” technique. 

I let the orange paint dry completely before adding some detail to the eye…

Next, I wanted to create feather-like textures on the robin’s body. To achieve this, I used a dry brush, pressing it into a cloth to splay the bristles. This spreads them out into smaller, random strands.

With only a small amount of paint on the brush, I gently touched the paper using light brush strokes. This technique creates a textured, broken pattern that mimics the soft appearance of feathers. And by varying the direction of the brush marks, this effect suggests the fluffiness of the robin’s feathers.

Although this particular brush technique is known as “dry brushing”, we’re essentially adding another layer of paint over the foundation color – which in watercolors is known as “glazing”.

And both of these techniques fall under the category of “wet-on-dry” – in other words where wet paint is applied to dry paper. This technique gives you more control and precision over your brush marks or for adding details.

So to sum up, during this painting you’ll see me alternating between these three specific techniques:

• Wet-on-wet
• Wet-on-dry
• Dry brushing

This lets me build up the colors and the darkness of the values little by little, as I try to create a more three-dimensional appearance.

And this is how I slowly progress the painting with several layers of color … you can watch the rest of the painting process and the techniques I used to get to the finished result on my YouTube channel or in the video here:

Happy painting

The post Painting a Robin in Watercolor (3 Techniques!) first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

A lot of beginners get caught up in things that just don’t matter. For example, they obsess over the ‘perfect’ supplies or dive into complicated paintings before learning how to break subjects down into simple shapes. 

Knowing what I know today, there are a few things I’d approach differently, things that would make a real difference in getting faster results. 

So in today’s lesson, I’m going to walk you through exactly what I would do if I were starting watercolor from scratch, with everything I’ve learned along the way. 

By focusing on just a few basics, you’ll see real improvement sooner than you’d think.

So…

Tip 1. Supplies – Keep it Simple

In the beginning, I’d keep my supplies as simple as possible!

You only need a couple of “versatile” brushes, a small but well-chosen palette of colors, and some decent paper. 

I believe the key is quality over quantity!

Quality matters more than quantity at this stage, since quality supplies make watercolors easier to handle and therefore simplify the learning process. But also, keeping things minimal prevents overspending!

Here’s what I think you need to begin with and why:

Brushes.

The best brushes to get started would be a large and a small round brush. 

Earlier I said you want “versatile” brushes, and a large round brush is probably the best all-round type of brush you can get. You can apply a large range of brush strokes with a round brush, from detailed marks to broad washes. 

A large round, which for me means about 1 inch long, is what I use most of the time. 

The second most used brush would be a small round. This is extremely useful for more intricate details.

And it doesn’t really matter in the beginning if you choose a synthetic or natural haired brush!

Natural hair, like sable for example, has better water-holding properties. But brush manufacturers have made a lot of progress with synthetic watercolor brushes. 

If your budget can extend to natural hair then that’s great! Otherwise, stick to synthetic to start.

A few recommendations:

• Rosemary & Co Red Dot Pointed round size 10
• Princeton Aqua Elite Round size 10
• Rosemary & Co Red Dot Pointed round size 4 
• Princeton Aqua Elite Round size 4 

Paper

Paper is the foundation and the source of light for your watercolor paintings. Which is why quality also matters.

But watercolor paper can be quite expensive!

The best type of watercolor paper is made from 100% cotton. This is generally known as “professional” grade paper, whereas “student” grade is often made using less durable wood pulp. 

Cheap, student-grade paper can be useful for watercolor sketches, but it doesn’t absorb or disperse water evenly, which can lead to streaky washes, or unwanted blooms!

Luckily there are a few less expensive cotton papers that have good handling properties. 

For example the brands Arteza and Meeden make cotton papers that are more affordable, and still provide good watercolor handling.

• Link to Arteza paper on Amazon
• Link to Meeden paper on Amazon

Once you find a brand and type of paper you like, try sticking with it for a while. Getting used to how one type of paper handles makes a big difference, so you’re not constantly adjusting to new textures or absorption rates – otherwise, it just takes longer to get the hang of things

Paints

Just like other supplies, paints come in both professional and student grades.

Student grade paints are cheaper because they use less pigment – in other words they have a lower pigment load. Or sometimes they use inexpensive alternatives to more costly pigments.

As a result, the colors may appear less vibrant and intense, which can lead to disappointing results in your paintings.

For this reason I usually recommend starting with a small collection of “artist” grade paints…

Tip 2. Choosing a Limited Palette (5-6 Colors)

The goal of a limited palette is to choose a set of colors that give you a broad range of mixing possibilities. You want to spend less, but still be able to mix a full range of colors.

The basis for any useful color palette includes the primary colors, red, yellow and blue.

But three primary colors alone often fails in creating a full range of hues and vibrant color mixtures. This is because each primary color has a color bias – in other words it  “leans,” towards either a warmer or cooler hue. 

So instead you can opt for a mixture of primary and secondary colors – or use a split-primary palette which includes warm and cool versions of each primary.  

Here’s what these might look like:

Primary & Secondary Mix:

• Hansa Yellow Medium – PY97
• Phthalo green (yellow shade) – PG36
• Phthalo blue (green shade) – PG15:3
• Ultramarine Violet – Pigment number: PV15
• Pyrrol scarlet – PR255

Split Primary:

• Quinacridone rose – Pigment number: PV19
• Pyrrol scarlet – Pigment number: PR255
• Hansa Yellow Deep – Pigment number: PY65
• Lemon yellow – Pigment number: PY175
• French ultramarine – Pigment number: PB29
• Phthalo Blue Green Shade – Pigment number: PB15:3

If you struggle with color mixing and want to be able to mix colors with ease – try my “Color Mixing in Seconds” course !

A few well-chosen colors can yield a surprising range of mixes, and the smaller choice of paints helps you understand color interactions quicker.

Tip 3. Experiment and Explore

Your very first steps should involve plenty of experimenting!

For example, spend time mixing colors – or let pigments flow together on the paper and see how they interact with different amounts of water. 

You could try simple exercises like layering shapes (using a glazing technique) to explore how the transparency of watercolors works, and how layering affects the final appearance.

One of the best exercises for testing out your new paints is a color wheel or a color chart. These charts help you see how your paints blend and reveal the full range of colors you can achieve. They’re a great way to understand the characteristics of each color and how they interact. And they’re fun!

If you’d like to learn how to make these, here’s a link to a tutorial.

Tip 4. Understanding Values Early On

Values (or the lightness and darkness of colors ) are even more important than colors themselves in a painting. Understanding “values” early on helps bring depth and realism to your work. 

A lot of the students I’ve helped in the past told me things like:

“My paintings always look so flat”. 

 Or “My paintings lack life and I have difficulty getting a three-dimensional look”.

If I could go back to the beginning, learning to create depth with tonal values would be one of the first things I’d do! Values help us convey light, shade, and shadow, which gives subjects a three-dimensional feel. 

But visualizing values in a complex scene can be very tricky! 

To make this easier, try using a simple value finder or a phone app to convert photos into value studies. 

Here are some links to a few tools and additional articles if you want to explore this further…

• ChromaMagic
• See Value app
• Guide to making & using a value scale

Tip 5. Start with Small, Manageable Projects

At first, you should avoid the temptation of jumping straight into complex subjects.

Instead, focus on small, achievable paintings that build confidence and skills little by little. 

This approach is something known as “purposeful practice”, and studies have shown this is one of the fastest ways to improve any skill.

This is the method I use in my Watercolor Masterclass, and it allows my students to focus on one element at a time and see progress quicker.

For example, if you want to work on layering and glazing, start with simple shapes and practice applying thin, transparent layers on top of each other. Observe how colors shift and darken with each added layer. Then, apply this technique to a single painting, such as a still life or floral painting, concentrating on layering to build that skill even further.

Tip 6. Embrace Mistakes and Learn from Them

Watercolor has a mind of its own, and unexpected effects and blends of color are part of its beauty!

So embrace these ‘happy accidents’ as learning experiences, and try not to see them as failures. It’s normal for your first attempts to fall short of your expectations.

The trick is to observe the conditions under which certain effects occur: 

• Was the paper almost dry when you added the color? 
• Did you use a lot of water, or just a small amount? 
• Was the brush loaded with strong pigment, or was it a mix of light, watery paint? 

Noticing these details helps you understand how to recreate (or avoid) specific effects, and you’ll gain more control over your watercolors with time…

Tip 7. Commit to Regular Practice for Consistency

I know you’ve heard it before, but consistency really is the key to faster progress. 

Paint as often as you can, without leaving too many big gaps between painting sessions!

To make this easier, put your painting practice in your daily schedule. Aiming for 15-20 minutes a day is often better than a single long session every couple of weeks. Or if you don’t know what to paint, consider using a structured program that guides you step-by-step.

Small, regular practice sessions build muscle memory and familiarity with techniques, materials, and colors, speeding up your overall progress.

Tip 8. Master Water Control Early On

Water control is one of the first big challenges a beginner faces. 

A lot of people think it’s just about how damp or dry the paper is… 

But it also comes down to how much water is on your brush, and how much water is in your paint mixtures too!

For example, a wet brush loaded with watery paint applied to an almost dry paper can cause a flood of pigment, sometimes causing watermarks like blooms. Whereas a thicker mixture of paint applied to a moist wash will disperse evenly onto the surface.

These differences can be quite subtle, so again the key is observation! 

Watching how the wet paper interacts with different water-to-paint ratios helps you understand how to control the flow of watercolors. 

So in the beginning, try playing around with different moisture levels, on your paper, brush, and in your paint mixtures… then observe the results, and make notes of the resulting effects.

Tip 9. Be Patient and Enjoy the Process

When you start learning watercolors it’s normal to feel a bit lost at first. Painting should bring you joy, not stress. So celebrate small victories, stay patient, and enjoy each brushstroke as part of your artistic journey. 

Positivity is a big help towards better results

I know that sometimes perfectionism is a common hurdle for beginners. So if perfectionism is something you’re battling with, go and watch this video next, where I’ll share 7 practical tips to help you overcome it and let go of the fear of making mistakes.

The post If I Was Starting Watercolor from Scratch – I’d Do This… first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

Well, I’ve got news for you… what’s actually missing might surprise you…

In this lesson, I’m going to share 5 powerful tips to help you get past the idea that talent is what makes or breaks an artist. And by the end, you’ll see how talent doesn’t dictate how good you are at painting or drawing, and how a few simple, proven tips and techniques can help you make real progress. 

Like many of you, I used to worry I didn’t have enough “talent” to become a good artist. 

And after speaking with hundreds of my students I found that many of you experience similar frustrations and doubts. Some of you felt you weren’t “talented enough” or lacked “natural skill”. Others said they struggled with confidence, or hesitated to even pick up a brush. 

But here’s a comforting thought: you’re not alone:

“Every single artist I know has gone through similar challenges”.

You’ve probably heard people say, “You’re either born with artistic talent, or you’re not.”

Well, what if I told you that the idea of “talent” is actually a myth that’s just holding you back? 

In fact, I believe that true artistic growth has very little to do with being “born with talent” and much more to do with what we choose to do.

Why people become talented

Scientific research says that the beliefs we hold about ourselves and our abilities are largely shaped in the first seven years of our lives – known as the “formative” years of our childhood.

And these beliefs, especially ones rooted in strong emotions, can feel like truths. 

For example, imagine as a kid, maybe you loved to draw. If a teacher, parent, or some inspirational person in your life complimented your work, that praise might make you believe you’re naturally good at art. But if you had a bad experience – like someone criticized your drawing or you felt embarrassed – you might come away thinking, “I’m just not cut out for this.”

A strong positive or negative experience early in life shapes who we believe we are and what we can and can’t achieve.

But here’s the good news: what you were led to believe can also be changed!

That means you can do something about it

Debunking the Myth of ‘Talent’

The dictionary definition of “talent” is “a natural aptitude or skill”!

But think about it – when you see an artist creating amazing work, you’re only seeing the end result. You don’t see the hours, days, or years of practice behind it. The truth is, “talent” is just a label we give to someone who has put in the work…despite any innate ability they may have!  People see the results and say they’re naturally talented – but people don’t see the hours of work that went into achieving that level of skill.

Let me give you an example…

When I was in school, there was a kid named Paul who seemed to be good at everything. He was good at every subject, and his drawings were incredible – so much better than mine. I used to look at his work and think, “I’ll never be able to do that.”

What I didn’t understand back then was how much time Paul had spent drawing. He wasn’t just naturally good at it – he enjoyed it! And he’d put in countless hours. His skills weren’t because he was ‘born with talent’. He believed in himself because someone early on encouraged him. 

That belief kept him going.

So, “talent” really boils down to belief and practice. And once you believe in yourself, practice is a much bigger part of the equation!

In fact, with the right mindset and a bit of effort, you can start making real progress much quicker than you think. 

The key here is to shift the way you think about “natural talent” and choose to believe that talent isn’t only something you’re born with – it’s something you can develop

But how do you learn to paint or draw without relying on “talent”? 

You need consistent practice and a positive mindset. Here are five effective strategies to help you push past any doubts about talent and build your artistic skills.

Tip no.1: A Simple Tool to Calm Your Mind Before You Create

First of all, stress can be one of the biggest barriers to making real progress when it comes to learning new skills like painting or drawing.

This is because when you’re stressed, your brain shifts into a state of heightened alertness. Under stress, the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for higher-level thinking and problem-solving, becomes less active. Instead, your brain is busy focusing on immediate threats!

Throughout the day you probably experience an accumulation of small stresses – like losing your keys or being late for an appointment…

In this state you don’t have enough mental bandwidth for positive thoughts and tasks like creativity or learning to paint.

One of the best tools to calm your brain and regain focus, is something called the “Physiological Sigh.” This is a simple technique backed by science – here’s how this works: 

1. Start by inhaling deeply through your nose for about 4 seconds.
2. Then, take a second, shorter inhale, filling your lungs a bit more.
3. Finally, exhale slowly through your mouth for about 8 seconds.

Repeat this 3 or 4 times whenever you sit down to paint or draw…by doing this you can reset your nervous system and get into the right mindset for learning to paint.

Tip No.2: Build a Routine and Stick to It (Task Bracketing) 

Regular practice, even for short periods of time, helps reinforce skills and increase your comfort with painting or drawing… But consistency is the key!

Set a manageable routine, such as 10-30 minutes a day, and commit to it. But to help you stick to this you can try using something called “Task bracketing”.

What it is: Task bracketing is about setting a routine that makes painting part of your day, no matter what! It’s about making it a “non-negotiable” habit by linking it to something you already do. 

This works because when you build a habit that’s tied to specific times or actions, it becomes easier to stick to, and your brain starts to expect the reward.

For example, you could say, “After my morning coffee, I’ll spend 30 minutes practicing painting.” By making it part of your daily flow, it becomes something your brain expects, and you’ll be less likely to skip it.

After your session, reward yourself, even if you don’t feel like you made huge progress. 

Just showing up and painting, no matter how it goes, is a win. 

Studies show that celebrating small wins can help reinforce habits and keep you motivated to keep going

So keep going !

Tip No.3: Break It Down and Practice Purposefully

When learning to paint or draw, focusing on everything at once can be overwhelming. Instead, breaking things down into small, manageable skills can make learning easier and more achievable.

Here’s why it works: When you practice in focused, bite-sized pieces, your brain can better absorb and master each individual skill. Over time, these skills start to come together naturally, building up your confidence and ability.

This approach is called “purposeful practice” –  it’s about focusing on specific techniques rather than aiming for a perfect painting. 

To get started with purposeful practice, try choosing one small skill to focus on in each session. 

For example, you might choose to practice brush strokes, or mixing colors, or maybe creating smooth gradients and watercolor washes… 

By focusing on just one technique at a time, you’ll build a stronger foundation and see real improvement.

4. Use “Delayed Self-Critique” to Build Objectivity

Delayed Self-Critique involves setting aside your completed artwork for a few days before critiquing it.

When you finish a painting, it’s tempting to start criticizing the things you don’t like. But giving yourself some distance first can make a world of difference! 

Here’s why: right after finishing a piece, you’re often too close to it to see it objectively, which can make constructive critique harder. And often discouraging!

Instead, put your work aside for a few days. When you return to it with fresh eyes, it’s much easier to spot what went well and what you’d like to improve next time. 

This simple practice helps you build a more balanced view of your skills and keeps your critique constructive, helping you make progress!

Tip No. 5: Find Your Motivation 

What it is: Motivation is the fuel that keeps you going. It’s about knowing why you’re painting – whether it’s for self-expression, or simply the joy of creating. When you’re connected to your “why,” it makes it easier to keep going, even on days when things aren’t going well.

Studies show that when we connect an activity to something personally meaningful, it triggers positive emotions and boosts our drive. This connection makes the whole process feel more rewarding, which keeps you engaged and motivated over time. 

So, before you pick up your brush, take a moment to think about what painting brings you – whether it’s a sense of relaxation, satisfaction, or the challenge of learning something new. 

Then hold on to that! 

Using your “why” makes the process something you look forward to rather than something you “have to” do.

When you’re motivated, progress comes naturally.

Developing a talent requires failure

Remember, if you don’t fail, you’re not even trying. Each brushstroke, each challenge is a step toward the artist you’re becoming. You don’t need to rely on “natural talent”. Instead, keep pushing ahead – keep moving towards your goals, no matter how many attempts it takes.

So next time you pick up your brush, don’t worry about whether you’re “talented” enough. Just focus on painting, learning, and embracing every moment as part of your journey. 

Happy painting everybody!

The post Is Art a Talent or a Skill? (How to Make Real Progress!) first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

And those little ghosts that chased you all around the board…?

Well… that was the inspiration for the first watercolor bookmark painting in this fun little painting series

I had a lot of fun painting these, I think you will too!

I’ll be releasing these, one at a time, over the next few days as soon as I get them ready…

They only take a few minutes each! Here’s part 1:

Halloween Bookmark Idea No.1

You can paint this watercolor Halloween bookmark in just three easy steps!

Start by cutting out a strip of watercolor paper for your bookmark – the one I’m using here is about 6 inches high by 2 ½ inches wide.

Step 1.

Trace the ghost pattern on the paper. For this you can download the free outline template below – or just sketch something similar, filling up the sheet with a bunch of little ghost shapes.

Next, tape down the bookmark onto a flat board using low-tack masking tape. The tape will protect the edges of the paper and leave a nice white frame around the painting. Make sure the tape is well stuck down so that the paint doesn’t bleed underneath the edges while you paint.

Choose which ghost shapes you want to leave completely white, and which ones will be darker.

You can mark each shape with a pencil to remember which ones to keep white, so you don’t accidentally paint over them.

Step 2.

Mix up a fairly transparent wash of paint and start painting around the first ghost shapes. I’m using a small brush for this because the details are quite delicate, and it helps me stay within the lines. Just take your time and slowly work your way around each ghost, letting the paint flow smoothly.

To get a nice even wash of color the trick is to pick up plenty of paint with your brush, and keep picking up more paint so the paper surface doesn’t have time to dry. Working with a wet surface like this helps you avoid streaky brush marks. Just keep your brush loaded and pull the paint across the paper, letting the wet paint blend smoothly.

As you paint around the ghost shapes, don’t forget to go back and paint the other side before the paint has time to dry. 

When you finish the background, go back and fill in the eyes for each of the little white ghosts

Leave the paint to dry completely before the next step (if you get impatient, just use a hairdryer to speed things up!)

Step 3.

Using another transparent mix of watercolor, paint the background with a second layer of color – only this time you need to paint around the second set of little ghosts as well as the first set of white ghost shapes!

Building up the layers of paint like this in watercolor makes them darker with each new layer – and painting layers onto a dry surface like this is a technique known as “glazing”.

When you’ve finished the background, go back and fill in the eyes on the second set of ghosts – but ALSO, don’t forget to add another layer of color to the eyes on the first set of white ghosts, so they have the same “darkness” as the background color…

Leave the paint to dry completely before carefully removing the masking tape around the edge

And there you go!

A Halloween watercolor bookmark filled with cute little ghosts!

Halloween Bookmark Idea No.2

This next watercolor bookmark uses an easy wet-on-wet blending technique.

Again, I started with a strip of watercolor paper about 6 inches high by 2 ½ inches wide.

Step 1.

Trace the pumpkin pattern onto the paper. For this you can download a free outline template below – or sketch something similar, filling up the sheet with a bunch of little pumpkin shapes that overlap.

Next, tape down the bookmark onto a flat board using low-tack masking tape, using the tape to protect the edges and leave a nice white frame around the painting. Don’t forget to make sure the tape is well stuck down so that the paint doesn’t bleed underneath the edges while you paint.

Step 2.

Mix up three colors in your palette – a yellow, a red and an orange. I used a warm yellow and a warm red paint to get the brightest possible orange mixtures when the colors blend.

Begin painting the pumpkin shapes, altering the paint color on your brush as you progress. Constantly changing the colors on your paint brush like this and painting while the previous shapes are still wet will create beautiful smooth blends of color. 

By painting wet into wet like this, the pigments merge together creating nice transitions of color – and if you use a warm yellow and warm red you’ll get rich, vibrant oranges that don’t lose any saturation. 

The key is to keep the colors flowing into each other while they’re still wet, so pick up plenty of paint with your brush and apply nice wet brush strokes.

Work down the page, and as you paint each pumpkin shape let them overlap so that the colors seep into the adjacent shapes. The colors blend naturally. Let the wet paint bleed into the neighboring areas, forming soft transitions.

From time to time you can also leave a small white highlight by painting around a small area, allowing the white of the paper to show through. These highlights can add a touch of “sparkle” and give your pumpkins a more lively and interesting appearance. 

Keep painting, moving quickly while the surface is still wet.

Step 3.

Mix your yellow with a bit of blue paint to make a puddle of green, then start adding small stalks to the little pumpkin shapes… If the surface is still wet then that’s fine… just let the colors merge together!

Leave the paint to dry completely before carefully removing the masking tape around the edge

Voila!

A Halloween watercolor bookmark filled with cute little pumpkins!

Halloween Bookmark Idea No.3

You can paint this spooky Halloween watercolor bookmark in 5 quick steps! 

This graveyard scene was painted using a simple layering technique, building transparent layers of watercolor one on top of the other…

Getting Started.

Trace the sketch outline onto the paper. You can download a free outline template below – or just sketch something similar, with 5 layers of tombstones getting smaller and smaller into the distance.

Next, tape down the bookmark onto a flat board using low-tack masking tape. The tape will protect the edges of the paper and leave a nice white frame around the painting. Make sure the tape is well stuck down so that the paint doesn’t bleed underneath the edges while you paint.

Step 1.

Paint the first layer using a light gray, transparent mixture of paint. You want the layers to become progressively darker with more and more pigment and less and less water – so this painting is also a great way to practice your water to paint ratios in watercolor!

Use lots of water to dilute this first layer of paint – you may be surprised how much water you need to mix in to get a very light gray appearance.

Paint a smooth even wash, keeping the paint moving quickly while the surface is still wet.

Then leave the paint to dry completely before moving on…

Step 2.

Add some more pigment to your puddle of paint to make a slighter darker mix. Then, begin painting the next row of tombstones below.

You want the mixtures of gray paint to go from very light to very dark in just 5 steps – so try to judge your water to paint ratio based on this objective. 

This layer should be somewhere between mid-gray and very light gray.

Try using a scrap of paper to judge the strength of your paint mix…

Leave the paint to dry fully before starting the next layer. If the surface is even slightly damp, the next layer may cause unwanted blooms or watermarks.

Step 3.

Mix up a mid gray puddle of paint and paint the next row down. 

This layer should be noticeably different to create a clear step in darkness.

You guessed it! … Now leave the paint to dry again.

Step 4.

This time the mix of paint should be between mid gray and dark gray…

You can also begin to see how the different shades of gray create a sense of depth as if each layer of tombstones fades into the distance.

Step 5.

Mix up your final puddle of paint, adding lots more pigment, but make sure your paint is still liquid and watery enough to spread evenly on the paper.

Leave the paint to dry completely before carefully removing the masking tape around the edge

And there you go!

A fun-to-paint Halloween watercolor bookmark of a spooky looking graveyard!

Happy Halloween!

The post Halloween Watercolor Bookmarks! first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

Sound familiar?

Well… I’ve got news for you… you’re probably a bit of a perfectionist

I’m going to share 7 tips and personal observations to help you break free from perfectionism. The good news is by the end of this, you should be able to enjoy your art again and finally let go of those unrealistic expectations holding you back.

Ok, yes… I admit it!

I’m still a perfectionist!

I think this goes hand-in-hand with my introverted nature. I like to concentrate on details – get into the nitty gritty of a subject.

I also think in some ways this makes me better at certain things  

But perfectionism in art isn’t necessarily a good thing. At best it’s very time-consuming… and at worst it stops you from doing anything at all!

Over the years I’ve learnt to be less of a perfectionist with my watercolor paintings, and art projects, and to concentrate less on the details (either that or my eyesight has got so bad I can’t even see the details anymore – I guess age does have some advantages!)

So…

Does any of this sound familiar?

Many of my students who come to me for help have told me things like this:

“I’m struggling with my inner critic due to being an extreme perfectionist”

Or:

“I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so I struggle when things don’t turn out as perfectly as I imagined in my watercolor paintings.”

Or even:

“My art isn’t improving because I can’t let go of perfection…”

This makes me sad.

Because it means people are missing out on the sheer joy of painting or drawing… So today I thought I’d share my ideas and personal insights about how I overcame being such a fusspot in my artwork

1. Suggestion is Better than Accuracy 

I think one of the first things that helped me free myself from perfectionism in art is the realization that my artwork looks better when things are “suggested” rather than painted with “absolute accuracy”. You’ll be surprised how the human eye fills in the details!

I think… Yes, the power of suggestion can make artwork so much more interesting. It’s like when you paint soft edges and only “suggest” the shape of an object and leave room for the viewer’s imagination to fill in the rest.

Watercolor, by its nature, is a fluid medium – it flows, blends, and surprises you! Trying to control every detail with watercolor can feel like trying to hold water in your hands. 

Instead, I’ve learned to embrace its unpredictability. Sometimes, leaving things unsaid in your painting, and letting the viewer’s imagination fill in the gaps, can have a far more powerful effect than hyper-detailed nit-picking precision. 

In my early artwork, I would spend HOURS drawing every tiny detail before even starting the painting. Now, I find pleasure in suggesting things and letting the paint do the rest

Although… maybe it’s just my glasses acting up again – did I mention that earlier?

2. A Preference for Loose Painting:

Letting go of the details led me to a personal preference for a more loose painting style. It’s possible to portray a subject with just a few simple strokes.

I no longer feel compelled to capture every little thing. I prefer to concentrate on a few well-placed brush strokes of color to try to make my artwork more convincing.

I think looser painting brings a sense of freedom and spontaneity, which, if you think about it, is especially important with watercolor, where the beauty lies in its transparency and the flowing movement of pigments on the paper.

So instead of aiming for perfection, try this: use a bigger brush than you think you need!

This naturally forces you to paint broader brush strokes and focus on the overall shapes rather than getting caught up in tiny details. You could also try limiting your palette to just a few colors to keep things simple – not only will this improve the color harmony of your painting, it also avoids over-thinking your color mixing!

And let the water do some of the work for you. Allow the colors to blend and flow on the paper. That unpredictability is part of the magic. 

3. Impatience:

Let me ask you this… Do you really want to spend days painting a single watercolor only to get bored with the process and never actually finish the artwork? 

I used to, but not anymore

These days I like my paintings to progress pretty quickly. Like… I want to see a finished result in one painting session! 

So yes… I’ll admit it – I’m impatient! 

A lot of the time impatience is seen as a negative… but it can sometimes lead to positive outcomes.

This impatience is also why I trace a quick outline for my subjects instead of spending forever drawing them by hand. And let me tell you—tracing is NOT cheating! There’s so much more that goes into making a good painting, so don’t ever think tracing means you’re not being creative. It just saves you time for the fun part .

I also find watercolor lends itself to this quicker painting approach. It dries fast. And if you’re impatient like me, you can even use a hairdryer to speed things up!

I guess this desire for quick results helps me fight perfectionism, because it forces me to accept the unpredictability of watercolor. Things don’t always turn out how I planned, and that’s totally okay!

4. Perfectionism vs Being Gentle with Yourself:

It’s no fun being hard on yourself! 

I used to be extremely critical of a painting that didn’t turn out the way I had imagined. 

Actually, paintings rarely turn out the way I imagine!

But I realized that this constant self-criticism was holding me back. 

Sure… things could always be better. But if, when you look at a finished painting you think to yourself “I could have done that better” or “that was a mistake” then that’s great! Because that’s how you make progress. Someone once said to improve at anything you have to “double your rate of failure”. Each little mistake leads to learning and progress.

So now, I remind myself that mistakes are part of the learning process. Watercolor can be unpredictable, and rather than beating myself up for it, I try to approach each painting session with kindness. 

So give yourself permission to make “mistakes”.

Or you can just carry on being a grumpy critic – the choice is yours

So for example you could try this: If progress is something you’re striving for, try painting the same subject several times. After each painting, take a step back and think about what you’d do differently. Then paint it again, keeping those observations in mind. It might just be changing the colors, softening an edge, or making your watercolor mixes more transparent.

5. The Blank page Paradox

Are you the kind of person who loves the idea of a brand-new sketchbook or expensive, fancy watercolor paper, but when it’s time to actually start painting or drawing, you feel stuck? 

The fear of messing up that perfect blank page stops you in your tracks. 

Sound familiar? 

This is a classic perfectionist artist dilemma – you’re so worried about ruining the paper that you don’t even begin. So, what happens? You end up with a pile of untouched sketchbooks that feel too precious to use. 

I’ve known artists that have stared at their watercolor palettes for years (yes years) for fear of starting a new painting!

The key to getting past this is just letting go of the idea that everything has to be perfect. Give yourself permission to fill those pages, even if things don’t go exactly as planned.

Here are a few things you can try—start by using separate sheets of paper. For example, use cheap watercolor paper for practice, or cut your good-quality sheets into smaller pieces and work on little projects. It takes the pressure off! 

And don’t feel like you need a ton of colors to get started. Stick with just three primary colors to mix from – you’d be surprised how far you can get with just a simple color triad.

(As an aside – here is the gamut of warm vs cool primaries – suggest cool primaries because more even rage of mixing possibilities – for example a better range of bright greens)

6. Remember to Embrace “Happy Accidents”

This one is more related to watercolor paints, but I guess it sometimes applies to other mediums…

One of the most beautiful things about watercolor is the unexpected way it behaves on the paper.

Colors combine together, creating interesting blends that you couldn’t possibly have planned. These “happy accidents” are something I’ve come to appreciate. When I let go of the need for control and embrace the surprises, my paintings come to life in ways I didn’t anticipate. 

This can be a big one for beating perfectionism—acknowledging that not everything needs to be controlled, and in fact, some of the best parts of your art often happen by chance!

7. Done is Better than Perfect!

Progress always feels better than standing still. 

I think we all crave a sense of accomplishment, and I’ve discovered that getting something done, even if it’s not perfect, is better than not starting at all. 

If you’re always chasing perfection, you’ll find you never actually finish anything. I used to fall into this trap all the time – spending hours fussing over less important details. But at some point, you’ve got to decide to get things done. 

And honestly, it feels so much better to have done some painting or drawing, even if it’s not flawless, compared to not even starting, or having work that’s half-done!

So perfection is overrated, and anyway – sometimes, it’s the little imperfections that make your artwork unique. 

So remember – done is better than perfect.

Bonus tip: Make Art Every Day!

Yes.. I know – lots of artists advise things like “you have to practice everyday to get better at “drawing” or “painting”…or whatever…

But there’s a good reason I included this tip in this video.

Practicing your art frequently makes your art seem less precious. And consequently, it takes the stress out of making things that are perfect!

Does that make sense?

So try to get into the habit of making art regularly …you’ll find that the more you create, the more confident and relaxed you’ll become. It’s not about perfection – it’s about enjoying the process and letting your skills develop naturally over time

Okay, so… if you’re looking for a simple, structured way to build your art habit and take the pressure off, my watercolor masterclass course is designed for exactly that! It’s a step-by-step program that helps you create beautiful art without the frustration. 

If that sounds like what you need, you’ll find the link is in the description below.

Happy painting everyone…

The post Is Perfectionism Ruining Your Art? Do This… first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

Whether this is because you prefer a vegan-friendly option, or you’re just looking for a cheaper alternative to those expensive sable brushes… Below I’ll explain all the differences you need to know

You’ll learn how synthetic brushes compare to traditional natural hair brushes, what to look for, and the different synthetic options available.

Ready?

The Rise of Synthetic Watercolor Brushes

Synthetic filaments for watercolor brushes were first developed in the 1970s. This innovation originated with the Dupont company in the USA.

In the early days these synthetic strands were made of nylon. This was tapered to a fine point to simulate natural bristle hairs. But nylon is very stiff, and not best suited to softer brushes like the ones needed for watercolor painting!

Furry Stuff!

It took artists centuries of trial and error to discover the best types of hair for watercolor painting. The delicate hairs of natural watercolor brushes have the capacity to make long, continuous, fluid brush marks…

There are many types of natural hair, such as sable, squirrel, and goat, each with unique qualities. Squirrel hair for example is incredibly soft and holds lots of water while sable has an elastic “snap” for better control.

So the challenge for man made fibers is to mimic these desirable characteristics. 

For the History Buffs – The Tech Behind the Bristles:

The real breakthrough for synthetic brushes came when Dupont developed a new process to taper polyester fibers, which are softer and more suitable for watercolor applications.

Dupont sold the patent to Japan’s Toray Industries, who collaborated with the Takamoto brush company to create “Taklon” fibers.  These synthetic hairs are designed to mimic the handling properties of natural sable.

Here’s where it gets confusing 

So Taklon is a specific type of polyester fiber developed by Toray to mimic sable hair. But not all Toray fibers are Taklon! 

The thing is, you’ll find both Toray and Taklon brushes claiming to replace sable hair. 

In my experience, there are 3 general categories of synthetic for watercolors:

• White fibers: Tend to be stiffer with more “snap.” Great for detail but with poor water retention.
• Gold-colored fibers: Softer and more absorbent, but still with some elastic snap. Mostly designed to mimic sable hair.
• Dark brown fibers: Very soft with less “spring.” Made to mimic squirrel mops.

For example, White Toray fibers are used in the Escoda Perla signature series selected by Joseph Zbukvic (Amazon link). These are typically stiffer and provide more control for detailed work, but they don’t hold as much water. 

On the other hand, brushes like the Princeton Aqua Elite range and Rosemary & Co Red Dot Collection use Taklon fibers for a softer, but elastic feel similar to sable. Escoda Versatil brushes are another good example, said to mimic kolinsky sable.

Other brushes use dark, soft strands that simulate squirrel hair, like the Rosemary & Co Sienna collection.

Why Synthetics are becoming popular

Sable hair has rocketed in price recently!  Suppliers are becoming fewer and farther between…

Also, if you live in the US, you may have noticed certain brushes are difficult to come by because of bans on importing sable hair. This means as natural hairs become more rare as a result of these supply/demand and regulatory issues they get more expensive.

So a lot of artists are opting for synthetics.

Natural vs Synthetic Watercolor Brushes

Today’s manufacturing processes do a pretty good job of simulating natural hair But how do they stand up compared to the real thing?

Kolinsky brushes – the gold standard:

Kolinsky sable is considered the gold standard of all watercolor brushes! 

Why? Because of its unique natural characteristics:

• Fine tip that returns to a sharp point
• Stiff and elastic
• A good water-holding capacity and release
• Durability

Kolinsky hairs are naturally tapered at both ends, giving them a noticeable “belly” in the middle when gathered together in a watercolor brush. 

This belly helps it fan out in the middle. The fanning creates gaps between the hairs that hold water really well. This lets the brush hold a lot of water and release it smoothly when you paint.

When you wet the brush, water makes the hairs stick together. But the hairs also want to spread back out to their original shape. This push and pull between the water and the hairs creates a balance. This balance helps the brush hold its shape and keep water inside it.

The hairs’ springiness means they can bend and spread apart under pressure, then return to their original shape, which is great for smooth controlled brush strokes. 

Finally, Kolinsky hairs have tiny scales on the surface which help trap water, enhancing their ability to hold and release water gradually. 

All these qualities make them ideal for creating fine, controlled lines and smooth long brush strokes in watercolor painting.

How synthetic fibers mimic natural hair

So the ultimate goal is to imitate all these natural qualities… Different manufacturing techniques do this in a few different ways to give synthetic fibers their desired properties.

To replicate the tapered ends and noticeable belly of Kolinsky hair, synthetic fibers can be designed with fine points and a slight curve to create a paint-holding belly. This helps them hold and release water smoothly, similar to natural brushes.

Fibers can be treated through processes like etching, or even baking to achieve the right texture and flexibility. Etching adds a surface similar to the scales on natural hairs.

To mimic the springiness of natural hair, synthetic fibers can be made with varying levels of stiffness, providing the snap needed for smooth brush strokes. By blending different types of fibers in the same brush, manufacturers can create brushes that offer a painting experience comparable to natural hair brushes.

The Real Test: Comparing Water-Holding Capacity

To truly see how synthetic brushes measure up to their natural counterparts, I compared their water-holding capacity through a simple demonstration.

Below you can see how two similarly sized brush heads compare – one made of Kolinsky sable, the other synthetic Taklon:

This represents continuous brush strokes of a fully loaded brush. As you can see, in my experiments the water-holding capabilities of natural hair still surpass the ability of synthetic fibers. 

However, it should be said that in other respects, such as stiffness or elasticity, and the ability to keep a fine point, synthetic brushes cope very well.

Best Synthetic Watercolor Brushes – Choosing the Right Ones

For years I’ve painted with Kolinsky sable brushes. And the thing is, once you get accustomed to these natural brushes, it can be difficult to switch to anything else.

However, if you’re newer to watercolor painting, starting out with synthetic brushes can be a smart choice.

Synthetic brushes are often more affordable and durable, making them a practical option for beginners. They mimic many of the desirable qualities of natural hair brushes, but without the higher price tag. Plus, they’re easier to care for!

Here are my overall favorites. One of the best synthetic watercolor brushes I have tested is the Rosemary & Co Red Dot range:

• Rosemary & Co Red Dot Pointed round size 10

Another good alternative is The Princeton Aqua Elite range:

• Princeton Aqua Elite Round size 10

As you gain experience, you might find that you’re ready to experiment with Kolinsky sable or other natural options, but starting with synthetic brushes can provide a solid foundation and help you develop your skills without a huge investment

One day, thanks to new brush making technologies by manufacturers, synthetics might be just as good as natural hair!

The post Synthetic Watercolor Brushes (What You Need to Know!) first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

I found this in a tiny art store in my home town of Coventry. It was thanks to this that I first discovered watercolor painting.

(The art shop doesn’t exist anymore… It was in a street called “Spon Street” full of medieval buildings that survived the bombing raids of the 1940’s… I loved going there to buy new pencils and art supplies).

Even though I cherished this little palette, looking back it probably wasn’t the best choice

Today I want to show you what I think is the best travel palette for watercolors… and I’ll explain my reasons why.

Choosing a travel palette for watercolors

The main drawbacks with tiny palettes like the one above are as follows:

• The mixing surface is tiny
• The palette came with a pre-selected choice of paint colors
• It uses tiny half pans that make it difficult to pick up paint.

And all of these limitations can affect the way you paint…

A good palette provides a place to store paints and protect them from dust. It should be practical to use, and have a decent mixing area for making good-sized paint puddles

I also recommend you buy an empty palette so you can fill it with your own choice of paints. 

And so… This is type of mixing palette I would suggest you use:

This is a Holbein aluminum folding palette

I actually bought this palette a while ago, and then completely forgot about it!

It was only recently when I started thinking about my travel palette setup that I found this in the bottom of a drawer

I’ll show you how I set this up in a minute, but first let me tell you why I think this is a good choice…

1. You only need a limited color palette

There are lots of different versions of the Holbein palette with different numbers of paint wells. But as you can see, the version that I chose only holds 13 paint colors – which is plenty! 

If you choose your paints correctly you only need a limited range of colors to mix just about any color you want. 

I think using a limited color palette is an advantage – it makes color mixing less confusing and you’ll learn about the properties of your paints quicker…

2. Built in wells vs. pans

You may have noticed that this palette features built-in paint wells rather than the empty compartments or slots designed to hold individual plastic paint pans.

With this design, you don’t need to buy or fill watercolor pans. Instead, you can simply squeeze paint directly from the tube into the wells.

I love this for a couple of reasons!

Firstly, I’m not a fan of watercolor pans! And I find half-pans even worse… They’re just too small to fit a medium-sized brush for picking up paint effectively.

Secondly, filling your own watercolor pans can be tedious! It often requires filling the pans in stages, allowing the paint to dry between layers. The cake of paint contracts as the moisture evaporates and sometimes they end up falling out of the pan!

The ready-to-use paint wells in the Holbein palette avoid these issues. You can squeeze tubes of color directly into the wells and forget about them.

I like quick and simple solutions, so that suits me fine

Additionally, the wells are open on one side, allowing you to lay your brush in the paint more easily than with a closed pan.

3. Large mixing surface

As you know… watercolor painting relies heavily on the use of water. To work effectively in this medium, you need to create fairly large puddles of paint. If the mixing surface is too small, you can’t mix up a decent quantity of paint, and you’ll be forced to repeatedly remix new puddles.

Another benefit of Holbein-style palettes is its large mixing wells. The mixing surface is generous compared to some other folding palettes. There are 3 good-sized mixing compartments next to the paint wells, and the whole of the lid doubles as a mixing surface

How to prep a watercolor palette to prevent beading (breaking-in)

I’m going to show you how I set up this new palette. But first…

One of the challenges with new mixing surfaces is something known as “beading”. This is where watercolors form droplets or “beads” instead of spreading out evenly, making it challenging to mix colors properly. The new shiny surface is “hydrophobic”, meaning it repels water.

The Holbein palette is made out of enameled metal, but the same problem occurs with plastic. Over time, palettes will break-in and become less water repellent – but who has the time for that?

The best way to fix this is to rough up the surface beforehand. This can be done using something slightly abrasive like a magic eraser. 

(Some people also use baking soda mixed with a little water, or even toothpaste!)

However, don’t use anything too abrasive like sandpaper – this will create deeper scratches that can cause staining.

Here you can see the difference this makes to the spread of the mixing puddles before after roughing up the surface:

The paint colors in my palette.

The colors I chose for this palette are as follows:

1. Paynes gray – Pigment number: Pb29+PBk9
2. Burnt umber – Pigment number: PBr7
3. Burnt sienna – Pigment number: PBr7
4. Quinacridone rose – Pigment number: PV19
5. Pyrrol scarlet – Pigment number: PR255
6. Raw sienna – Pigment number: PBr7
7. Hansa Yellow Deep – Pigment number: PY65
8. Lemon yellow – Pigment number: PY175
9. Phthalo Green Yellow Shade – Pigment number: PG36
10. Cobal Teal Blue – Pigment number: PG50
11. Phthalo blue Green Shade – Pigment number: PB15:3
12. French ultramarine – Pigment number: PB29
13. Ultramarine Violet – Pigment number: PV15

These are all Daniel Smith paints, and with the exception of Payne’s gray they are all single pigment paints.

My objective with this palette was to have a selection of paints that are high in chroma (in other words brightly saturated) and to cover a large range of hues.

You can see on this color map taken from my “Successful Color Mixing” course, these paints give me a good distribution of hues for the whole color spectrum. In other words I can achieve a large “gamut” of mixing possibilities…

These paint choices are an extension of the “split primary palette” (including a warm and cool version of each primary color) and the “secondary palette” (which includes secondary colors like green and purple to expand the chromatic range of the palette).

I’ve also included some convenience neutral hues like grays and browns 

Setting up the travel palette

Like many artists, I arrange my paints in a logical sequence, grouping similar colors together according to the spectrum. 

Most folks refer to this as “ROYGBIV” ! for red – orange – yellow – green – blue – indigo – violet – the acronym for remembering the sequence of hues that make up the color spectrum.

Using the color map as a guide, you can see I started with gray and neutral brown colors then worked my way clockwise around the color circle, pigment by pigment, ending with purple. 

This gives me the following setup:

Now simply squeeze the paints into the palette in the order you want and wait for them to dry

What’s your preferred palette?

I’m setting up this Holbein aluminum folding palette for travel, but it can easily serve as your home painting palette too!

Here’s why I like this palette so much

• It’s portable! Take it anywhere…or store when not in use.
• No fiddly pans: Fill it with tubes, which I find better value.
• Choose your own colors: Customize your palette with your favorite paints.
• Big mixing surface: Ample space to create large paint puddles.

So what’s your favorite paint palette? Let me know in the comments below

The post Is This The Perfect Travel Watercolor Palette? first appeared on Watercolor Affair.