Personalizing your palette might seem trivial, but if it’s done correctly it’s a valuable step towards better color mixing and an easier painting experience.

In fact, if you think about it, the way you set up your color palette has an effect on all of your artwork.

So if you’ve decided to set up your palette with the colors of your choice, then good for you! 

And guess what? I just got a new watercolor palette for working in my studio. So I thought this would be a great opportunity to show you how to set up your paints and arrange your colors.

How to Set Up a Watercolor Palette

There are several advantages to a well organized palette. But before we get to those, I think there’s a more fundamental question you need to ask yourself:

What colors to put in your palette?

If you’re like me, then you probably have a whole bunch of different watercolor paints to pick and choose from. Or if you’re just starting out, then you’re probably eager to make the right decisions from the beginning.

Now… Choosing the “best” watercolor paints for your needs is a whole subject in itself which I’ll talk about in another article. 

But I do have a few tips that you might want to consider before you fill up your palette with every tube you own! These are just a few of the things I learned from experience and which I wish I had known when I set up my first watercolor palettes…

• limit your colors! A common mistake among beginners is selecting too many colors. It’s actually much easier to learn to control your color mixing with a limited number of colors compared with a large variety of hues. You can start out with a small range of colors and add to them as your preferences evolve.
• Ideally, colors should work together with the other pigments in your palette when you mix them together, so choose colors which provide a wide range of mixing possibilities.
• For me this begins with a selection of both warm and cool primary colors. This is the foundation for the rest of your color palette. In theory, primary colors (yellow, red, and blue) allow you to mix just about any other color you need. And having warm and cool versions is essential for mixing bright and intense secondary colors (orange, purple, and green).

• Choosing strongly saturated colors and single pigment paints can vastly increase your range of mixing possibilities. It’s impossible to mix bright colors if the hues in your palette are dull or if they contain several pigments in their ingredients (check the labels). This is why single pigment paints are highly sought by watercolorists.
• That’s not to say that you shouldn’t include some of your favorite convenience colors in your watercolor palettes. Browns, and dark greys are some of the most popular choices, and you can also include some “ready to go” secondary colors(purples, oranges, and greens).

• Learn to choose pigments not colors. Look at the labels on your watercolors to understand the pigments that are being used. Don’t be fooled by the fancy names. Different manufacturers often use different pigment ingredients for paints that have exactly the same name. For example a “Hooker’s green” from Winsor and Newton won’t contain the same pigments as Hooker’s Green from Daniel Smith.
• Finally, there’s no reason you can’t have more than one palette, especially in a studio situation.

My Colors

Below is a list of the colors I used for my palette. (If you’d like to know why I chose them then take a look at this article about choosing the best watercolor paints).

All of the watercolors below are by Daniel Smith (some of you may know that I love this brand of watercolors). However, I’ve included the pigment numbers for each of the paints so that you can easily find equivalents from other manufacturers.

Primary Colors:

Primaries are reds, yellows and blues. In the list below I’ve also indicated which paints are my warm and cool primaries.

• Cool Red – Quinacridone Rose: PV19.
• Warm Red – Pyrrol Scarlet: PR255. 
• 2nd Warm Red – Quinacridone Coral: PR209.
• Cool Blue Phthalo Blue GS: PB15:3.
• Warm Blue – French Ultramarine: PB29.
• 2nd warm blue – Cobalt Blue: PB28.
• Manganese Blue Hue: PB15.
• Cobalt Teal Blue: PG50
• Warm Yellow – Hansa Yellow Deep: PY65.
• Cool Yellow – Lemon Yellow: PY175.

Secondary Colors:

• Orange – Transparent Pyrrol Orange: PO71
• Green – Phthalo Green BS: PG7.

Convenience Colors:

• Sap Green:  PO48/PG7/PY150 

Earth Colors:

• Yellow Ochre: PY43
• Raw Sienna: PBr7
• Quinacridone Burnt Orange: PO48
• Burnt Sienna: PBr7
• Burnt Umber: PBr7

Darks:

• Prussian Blue: PB27
• Payne’s Gray: PB29/PBK9

What Type of Palette?

Yikes!

There are sooooo many different types of palettes for holding watercolor paints. But whichever type you use, the principles for setting up your colors are the same. 

That being said, keep in mind the following characteristics when choosing a palette…

• A white surface that lets you see the color and strength of your mixing puddles.  
• A surface which is easy to clean and if possible resists staining.
• Consider the portability you need (will you be using it only indoors at home , or outdoors in plein air situations, or both?)
• A good sized mixing area for you to blend paint and water.
• Good sized paint wells to match the size of the brushes you most often use (big is more comfortable).

In this demonstration I’m using a new palette which I chose specifically for working indoors. It’s known as a John Pike palette(no prizes for guessing who invented it ! ) 

I like this palette for a number of reasons. For a start it has a lovely big mixing area and it has 20 very spacious paint wells (1 ½ inches wide). 

It also has a lid! Oh how I love the lid. 

I hate coming back to my palette to find the paints covered in dust ! Dust contamination is a nightmare (is that just me? Maybe I live in a really dusty place). And the lid can even be used as an additional mixing area. You can click here to see what others think of this palette on Amazon.

Watercolor Palette Color Arrangement

Begin by organizing your chosen paints in the correct order. 

I like to begin with the warm and cool primary colors (like the split primary palette mentioned above).

Next, place your other tubes of paint in between your split primary colors. Spread them out using a progression of colors which closely follows the color wheel.  The idea is to progress from warm hues to cool hues, then back to warm, etc.

To help with this I used the pigment color wheel produced by Bruce MacEvoy on his site handprint.com. This chart shows the position of various color pigments arranged around a color wheel and is a very useful starting point for judging the color values of paints in relation to each other around the color wheel.

If you don’t want to go to this much trouble, you can use your own best judgement. As a general rule you should position browns between your reds and yellows (Browns are basically less saturated versions of reds and yellows). 

I usually position dark hues near the blues or browns, depending on their chromatic value. For example Sepia is a warm hue so I would position it near the darker browns, whereas Payne’s Gray is a cool color and gets positioned near a darker blue.

Now that the colors are in the right order you can space them out around your palette. Mine has 20 wells which I’m filling with the 20 colors chosen above, but if you don’t have enough colors to fill your palette then that’s fine. Just leave some gaps between your primary colors to leave space for growth.

Filling up your palette

The next step is simply to squeeze your tubes of paint into each well in your palette.

Now… It can get a bit difficult to squeeze all of your paint out of the tube, so to help do this job I have a handy little paint tube squeezer. It will also save your fingers some tough squeezing!

Fill the wells right into the corners. This helps avoid the paint separating from the palette when it dries out.

The final step which I recommend is to paint a color chart of the paints you’ve selected to match the setup of your palette. Just draw a sketch that matches the arrangement of your palette and make a note of each color in each “well”. See the example below. Ideally you should note the color name, brand, and pigment numbers for each paint (hint: use a waterproof pen).

This avoids mistakes when you need to refill, and allows you to see the real color appearance of your paints at a glance.

Let your paints dry in the palette. Cover them if you can to avoid dust contamination. At the beginning of a new painting session, I simply use a water dropper (pipette) or a spray bottle to re-wet the paints. 

The Advantages of a Good Watercolour Palette Layout

Whichever paints or palette you’re using I think setting up your colors in this kind of arrangement has a few practical advantages.

First of all, I like the split primary concept because I find it gives me a wider range of mixing possibilities. Arranging the paints in a similar way to above makes it simple to navigate around the palette. And once you get used to the layout, it makes it easier to mix bright or toned down hues (for example you start with a primary color and mix it with another color which is either closer or further away on the palette).

Having similar colors side by side also means that if they accidentally mix together you get an analogous color mixing with another, and color contamination is less of a problem.

Gotta go now… I have a new mixing palette to play with!

The post Setting up Watercolor Palette Colors like a Pro (A Beginners Guide) first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

So how should you paint shade and shadows in watercolors? Painting lifelike and convincing shadows begins with a good understanding of how light, shade, and shadows work in the real world. Shadows are never just gray, and mixing the correct colors for shadows depends on the colors of the object and its surroundings.

Shadows, and the light that creates them, are what help us to perceive the world around us. Faithfully capturing light and shadow in watercolor painting is an important part of creating believable looking artwork. But don’t worry! Understanding and applying the basic rules about shadows is enough to give an impression of realism and improve your paintings dramatically.

Shadows in Watercolor

Shadows give depth and form to your paintings. Shadow shapes, and the lightness or darkness of the shadows, help provide a convincing sense of three-dimensional form. Shadows are also important for showing the direction of light in a scene.

It’s difficult to talk about shadows without also discussing light. When you paint objects from real life you are interpreting light. If your interpretation of light is convincing your shapes will create realistic looking forms. But in reality you’re just painting two dimensional shapes of color and value which create the illusion of depth and form.

So when you paint with watercolors you need to be able to analyze where the light is coming from and how it affects the shapes and colors of light, shade and shadow.

The following is an explanation of the basic principles of shadows. It may seem academic and a bit pompous, but once you have a grasp of these ideas, it can really make a difference to how you observe a subject, and break it down into easily identifiable parts.

Shadow Basics

In order to depict realistic looking shadows you need a basic understanding of how light and shadow works in the real world. For this, let’s take the example of a simple sphere lit by a single source of light.

There are two types of shadow in this scene. The first is the cast shadow. This is the shadow projected onto the ground by the sphere. The second is the form shadow which is the shadow projected onto the sphere itself, where the surface of the sphere turns away from the light source.

​The shape of shadows depends on the direction of light in the scene. The way a scene is lit can generate interest and dramatic impact. This is often an important element of “good” artwork.

Finally, the color of the shadows you paint is dependent on the colors of the objects and the lighting in the scene. In watercolors, mixing the right colors for good looking shadows can sometimes be tricky. It’s not just a matter of adding gray!

Cast shadows, form shadows (shading), shadow shapes, and colors, are the four basic elements to shadow painting.

There are a few rules that artists use to help determine how to depict each of these shadow elements. Making good use of these rules can bring a new level of interest to your artwork.

Cast Shadows

When an object blocks a source of light it forms a shadow on the surface that it’s sitting on. This is the cast shadow. But in realistic lighting situations the cast shadow isn’t just one continuous block of gray. Cast shadows vary in tone, sharpness and of course color.

Cast shadows can be broken down into three different parts: The cast shadow itself, the occlusion shadow, and the penumbra.

The darkest part is found close to or just underneath the object. This is because of the absence of light in this spot. This is the place where all light sources, even bounced light from the environment, cannot reach. This dark zone is often referred to as the occlusion shadow. Occlusion is just a fancy word for “obstruct” or “block”.

The further away the cast shadow is from the obstructing body, the lighter the value of the shadow. This zone is known as the penumbra. This seems fairly logical when you think about it because this part of the shadow is more open to the surrounding environment and so it’s color and tone are more easily affected by ambient light.

As a general rule, the edges of the cast shadow become softer and more diffuse, the further away they are from the object. In other words, they are sharp and better defined near the occlusion shadow and softer towards the penumbra.

Form Shadows

In a similar way to cast shadows, form shadows can be broken down into different parts and tend to vary in intensity and color. On a curved object such as our sphere, form shadows begin at a dividing line known as the terminator. This is the moment on the sphere where the surface begins to turn away from the light source. Because the sphere has a continuous curve, the further away you get from the terminator, the​ more obstructed ​and darker the shadow. This tends to give an even transition from light to dark values and a smooth blended edge to the form shadow.

Within the form shadow there is a moment where the surface of the sphere is completely obscured from the light source. This produces the darkest part of the form shadow which is known as the core shadow.

But we’re not quite finished yet! The form shadow changes in tone and color where the sphere is closest to the ground. Remember all that light bouncing around off the surrounding environment? The surface that the sphere is sitting on will reflect light back onto the sphere, and this is most visible where the sphere almost touches the ground surface. This part of the form shadow is commonly known as reflected light.

Shadow Shapes

Cast shadows are often the most difficult type to interpret realistically. A simple trick you can use to determine the direction and length of shadows is to use one point perspective.

With a soft pencil, place a point somewhere in your scene where you estimate the position of the sun. From this point draw a straight line to the base of your object where it intersects with the ground. Carry this line further beyond the object to represent one edge of the cast shadow. Do the same thing on the other side of the object to project the second shadow edge.

Watercolor Shadow Colors

Okay… I’ve got news for you. Shadows are not just gray! I remember when I started out with watercolor painting I automatically reached for a tube of black whenever I wanted to add shadows. The results were often drab when I tried this. Using just gray for shadows in watercolor is a mistake. I didn’t realize this for a long time.

In a natural outdoor scene there are two sources of light – the sun which tends to add warm yellow light, and the sky which contributes cool blue light to a scene. Earlier we discussed the idea of ambient light. The ambient light in a naturally lit scene comes from the sunlight and skylight which has been reflected and bounced around the surrounding environment.

Ambient light from the environment plays an important role in shadow colors. This bounced light interacts with the color and value of the shadows. So ambient light is the reason why we see differences in light and color in shadows.

Take the example of a snowy scene on a sunny day. Rather than seeing dark gray shadows on the ground, the shadows appear blue. This is because the shadows are being modified by the blue skylight, and the white snow let us see this more clearly.

Now let’s look at a few techniques for shading and adding shadows in watercolor painting.

Techniques for Shading & Shadowing Objects in Watercolor

There are a few different methods you can use to add convincing shadows to your artwork.

• ​Use glazing to increase values
• ​Increase tone using an analogous color
• ​Add shade using a complementary color
• ​Apply a neutral gray.

The first method you can try is to use the same color as the object and use a glazing technique. Glazing simply means painting successive layers of paint on top of each other. With each new layer of color, the values increase and get more intense. This is a good first pass to deepen the tones in a scene but it has its limits. Using the same color group over and over gets boring! And after a while you cannot deepen the tone any further because the color becomes fully saturated. This is particularly the case with bright colors in a scene.

The next option to deepen the tones further is to mix an analogous color to the original color. Analogous colors are those which are next to each other on a color wheel. Add an analogous color which is cooler not warmer. For example red moves towards purple not orange. This helps maintain the intensity and richness of the original color without creating a muddy appearance. In general, mixing a cool analogous color deepens the shade color.

To take things even further you can deepen the tone of your shadows by mixing a complementary color to the first color. Complementary colors are those that are found on the opposite side of the color wheel. So for example the complement of red is green, and the complement of yellow is purple. Complimentary colors are ideal for toning down bright colors, without making them dull.

Alternative you can use neutral tint which is neither warm or cool. The advantage is that is doesn’t add any color bias to the shadows. This works quite well for shading any color but it has its limitations. It works less well with bright colors which tend to look dirty, and dull. So reserve neutral tint for use on desaturated colors. Neutral tint is a good general option, but be careful.

Painting Shadows: Watercolor Lemon Example

As an example take a look at this painting of a lemon. Yellow is a bright color. I can use a diluted mix of yellow to paint the lighter parts of the lemon, and then keep adding yellow paint to deepen the tones in the shadow areas. This is only useful up to a point. After a while I cannot deepen the shadow areas any more just by adding more yellow.

My next move is to add an analogous color. On my palette I can choose a color which is close to yellow such as quinacridone gold or raw sienna. As you can see this helps to deepen the tones further, but again this doesn’t really create convincing shadow.

Atthis point you have the choice between using neutral tint, or mixing a shadow color using the complement of yellow. To be honest, gray lemons are ugly in watercolor. If i were to use neutral tint the result would just look muddy. I find it much more captivating and convincing to use complementary colors create shadows which add color interest to the painting.

Tips for painting watercolor shadows

​To sum up, here are some reminders to help you the next time you pick up up your brush!

• ​Don’t use black paint. For more realistic shadows either mix a warm or cool black using primary colors, or use Neutral Tint.
• ​Add shading to an object using deeper toned analogous colors.
• ​Use a glazing technique to build up layers and increase values for shading.
• ​Mix bright colors with their complement to make shadow colors.
• ​Don’t hesitate to Use color in your shadows. Deep toned blues, greens and purples are good options.
• ​Vary the intensity of your shadows. Make cast shadows dark and sharp near the object, and soft and lighter at their extremity.
• ​As a general rule of thumb, in natural light objects will appear warmer and shadows appear cooler.
• ​You can use graded wash on an object to produce soft edged shading

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The post Secret to Painting Shadows in Watercolor: Tutorial, Tips, Techniques & Colors first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

To be honest, when I read what other websites are writing about this topic, half of them don’t seem to understand what they’re talking about!

I don’t mean to be fussy or seem arrogant, but some of them are incomplete. 

Others get the terms wrong

A few are only half-correct!

So this is my stab at putting things right. 

The painting methods described here are complete and accurate. And to explore them in more detail, I’ll link to other lessons specifically dedicated to each one.

A valid, authentic, authoritative guide to watercolor techniques

Happy?

Okay… Let’s dive in!

What are the Different Watercolor Techniques?

Watercolor techniques refer to how you apply (or sometimes remove) paint to create a specific artistic effect. Watercolors can be used in an amazing variety of ways. There are a handful of classic and widely-known painting techniques and also some less familiar methods.

Each technique requires a certain level of skill to pull it off successfully! Some are trickier than others… Some are very simple.

This incredible variety of ways to paint gives watercolor artists a huge creative vocabulary

Below I’ll introduce you to the best-known watercolor painting techniques and some more fun and inventive ways to use your watercolors.

1. Wet-on-Wet Watercolor

Wet on wet is a beautiful technique for producing amorphous shapes and soft edges. The term “wet on wet” means exactly what its name implies, you apply wet paint onto a wet surface. You begin by dampening the paper’s surface with clear water and then charge the water with pigment from a loaded brush. The resulting washes have soft, blended edges. Colors run into each other to create beautiful textures.If you drop a new color into a previously laid wet watercolor wash, the fresh paint tends to push the existing pigment around. As the paint dries, the colors bleed together. Adding paint in this way is a specific technique known as charging. I’ll cover this in more detail below…

The downside of this wet-on-wet is the lack of control. Pigments spread according to the wetness of the paper and not just in the areas where you apply your brush. 

• If your paper is very wet, the spread of the paint will be significant. 
• If the surface is slightly damp, the color will spread over a very short distance. 

With a bit of experience, you can use the different stages of paper wetness to produce the desired effects.

The large amount of water used for this method of painting can cause watercolor paper to buckle and wrinkle, sometimes making it difficult to paint properly. Unless you use heavy watercolor paper, I suggest you stretch your paper to avoid this.

This technique is only helpful for soft blurry forms, and you won’t be able to paint well-defined shapes. For example, it’s ideal for painting clouds!

2. Wet-on-Dry Watercolor

The term wet on dry means precisely what it says. With this technique, you apply wet paint onto a dry surface. The surface must be dry, whether you’re painting onto clean white paper or a previously laid wash of color. 

Wet-on-dry is a fundamental watercolor technique, and probably the method of painting artists use the most often.

For this reason, it’s a method that demands some patience. You must wait between brush strokes, so your next mark doesn’t bleed color into the underlying layers of damp paint.

Watercolor paint always dries lighter in tone than when it’s wet. As a result, the first washes you lay on paper often appear light and flat. Watercolor artists usually build up depth and intensity of color by applying successive layers (this technique is termed glazing – see below). In this way, you can add darker values and richer colors with texture and interest.

One of the tricky things with this dry surface technique is when you want to paint large areas of colored wash. If the paint dries too quickly while you’re working, you can end up with unwanted streaks in the wash area. You need a good grasp of flat and graded wash techniques to overcome this problem (see further down).

The use of wet on dry doesn’t exclude the use of other painting techniques. For example, you will often see artists combine an underlying wash of wet on wet with wet on dry details, which gives sharper edges.

You can use wet on dry to produce crisp, sharp edges. In fact, it’s probably the only way you can add detail to your work. Moreover, it’s a technique favored by artists who enjoy precision.

Because of the liquid nature of watercolors, the paint will flow to wherever there’s moisture. If the surface is completely dry, there is no flow, and the brush marks remain where they are placed. The paint will stay within the boundaries of the wet brush mark.

But this doesn’t mean wet on dry is only used for sharp-edged shapes. You can also produce smooth edges to shapes when painting wet on dry. For this, you must learn how to blend watercolor paint with a wet-on-dry method.

For a deep dive into wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry painting techniques, read this article here…

3. Dry on Wet Technique

The technique of “dry on wet” is hardly ever mentioned! 

This technique isn’t often talked about, but it can be used to create beautiful subtle shapes. 

The term “dry on wet” is perhaps slightly misleading. It implies a dry brush on wet paper. But of course, your brush is bound to have some wetness if you have paint on it. However, to apply this technique, your paper should be wetter than your brush. 

To do this effectively, you should use paint that is only very slightly diluted with water. I’ve even seen some artists apply paint directly from the tube into a wet wash.

The advantage is that you can create subtle details and depth in a painting. And because your paint is almost non-diluted, the color appearance of the shapes will be more vibrant.

Give this technique a try. Of course, you have to keep a close eye on the wetness of both paper and brush, but it will also help you become more familiar with your paints.

4. Dry on Dry Technique

Dry on dry is when you paint with a very dry brush onto dry paper. (It’s very similar to Dry brushing – more details further down)

Dry on dry is excellent for adding textured brushstrokes to your artwork. When you drag a dry brush across the surface of watercolor paper, the paint will drop onto the raised bumps of the paper, but the lower indents of the textured paper remain white. For this reason, I find that the technique works best on rough watercolor paper.

Artists often use a flat brush for this method. Test your brush on a spare piece of paper to ensure you have the correct moisture level on the brush. If you’re using a round brush, you’ll get better results by painting with the side of the brush rather than the tip. Hold the brush almost horizontal and skim the brush head over the paper.

You also need to move the brush over the surface quickly.

This technique is great for adding texture and can be used to imply movement to a subject.

5. Charging-in (Feathering)

Charging is a technique of dropping watercolor into a damp surface. Also sometimes called the feathering technique (I suppose because of the feathery textures produced as the paint disperses).

This is a widespread painting method. I always use this to add smooth variations of color in a shape. You can start with a form damped with clear water or drop paint into a moist, colored shape. 
This is essentially a wet-on-wet technique. The wetness of both paper and paintbrush changes the resulting effects.

6. Glazing

Glazing sounds like a complicated technique, but it’s actually quite simple. Glazing is another word for “layering.” The notion of layering in watercolors is essential, as you’ll probably discover the more you paint. Unlike a lot of other art mediums, watercolors are transparent. This means that each brushstroke you lay down on paper is visible underneath every subsequent layer of paint. This transparency is what gives rise to the technique of glazing.

There are a few important things to keep in mind about glazing:

• Each layer must be left to dry before applying a new wash of paint. For this reason, glazing is essentially a wet on dry painting technique. (Wet on dry basically means applying wet paint to a dry surface). Painting on a damp surface produces different results and would be considered a wet in wet technique.
• When you glaze, the natural transparency of watercolors affects the color appearance of a painting. Each new layer alters the color of the layer underneath. If you glaze with different colors, you are basically mixing colors on the paper.

As a beginner, I think the best way to approach glazing is to build your paintings gradually by working from light to dark. Applying several layers of watercolors develops the depth and intensity of the painting. Always paint your very lightest tones at the beginning of a new painting using thin, diluted washes rather than strong, thick paint. Each new layer of paint progressively increases tonal values and modifies colors. Applying multiple glazes helps control shifts in hue and tone.

It’s often a good idea to test the color palette you intend to use to see the effects of color mixing. I recommend you do some color preparation on a separate sheet of watercolor paper before starting a new project. This helps you judge the transparency of your chosen colors and how the colors will mix when layered.

You can do this by creating a quick glazing chart at the beginning of each project, or if you want to get to know your paints better, make a big reference chart for all your colors!

Like this one:

Read this article for a more detailed discussion of watercolor glazing.

7. Watercolor Blending Methods

Blending (going from dark to light) is one of the most challenging techniques in watercolor. It requires a certain amount of brush control and a well-practiced technique. But blending is essential for gradually transitioning from one tone or color to another and giving your artwork a sense of three-dimensional form.

Any shape you paint with watercolor tends to form a hard edge when it dries. Lines and edges will appear unless you smooth out and blend the border before the paint dries.

What makes blending with watercolors more complex than other mediums is that watercolors dry more quickly. 

Blending with watercolors can be achieved using either wet-on-dry or wet-on-wet techniques.

The advantage of wet-on-wet blending is that the paint stays wet for longer, giving you more time to play with the paint and blend colors together. However, wet-on-wet blending can be unpredictable. You have less control over the movement of pigments, and paint can spread slightly haphazardly. With experience, you can gain a certain amount of control over wet-on-wet blending if you learn to use different degrees of surface wetness to increase or limit the paint flow on the paper.

Wet-on-dry blending can be achieved by pulling out a color with a clean blotted brush.

Let’s say you paint a flat shape onto dry paper, and you want to blend one edge. Paint will only flow where there is moisture. So you need to encourage movement by expanding the shape with your brush. If you continue to paint with a brush loaded with paint, you’ll just increase the size of your wash area.

Rinse your brush, then blot it on a paper towel to remove most of the moisture (If you use a brush loaded with clear water, you will get a backrun that produces a feathery pattern in your damp wash). Next, brush the edge you want to blend and pull the paint outwards with the moist brush. The pigment will disperse into the dampness and will be diluted in strength. Continue to clean and blot your brush repeatedly and brush the edge until it blends completely.

All of this needs to be done relatively quickly before the paint has time to dry.

I have an article dedicated to how to blend with watercolors here…

8. The Flat Wash

When artists talk about a flat wash, they mean an area of paint with uniform color and tone and no visible brush marks. This is a very satisfying technique to apply, and once you grasp the basics, it’s not too difficult. It just needs a little practice.

To perform a successful flat wash, there are two different methods that most watercolor artists use. Perhaps the most frequent is to use a wet on dry approach. But it’s also possible to make a great flat wash using a wet on wet technique.

You can make a quick comparison of the two techniques for yourself. Before painting ​a flat wash, you should mix a good quantity of paint ​, so you don’t run out while laying the wash.To paint the wet on dry flat wash, you paint with alternating horizontal brushstrokes, starting at the top of the paper and gradually working your way down. Then, move the brush from left to right and tilt the paper at a slight angle so that the wet paint flows downwards. This action creates an excess of wetness at the bottom of the brush stroke, known as a bead. Keep loading your brush with fresh paint, so you always have a bead of moisture, and carry this bead to the bottom of the page.

With the wet on wet technique, there’s no need to tilt the paper. Instead, you begin by dampening the whole of the paper, which encourages the paint to flow across the surface and blend smoothly. There is no particular style of brush stroke needed. Just paint the wash area all over before the wet paper has time to dry. If the wash seems uneven, you can incline the paper in whatever direction is needed to spread the pigment around more uniformly.

Always blot up any leftover bead or wetness with both techniques to prevent a backrun from forming. The wet on wet technique gives you more time to play with the paint since the paper takes more time to dry. But the heavily soaked paper will tend to buckle, so you may need to stretch the paper before laying this wet wash.

9. The Graded Wash

A graded wash is the next level up in difficulty compared to a flat wash technique. A graded wash changes gradually in tone from darker to lighter. The transition should be smooth, and as with a flat wash, individual brush marks are not apparent.

Graded washes can be painted wet on dry or wet on wet. The method is practically the same as for a flat wash, but instead of applying the same strength of paint over the entire wash area, we gradually add clear water to the paint mix so that it becomes more and more diluted.

Try both methods to see what you think. It’s sometimes easier as a beginner to use a wet-on-wet technique because of the extended drying time, but I encourage you to practice both. After all, practice makes perfect!

Begin your washes in the same way as described above. When you want to start the transition, add a couple of big brush loads of clear water to your paint mix. Use this new diluted mix to continue the painting underneath your full-strength wash. Keep diluting and moving down the page until you reach the bottom. You can even use clear water for the final brush strokes if you like.

Don’t forget to mop up any remaining moisture (even if it’s clear water) to avoid a backrun from forming at the base of the wash.

10. The Variegated Wash

A variegated wash is an area of color that changes in color and value across its surface. You can mix as many colors as you want with this technique. Watercolor artists use this method often for creating attractive shifts in tone and blended colors.

The technique used is very much the same as for painting a flat or graded wash, and you can apply either a wet on dry or wet on wet method. The colors bleed together in a slightly unpredictable way producing very appealing results.

If you want a complete and detailed explanation of watercolor washes, I’ve written a full-length tutorial here…

11. Watercolor Masking Techniques 

With watercolor painting, the purest form of creating white is by reserving whites so that the white of the paper is free of paint. It’s the white paper that generates the light tones in a painting. The most effective way to achieve sparkling highlights or bright white shapes is to reserve them by painting around them or by using masking techniques.

There are a few different ways of reserving white. The first is simply to paint around any white shapes. Painting around a form with a wash of color will leave a hard edge. 

However, painting around complex objects is more tricky. So, in this case, you may need to use masking fluid (also known as frisket). Masking fluid is basically liquid latex that is painted over the area you want to protect. 

Here’s my favorite brand

Once the masking liquid is dry, washes can be painted over the top. After letting the paint dry completely, you can remove the masking without damaging the paper. The masking frisket can be painted in any shape you like.

You can read more about how to use masking fluid in this article…

12. Lifting Off Watercolor

Another alternative for achieving white in watercolor painting is to remove paint from the paper surface after painting. This can be done by lifting off.

For example, you can lift pigment off the paper using a clean damp brush. You can do this while the paint is still wet or to a certain degree after the color has dried. Your brush should be damp but not soaking because you want the brush to wick paint from the surface. 

13. Blotting Watercolor

Watercolor blotting is an extension of the lifting technique. Blotting uses various tools to remove paint from the surface while it’s still damp. Anything absorbent can be used to soak up paint, but artists commonly use kitchen towels, kleenex, or sponges.

Lifting is commonly done with a brush, which allows a lot of precision and detail. But blotting allows the artists to remove broader areas of paint more quickly.

For example, this is a common technique for creating cloud shapes in a big blue watercolor sky wash

14. Scratching Watercolor Technique (Sgraffito)

Scraping the paint off the surface after the color has dried is a technique also known as “sgraffito.” 

Scraping is done with sharp or abrasive objects, but artists usually use a razor or scalpel. However, be careful with this technique since it tends to damage the paper.

This is useful for adding linear highlights of color to a previously painted shape. A good example would be adding lighter strands to a painted grassy area. 

Lifting, blotting, and scraping techniques are discussed in more depth in the following article:

“Lifting blotting & erasing watercolor.”

15. Watercolor Resist Techniques 

Artists occasionally also use wax resist. With this method, you draw over the area which needs to stay white using clear candle wax. 

I’m sure a lot of us did this kind of artwork when we were kids  

The effect was almost like magic. After crayoning on the paper surface, any paint is repelled by the waterproof wax lines…

This is a quick and fairly accurate way of reserving white, but the downside is that the wax remains on the paper!

You can buy wax resist crayons in bulk here (Amazon)

16. Watercolor Dry Brush

Dry brushing literally means painting with a dry brush so that color only partially covers the paper. This brushing technique produces broken lines of color and is very effective for adding texture to a painting.

I would recommend you use this technique in combination with others. As an example, the artist Chien Chung Wei uses this technique beautifully. Try looking him up!

To get the hang of this brush method, it’s well worth grabbing a few spare sheets of paper and experimenting. Generally, it works best on paper with some texture, so rough or cold-pressed watercolor paper is ideal. 

It can be quite punishing for your brushes, so don’t use your best ones! Also, it tends to work better with stiff brushes. Goat hair is a good option, or some sort of bristle brush.

As you might have guessed, the wetness of the brush needs to be controlled for this technique to be successful. Also, you need to move your brush with relatively rapid linear movements. As your brush skims across the paper, the dry paint adheres to the raised textured paper surface but doesn’t sink into the crevices.

I have a full article on the dry brush watercolor technique here…

17. The Light-to-Dark Approach

Painting light-to-dark is a watercolor method that most watercolorists employ to gradually build up a subject.

As mentioned in the section about glazing above, working from light to dark is a very effective way to use this medium, in particular, because of the transparency of watercolors and the layering effect of successive washes of watercolor.

The more layers you add, the darker the tonal value becomes. This lets you add depth gradually to any subject. It can take a bit of getting used to. Still, after a while, you find yourself breaking down a subject in your mind into shapes of lighter and darker values so you can apply this technique.

I have a complete article dedicated to this approach here…

18. Underpainting Watercolor

Underpainting is about laying down a foundation of color at the beginning of the painting process. Because watercolor is transparent, the chosen colors for underpainting affect the color appearance of the final work. 

This is similar to the concept of glazing, where the final color appearance depends on the combined layers of pigments. 

This technique can be used in all kinds of subjects, but it’s a popular method in landscape painting. For example, a cool blue-gray underpainting creates a cool mood in a scene. Whereas a warm underpainted wash conveys a warmer atmosphere to the finished work.

You can see an example of using underpainting in this tutorial.

19. Negative Painting Techniques 

Negative painting in watercolor is where you focus on the shapes around an object rather than the object itself. Subjects are made up of both positive and negative forms. Generally, the subject is the positive shape, and the surrounding space is the negative shape.

So painting into the shapes surrounding the object means you are painting the negative space. This is “negative” painting. 

This is often used when the focal point of a painting is light-valued, and the background is a darker tone. By painting the darker “negative” background shapes, you reveal the shape and form of the lighter “positive” forms.

You can find an in-depth lesson about negative painting here…

20. Watercolor Salt Effects

Using salt on watercolor is a method of adding texture to a painting. Salt has absorbent qualities. To use this technique, salt is sprinkled onto a wet wash of color, and the salt absorbs the paint in the surrounding area.

In this way, adding salt to a damp wash of watercolor creates bursts of feathery textures around the grains of salt. 

Keep in mind that a variety of factors affect the outcome of this technique, including:

• The size of the grains and 
• The type of paint you use 
• The wetness of the paper
• The water-to-paint ratio of your mixed paint

For example, granulating watercolors produce a less-apparent effect since granulating paints are already “textured” in nature. On the other hand, non-granulating colors deliver a more pronounced effect when using salt.

21. Watercolor Spray Bottle Technique 

I always have a spray bottle with clear water nearby when painting. It’s a quick and easy method for adding speckled texture to watercolor paintings. You can produce a splatter texture by vaporizing droplets of water into a damp area of watercolor.

When the water drops hit the wet surface, the water spreads outward. It pushes the pigment away, leaving behind a lighter-toned speckle on the surface. (This is the same phenomenon as “watercolor blooms”). 

I like to use this effect on backgrounds…

22. Rubbing Alcohol Watercolor Technique 

This effect works very similarly to adding salt or using a spray bottle. The alcohol repels the pigments on the surface of a colored wash, leaving a transparent spot of clear paper. However, the appearance is slightly different from using water splatters or salt. The resulting spots look more like bubbles or blisters on the colored surface.

Good tools to apply this technique are a dropper or a cotton swab (don’t use your best brushes applying the alcohol!) You can also get rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and use it like a vaporizer.

23. Plastic Wrap Watercolor Effect

Everyday kitchen plastic wrap can make some fascinating textures. First, the plastic film is pressed into a wet shape of watercolor. Next, the film scrunches up and causes the underlying wet paint to follow the wrinkles of the film. Then you leave the paint to dry and remove the film. 

The results are very abstract and random. It leaves patches of lighter and darker-toned shapes in the underlying layer of paint. 

This texture technique can be used effectively to convey organic-looking forms. I’ve seen it used with great success on landscapes, for example.

24. Watercolor Dripping

Dripping is a fun watercolor technique to add abstract flowing drips of color to a painting. A very wet application of paint can be encouraged to trickle down the page using the help of gravity.

This is more of an illustrative style of texture creation in watercolors. It yields a very interesting graphic look to a painting!

Watercolors’ watery, fluid nature makes this method unique compared to other mediums. 

I’ve written a more detailed description of this approach here…

25. Watercolor Splatter Techniques 

Watercolor splatters can be applied to make very subtle or dense patterns of spots and freckles of color. The most common way to apply this technique is to use a toothbrush, but any stiff-haired brush can do the job. 

Load the brush with paint, then flick the brush with your index finger to splatter droplets of color on the paper surface.

This can sometimes be done with a round paint brush by vigorously flicking a loaded wet brush over the surface. 

Soft watercolor brushes are less effective for this method. The hairs need some “spring” to snap back into place and fling the paint around!

26. Scumbling Watercolor

Scumbling is a brush technique for adding texture to your artwork. You use your brush with a dabbing and scribbling action to create patchy specks of color. Dabbing repeatedly in this way creates loose dots of texture that can be varied in tone or layered on top of each other. This technique is great for adding detail.

Scumbling is a technique that originates from oil painting. It’s used to add scattered dots of lighter-colored paint to create highlights. Because oil paints are opaque, this works well for creating areas of lighter color. But because watercolors are transparent, scumbling works differently. With watercolor, you begin light and finish dark. So scumbling is added in stages to create darker dots of texture over spots of lighter-toned paint or untouched white paper.

It’s an excellent technique for adding textures for masonry, fur, hair, feathers, leaves, foliage, etc.

Any brush can be used for scumbling, but generally, it seems to work better with short tufted brushes. If you find yourself stabbing and scraping quite hard, maybe don’t use your best brushes! Scumbling is a wet on dry technique. You begin by laying down base washes of color or an initial pattern of scumbling. These first layers must be dry before you start dabbing texture over them. Also, your brush should not be too wet.

It’s a straightforward technique, providing a good level of control. Use your brush to create irregular shapes any way you want by randomly dotting or stroking the paper.

Try experimenting with scumbling to see what effects you can get.

27. Watercolor and Ink Painting Techniques 

Watercolor and ink pen is a very popular mixed media technique. The linear pen marks create a graphic style, and the watercolor provides shapes of color. 

This is a great way to combine loose watercolor brush strokes and precise pen lines. 

The two can be combined in any order:

• paint followed by ink, 
• or ink followed by watercolor washes…

The pen ink must be waterproof, or the lines will bleed and spread into the watercolor wash. And the paper needs to be able to handle water. Mixed media paper or smooth hot-pressed watercolor paper are best.

You’ll find an overview of this technique here…

28. Watercolor Bloom Texture Method

Watercolor blooms (also known as cauliflowers or blossoms) are often viewed as a mistake. They occur when paint or water flows back into a drying wash, causing a feathery-looking texture.

But when you know how to control the appearance of blooms, this phenomenon can be deliberately used to add interesting texture to a painting.

The effect remains somewhat random and uncontrolled, but this haphazard quality is one of the beautiful aspects of watercolor!

I have written a complete tutorial about using blooms here…

The post Unmissable Watercolor Techniques (EVERYTHING You Need!) first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

I had just laid down a nice graded wash of watercolor for the background of a new painting. But it wasn’t perfectly even. You know what’s it’s like… you often think you can do better. So I went back in with a damp brush to play with the wash some more. I was hoping to smooth out the gradient…

Boy was I wrong.

I finished up with a very streaky watercolor wash !

So what happened ? How do you paint a successful watercolor wash?

Watercolor washes, whether flat or blended, need to be brushed quickly and evenly across the paper surface to achieve a smooth uniform result. You need to control the level of wetness of your brush and paper, and you can’t waste time or you risk ruining the wash. Washes are said to be one of the fundamental techniques in watercolor painting, and they can be difficult to master !

Becoming competent with this technique takes practice, but there are some basic methods that will help you paint successful washes. And I’m going to go over them in detail below.

If you’re determined to get a grasp of this aspect of watercolor painting I have a suggestion.

Make lots of washes !

Don’t be afraid to invest in some paper and simply practice your technique again and again. It will be time and effort well invested.

Below you’ll find some step by step guidance and a whole load of tips to help you troubleshoot any less than perfect washes.

What is a watercolor wash ?

First a quick tip about terminology. You hear watercolor artists talk about washes all the time. But the term “wash” is slightly confusing since it seems to have a double meaning…

Firstly, when watercolor artists refer to a “wash” they often mean the wet paint you use to paint with mixed from water and pigment. When you mix some paint at the beginning of a new painting, this is called your “wash puddle”.

Secondly, the term “wash” also refers to an area of paint applied to the paper in a smooth, uniform zone of flat color, or a subtle gradient changing in tone or color. Washes are areas of a painting where you cannot see the individual brush strokes, and any transition of value or hue is gradual.

I have to admit, I use both terms intermittently without any trouble, but for a beginner this can be a cause of befuddlement !

For the purposes of this article I’ll be talking about various types of washes in the sense of a painted area of paper, and the techniques employed for laying down a good watercolor wash.

Different types of watercolor wash

Washes are categorized into three main types. Flat, graded (also sometimes called gradient), and variegated.

A flat wash has the same uniform color and tone all over. A graded wash has a gradual smooth change in tone from dark to light. And a variegated wash has different color and tone in various places.

Additionally watercolor artists commonly use either wet on dry or wet on wet techniques when they work, and both methods can be used to paint washes.

Some artists prefer one technique over another and always execute their washes the same way.

But you need to decide for yourself which method you prefer. So I’m going to describe every possible type of wash (flat, graded and variegated), and each possible technique (wet on dry and wet on wet), so you get a full picture of what watercolor washes are about and the choices you have.

Equipment and getting prepared before you start

If you set up your workspace properly before you start you’ll improve the probability of painting a decent wash. Because you need to work quickly, a bit of preparation will speed up your workflow.

An organized workspace is a good starting point. Clear your space of any unnecessary clutter for ease of movement. When painting washes I typically make sure I have the following:

A board which can easily be titled. Whether you stretch your paper or just fix it down with masking tape, wash techniques benefit from being able to incline the paper and use gravity to improve the flow of wet paint.

A jar of water which is not rinse water. Some wash techniques need clear water for pre wetting paper or diluting the paint strength. I usually use two jars whenever I paint, one for rinsing and another for a supply of clean water.

A watercolor wash brush. Washes are usually painted with large soft brushes. But you should try to adapt the size and type of brush to the size of your wash area. Think about the kind of wash you’re aiming for and choose your brush accordingly. Some brushes make the job easier than others. For example if the wash is small or irregularly shaped a number 8 round brush will probably do the trick. For large surfaces a 1” flat brush or something like a number 16 mop brush is a good choice. Squirrel hair is also a favorite because of it’s excellent handling properties and its ability to hold a large reservoir of water (read this article for more details on choosing the best brushes).

Choose your paper well. When you start out painting watercolors I recommend you use watercolor paper with a slight texture, in other words, cold press watercolor paper. Rough textured paper will make it more difficult to execute a smooth wash. On the other hand, smooth hot pressed watercolor paper can be quite unforgiving and will show up any irregularities in your wash.

Make sure you mix a sufficient amount of paint. I would suggest mixing up more than you need for the area you’re going to cover. There’s nothing like running out of paint to spoil a good wash! Make sure the water and paint are thoroughly mixed so that you get a consistent hue. (For advise and tips about watercolor supplies you can read my recommendations here…)

Ready ?

Ok, here’s the lowdown on the different kinds of washes you’re likely to use when painting.

Watercolor flat wash technique

Flat washes are used to paint shapes of continuous color which have no variation in tone and hue. The appearance is uniform and “flat”.

To execute a perfect flat wash with a wet on dry technique you need to paint in a fairly smooth, uninterrupted manner.

For wet on dry, speed is important because the paint needs to stay wet until you’ve finished painting the wash area. Similarly, with a wet on wet method, you need to paint your wash before the pre wetted paper dries.

Wet on dry flat wash method

Painting a wash with a wet on dry technique simply means painting onto dry paper.

Begin by getting prepared (refer to the notes above if necessary). Incline the board with the watercolor paper by propping up the back edge. A 30 degree angle is sufficient but you’ll get a feeling for what works well.

Prepare a large amount of paint for the wash. Load your wash brush with paint and apply a horizontal line across the top of the paper. The paint will flow down the paper forming a bead at the lower edge of your brushstroke (a bead is an accumulation of excess moisture which forms at the end of a stroke).

Continue to paint with alternating horizontal brush strokes from left to right. Each brush stroke should be a little lower down the page, in the opposite direction, and slightly overlapping the previous stroke.

This will slowly push the bead further down the page. Reload your brush regularly so that you always have a bead forming at the base of your stroke.

It’s all about the bead ! With each pass of the brush your paint should remain wet enough to form a bead. If the paint begins to dry, a line will form, and your final watercolor wash will be streaky.

When you reach the end of your wash, blot your brush dry and use it to soak up the bead at the bottom. If you don’t mop this up, you will see a backrun forming at the base of the wash. (A backrun is a feathery pattern which forms when a bead of moisture flows back into a settling wash).

Wet on wet flat wash method

To paint a wash using a wet on wet technique means you need to pre-wet the surface of the paper before laying down a wash. You need to paint your wash quickly because you don’t want your paper to dry before you’re finished.

Prewetting the wash area has the advantage of preventing the appearance of lines of dried paint.

When you paint a flat wash using a wet on wet technique there are few important differences.

To begin with, you don’t need to incline your board. A bead will not form on a wet surface so you can paint on flat paper and simply tilt your board as needed to help the paint flow in one direction or another.

You’ll also notice that your wash appears lighter because you are essentially diluting the paint with the water that’s already on the paper. You can compensate for this by making your paint mix slightly stronger.

Wet on wet is also slightly more forgiving than a wet on dry technique. You can go back into a painted area and make corrections if needed. You can then tilt the board in different directions to even out the wash.

Begin by preparing your paper and mixing your puddle of paint, making the mix slightly stronger than the anticipated final color value. I recommend that you stretch your paper if using this technique because the increased amount of water will tend to buckle your paper. Alternatively use extremely heavy watercolor paper such as 300 lb / 640 gsm.

Brush the whole surface of the wash area with clear water. The paper should be evenly wet before you lay down a wash.

Apply your paint mix across the whole surface of the paper as quickly as possible while the paper is still wet. You don’t necessarily need to apply horizontal brush strokes like you do with a wet on dry technique,  just get the paint down as quickly as you can.

Help the pigment to spread evenly across the surface by inclining the board in various directions. Eliminate any excess paint by letting it seep to one side and blot up any excess moisture to avoid backruns.

One of the downsides is you now need to wait a while until the wash is completely dry before painting on top of it.

Watercolor graded wash technique

A graded wash changes in value from dark to light. It’s the kind of wash often used for painting sky backgrounds in landscapes. It can be tricky to get the transition exactly the way you want, but like with flat washes, practice makes perfect ! Again, we’ll be looking at both wet on dry and wet on wet methods.

Wet on dry graded wash method

To paint a wet on dry graded wash you use a very similar technique to a flat wash. The difference is you need to dilute your paint mix as you progress down the page.

Prepare enough paint mixture to finish the entire wash. Start in exactly the same way as for a flat wash by inclining the board and painting a horizontal brush stroke with a bead at its base.

At the place you want your wash to become lighter in tone, add a couple of brush loads of clean water to your paint to weaken the mix. Load your brush with this diluted mixture and continue to paint horizontal passes with your brush.

As before, work quickly so the paint doesn’t dry and try to maintain a bead at the base of each brush stroke.

Continue to add water to your palette to dilute the paint mixture. Your final brush strokes can be applied by just dipping the brush into clear water and applying it directly to the page. Don’t rinse the brush clean, because you want a bit of pigment to remain on the brush head.

The wash will become lighter and lighter as you continue down the page.

Finish the wash by mopping up any excess moisture at the base so you don’t get unwanted patterns from a backrun. Let the paint dry before applying any new washes.

​Wet on wet graded wash method

Again I recommend using stretched paper or very heavy grade watercolor paper with this technique.

A wet on wet graded wash technique is similar to the wet on wet flat wash technique. Remember to mix a stronger paint solution since it will be diluted by the water already on the paper.

You begin by pre wetting the paper. However this time you want the board to be inclined, and you should paint using horizontal brush strokes as if you were painting wet on dry.

Add full strength paint to the top of the paper, moving down the page with alternating brushstrokes. Next use a diluted mix of paint or add clear water to your brush and start painting the transition from dark to light. You want the paint to seep into the area of saturated paper below.

Incline the board some more to spread the paint across the wet paper surface. You can move the board at various angles to help achieve an even gradation of color.

Watercolor variegated wash technique

A variegated wash is a blend of two or more colors. This kind of wash changes in color or tone across its surface. Again this can be painted using a wet on dry or wet on wet method, but personally I find the wet on wet technique much easier because it encourages the different colors to blend. If you’re practicing this kind of wash for the first time I suggest you stick to just two colors to begin with.

Wet on dry variegated wash method

You will need two separate mixes of color ready to go in your palette. Begin the wash in exactly the same way as you would for a wet on dry flat wash. Paint alternating horizontal brush strokes with color no.1. Your board should be inclined and you should try to always have a bead of moisture at the base of each stroke.

When you reach the moment that you want to make the color transition, rinse your brush and load it with color no.2. Start painting again, adding the new color to the existing bead of the previous color. The two colors will blend together where the second color was introduced producing a variegated effect. You will probably need to rinse your brush before the next brush stroke because your brush will be contaminated by the first color.

Continue until you reach the bottom and finish the wash in the same way as for a flat wash by removing the remaining bead.

Wet on wet variegated wash method

Prepare your paper and your paint. For best results use two mixes of fairly concentrated paint and stretched or heavy watercolor paper. As with other wet on wet methods you need to pre wet the paper in an even manner.

Whether you incline the board or not is up to you and depends on the result you’re trying to achieve. If you want a smooth linear transition from one color to another then try tilting the board. If you want a random blend of colors then you can leave the board flat and just incline the board afterwards if you need to move pigment around the paper surface.

When your paper reaches the correct level of wetness (shiny but with no puddles of surface water) , apply your first color.

If you’ve tried the other exercises above you’re probably getting used to the effects created with a wet on wet technique. Use whatever brush strokes you feel like, horizontal if you want a linear appearance or just drop color onto the paper from the brush in a random pattern. You can either cover the whole surface with a flat wash of one color then add a second color while the wash is still wet. Or you could paint one area and then apply another color to an adjacent area of the paper.

The wet paper encourages the paint pigments to flow across the surface in a diffuse manner. Your two colors will spread and blend together to create a variegated effect.

So long as the surface remains shiny wet you can blend two colors together, but at some point the paper starts to dry. The paper may still look moist but at this stage there is very little surface flow. If you continue to add wet paint to damp drying paper you will probably end up with blooms and backruns(those feathery patterns caused by liquid flowing into a wash which has started to dry). For this reason, like with most wash techniques, you need to work quickly while the stage of wetness is just right.

​Watercolor washes around complex shapes

It’s one thing to paint washes over large areas or big shapes like in the exercises above, but it gets much harder when you have to paint a wash around a complex shape!

With time and experience you can probably develop enough confidence in your brush control to lay washes around any shape you want to reserve on the paper. But for us mere mortals who struggle with this, here are a couple of tips.

For a start, pre wetting the wash area is advantageous when painting around complex edges, because the longer drying time gives you more time to paint accurately. Using a wet on wet technique effectively extends the time your have to complete your wash.

Alternatively, you can use watercolor masking fluid (also known as watercolor frisket). Masking tape also works but make sure you use the “low tack” variety so your can remove it without damaging the paper surface.

Pre wetting before a wash vs dry paper

So now you know, the three main types of watercolor wash(flat, graded, and variegated) can be painted using two techniques: wet on dry or wet on wet. I suggest you try each technique to see what suits your style of painting best. Hopefully the guidelines above will help you paint successful washes.

As you have probably figured out, pre wetting the paper has some benefits. This type of technique is slightly more forgiving and allows the artist to do some corrections while painting a wash. Wet on wet can improve the evenness of the wash and help to hide brush marks. It also gives you a little more time to work on your watercolor wash. This is a real advantage for certain pigments which have a tendency to dry more quickly. Blending is very smooth with wet on wet so it’s especially useful for graded washes or variegated wash types.

But the downfall with wet on wet is that you really need to stretch your paper if you want to keep control over your painting. When the paper buckles the paint pigments tend to gather in the dips wrinkles of the paper making a smooth wash almost impossible. Soaked paper also takes more time to dry so you need to be patient !

To make life easier, I try to make sure I have a few sheets of stretched paper ready to go!

The post Complete guide to watercolor wash techniques first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

Of course, with practice you develop better technique. But everyone goes through the frustrating process of learning by their mistakes.

So don’t worry, you’re not alone. There are some common watercolor mistakes that we all encounter at some point or another.

Sometimes the best way to fix an error is to avoid it altogether. A little knowledge about why common mistakes occur will go a long way to help you improve your technique.

And sometimes it may seem too late ! You’ve slipped up and you’re wondering how to fix the mess you just made.

In either case the checklist below will help you recognize everyday blunders, how to avoid them, and how to cover up watercolor mistakes in case you need to correct one of your paintings. 

Here’s my checklist of 20 watercolor mistakes and how to fix them:

​Common watercolor mistakes

1. Streaky watercolor washes
2. ​Hard edged marks
3. ​Thick paint
4. ​Blooms and backruns
5. ​Glazing over a damp wash
6. ​Watercolor paper blotches and blemishes
7. Dry brush problems
8. ​How to mix bright secondary watercolors
9. ​How to avoid muddy watercolors
10. ​Watercolor granulation problems

11. Staining watercolors
12. Overworking watercolor
13. ​Working from light to dark
14. ​Correcting colors
15. Wrinkled paper
16. Lifting watercolor
17. ​How to cover up watercolor mistakes
18. How to recover highlights
19. Can you erase watercolor ?
20. ​Can you erase pencil from watercolor ?

​In the first part of this watercolor troubleshooting guide I wanted to talk about frequent problems we artists encounter. Understanding why problems occur is the first step to steering clear of them…

Sometimes as your paint starts to dry, you get unexpected blotches and imperfections ! Or maybe you’ve tried to do a watercolor wash and thought “that’s no good “?

Yep… I’ve been there too.

Below are some of the most commonplace problems and frustrations, with hints and tips on how to escape them…

​Streaky watercolor washes

Flat and graded washes are tricky techniques to master. It’s the kind of thing we all need to practice over and over to get just right.

It’s not unusual to get a streaked appearance when laying a watercolor wash. Streaks occur because the paint has had time to start drying. Here are some tips on how to avoid streaky watercolor washes:

Be sure to mix up a generous quantity of paint for your wash. Running out of paint during a wash is bound to create problems. A smooth wash requires uninterrupted brush strokes. You can’t stop in the middle of the process.

Make sure your brush is well loaded with paint and tilt the paper so it forms a bead at the base of your brush stroke. Use the bead to push paint down the paper with each alternate brush stroke. Continue to load your brush so that there’s always a bead to chase downward.

Use a brush which is big enough for the surface area your painting. For example a number 8 round bush is fine for small work but bigger washes will probably benefit from a 1” flat brush.

Making sure your wash is wet enough to form a bead and working quickly should eliminate streaks.

​Hard edged marks 

This is another mistake which, as you can guess, they occur when you give the wash time to dry between strokes. If paint dries unevenly it can create unintentional edges.

If you want smooth results try to work fast before an area of paint has time to start drying.

Don’t’ try to soften an edge that has already dried. This will just lead to overworking.

Thick paint

If your paint is too thick and the paint is too sticky it tends to spread unevenly creating streaks or blotches.

When mixing your paint begin by making a puddle of water. Then pick up some color with a moist brush and mix into the clear water. Continue adding pigment in this way until you reach the consistency you’re looking for. This way you get a smooth wash of paint.

Blooms and backruns

These are another common problem. You have probably experienced these dark feathery patterns that are created when wet paint is introduced to a drier settling wash.

A damp area will draw fluid from an adjoining area of greater wetness which then produces these unwanted flow marks. This will happen for example at the end of your wash if you leave a bead of paint. To avoid this you can absorb the excess bead of fluid using a blotted brush.

In general, to fix this kind of problem, always remove any excess paint before a backrun has time to form.

Glazing over a damp wash

I get it.

You’re impatient to carry on with your painting. You can’t wait to see the end result. If you’re laying glazes then the temptation is to start painting a new layer before the underlying paint is completely dry.

This mistake can cause backruns and blooms and can ruin your first glazing layer.

If you are adding colors on top of each other and building up your watercolor in layers then the correct technique is glazing. This modifies the value and hue of any initial washes. The secret to glazing is to apply your first wash with a quick and decisive brush stroke. Let the paint dry completely then apply your next color without fussing. In this way you obtain vibrant colors.

But if you really can’t stand the waiting, you can always use a hair dryer… So long as you keep it on a low heat setting !

Watercolor paper blotches and blemishes

Ever seen foreign bodies floating around in your washes ?

Dust and hair can be a real nuisance for watercolor artists. Even touching the paper too much can leave greasy fingerprints which alter the flow of paint. To avoid this inconvenience make sure you store your paper correctly and keep your work surface free from dust.

Occasionally you get unexpected blotches when laying a wash of color. All watercolor paper is treated with sizing which alters the absorbency of the paper. If the coating of sizing is irregular you can get spots on the paper where watercolors are more or less absorbed by the paper surface.

To avoid this a lot of watercolorists prep their paper by brushing the sheet with a clean brush loaded with clear water. This smooths out any inconsistencies in the surface sizing and avoids blotchy washes.

Dry brush problems

If you’re having problems with your dry brush technique it’s not a surprise.

It requires quite a bit of skill and practice to get it right.

To start with, make sure you’re using your brush correctly. If you’re using a round brush make sure you use the side of the brush not the tip. Personally I find that a flat brush gives the best results. Fan brushes also work well for this technique. You also need to move your brush quickly across the paper. The speed of your brush effects the resulting dry brush texture.

Most of the time problems with dry brushing arise because of badly judged levels of wetness – wetness of the brush or wetness of the paper.

The amount of paint loaded on your brush needs to be just right. As the name of this technique suggests, your brush should be dry. If you’re brush is too wet, you’ll end up painting a wash. Too dry and the effect is lost. Similarly if your brush hits a damp area on the paper, the paint blends and forms a wash.

Practice makes perfect with this technique so grab some scrap paper and get brushing !

How to mix bright secondary watercolors

I won’t go into detail about color mixing theory in this post, (you’ll find a more comprehensive article here) but a fairly common problem is how to mix bright and vivid secondary and tertiary colors. If you’ve tried to mix a bright green or a bright purple and been disappointed with the results, here is the reason.

As you know, the basis of color mixing is primary colors. In theory all other colors can be produced from just three primary colors. But it’s impossible to find pure red, yellow, and blue watercolor paints with which you can mix vivid secondary colors.

This is because primary paints all have a color bias which is either warm or cold. For example red can contain a hint of yellow, or blue can contain hint of red.

The solution is to use a set of both warm and a cool primary colors, (six colors).

The color wheel below shows how these warm and cool primaries should be mixed to effectively produce bright secondary colors.

How to avoid muddy watercolors

We’ve all been there !

You’ve mixed a few pigments together and the resulting color looks dull and murky. This is what watercolor artists often refer to as mud.

Most of the time this is because of a characteristic of watercolor paint known as transparency. Paints are usually classified as transparent, semi-transparent or opaque.

The more opaque your paints are, the muddier your colors will be. Mixing with transparent paints is a great way to avoid muddy watercolors.

The same problem often appears when you mix several paints containing more than one pigment. The resulting colors are less vibrant. Not all watercolors are single pigment paints.

It’s good practice to get into the habit of reading your labels and check the transparency rating and the number of pigments, (If you can’t find this on the paint label then consult the brand’s website for a color chart). I usually only go for transparent paints or at worst semi-transparent, and as far as possible single pigment paints. It’s not always easy to find colors that match all these criteria but it’s worth the effort. If you need help finding a good palette of transparent, single pigment watercolors you can check out my list of recommended paints here…

Another reason muddy colors appear is when you try to add another color on top of an existing damp layer (see overworking below). To avoid this, you should only paint onto a wash which is completely dry (using a glazing technique) or still very wet (using a charging technique).

Watercolor granulation problems

Granulation is another property of watercolor paints that you need to be aware of.

Some paints are granulating and others are not.

For some artists granulation is a problem.

Granulation is a quality that is very appreciated by some watercolorists because it adds interesting texture to your artwork. But for those who prefer smooth uniform washes, granulating paints are best avoided.

Check the granulating characteristics of your paint if want to avoid the texture effects created by these kind of watercolors.

Staining watercolors

This is another attribute of watercolor paints which you can check by looking at your paint labels or a manufacturer’s color chart. Staining (sometimes referred to as permanency) indicates how well a pigment adheres to the surface of the paper.

A non-staining paint is easy to lift off the paper even when it dries. But a heavily staining watercolor will tint the paper durably and is difficult to correct.

Staining can be a good or bad thing… And in some circumstances it they can cause frustration.

A paint which is very non-staining is easy to correct because you can lift pigments off the paper even when the paint is dry. However, working with this kind of paint can be very frustrating because the pigments constantly move around and don’t adhere well to your paper.

At the other end of the scale, a very staining paint is difficult to remove once the paint is dry. It will stain the paper durably (and probably your mixing palette and brushes as well).

Of course these are two extremes and the staining ability of watercolors varies from paint to paint.

To avoid the setbacks created by staining get to know your paints better.

Overworking watercolor

Watercolor is a medium which encourages playing. We constantly feel the need to push the paint around while it’s wet, to fight a backrun of water or to smooth out the discrepancies of a flat wash. Then inevitably we apply more paint or water to adjust a color and end up repeatedly brushing the wet paper.

Continuously reworking an area of a painting produces overworking. The resulting paint can look dull and lifeless.

When you brush the surface of watercolor paper time after time this unravels the paper fibers producing a fuzzy surface texture and pushes the pigments deeper into the paper. The result is dull colors.

The solution is to work quickly. When you paint try to use fast and confident brushstrokes and let them dry between glazes.

You can test the difference for yourself by doing a quick experiment. With a flat brush paint a single brush stroke of color and let it dry. Next to this, paint another brush stroke but this time continue to repeatedly stroke and blend with your brush as the paint dries.

You should see a significant difference in the brightness of the dried watercolor.

Overworking is a problem resulting from attributes of the paper. If you find it difficult to avoid repetitive strokes you can try prepping your watercolor paper beforehand with a dilutedcoating of gum arabic.

This treatment seals the paper surface and helps prevent roughening of the surface texture.

Working from light to dark

The transparent nature of watercolors allows you to build up color intensity with several layers of paint. As a general rule watercolorists begin with light tones and progress to dark.

Unlike other mediums if you start by applying dark intense colors, it’s difficult, and sometimes impossible to recover lighter values.

So as a rule of thumb, and especially if you’re uncertain about the final appearance of your painting, start with light values. Watercolor should be built up using light tones first and reserving white areas if necessary.

Another solution is to begin a project by doing a tonal study of your subject. This gives you a better idea of the final values you’ll be painting.

Correcting colors

Have you ever laid down a wash and been disappointed with the final appearance ?

Judging the correct hue and tone can be tricky with watercolors, especially because the paint dries lighter than when it’s wet.

The technique of glazing helps us adjust colors. If you need a deeper, more intense color then simply add an additional layer of paint.

Alternatively, if a color seems too bright you can tone it down by glazing with a complementary color.

If the tone of your colors appears too dark you can try lifting some of the pigment from the paper. Wet the whole area with clear water and let it sit for a while. Use a clean tissue to blot the moisture and lift some of the color off your painting.

Control the amount of water on your brush

It’s very rare to paint with watercolors using a fully loaded soaking wet brush.

Wrinkled paper

It’s a frustrating problem.

If your paper gets very wet or you lay down heavy washes when painting, inevitably it starts to buckle and warp, forming hills and valleys on the surface. This might not seem so bothersome, but when new layers of paint start to sink into the lower bumps on your wrinkled paper you start to lose control over your painting.

There are two classic solutions to this dilemma.

The first is to prep your watercolor paper by stretching it. The process involves soaking paper so that it expands, then fixing it onto a support before it dries. The paper will contract when dry leaving a drum-like surface which no longer warps during painting. For more information, I’ve written a complete article about stretching paper which you’ll find here…

The second quick solution is to use thicker  paper. Watercolor paper exists in various thicknesses, classified by weight. For everyday painting most artists use medium thickness paper which has a weight of 300 gsm / 140 lb. But you can also find thick paper at 640 gsm / 300 lb. This is almost like a board and is much less susceptible to warping.

Obviously you need to use watercolor paper for your paintings. Ordinary or poor quality paper is not designed to handle water based paints. It will wrinkle horribly and doesn’t have the right degree of absorbency. Standard paper will suck paint deep into the paper and the result is very dull colors.

How to fix watercolor mistakes

Ok… So it’s not looking good…

You’ve messed up and you really wish you could go back and do a part of your painting again.

All is not lost ! We tend to think that watercolor paints are difficult to correct, but there are a few ways you can recover errors in your paintings.

So before you tear up your painting and throw it away, take a look at some of your options below…

Lifting watercolor

Lifting is the process of removing pigment from an area of paint on your painting.

The ease of lifting dry watercolors depends mostly on how staining the paint is, and to a certain extent, the type of paper used. This process is also sometimes referred to as scrubbing.

Lifting is not just a technique for correcting mistakes. It can also be used while paint is still wet to adjust the tone of an area of paint. You can use a clean moist brush to blot and area of wet paint. Your brush should have a low liquid content so that it wicks up the paint from the paper surface. Alternatively you can use a clean sponge or tissue to lift color off a larger area.

You can also use lifting after the paint has dried. Dampen the area that you want to correct. Use a good amount of water so that the area remains wet while you work, you don’t want it to dry and cause unintentional watermarks. As described above, use a brush, sponge or tissue to blot the paint.

Be careful if using a brush. If you repeatedly run a brush back and forth you’ll start displacing pigments on the paper and end up creating lines in your wash.

How to cover up watercolor mistakes

Yes… I admit it. Sometimes you just need to start afresh.

If you think a part of your artwork needs repainting you can rescue a watercolor painting using watercolor ground.

I’ve used this before to touch up parts of a painting and it works pretty well.

You can get ground from various manufacturers including QOR, Golden and Daniel Smith. Look closely at the type of ground you buy because some have a texture effect which adds additional roughness to the paper surface.

I’ve used Daniel Smith Titanium White Watercolor Ground before and it lays down smoothly and matches white cotton watercolor paper very well.

How to recover highlights

With watercolor painting, whites need to be reserved, since it’s the paper which provides a white appearance. This is not always easy and occasionally at the end of a project you need to add highlights back to your subject.

You can use white gouache to recover highlights. You can also try white watercolor paint which has a high level of opacity.

Can you erase watercolor ?

We’ve already discussed lifting watercolor off paper. But erasing watercolor no matter what the paint’s staining properties requires a different solution.

Traditionally, for small corrections, artists tend to use a scraping tool such as a razor blade.

In recent times a lot of articles talk about using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. This white foam like material has become popular among watercolor artists for removing paint and fixing errors.

You simply wet the eraser, rinse, then rub the offending part of your artwork.

The advantage is you can cut the foam into small pieces making it easier to handle and good for smaller adjustments.

Be careful with these methods because excessive rubbing will disintegrate your paper (known as watercolor pilling). Scraping the paper also tends to remove the coating of sizing on the paper which will alter the handling and absorption of the surface.

Can you erase pencil from watercolor ?

Once you have covered pencil marks with paint, erasing the lines becomes difficult, especially if the paint is very staining, which seems to set the pencil marks on the paper.

A lot of artists simply leave the pencil marks in place accepting them as part of the artwork.

But if you’re bothered by pencil marks you should make sure you only draw thin pencil lines which usually disappear beneath the paint.

I usually use a kneaded eraser to half-erase the graphite lines so that they are not too obvious.

Another option you can try is to sketch using a watercolor crayon. I’ve heard of artists using these soluble pencils with some success since they blend more with the paint as you apply watercolor washes.

Conclusion

We all slip up from time to time.

But the thing I love about watercolors is that “mistakes” can sometimes look really good ! Imperfections and unique textures add expression and charm to watercolor paintings.

So don’t worry if you end up with unintended paint marks or haphazard patterns… it’s all part of the beauty of watercolors !

The post 20 Ways to fix watercolor mistakes first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

Watercolors in pan format are an excellent option with a heap of benefits. They’re convenient, easy to use, portable. And in my opinion if you make your own pans they are more economical than the ready-made alternative !

So how do you make watercolor pans?

Making pans is a relatively simple process. You fill an empty pan with paint from a tube and then let it dry. But the reality is sometimes a little more complex. Which is why I’ve written this in depth study of the pan making process.

I remember the first time I tried to make watercolor pans. I squeezed my paint into some of those little plastic tubs and filled them right to the brim. I checked my handiwork the following day, and the paint still hadn’t dried ! Neither was it dry the day after… or the day after that ! When I closed the lid on my palette, the soft paint stuck to the inside of the box.

It all ended up in a rather sticky mess !

It turns out that different brands of paint dry differently depending on the ingredients used in the paint formula.

That’s just one of the details you need to know if you want to make good watercolor pans.

But don’t panic ! This little guide will put your mind at rest. I’m going to go through all the details of making and setting up your palette with home made pans, and hopefully you’ll avoid the same mistakes I made the first time I did this !

Why make your own pans?

Some artists like to squeeze out fresh paint every time they start work. I understand perfectly the pleasure of painting with wet watercolors, but I find the difficulty with this method is avoiding waste.

You can of course reuse tube paint after it has dried in the mixing palette, but I inevitably end up washing out the palette to get a clean surface and wasting some paint at the same time.

Pans on the other hand are more practical and you have less waste.

If you want a watercolor palette which suits your needs perfectly then the best route is to make it yourself.

You can of course purchase ready-made palette sets with pans in them. But you inevitably end up with colors that you don’t use. On top of that, not every paint manufacturer makes pans, and for some strange reason most pan colors are only available as half pans. Personally I prefer full pans because they’re just easier to dip the full brush head into.

Like they say… You want something done right then do it yourself !

Another good reason for making your own pans is cost. I can refill my pans two or three times from a single tube for just a slightly higher price than a commercial half pan.

further reading: watercolor pans vs tubes

Watercolor pans and cakes

Let’s get a few details straight before we begin. Pans come in two different sizes. These are known as full pan or half pan. Full pans are larger, and half pans are, well… half the size of full pans (no surprises so far).

The word “pan” can refer to the empty container (often made of plastic), but it can also refer to a tub which is already full of dried paint. You’ve probably also heard watercolor artists use the word “cake”. This term refers mostly to the dried brick of paint inside the pan.

A bit of history:

The term watercolor cakes appears to have its origins in the first commercial paints used by watercolor artists in the 18th century. These water soluble cakes were very hard and needed to be crushed and dissolved with water to make the paint. It was a long process.  Imagine having to go through this laborious task every time you wanted to paint !

For this reason paint makers started to provide improved formulas with softer paint. This was achieved by adding substances such as honey or glycerin which help make the paint less brittle and keep the paint moist.

Because this improved paint was “wet” it was supplied in sets of small porcelain “pans”. And so the first watercolor pans were invented…

What kind of paint to use to make pans?

Before you roll up your sleeves and start squeezing paint from your tubes of watercolor it can be useful to take a moment and consider the type of paint you are using to make your pans.

One of the main problems artists face when they try to make their own pans is how the paint dries.

Each paint manufacturer uses a slightly different recipe to make their paints. Tubes of watercolor are made up of colored pigments, plus a liquid which holds the pigments in suspension. The ingredients in this liquid are designed to improve the handling attributes of the paint.

A couple of these ingredients seem to affect the drying characteristics of tube paints when you put them into pans.

First you have a “plasticizer”.  This makes the paint less brittle, and reduces cracking when the paint dries. In modern paint formulas this is usually glycerin.

A “humectant” is also commonly added to paint. This helps to preserve moisture and makes paint easier to dissolve. Most brands use some kind of sugar syrup or honey(honey being more efficient at retaining moisture).

Why is this important ?

The brand of paint that you choose to make your pans will effect the final results.

For example, honey crystallizes but never really dries completely. This is why brands that use honey for the humectant such as M. Graham and Sennelier remain moist even after several weeks.

Some brands will dry too hard and crack, probably because they don’t contain a large amount of glycerin. They can end up falling out of the pans and may be difficult to activate when wetted. (If your chosen brand of watercolors reacts like this, a simple solution is to add a drop or two of glycerin when you make your pans).

Other brands like Daniel Smith which are glycerin based will dry just right to form a normal cake of paint, which reactivates easily when you add water, (this is one of reasons Daniel Smith is my preferred brand of watercolors).

The point is you need to know how your brand of paint behaves when it dries. But also think about your personal preferences.

Do you like soft paint ? Or are you happy with dry cakes ? (so long as they reactivate properly).

Both are perfectly legitimate.

For example if you want to work with pans which are moist you can choose to use honey based M. Graham watercolors. Or if your preferred brand dries too hard, add some honey while making your pans. Choosing to work with wetter paint also affects your choice of palette box. A standard tin probably won’t fit the bill. But you can get watertight palette boxes which will do the job nicely.

(A quick note about using “wet” watercolors: the humidity of the paint can result in mould growth. If you live in a warm climate you might want to keep your palette box in the fridge to reduce this possibility).

But the majority of artists want classic dry pans of paint. To make dry cakes be sure you avoid any brands formulated with honey. Daniel Smith is my personal favorite. A lot of artists like Winsor & Newton, although I have heard that they can be difficult to activate once dried. If this is the case, try adding some glycerin during the pan making process.

If you’ve never made pans before, it’s probably a good idea to start by doing a test with just one pan. It would be a pity to squeeze out all your tubes only to find the results are not what you expected !

What kind of palette box to choose?

We’ve talked about using a watertight palette if you intend to use wet pans. But if you’re making dry pans then I would encourage you to think about the kind of palette box you need for storing your pans.

Ideally your palette box should be adapted to your style of work and painting routine.

Are you making a travel palette ? Or do you need a palette for studio work ? Maybe you will be working indoors, but you need the palette to be portable for when you go to art classes…

You can find all kinds of empty boxes for storing pans. Most of them integrate a mixing surface which folds into the box. A few of them are just tins with a lid for keeping the pans protected from dust. All of them offer the opportunity to organize your pan colors the way you want.

Personally I use the following options for different situations:

A simple palette box with lid.

I find this solution perfect for studio work. When I’m working indoors like this I don’t need a folding palette with a built-in mixing tray which takes up a lot of space. I prefer to use a separate mix surface. A standard folding palette box just takes up too much room on my desktop…

The tin I use holds 20 full pans which is great for studio conditions and each little pan has a magnetic strip so you can place them where you want inside the tin. These fun little tins look great and you get a choice of different designs for the lid.

It’s perfect for organizing and protecting your pans from dust between painting sessions.

A small folding travel palette.

Painting outdoors or when away traveling requires a compact and portable palette. I can make do with a more limited color palette when painting “plein air” but I opt for half pans so I can still choose from a reasonable range of colors. I have an old Winsor & Newton box which I like because of its small size. I just refill the half pans whenever they need topping off. The small lid and folding mixing tray are enough to do small sketches.

A large folding palette box

One of the big advantages of pans is their portability. So when I’m away from my studio but I want the comfort of a larger mixing surface and a big variety of colors I use a large folding palette box. The one I have is a generic brand but it does the job nicely. It’s filled with full pans, which for me is a comfortable option.

Step by step process of filling pans

Start by selecting your colors. If you want advice on the best colors to get started take a look at my recommended color palette.

Grab an empty pan and a tube of paint. You’ll also need a small stick for stirring (the wrong end of an old brush or a toothpick is what most people use).

Label your pans. For future reference it’s a good idea to write the paint name, brand and pigment number on each pan. Use a sharpie marker or a waterproof pen.

Be careful when opening your tubes. Sometimes if your tubes have been untouched for a while, the pigments can become separated from the liquid vehicle, (gum arabic, glycerin, sugar syrup, etc.) so it’s a good idea to massage or shake the tube before opening so all the ingredients mix together. Sometimes paint gushes out of the tube – be ready to catch it in a pan in case this happens.

Begin by squeezing paint into the corners of the pan. Don’t fill the pan completely – no more than half full is good. Stir the paint with your stick. You want to avoid any air bubbles from forming and get the paint to adhere to the inside of the pan as it dries. You can also tap the pans on your table top a few times to chase bubbles to the surface.

Leave the pan to dry for at least 24 to 48 hours then check the results. Drying time varies depending on temperature and humidity and can take a few days. Just let it dry naturally. Don’t try to speed up the process by heating. Personally I find this risky. By using an oven you might melt the plastic pans and a hairdryer can get messy if you start blowing paint around ! If your watercolor cake doesn’t dry after several days there may be something in the paint ingredients preventing this. In which case you may want to try a different brand. If the cake shrinks and cracks substantially this can probably be prevented by adding a drop or two of glycerin.

Fill the pans a second time but don’t fill them right to the top.

Part of using watercolor pans is getting your paint to the right consistency before you start painting. You do this by adding a few drops of clear water at the beginning of each painting session to pre-wet the paint. When you make pans, if you fill them right to the top there is no room to hold any water. You want to leave a small reservoir at the top of the cake which makes it easy to form a pool of water and activate your watercolors.

You may notice a small amount of cracking or shrinking. The advantage of filling your pans in stages means that you can fill any gaps with a new layer of paint and improve the adherence of the cake to the inside of the pan.

Make sure all your pans are completely dry before putting them in a palette box.

How to organize pans in your palette

I always set up my color palette by placing each hue in a color spectrum, like the colors of the rainbow. Organizing colors harmoniously this way helps locate similar hues easily and also color contamination between pans is less of a problem. 

For example yellow contaminated with orange is less of an issue.

​To sum it all up 

I really do think that making your own watercolor pans is the best practice for most watercolorists. Not only because DIY pans are economical and ultimately the best way to get a personalized color palette. But also the fact that starting with tubes of watercolor gives you the best of both worlds. If you start with tubes you have the choice and flexibility of making pans, or working directly from the tube with freshly squeezed paint.

Making your own pans is certainly worth the effort.

Give it try !

The post How to make watercolor pans first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

And the answer probably seems obvious to more experienced watercolor artists.

I remember when I was learning about watercolor painting, I wasn’t sure how other artists used tubes of paint. I found it quite mysterious how to handle paint in this form. And the more I thought about it the more puzzled I became.

I wanted to know the best way to use watercolor paint from tubes.

With a little experience, research, and testing I became more comfortable using paint from tubes, and today I still buy all my paint in this format ! I think this is the best way to use your watercolors.

The bottom line ?

Using tubes is a question of personal choice. It takes some time, trial and error to find the technique which works best with your workflow.

But in general there are a few basic methods :

1. You can use fresh paint directly from the tube by squeezing out some paint onto a mixing surface, then mix with water.
2. Alternatively you squeeze out some paint into a mixing palette and let it dry between painting sessions.
3. Or you can make your own watercolor pans and set up a personalized watercolor palette.

​Each individual artist has his own habits, but from what I could discover from other artists workflow and my own personal experience these are the three most widespread ways of using tubes.

Want to know which method is best for you ?

Below I’ll go into more detail about these three methods, plus a few tips and tricks to help you use watercolors in this form.

Here’s what I’ve learned about using watercolor from tubes:

1. Using fresh watercolor from the tube

Some people always use fresh moist paint directly from the tube. This is a very easy and fast way to mix colors because the paint is already moist. In this format it is also easier to mix a large amount of paint if you’re painting on a big surface.

Color from tubes is fully pigmented and saturated. Your paint doesn’t get brighter. So it’s easy to get a strong concentration of paint.

Using fresh paint from the tube every time you paint has the advantage of starting with clean fresh colors each time. Some artists like to have fresh pure colors when they start a new painting. They don’t want their colors to be stained with other pigments, so this method of working suits them well.

Starting afresh in this way also means that your mixing surface is clean and free from dust, so you don’t get foreign bodies floating around in your watercolor washes!

Here’s how this technique tends to work:

How to mix watercolor paint from tubes

• ​You start with a clean mixing surface. This can be a mixing palette, or even just a dinner plate. A lot of artists use a butcher tray. (When choosing a mixing surface you should look for something impermeable such as plastic, ceramic or enamel, with a very white surface so you can accurately see the color of the mixture you’re making).
• ​Squeeze out a dot of the color you want to use onto your mixing tray or into the wells of your palette. If you’re using a mixing surface leave plenty of space between dots to avoid color contamination. Most artists put their dots around the edge of the mixing area. This way you leave room in the middle for mixing puddles of paint. (To prevent color contamination the actual mixing takes place in a separate area on your tray).
• ​Load a brush with clean water and press it against the mixing area to create a puddle of water.
• ​Dab your moist brush onto a dot of paint to pick up some pigment.
• ​Gently mix the paint into the water puddle until the mix is smooth.
• ​Rinse your brush then repeat these steps to create additional puddles for mixing.
• ​Clean off the mixing palette when the painting is finished.

A few tips:

When you start a new painting, begin with just a few colors. Quite often as you progress with a subject, you might change ideas and decide to use a different color design. My advice is to squeeze out only the colors you need to avoid wasting paint.

In the beginning you may be tempted to dab a dirty brush into your pure paint dots. It takes a bit of discipline to keep you mixing habits clean and avoid contaminating your pure pigments, but with experience your technique becomes more intuitive.

How to open watercolor tubes

“Just open the cap” I hear you say !

This might seem obvious but sometimes opening new or old tubes of paint can cause problems.

With new tubes it’s quite common to see a sudden gush of paint when you take off the cap for the first time. Used tubes don’t seem to encounter the same problem.

Just be careful when opening new tubes. Try not to put pressure on the tubes by squeezing them, and maybe open them over the well of your palette so you don’t lose any contents.

When you open used tubes, sometimes you can get flakes of ​dried paint fall out. Try to avoid the flakes falling on your clean paper or in your mixing palette.

Old tubes are another sticky problem. Often if you leave them for a while the paint dries and the cap becomes difficult to remove. The solution to this is to warm the cap in some way. Leaving paints “cap down“ in some warm water usually helps.

If you encounter this problem often, you might consider dipping the inside of your cap in some glycerin or even honey before putting the cap back on. (Glycerin is used in paint formulas to help keep them soft).

2. Squeezing tubes into a mixing palette

With this approach you let the paints dry out in a mixing palette when not in use. You need to reactivate the paint with a small amount of water each time you use them.

A mixing palette is different to a simple mixing surface like a butcher tray or a ceramic dish. A mixing palette has two distinct parts:

Paint wells for squeezing out your pure paint.

A mixing area for mixing your paint puddles.

There are a lot of different formats of mixing palettes and over time you’ll find one which you prefer. (After a lot of testing I found one of the best types is an Eldajon palette – you can find them at a good price on Amazon​).

The advantage I have found with this method is that there is very little wasted paint. Reconstituting the dried paints with water is very easy, and there is no loss of pigment saturation ( At least that’s the case with the brand of paints that I use – see my recommendations ).

Clean up time is also reduced !

Here’s how people tend to work with palettes:

• ​Squeeze out dots of raw tube paint into the palette wells. Just before painting you can add a few drops of water into each well. This makes the actual colors easier to see than the dried paint, and prevents paint from developing a skin during your painting session. No need to mix the paint in the wells, just leave the dot of concentrated paint for when you want to mix a higher saturated color.
• ​It’s a good idea to arrange your palette by grouping paints into color families. This helps you locate hues more easily during the painting process. I usually do this in the order of the color spectrum.
• ​Creating puddles of mixed color is done in the same way as described above. The paint wells on most palettes are quite close together, so keeping your brush clean when picking up pigment is important, and try not to splash color into adjacent wells.

A few tips:

When mixing colors, bring out a bit more paint than you think you need. There’s nothing as frustrating as running out of a color mix and having to mix the exact same color twice.

Paint will dry out in the palette when not in use. To reactivate the watercolors just add some clean water to the wells before each new session. A lot of artists use a spray bottle to pre-wet their paint.

If your paint wells do become color contaminated or muddy, then just place the wells under a flow of warm running water. The surface layer of muddy color will dissolve leaving fresh paint underneath.

One of the problems with this method is the risk of dust or particle contamination between painting sessions. Depending on the type of palette used, I find it useful to cover the palette until my next painting. This can be as simple as an upturned dinner plate, or aluminium foil. Whatever you find does the job well.

Depending on how long you leave your mixing palette between each new painting, it might be advisable to put them in the refrigerator for storage, to prevent mold and evaporation.

​Watercolor palette with lid​

Some artists prefer to keep their fresh tube paints continuously wet.

They use a “wet palette” option to keep them moist.

This method combines the advantages of working with fresh paint plus the ability to create a personalized color palette. It eliminates the trouble of dissolving paint at the beginning of each session, making mixing quick and easy.

You can find special wet palette boxes with folding or snap on lids to accommodate your tube paints (see the reviews for this leakproof palette on Amazon). They have the advantage of being watertight and transportable.

They have a lid that prevents overnight evaporation and works as an effective dust cover.

The drawback is that wet paint can go mouldy if left too long. Keeping them in the fridge will help !

3. How to make watercolor pans

Tubes of watercolor can be used to make your own watercolor pans.

You can of course buy paint already in pans (sometimes called cakes), but I prefer to fill empty pans with my favorite paint colors.

This is really easy to do (In fact it’s a piece of cake… sorry, couldn’t resist that !)

All you need is an empty palette box and some empty pans.

Pans come in two sizes: bigger full pans and small half pans. Personally I prefer the full pans, simply because it’s easier to get the whole of my brush into the large pan when picking up paint.

Most palette boxes will fit both full and half pans.

I think this option is great ! Firstly it let’s me set up a personalized color palette, (ready-made box sets always include colors you don’t want). Also you can layout the colors the way you want. This is good for your workflow because you have an established order fixed in your mind. I also think it’s more cost effective than buying ready-made pans. I can fill up a pan and keep them topped up 3 or 4 times with tube of paint. For me, the price difference between a pan and a tube makes the tube a more economical choice. Storage is easy. When you’re finished you just close the lid, which also keeps the paint free from dust.

Here’s how to make your own pans and setup a palette:

• ​Decide which colors you want to put in your palette.
• ​Label the pans with the color name, brand and pigment number using a waterproof pen. This is handy for when you want to refill a pan later on.
• ​Before opening, shake or massage the paint tube, especially if they are old. Sometimes the binder (usually gum arabic) can separate from the paint when stored for long periods.
• chevron-right​Begin by squeezing some paint into the corners of the pan. Fill the pan about half way then stir the paint with a toothpick or an unfolded paperclip. This stirring seems to consolidate the paint and remove any trapped air, which avoids cracks in the paint when drying.
• chevron-right​Leave the pan to dry. Don’t cover the pans, leave them to dry in a well air place.
• chevron-right​Once dry, fill the rest of the pan and stir again. I don’t fill the pans right up to the top. This is useful because you can add a few drops of water to your pan to reactivate them before painting. Also this helps prevent the paint sticking to the lid of the palette box when I close it.
• chevron-right​The process of filling in two stages seems to avoid the paint cracking and falling out of the pan. The amount of evaporation and cracking varies depending on the brand of paint, but the Daniel Smith paints that I use dry beautifully. If you do find your paint falling out, try adding a drop of glycerin to the bottom of a pan to stick it back in.
• chevron-right​Organize your pans according to color families as you would with an open palette. This is just good habit and helps your workflow making it easy to locate hues.
• chevron-right​To reactivated the paint add a few drops of clear water with a brush or a spray bottle.

​Using tubes to make pans makes no difference to the quality of your watercolors. Manufacturers use the same formulas to make the pans and their Tubes of paint. Tubes just have more liquid binders and fillers which evaporate when you leave them to dry.

How to recover dried watercolor paint tubes

Do you have some old watercolor tubes that have dried out over time ? Are they completely useless ?

There doesn’t really seem to be an expiry date for watercolors paints. I’ve heard of artists leaving tubes for several years and still being able to use them!

Dried up paint tubes can be reconstituted by removing the paint from tube and adding gum arabic or even a little water.

Cut open the tube, then crush or chop the contents into small parts. Put the dried paint into a container with a little gum arabic and leave to rest a while. Stir the paint and add more gum arabic until you recover a smooth mixture.

The whole process needs a lot of patience, but it can be done !

​Using watercolor straight from the tube for spot color

Finally, for painting detail, or spot colors, I simply work straight from the tube. Unscrew the cap, wet the brush with just enough water to lubricate the pure paint, then pick up some paint straight out of the tube.

This is usually when I’m using a color that I don’t keep in my day to day palette, or for occasionally applying opaque colors such as Chinese White.

Comparison between watercolor tubes and pans

One of the advantages with tubes is you can start with a limited palette – buy a few tubes at a time and add to your collection as you evolve.

The choice between tubes or pans is more a matter of personal workflow. I find myself using both, but I always buy tubes first, and make my own pans as I need them.

Whether you buy your paints in tubes or as pans will not affect the quality of your work. The paint is the same.  Tubes are more pricey but in my experience they are more economical compared to buying ready filled pans.

The post Beginners guide how to use watercolor paint tubes first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

Wet on wet and wet on dry are both important parts of any watercolorist’s painting vocabulary. Each technique has its own specific qualities, producing very different and delightful results.

When I started watercolor painting I was vaguely aware of these two painting methods. But I have to admit, most of my painting techniques were restricted to wet on dry processes. I didn’t really take the time to explore wet on wet work and how the two techniques could complement each other.

But you haven’t really experienced watercolor painting until you venture into both wet in wet and wet on dry techniques.

But what’s the difference ?

“Wet on wet” means that wet paint is applied to wet paper, or added to a wash of fresh wet paint. 

“Wet on dry” simply means that you’re applying wet paint onto dry paper, or wet paint onto an area of dry paint.

When you employ these methods together you have the freedom to create unique visual textures, and enhance your watercolor painting. Wet on wet produces soft edges, complex random effects, and beautiful color graduation. Wet on dry allows you to obtain more detail, sharper edges, and well defined shapes.

Having a good grasp of both techniques will make you a more versatile painter.

But these blending techniques are something you have to practice and get a feel for.

In this article I wanted to explore the possibilities offered by each technique, and offer some tips and advice on how to master these two fundamental skills.

The dynamics of water

Watercolor is a water based medium.

Yep… No surprises so far !

But to fully comprehend these two watercolor techniques I think it’s useful to consider the traits and behaviour of water. A quick understanding of the characteristics of water will help to understand how you can control the flow of your paint.

Let’s compare a drop of ​water onto dry paper and a drop of ​water onto wet paper:

A drop of watery paint remains static and contained on dry paper. Paint does not flow unless it is invited to do so. Brushing the drop of paint will extend its surface area, but the paint remains within the shape that you define with your brush. T​his is what you obtain when applying a flat wash, and this is what happens when you paint wet on dry.

By comparison a drop of paint on wet paper flows onto the wet surface because water is pulled by gravity from high to low. The paint is invited to move by the wet surface – water joins with water and tends to flow toward the lowest point of the paper surface. In a nutshell, this is what happens when you paint wet on wet.

Keeping the behaviour of water in mind when painting gives you more control over the finished result. The pigments always follow the water.

Wet on dry techniques

A wet on dry painting technique tends to give you more control over your brush strokes and the applied paint. If you load you brush with wet paint and paint on dry paper you get a shape which has hard edges, but with flowing liquid paint in the middle.

When working wet on dry, watercolor doesn’t ​flow beyond the dry edges of the form you painted, unless you push the paint around with more paint or water. This gives you full control over the shapes you paint.

With wet on dry you can produce shapes which have a uniform flat appearance, or a variegated ​color which changes in ​hue and intensity. You can also obtain graduated blending which changes tonal value from dark to light.

Another thing you will notice when you paint wet on dry is that your colors don’t fade or bleed as much compared to a wet on wet technique. The final color appearance remains intense. This is probably because paint pigments are more diffused and spread out when painting wet into wet.

(For the following exercises you can download my worksheet and use it as a guide for practicing these two techniques – the easiest way is to use it as a template to trace onto watercolor paper).

Wet on dry flat wash

Painting watercolor wet on dry is probably the most obvious method for any watercolorist. But this kind of paint control is very important. You should practice, and then practice some more !

The first exercise is a flat wash. The objective is to get a smooth even finish across the whole surface of the square.

Draw a rectangle on you paper.

The trick is to load your brush with enoughpaint so that it flows freely. There should be enough liquid so that it forms a bead at the base of your brush stroke.

(A bead is a gathering of excess fluid at the end of a stroke or at the bottom of a wet wash).

Work from top to bottom. Tilting the paper also helps because gravity will help the paint flow downwards. ​The amount of paint you use is important – you really do need to keep your brush nice and wet.

You can use the bead to keep the paint flowing down the paper. Reload your brush before the wash becomes too dry and while you still have a bead at the bottom. Continue to push paint down the paper to get a consistent wash.

Try to keep the form of the wash within the confines of your rectangle – this is also a good exercise in brush control.

When you reach the end of your flat wash, if you still have a bead of excess paint, blot your brush ​to dry it, then use it to soak up the surplus paint.

Graduated blending wet on dry

Painting onto dry paper produces well defined forms and crisp edges but often you want forms to have some blending to break down those hard edges.

You do this with graduated blending.

This time you’re going to paint a smooth gradient of different paint intensity from dark to light.

First mix a large puddle of paint. Begin with a well loaded brush and lay down some watercolor at the top of the rectangle. ( I use a small ​round sable ​hair brush for this – ​sable is ​very good at holding a large amount of paint ​but also forms a nice point giving you control over details. Check out some of my favorite brushes here…). Stop about a third of the way down. There should be a bead ​at the base of your wash.

We want this wash to blend smoothly from top to bottom. The temptation here is to load your brush with clear water and try to expand the shape using a water loaded brush. 

The problem ​is this tends to create a backrun and ruin the graduated blend. Your brush should not be fully loaded.

(A backrun is a feathery shaped bloom created when excess fluid flows back into a settling wash).

​At this stage I find it best to dilute the paint puddle with some water, then start a new brush stroke with some diluted paint. You need to work fairly quickly while the paint is still wet. Don’t use a fully loaded brush​ or you risk creating a backrun. Your brush should be about half loaded. 

Pick up some diluted paint, blot away some of the wetness, then apply your brush stroke.

​Keep doing this until the wash starts to look faded, diluting your paint until it becomes almost like clear water. To finish off you can use clear water to end the blended wash. 

The trick is to work while the paint is very wet to avoid the paint from drying and getting streaks in your wash.

Variegated blending with wet on dry

When painting wet on dry you can also produce variations in color and value with one or more colors. By mixing colors this way, you get more control over your blending than with a wet on wet approach, which tends to be less predictable.

This type of blending involves glazing, where you paint on top of another layer of dry paint. You use exactly the same technique as for dry on dry graduated blending.

Begin by painting a flat wash, (or a graduated wash) with one color.

Let this dry.

Now choose another color and use a graduated wash technique to blend your second color over the first.

It’s important that you let the first coat of paint dry, otherwise you will be painting wet in wet.

​Blended shapes using wet on dry

​Now that you have ​some practice with ​basic wet on dry techniques you can try ​combining some of the ideas above and paint some blended shapes. Wet on dry painting lets you paint sharp edged shapes because water always stops at the edge of the wet area.

This exercise applies two techniques known as “charging” and “pulling out“.

Charging means injecting new color into an already wet wash. When you connect two wet shapes the colors mix together and your fresh color flows back into the adjacent wash. You can see this in examples 1, 2, 3 and 4 above.

Pulling out ​lets you create a gradient of color. You paint a shape, clean and blot your brush, then pull the paint pigments in a given direction. You get a ​progressive change in color from dark to light. You can see this in the examples 5, 6 and 7 above.

One of the most difficult parts of watercolor painting is judging the correct amount of liquid on your brush and the wetness of the paint on the paper. In ​example number 8 above, you can see that my first wash was too dry when I tried to charge some additional color into the first wash. And in example 9, when I tried to pull out my first shape of color, my brush was overloaded and too wet. This caused a backrun which you can see by the distinctive feathery pattern it created.

This is a fun exercise that is useful to repeat several times. It can be tricky to get the desired effects in watercolors and this is an excellent way to ​sharpen your skills and brush control.

Wet on wet techniques

A wet on wet technique of painting results in wonderful soft, spontaneous and complex effects which watercolors are well known for.

You begin by applying clean water to your paper to make it moist, then you lay down your color. Pre-wetting the paper in this way is sometimes referred to as priming.

Alternatively you can add more paint to an existing area of paint which is still wet.

Adding wet paint into another wet paint is known as charging. Charging in this way causes the paint to blend in a fairly random fashion.

The basic rule is that the paint will follow the water.

Wet on wet painting results in beautiful fluid effects but with less control.

But this does not mean that wet on wet painting is totally haphazard !

The main source of control is using moisture to guide and constrain paint pigments.

The wetness of the paper, and the load on your brush have a big impact on the behaviour of paint when painting with this method. You need to have a good idea how to find the right balance of wetness – paper wetness and brush wetness. Together these produce the greatest dynamic energy in the behavior of paint on paper.

Experienced watercolorists know how to control water and make it do exactly what they want.

A lot of beginners feel that watercolor is difficult to control. The unpredictability of a wet in wet technique teaches us to let go and allow the paint do what it likes rather than try to dominate it.

As usual, practice makes perfect !

The wet into wet process can be applied in a number of ways… Here are some exercises to try:

Graduated blending wet on wet

This is a basic wash technique. The aim is to paint a graduated wash which changes smoothly in tone from dark to light.

Draw a rectangle on you paper.

With a clean brush add clear water to the area to be painted. The paper should have a good sheen of wetness but should not be too wet. At the same time, if the paper is too dry you won’t get a smooth wash. If you add too much water, don’t worry, you can remove some moisture using a paper towel.

Load your brush (not too much) and lay down a brush stroke across the top of the wet shape. Don’t pick up any more paint, just continue to apply brush strokes downward ​to about one third of the rectangle. ​It helps to tilt the paper and use gravity to pull the ​paint downwards.

Now clean and blot your brush, then continue to apply brush strokes towards the base of the rectangle.

Clean and blot your brush again before you reach the base of the rectangle if needed.

You’ll see the pigments spread out across the wet form. ​Notice that the paint remains within the boundaries of your wet shape.

The trick with this kind of wash is knowing at which stage of wetness you will get a lot of pigment movement or slow paint movement. With experience you’ll be able to use this to your advantage.

Variegated blending with wet on wet

This is another popular technique for mixing two or more colors together. The objective is to obtain a nice soft blend of colors.

Draw a rectangle and wet your paper in the same way as before.

Load your brush with one color and apply it to one side of the rectangle. Before the paper dries, load your brush with another color and apply paint to the other side of your shape.

You can tilit the paper one way or another to help the mixing process.

The colors will mix and blend together on the paper creating a beautiful spontaneous blend of colors. The pigments mix together and can create some extraordinary new colors !

Once again the degree and speed of blending will depend on the wetness of the paper. As the paper dries, but remains moist, any new paint strokes will blend softly, but to a lesser extent.

Controlled soft shapes using wet on wet

If you first define a zone of wetness, and keep an eye on the level of paper moisture, you can get some wonderful soft edged shapes with wet on wet techniques.

Try painting another rectangle of clear water, then dab the damp paper with paint. Depending on the amount of paint on your brush and the level of paper wetness you get diffused shapes of color.

This technique is often used by watercolorists to paint skies…

Paper wetness

As you have probably realized by now, the level of wetness of the paper has a big influence on the results produced with wet on wet techniques.

I think that learning to judge paper wetness is something which helped me take my wet on wet technique to a new level.

Artists who specialize in wet on wet painting have observed specific stages of wetness which have a noticeably different effect on paint behaviour. For example the artist Ewa Karpinska talks about the “cycle of water”. Bruce MacEvoy on his website Handprint talks about the “six stages of paper wetness”.

These levels of wetness range from totally soaked to completely dry, and there are between 6 and 7 specific stages of wetness. These stages exhibit the following characteristics:

1. Completely Wet – shiny mirror surface
2. ​Glossy – very wet shiny surface but the texture of the paper is visible.
3. Satin / low gloss – the shininess can be observed mostly in the sunken hollows of the paper texture. 
4. ​Moist / humid – The paper begins to look dry but is damp to touch resulting in slight paint diffusion.
5. Matt / damp – Paper looks and feels dry, but the underlying paper still remains humid so you get a very soft paint diffusion.
6. Dry – All moisture has evaporated and you go back to a wet on dry technique.

​Experimenting with paper wetness would be a great way to develop a good feeling for the different effects obtained with varying degrees of paper moisture.

Try the exercise that I did below. Draw six rectangles side by side and begin by wetting all the shapes to the same degree. Try not to overdo it. You don’t want the clear water to overflow the boundaries of your shape.

Next I loaded a brush with paint and applied a brush stroke to the top of the first rectangle.

The next part is kind of boring but important (it’s a bit like watching paint dry – forgive the pun).

Observe the wetness of the shapes until they seem to reach each of the different stages of wetness from 1 to 6. When you think you’re at a new stage, lay down a wash of paint and notice the difference in paint diffusion. Keep doing this until you’ve gone through all six stages of wetness.

Troubleshooting wet on dry and wet on wet – Blooms and Backruns

I just wanted to end with a couple of tips and problems you may encounter using bot wet on dry or wet on wet watercolor techniques.

The most common difficulty I have found is with blooms and backruns.

You’ve probably seen these effects at some time or another. A bloom is a feathery shape with dark edges caused when any additional liquid flows into a previously laid wash. A backrun is very similar in appearance, and is caused by a bead of excess fluid flows back into a settling wash.

These outcomes tend to occur when your wash starts to dry. The trick is not to keep adding water or paint to a wash which is starting to settle, it just makes a mess. Also, if you have a bead of paint at the end of a brush stroke, remember to blot your brush and remove the moisture to avoid a backrun as the paint begins to dry.

Wet on wet or wet on dry are both excellent techniques. Try to find ways to use them both in your next paintings. Above all, have some fun !

Go read this next: Unmissable Watercolor Techniques

The post Watercolor wet on wet vs wet on dry – tutorial, tips & tricks first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

Watercolor paper isn’t the only surface you can paint on !

Yep… That’s right !

In fact one of the most common questions I see asked by artists is:

“Can you use watercolor on canvas” ?

The quick answer is “yes”. But of course it’s slightly more complicated than that. There a few things you need to know about using canvas as a support for watercolor paintings.

I was curious about using canvas myself and I thought this would be a great opportunity to try out this alternative to traditional watercolor paper.

Below I’ll tell you everything I learned and hopefully all you need to know about using canvas with watercolor !

What is watercolor canvas ?

Traditionally watercolors are painted on watercolor paper.

Watercolor paper is an absorbentsupport. Watercolor paints are a medium which depend on the paper to partially absorb and fix the paint to the surface and also the underlying paper fibers.

Canvas, on the other hand, is more commonly used for oils or acrylics.

These kind of paints are usually applied to a non-absorbent ground where all the paint stays on the surface.

The bottom line ?

In simple terms, if you want to use canvas for watercolor painting you need to change the nature of it’s surface from non-absorbent to absorbant.

A “watercolor canvas” is simply a canvas which has been specially prepared to accept the watery nature of the paints. Watercolor canvas has a modified surface finish which helps absorb the paint in a similar way to paper.

The different types of watercolor canvas

Perhaps you’re already familiar with canvas and you like it’s appearance and texture, but you also want to work in watercolors. Or maybe you’re just curious to know if traditional canvas makes a good alternative to paper.

So what are your options ?

There are a couple different ways you can take advantage of canvas to paint with watercolors:

• ​Use a ready-to-paint watercolor canvas
• ​Prime a standard canvas with watercolor ground

​Watercolor-ready canvases

These commercially available canvases are a relatively new invention. This is a special kind of canvas which has a unique gesso coating designed to accept watercolor paints. The brand Fredrix Canvas have a range of products available in three formats:

• ​Pre-stretched canvas
• ​Canvas boards
• ​Canvas pads

​These canvases have a similar kind of tooth to normal fabric canvases. The texture is very fine which makes it relatively easy to apply watercolors.

If you’re accustomed to working on watercolor paper then you may be a little surprised at first. You need to adjust your technique slightly to accommodate the quirks of the canvas finish, a bit like when you use a new type of paper for the first time. The flow characteristics of the surface are different – it just takes a bit of getting used to !

There are some interesting advantages to using canvas for watercolor painting.

Here are the pros and cons:

The characteristics of watercolor canvas

The first thing you will probably notice is that the paint tends to rest on the surface much longer giving you more time to play with the paint. This is because Watercolor canvas is not as absorbent as watercolor paper.

It’s almost like using hot pressed watercolor paper.This makes watercolor canvas great for wet on wettechniques for example.

The second most noticeable difference is the way canvas allows you to lift dry watercolor paint. Watercolor canvas has much more lifting capability than paper, even when the paint is completely dry.

The advantage is that you don’t need to reserve whites quite in the same way as when you use traditional paper. The lifting doesn’t go back completely to white, but you can certainly make a lot of adjustments and more easily correct mistakes. This makes canvas easy for adjusting tones. If you want to change the value of part of your painting, you can easily scrub back and then build up your paint again, without damaging the surface. This is impossible with normal watercolor paper.

This same easy lifting capability can also be a slight disadvantage if you do a lot of glazing. You need to be careful when laying down new layers of paint, even when the first glaze is dry. A fresh glaze needs to be applied quickly to avoid the underlying layer from lifting and mixing with your new glaze. This is something you don’t encounter with watercolor paper. Again you just need to adjust your technique to accommodate the characteristics of the canvas.

If you do a lot of glazing, this surface might not be to your liking.

The canvas has the advantage of being quite durable and difficult to tear. Sketching outlines is also easy and you can erase mistakes without altering the quality of the surface.

As mentioned above, the Fredrix range comes in different formats, but I think the real advantages come from the pre-stretched canvas. Indeed, the canvas doesn’t warp or buckle like unstretched watercolor paper. The canvases come in standard sizes and you don’t even have to frame your paintings under glass! Just remember to apply a layer of varnish to fix the finished painting.

The canvas is 100% cotton and “acid free” which gives the canvas good archival qualities. This is the same kind of characteristic you should look for when buying watercolor paper. Acid is the biggest threat to the durability of your finished paintings.

I was quite impressed by these ready to go watercolor canvases. They certainly offer a quick and easy solution compared to prepping your own canvases, and are a great option if you only work occasionally on this type of support.

​How do you prepare a canvas for watercolor?

One of the more common ways to use watercolor on canvas is to prepare the surface of an ordinary canvas so that it becomes more absorbent.

Standard artist’s canvas can be given a number of coats of “watercolor gesso”  or “watercolor ground” to make them ready for painting with watercolors.

Watercolor ground is a special liquid coating which can be used to prepare any surface that you wouldn’t normally be able to paint on with watercolors.

Yes… You can even use this substance to prep wood, metal, stone or just about anything you fancy! It creates an absorbent surface with a kind of satin texture, ready for watercolor paints.

There are various manufacturers of watercolor ground. For example, Daniel Smith offer different colors of ground. I tested the “Transparent” and the “Titanium White” versions.

You simply coat the surface of your standard canvas with a thin layer of the ground and wait for it to dry. I see a lot of artists applying several layers, but I didn’t find this was necessary. Also, if you apply the ground too thickly, or use too many layers, you lose the texture of the original canvas, which I think defeats the purpose !

Apply one coat of ground in a smooth layer. There’s no need to dilute the ground. You might get some lumps, but a trick I found was to go over the coat of ground with a brush loaded with clean water. This seems to smooth out the lumps.

Whatever you do, don’t use your good quality brushes ! A cheap flat bristle brush is fine.

The ground dries in a few hours, but it’s recommended to let the ground dry for 24 hours to achieve the right degree of absorption.

The advantage of this kind of product is that you can prepare several canvases, so it’s quite an economical solution.

The characteristics of watercolor ground on canvas

The properties of canvas primed with watercolor ground is very similar to the ready-made watercolor canvas I tried.

The surface remains wet for longer so the flow of pigment can be moved around and played with more than watercolor paper.

You can lift out paint and go back to lighter tones in the same way and tones can be adjusted by scrubbing back with a damp brush. Once again lifting makes glazing difficult.

One thing I did find is that edge details were a little harder to control. Absorbent ground seems to have a tendency to bloom when laying fresh washes, and there’s some bleeding at the edges with the absorbent ground.

Watercolor paper vs canvas

The surfaces you paint on are the foundation, the source of light and brightness of your paintings. The transparent nature of watercolors is best suited to a light toned surface, but the texture of the surface adds character and richness to your artwork.

Watercolor paper or canvas both bestow a distinctive grain to the painting surface.

Here’s a quick comparison of the two substrates:

How about doing your next watercolor on canvas ?

Whichever way you choose to use canvas, it’s relatively inexpensive and contributes a unique texture to your finished work.

Using canvas as a support for watercolors is a very different experience to conventional watercolor paper. There’s a bit of a learning curve when you first try using canvas when you’re accustomed to paper. But canvas is fun to use – it’s easy to manipulate the paint even when dry – and lifting paint off the surface is incredibly easy compared to paper.

I suggest you treat your first canvas paintings purely as an experiment and see if you like the properties of a canvas surface.

Above all, have fun with it !

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Like a lot of new watercolorists, I didn’t understand about layering paint.

When I started painting I would use too much water and fuss over the wet paint with my brush. I remember enthusiastically painting layer upon layer of paint until the end result looked murky and overworked! Have you ever found yourself doing this?

The transparency of watercolors is one of the underlying qualities that makes watercolor painting so beautiful! And it’s the transparent nature of watercolor paints which allow artists to build up a painting using multiple layers. This method is what many watercolorists call “glazing”.

What is glazing in watercolor painting?

Layering watercolor washes is also known as Glazing. The technique of glazing may sound complicated, but it’s really very simple. Glazing is essentially multiple layers of paint applied on top of each other. Each layer of paint is left to dry before applying the next.

Glazing adds depth and richness of color. When you glaze, you need to wait for each layer to dry completely. If you apply a new layer of paint too quickly you can easily lift the previous layer and the pigments will mix together.

​Watercolor paintings that use glazes have a characteristic visual appearance compared to those which have been created using a wet on wet method. Glazing is a wonderful technique which gives plenty of visual interest to a painting and transforms flat shapes into vibrant and colorful forms.

Layering also makes some types of painting more manageable, because you can focus only on the tone and forms rather than thinking about mixing exactly the right hue. For example many artists do this by layering primary colors on top of each other – yellow, then red, then blue.

Glazing is also a key method for adding detail to a watercolor painting. You can use this technique to give a sharp, crisp appearance to areas of your work.

Layering paint by glazing is also a very useful method for controlling the color, tone and intensity of your paintings.

But keep in mind that this technique is not for the impatient! Indeed it requires a certain amount of composure. It takes longer because you have to wait for layers to dry. (This is why a lot of watercolorists keep a hairdryer handy to speed up the drying process).

Even so, learning to correctly paint in layers can be an essential technique which contributes to the success of your painting.

​A glazing diagram using primary colors

Watercolor layering techniques & benefits

Glazing watercolors is a technique which gives you various of levels of control over your painting. And a good understanding of how to control your painting technique means that you’ll be more confident in your painting capabilities.

Here are some of the most important things you should know about glazing.

1 – Layering to control and mix color.

One of the aspects that glazing modifies is color.

Most of the time watercolorists mix colors in a palette before applying the paint. As we all know, the combination of two color paints produces a third color.

But the same is true when you glaze. It’s pretty much like another form of color mixing. Each new layer of paint creates a new color.

Let’s say you are painting a leaf. You can easily mix blue and yellow in your palette to make various greens. But you can also begin painting a leaf in yellow, then add a second glaze of blue paint. The result is a green leaf with lots of color variety and interest.

This is the way that most watercolor paintings are constructed using the glazing technique. You start by putting down most of the color as a flat wash then you go back and spend time glazing.

To be fully in control of your results you need to be aware of the color mixing potential of transparent glazes. I find that it’s good practise to make swatches to test your palette colors and the results you obtain when they are layered.

It’s really helpful to see how your colors work together.

2 – Layering to control tone and value

Value is one of the most important components of your artwork. Glazing gives you a controlled method for adding tonal values gradually, and also for correcting tone if a part of your painting is too light.

To learn more about value and tone in art read this : What is tone in Art – a Watercolorists Guide

You can easily control values with glazing. This method lets you add shading or intensify the tone of a painting by layering new colors a little at a time. The more glazes you add, the darker the values become.

This works by adding successive washes of transparent color to achieve a particular value. At the beginning of each painting the pigment to water ratio is important. You want to start with light values, so this means diluted paint and light tones should be painted first. Each new layer of paint makes the passage you’re working on a little bit darker.

The key is to work from light to dark since removing value in watercolor painting is impossible (that’s probably why we end up using so much paper!) Start with lots of water and not so much paint.

Glazing layers of paint also offers another advantage.

You have probably realized that when watercolor paint dries, it appears lighter than wet paint. By letting each successive layer of paint dry in between passages, you can judge the tonal value of you painting more accurately, and you can just add more layers to increase the value of a particular area of your painting.

3 – Layering to control intensity 

Glazing is also a good technique for adjusting the intensity of colors a painting.

You can effectively neutralize a color by applying a second layer of paint.

Let’s say you’ve painted a yellow shape and you find that the color is too saturated. You can subdue the initialcolor by adding a transparent glaze of another primary color or a complementary color.

For example, adding a glaze of the primary color blue will help colors recede. And using a glaze of the primary color red will warm the area you’re painting. Glazing with a complementary color (purple in this case) will offset the intensity of the initial color creating a neutral brown.

You can achieve browns by mixing any two complementary colors. For example orange can be toned down with a complementary blue, green can be toned down with a transparent complementary red, etc.

You can read more about complementary color mixing here: how to make a 12 color watercolor wheel

​So as you can see, glazing gives you a way to bring about subtle color changes where needed.

4 – Create Hard edges and detail by ​glazing

The technique of glazing is a great way to add fine details to your work. Because you are letting the underlying color dry completely, when you add a new layer of paint the form of your brush strokes will be precise with hard edges.

If you’re style of painting requires a lot of detailed rendering, then glazing is sure to be a technique you will use. Botanical watercolor artists for example use this technique a lot.

5 – Soft diffuse ​glazing effects

Try applying more than one color during a glaze and just letting them touch and mix together naturally by letting the pigments play together. This is one of the beauties of watercolor. You can obtain beautiful colors that mingle and spread with each new glaze of paint.

While your glaze is still wet you can also load your brush with clean water and add it to the colored paint. Your glaze will mix with the water and scatter the pigments to create a soft diffused effect, in a similar way to when you apply a graded wash.

​7 – Color Harmony

You might want to begin by glazing an entire painting if you want to add some color harmony to the entire piece of artwork. Beginning a piece with an underpainting of color is an excellent way to harmonize and unify the different parts of a painting.

If you find that your colors are competing with each other or you are using too many colors that don’t seem to relate well, try using a limited palette of colors and use underlying washes of color to unify your work more strongly.

This is a good way to connect colors together across the whole painting.

Tips & tricks on how to layer watercolors successfully

Now that you know what glazing is and how you can use this technique, here are a few tips and tricks to help you glaze like an expert!

Use transparent paints

Successful layering begins with your choice of paint.

The transparency of artists grade watercolor paints is usually rated transparent, semi-transparent or opaque. Layering is a transparent technique so as far as possible you should choose paints which are rated transparent for best results.

When you apply a second layer of paint the objective is to achieve a combined effect of the two glazes. If you’re using paint which is too opaque then the effect is subdued or lost.

These two factors, (small pigment size and high color intensity) are what make transparent watercolor paint most effective for producing rich and vibrant paintings.

Whatever style or technique you use, this is a general rule that I apply to my choice of watercolor paint. If you want colorful, vibrant results start by choosing the best paint.

Less is better than more

At the beginning of any new watercolor project, one of my favorite artists Tom Hoffmann asks us to consider:

“ How many layers will it take to tell the story? ”

This is probably the first secret to good layering. Too many layers of paint will give an overworked appearance to your paintings. Knowing when to stop is a constant battle for a lot of watercolor artists. If you can express your subject with just two or three layers then why use more?

Most of the time, I find that exercising restraint and being economical with your layers gives more rewarding results. To avoid your watercolors looking muddier than you intended, try to lay your color down and then leave it alone. You can always go back later add more if needed.

When glazing, as a rule of thumb, less is better than more.

Glaze quickly

When glazing color on top of an existing dry layer of paint, the dry paint becomes re-activated, so don’t move the brush over the surface too much or the two paints will mix and produce one flat color. Try to glaze quickly and use gentle brush strokes.

Be careful not to scrub the layers of color underneath.

Glazing or layering watercolors is a beautiful technique that you will certainly be using at some stage in your artwork. You can combine this technique with other wet on wet methods, or if your style of painting requires a lot of hard edges, you may end up glazing an entire project!

Now go have some fun !

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