9 Watercolor Tips for Beginners 3

9. First layers of paint should be very light

It is the best to start very light.

Mix enough water in paint and build up the layers needed to create the color that you want the object to be.

Watercolor has no white pigment that you can use, so the slower you build up the tones, better your outcome will be, as you can see if you are making a mistake or not.

The general tips for watercolor:
It is much easier to fix when something is too light, rather than too dark.

watercolor art
@coast_to_coast_artist

8. Create a very detailed sketch beforehand

It is so tempting to just draw rough outlines of your sketch and jump straight into painting.

Make sure to mark the lights and the darks of an object on paper before starting, unless you are doing a galaxy painting. 

Watercolor is difficult in itself, no need to make it even harder for yourself trying to think on paper where the light and the dark should be. 

Although there are many watercolor techniques that encourage that, as a beginner it is best to be the most prepared.

Watercolor Painting Dogs
@corgocollective

7. Let the layers of paint dry in between

The secret of having bright and vivid colors is that you will wait in between each layer before applying a new layer.

 Watercolors can bleed into each other and unless that is a desired result, then wait patiently.

6. Paint on watercolor paper

Seems a very obvious tip but many art teachers see that their students attempt to draw on printer paper.

When you are just starting, it is alright to try on normal paper, but for the best results, make sure you get the proper watercolor paper. That will in itself solve half of the headache.

You will be amazed when you will be approaching different watercolor painting ideas how much better your results will be.

Watercolor Mountain
@rosies.sketchbook

5. Erase pencil before applying paint

We can all relate, bright pencil lines are not intriguing when it comes to painting. 

They can ruin the whole aesthetic. 

Before starting, make sure your paper is clean and erased.

When you are learning how to paint tulips, for example, will be very helpful. 

watercolor painting ideas
@kebirch

4. Get a second jug of water (if you are lazy like, well...most of us).

Watercolor is such a beloved medium, that muddy colors just won’t do the job. 

So make sure that when you are in the flow and the last thing that you want to do is to get up and change water, you will have it ready.

watercolor pancakes
@drawpletmy

3. Test out watercolor mix on scrap paper

When you are mixing watercolors, make sure that you create a swatch on the same paper that you will be painting.

The color that you see in the palate will look different on paper. So that you will not have any surprises on your work. 

So if you learn how to draw a flower, and then decide to color it in, test out the colors for the best results. 

watercolor for painting
@alimova.nadya

2. Give yourself a break, when almost finished

We are humans, we are not robots (unfortunately), so for the best results, just before you decide to do final touches, take a break: go for a walk, make a cup of coffee.

It will help you to see mistakes that you have not seen before, making it easier to improve.

I think is one of my favourite watercolor tips. 

watercolor rose painting
@jessie3trio

Seriously! Did you know that professional artists can teach you online, so from the comfort of your own home you CAN improve in watercolor painting level and fill you up with different drawing ideas.

Check out this watercolor course for complete beginners called: “The Watercolor Workshop.”

The Watercolor Workshop is a course designed for beginner and intermediate artists wishing to explore and improve watercolor painting techniques.

This course starts with the basics and progresses gradually to more complex subjects and concepts.

The 19 modules are logically sequenced so that each module builds upon concepts learned in previous modules.

I hope that you have found those watercolor tips useful and now you are less intimidated with watercolor painting.

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