Tips for the Beginner Watercolourist

I’m passionate about watercolour with its unpredictability and freshness and although I am still not as competent as I would like to be, here are a few tips for anyone who wants to give watercolour painting a try. I certainly wish I had known about these tips when I first started!

1 Use the best watercolour paper that you can

Always use watercolour paper that is designed especially for the purpose (at least 140lbs). It is able to absorb water and will not buckle or curl as ordinary paper would do.

2 Use good quality paints

They may seem comparatively expensive but it is false economy to buy cheap makes. The good quality paints contain more pigment and therefore you use less paint so they will last longer as well as giving better results.

You do not need to buy every colour available. Start with the three primary colours - red, blue and yellow - you will be able to mix the other colours yourself, which will be more realistic than those straight from a tube. Over time you can expand your range after experimenting and practicing.

3 Buy a good quality brush

Get the best paintbrush you can afford - a round brush, size 8 or 10, will be good to start with and will do everything you need. A good round brush should come to a fine point when wet which will be good for any detail. You can always add to your collection down the line.

4 Palettes for colour mixing

As well as the plastic palettes you can buy from an art shop, cheap white china plates also work well. It is important you use a white palette so you can see what the colours will look like on white paper.

Remember not to wash your palette too often. Watercolour is one of the few mediums you can re-activate by adding water - so don’t waste any precious paint !

5 Reserve and preserve your whites

Look after your white paper areas. Plan before you start painting where your white areas will be and be careful not to paint over them. These white areas add to the freshness and energy of a watercolour painting so look after them. Remember, you paint from light to dark in watercolour. You can’t go back and lighten a dark patch (at least not easily), but you can always add another layer over a light area to darken it.

6 Don’t try to fix mistakes

It may be tempting to try but if you try to fix a mistake it will probably end up as a muddy mess. Much better to plan properly to start with and ‘go with the flow’. I think happy accidents can sometimes be part of the charm of painting in watercolours.

7 Let your painting dry between layers

Make sure your painting is really dry between layers or they will mix together and you will end up with a colour you didn’t intend.

8 Practice often and experiment

And above all - enjoy yourself !

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