Written by artists Tammy Machmali , Becky Coleman and Emily Anne Art Studio
Painting with watercolors may seem frightening to work with at first because they can be harder to control and are known for being unforgivable with mistakes. These five easy watercolor tips for beginners, will help you improve your artwork and create professional quality paintings and watercolor effects!
Before you go out and spend your time and money, read these five secrets for beginners working with watercolors. I’ve collaborated with two talented artists, Becky Coleman of Naturally By Becky, and Emily Newman of Emily Anne Art Studio. We’re giving you our most helpful tips to assist you on your way to creating art. So here are 5 secrets to help if you are just beginning your artistic journey.
1. Best Watercolor Sets for Beginners
My favorite watercolor sets:
REEVES WATERCOLOR WHEEL SET PAINT KIT
This set is great for beginners. If you are just getting started with watercolors and want to practice and learn about colors and mixing, this beginner’s set by Reeves is a good, affordable option. It comes with 14 tubes of watercolor paint, as well as a mixing palette, two brushes, and a color wheel.
WINSOR & NEWTON PROFESSIONAL WATERCOLOR LIGHTWEIGHT SKETCHERS’ BOX
This set is ideal if you prefer working with tubes and want something portable, Winsor & Newton’s professional sketching case is a great option but more expensive. It includes 12 tubes of Winsor & Newton professional watercolor paints, which are known for their high pigment load and smooth consistency.
SENNELIER FRENCH METAL SET
My favorite brand is the Sennelier. They respond very quickly to a wet brush, quicker than some other paints since they are made with honey as an additive . The colors are rich, vibrant and heavily pigmented. This portable set is easy to travel with and you can refill or add new colors as needed.
2. Watercolor Brushes
One of our favorite brands is Aquabrushes, filled with water, great for painting on the go. Becky has one of these and used it on a train ride across the US, it was super handy for lots of different uses. Becky has had the same brushes since college and they have completely worn off the names, BUT they’re still going, made from natural hairs, goat, sable, and squirrel. Emily’s favorite brushes are the Princeton brushes. I personally like the Raphaël Kaerëll brushes they are crafted with the highest quality pure Kazan squirrel hair. This mop holds the largest amount of water while maintaining a fine point.
Brush Shapes
Quill, for rapid, precise work
Flat, good for washes
Filbert, good for florals and details
Angle, good for detail work
Round, good for florals and details - Becky’s favorite, the smaller the round brush the better!
Mop, holds lots of water, great for large washes in the beginning of a painting to lay down a lot of color - Becky’s least favorite unless she’s working big
Fan, good for dry brush painting
Dagger, great for creating variant shapes and colors - Emily’s favorite
Fine Point – great for thin lines and details
Brush Tip – great for spreading ink smoothly, their flexibility is similar to a paintbrush for softer lines and to create a watercolor effect
Chisel / Broad Tip – great for large area coverage (ex. backgrounds)
3. Choosing Watercolor Papers
There are 2 types of watercolor paper:
Cold press - has a rough/bumpy texture, holds more moisture, good for mixing colors and working wet on wet.
Hot press - has a fine grain, smooth texture, paint dries quickly. This is great for large paintings to avoid rippling of paper.
The “weight” refers to how thick the paper is and can vary for each brand. Watercolor paper can be bought in pads or in larger sheets/then torn.
Favorite brands
Arches 300 lbs paper - has a really nice tooth, very absorbent, great for building up layers- this is Becky’s favorite!! but it runs on the pricier end. Canson - affordable, durable is a cold press textured paper - this is Emily’s favorite!!
Strathmore Paper 300 Series Watercolor, Cold Press - great for beginners One of the most affordable watercolor paper. Has a nice texture that holds color very well, and perfect for beginner painters.
4. Techniques/ Mixing
The best way to work with watercolor is to practice these mixing techniques.
Wet on wet - Creates really neat effects because the pigment will go wherever the water goes
Use enough pigments to get a strong color on wet paper. Wet paper means that you work wet on wet, wetting your whole paper first, OR that you put your brush again on an area you just painted and created a wet wash. If you don't have enough pigments you basically dilute the strokes and previous washes.
Wet on dry - Helpful for building layers
Gradients - A wet on wet technique where you add water to a single pigment as you go. Great for adding depth of field.
Mix more color than you think you might need so that you’ll have enough to finish your painting and you don’t need to start over.
Tones and Layers - since in watercolors, the white paint comes from the paper, not the paints. Work in layers, start with the lighter colors and then work towards the darker ones. If you start with darker colors, due to the transparency of the paints, your light colors will not shine underneath the paint when painted over darker colors. Let each layer of paint dry before moving on to the next layer. It is an important step otherwise if the paper is still wet, and you paint the next layer, you will get a muddy color, and a messy blend of colors.
Becky’s tip is to use a tiny bit of masking fluid or even go in afterwards with a little white gel pen for small areas, this can help you plan ahead when you’re just starting.
5. Best watercolor kept secrets
To protect your brushes, paint with the sides of the brush since watercolor paper is abrasive and can ruin your brush if you paint with the tip too often. Always start by testing colors and shapes on a scrap piece of paper next to you.Also, be sure to keep a paper towel nearby to wipe off excess paint or lift up extra water from your painting.
Emily’s great secret - “you can paint with watercolor on anything, including canvas, as long as it's treated appropriately. Watercolor ground is a substance you can use to pretreat or prime a surface in order for watercolor to be used and absorbed on it.
Also, have 3 jars of water available for cleaning brushes. One for warm colors, one for cool colors, and one for white. You always want to have clean water for your whites because they can easily absorb any other pigment and no longer be white. AND, Use wax to varnish (seal and protect) paper works. Most varnishes have too much moisture to use on watercolor as they will “re-wet” the artwork and mess it up. Watercolor pieces look beautiful framed without glass, and it’s possible to do that as long as they’re protected with a thin coat of wax. I love Dorland’s Wax Medium. It’s easily applied with a paper towel or smooth rag in tiny circles over my artwork.”
Becky’s watercolor secrets - “Have lots of paper on hand. I typically have a scrap piece of watercolor I messed up on earlier to use to test out sections of a painting before laying down the final. It also helps to do a few paintings at once if you’re a little impatient and want to do something while the paint dries. It can help keep you from muddying a painting.A fan can be your best friend because it helps cut down the dry time.I keep a watercolor cloth with me that I wash every once in a while, but it helps control how much water and pigment you’re laying down. If a brush is too wet I can use the cloth to dab the water off.I also don’t always clean off my palette at the end, I love keeping colors around for a while on my palette if I’m working in a series. Once I feel like it’s getting too muddy, a little water and a wet cloth can wipe it all clean.Don’t stress yourself out when working, you’re going to make mistakes as you learn, embrace your mistakes. They can often turn into something really magical later on. Painting with watercolor is all about taking a risk as things may not turn out “perfectly” and being okay with whatever the results may be because watercolor can be unpredictable.“
So letting go of your expectations will help you practice and get better each time until you master watercolors. Enjoy and have fun making art! We hope you enjoyed these five watercolor secrets and encourage you to give it a try. When you make & share your art, PLEASE tag us on instagram @naturallybybecky, @emilyanneartstudio and @tammymachmali
