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This article is intended for beginners, that is, for those who are about to start learning something new, since any road begins with the first step. Just get started and take your time and try to enjoy the process of learning how to draw! Watercolor painting is both enjoyable and a little challenging. It all depends on your approach. Watercolor is one of the most versatile genres of painting, in which you can paint almost anything: from realistic concrete images to abstraction and impressionism. Beginners are advised not to start with the idea of creating a masterpiece, but with small steps, gradually and slowly.
Before you feel completely comfortable with watercolors, you will have to paint a lot. Don't give up if your first attempts are less successful than you would like. Mastering the watercolor technique requires a lot of effort and time, but it's worth it!
So let's get started!
Steps
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Read books and articles on watercolors and try to get new ideas from them. Watch videos on YouTube and other portals to learn more about watercolor painting techniques. After that, try to draw something you really like. An interesting type of painting is Sumi-E or Japanese ink painting, which transforms beautifully into watercolor drawings.
- Many instructors begin their courses by teaching the wet-on-wet-paper technique, but it is preferable to begin by introducing the most common technique, wet-on-dry-paper.
- If you use quality embossed watercolor paper (such as Arches), don't throw away any sketches or failed paintings you made on it. You can always paint over them again with acrylic or gouache or use it as a background for pastel painting. This paper will also look better no matter what you paint on it, and if you paint something beautiful, your painting will last longer without yellowing.
- Watercolor paints are produced in various forms: in tubes, in pencil form or in pans. There are also watercolor crayons. This article used tube watercolors.
- Try to find a type of paper that suits your painting style. Different types of paper have different characteristics. Arches paper does not have most of the disadvantages and is the most versatile, even allowing you to wash off a watercolor image, dry it and reuse it.
- If you use paint in pans, do not throw them away after the paint runs out. You can always reuse the ditches by filling them with paint from tubes, after rinsing them thoroughly, and you will have the opportunity to fill the ditches with your favorite colors without relying on the standard sets in which the ditches are supplied.
- Don't buy the most expensive paper or natural sable brushes. You can spend a large amount of money on the purchase, but this is not necessary! Quality synthetic brushes, a small palette of good paint (artist paint is better than student paint) and 300gsm cold pressed paper is most suitable for beginning artists. Buy a few supplies to start with and gradually add more as needed.
- Watercolor pan sets are convenient for painting outdoors or while traveling. They are not easy to mix in large quantities, but they are very useful for wet brush on dry paper. For travel, it is better to choose a brush with a medium or large tip with a pointed tip, included in the paint sets in the cuvettes. However, to draw fine details you will need a smaller brush. A pocket-sized block of watercolor paper is ideal for sketching during travel, class, or lunch breaks. Some sets (like Winsor & Newton) include a water bottle, collapsible palette lids, and so on.
- One of the best manufacturers of watercolor paints is Winsor & Newton. The Cotman brand is designed specifically for use by beginners. It is cheaper and therefore you can experiment without worrying about high costs. Winsor & Newton Cotman accessories are of excellent quality and are suitable for students.
- The wet-brush-on-wet-paper method also works well over the wet-on-dry-paper method within the same painting.
Place a sheet of thick paper on the table. Draw something very primitive with a simple pencil. For example, square or circle
Apply a small amount of watercolor of any color to the white surface of the palette.
Wet the brush a little. If the brush absorbs too much water, remove it with a cloth or shake it lightly.
Drip a little water from the brush onto the paint previously applied to the palette. One or two drops is enough, no more.
Dip the brush into the paint and water that has formed on the palette and pick up a small amount of paint. Next, paint over the geometric shape drawn on a piece of paper. If the paint is too thick and won't spread, dip your brush in water and try again. Continue experimenting with different amounts of water and paint in the mixture until you get the consistency you want. If you want light, dry shades with a dry brush effect, you will need less water. If you want juiciness and brightness, then, accordingly, more, etc. Completely paint over the geometric shape drawn on paper.
Let the drawing dry.
Take a piece of watercolor paper and secure it to the drawing board using special adhesive tape. Use a large brush or sponge to dampen the entire surface of the paper. After this, try applying several strokes of watercolor paint in different colors. See what results are obtained with different degrees of paper moisture when applying different colors of paint.
If you use paper that is too wet, you can end up with a very smooth and light color. Paint of various colors is mixed on paper, allowing you to obtain new shades. Try putting a blue stripe on wet paper next to a yellow or gold stripe, and then a red stripe. You will see how the colors mix, creating uniform color transitions.
Try letting the test design dry until the shine is gone and the paper is still damp. Now the applied stripes will still have soft edges, but will become a little more defined. Once the paint has completely dried, add details with a wet brush on dry paper.
To begin with, try to depict a very simple object that can be multi-colored. Mix up some sky blue paint. Draw a sketch of the hills and tree. First paint them with a wet brush on wet paper. After that, start adding some larger details with a wet brush. Finally, when the paper is completely dry, add fine details with a wet brush on dry paper. That is, the larger the parts, the moister the paper should be.
You can determine that the paper is completely dry by its temperature, which can be checked by holding the back of your hand over the paper, but without touching it. There should be no cold coming from the leaf. In order to acquire the skill of determining temperature in this way, you will need to practice a little. But this is necessary, since any touch can lead to damage to the design and the appearance of greasy stains from the skin of the palms on its surface. Do not remove the adhesive tape until the paper is completely dry. The tape helps the paper not curl, keeps it straight and flat, eliminating the formation of unevenness caused by changes in humidity and exposure to paint.
You can use ready-made watercolor blocks in which all four sides of the paper are glued, like the top edge of a notebook. It's a little more expensive, but very convenient for a beginner.
Try applying light paint to the surface of the paper, and while the paint is still wet, sprinkle salt on it. You'll get interesting effects that can be used to paint landscapes with snowflakes in the sky or lichen on the rocks.
Try drawing on paper with a white or wax pencil, or the tip of a candle, to see how the lines appear when watercolor paint is applied to them.
Try cutting out shapes from adhesive masking film and painting over the resulting stencil to get specific outlines. Anything covered with stencil film will remain unpainted.
Always start your watercolor paintings by painting in the darker areas and outlining the lighter areas. Isolate or mask out anything that needs to remain white. Get used to the "negative image" as this will also help you get more accurate outlines of objects than if you draw them first and then outline the background. Try starting your image of the cup with its surroundings and the background behind the handle, leaving the details of the cup itself for last. You will feel a big difference in image accuracy!
Try the "glazing" technique. Once the watercolor is completely dry, mix a small amount of paint in a contrasting shade and quickly paint over the area. This will change the color and if done correctly will not blur the image. Light golden paint applied by glazing to illuminated areas of the landscape can make sunlight much more expressive.
If you are tired of ordinary watercolors and oils, try painting with acrylic paints, which combine the properties of both materials. The peculiarity is that dried paintings are not afraid of water and sun, so they remain forever the way you created them. To master this kind of creativity, use the instructions below.
Drawing with acrylic paints for beginners step by step
Acrylic is often used for arts and crafts. It is universal, and unlike watercolors, it allows you to apply one layer to another without the danger of damaging the already applied drawing. The scope for creativity is expanding - you can create any picture. The main thing is to know how to paint with acrylic paints correctly and take into account all the recommendations for this process.
How to use acrylic paints for painting
For a beginning artist, 6 colors will be enough. Having learned to use acrylic, you can expand your palette to 12 or 18 shades. In addition, you will also need something on which you can paint with acrylic paints. What to use:
- A variety of materials are suitable as a basis for paintings - wood, glass, plastic, thick paper or cardboard, canvas and even metals.
- Brushes can be natural or synthetic.
- It is allowed to use a palette knife. If properly diluted with water, even an airbrush can be used.
You need to dilute acrylic paints for painting on a palette with a special solvent or water, adding them little by little to the acrylic so that the consistency becomes similar to watercolor. When such translucent layers are applied to a painting one after another, a very interesting effect is obtained. For undiluted acrylic, only synthetic flat and wide brushes are suitable, but you need to paint quickly, because the drying speed of the paint increases.
Drawing techniques
Before painting with acrylic paints, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the techniques in which paintings are made. Among the main methods of creating canvases are:
- Wet technique. It involves applying diluted paints onto a canvas moistened with warm water.
- The “dry” method. To paint a picture using this technique, it is recommended to use several brushes at once, which can be used to edit the composition on a dry canvas.
- "Glassing in layers." A thick acrylic layer is applied with a brush, on which a picture is then drawn.
- "Impasto." The paintings resemble oil paintings, the strokes are voluminous and clearly distinguishable.
How to paint with acrylic paints
You can paint with acrylic paints on different surfaces, but for each case the general instructions are suitable, following which you can easily create a real masterpiece:
- Choose a surface that will serve as the basis for the future painting. Depending on its structure, select certain paints - the manufacturer gives recommendations on this matter on the jars or tubes.
- Decide on your drawing technique. For a watercolor effect, arm yourself with water or thinner and prepare your palette.
- Stock up on brushes - synthetics are suitable for undiluted acrylic, and it is easier to handle watercolor techniques with natural bristles made from ox hair or sable.
- Complete the painting with additional touches using felt-tip pen, ink, markers, gel pens or pencil.
On fabric
Painting with acrylic paints on fabric can be a little more difficult for beginners, so it's worth practicing. Silk or cotton surfaces are more suitable for materials - the pattern will lie better on them and will stick well. Before you begin the creative process, the fabric needs to be prepared - washed, ironed, stretched on a special frame or laid out on a flat and hard surface. Don't forget to separate the front and back sides of the item, otherwise the paint can only ruin its appearance - put cardboard or oilcloth. Then use the following instructions:
- Buy a special felt-tip pen that is used for drawing on fabric, and apply the selected design to the fabric. When using a simple pencil for this, keep in mind that you will need to draw slightly beyond the contours so that they are not visible.
- Use artistic brushes to paint the fabric, using thinner if necessary.
- After completing the work, leave it to dry for a day and then iron it.
- Wash the item only 2 days after ironing in a gentle cycle at a temperature of about 30 degrees.
On canvas
For the first time, it is better to choose a smaller canvas. In addition, you will need a sketch made in a simple pencil. For the basis of your future painting, use ready-made photo drawings or rely on your imagination. On a separate sheet of paper, sketch out the options and transfer it to the canvas. Then prepare your brushes, a spray bottle with water, a palette and a cloth. Start drawing from the background and large details, thinking through the combination of shades. To prevent the paint from drying out, use a spray bottle - this will make the transitions between colors smoother.
On paper
It is better to take thicker paper, for example, intended for watercolors. Of all the materials, it is more economical and suitable for beginners, as it has shallow embossing, which is easy to apply strokes to. You can buy either an album or a folder with individual sheets of any format. You need to prepare a palette, a set of several brushes and water if you need to dilute the paint.
The simplest acrylic paints are suitable for painting. If you have already decided on a drawing, then start with a sketch too. Then start working on the background part using a wide rectangular brush - movements should be fast so that the paint does not have time to dry. For watercolor techniques, dilute it with water or paint on damp paper, and for oil painting, use it in its pure form, using a brush with uneven bristles.
On glass
The most original is acrylic painting on glass. To do this you will need:
- toothpicks or cotton swabs for pattern correction;
- acrylic paints and varnish;
- brushes;
- diluent;
- contours to complete the basis of the drawing;
- palette.
The technique of drawing on glass is as follows:
- Clean the surface of the glass by leaving it for 20 minutes. in hot water and then degreased with alcohol.
- Use a thin marker to draw a design, placing the sketch under the glass.
- Draw a special outline around the lines.
- Apply paint to the glass in layers, waiting for the previous layer to dry. Apply more paint to the brush and lightly touch the surface to distribute the acrylic evenly.
- When finished, rinse the brushes with water and coat the painting with acrylic varnish.
What can you paint with acrylic?
Having mastered the technique of painting with acrylic paints, you can create any painting, be it a light landscape with airy clouds or a portrait of a loved one. An individual T-shirt design and even wall painting will be beautiful. Standard waterproof acrylic paints can also be used for drawing beautiful patterns on nails - for example, for a French-style manicure. They are applied directly over shellac. If you are creating children's toys, then acrylic is perfect for drawing eyes on a textile doll.
Painting video tutorials
Acrylic is used to paint materials and even the body - drawings on the skin look very original and bright, which is why such works are even entered into various competitions. Such creativity has a more complex technique and requires a certain amount of experience and diligence. To learn how to use acrylic correctly, watch interesting videos about the stages of drawing a particular picture.
On gel polish
Flowers
By numbers
What can you draw when you're bored? A question to which the site actually has a hundred answers, but let's talk about everything in order.
The simplest ideas for beginners
Not all of us can draw well, and we don’t really want to bother with complex drawings in those moments when we’re just bored. I offer a whole set of cool and interesting drawings that you can draw in those moments when you or your child really want to take up drawing to kill boredom:
More ideas
What else can you draw when you're bored? Let's get creative.
- Comic
. Surely funny stories happened to you not so long ago, which you told your parents or friends more than once. What if you draw them in the form of a comic book? It is likely that your story will touch many people, and you will even become famous! You can find examples of comics on the Internet - today you can find almost anything online: how to call a Life operator, how to make a craft and how to fly an airplane.
- Your character from the game
. If you are a fan of any computer toy, be it Minecraft or League of Legends, you definitely have a favorite character that you wouldn’t mind drawing. Try to portray him in battle or, on the contrary, in some unusual situation - for example, as if your character had ended up in our world;
- You yourself
. Although drawing yourself is difficult, it is very interesting! Try drawing your own portrait in your favorite style - perhaps you will not only find something to draw when you're bored, but also have a unique and unusual avatar!
- Idol
. If you have a favorite actor, singer or just a cartoon character, why not draw him when you're bored? Drawing a loved one from the world of show business or just a fictional cartoon character will perfectly take your time and leave an excellent result in the form of pumped-up drawing skills and a cool drawing!
- Your girlfriend or friend
. This is a great opportunity for you to practice your drawing skills and keep yourself busy when you're bored, and just imagine how pleased the person you drew will be!
- Relatives
. Mom, dad, grandparents, sisters and brothers - all these people who are very close to us always support us, no matter what situation we find ourselves in, and, of course, it will be very nice to draw a beloved relative with a pencil on paper or digitally.
- Pet
. If you have a favorite animal, then this is a great chance to learn how to draw an animal from life. Of course, it takes a long time to persuade your pet to sit quietly, but if suddenly you are lucky enough to have your kitty curled up to take a nap, don’t waste time, grab pencils, paper, an eraser, and start drawing!
- Something beautiful.
Think about what causes you the most emotions? Maybe a bright rainbow after a rainy day, rays of sun in mom’s hair, some landmark, an elegant butterfly, or just something ordinary at first glance, but incredibly dear to your heart.
I’ll leave you with some cool drawings for inspiration - if you still haven’t figured out what to draw when you’re bored, just look at the gallery and choose what you like!
Each of us is an artist at heart. Remember the golden moments of childhood, when we enthusiastically painted “scribbles” with paints. The art of painting is the world's greatest secret. With the help of paints and a brush, real miracles appear on canvas. Many people mistakenly believe that they do not have artistic talent. In fact, anyone can learn to paint. How to paint real works of art with watercolors? To do this, you just need to follow simple recommendations.
What do we need?
So, we decided to enter the world of art and become artists. How to paint with watercolors correctly? To do this you will need the following tools:
- paints;
- brushes;
- palette;
- sheets of paper.
You should be very careful when choosing accessories. The final result - a work of art - depends on them.
Choosing paints
How to paint with watercolors yourself? First of all, you need to choose the right paints. There is a huge amount of watercolor paints on the shelves of art stores. Which ones are better to choose?
You shouldn't look at the price category here. High cost is not always a guarantee of quality.
It is better to choose paints made from beeswax. The cover should say “honey”. They have the brightest color.
Paint brushes
Brushes are equally important. Which ones are most suitable for watercolors?
The brush should be soft and pick up paint well. Its tip should be pointed. The bristles of the brush should be well secured to the base. The best option would be brushes made from squirrel wool. Their bristles correspond to the stated parameters.
How many brushes will you need? To paint small parts of the picture, you should purchase a thin brush (number 1 or 2). For the main part - greater thickness (numbers 5-6 or 7).
Palette
The palette serves as a kind of “draft”, a place for mixing paints. Several paints of different colors are applied to the palette and mixed. The result is the desired shade.
You can purchase a ready-made plastic palette. You can also make it yourself. For this, a sheet of thick paper is suitable, which should be folded along the edges.
Choosing paper for watercolors
The process of choosing paper should be treated with special attention. The fact is that watercolor is a translucent paint. It requires a lot of water when working. If you draw on plain paper, it can quickly get wet from water. It is better to purchase special paper for watercolors. It is denser and thicker. Its surface is rough. Water particles get stuck on the rough surface of the paper. This prevents spreading.
Let's start drawing
How to paint with watercolors yourself? Having studied the main features of watercolor paint, we know that it requires a large amount of water. The drawing turns out translucent, airy, flying. This effect is formed due to the structure of the paint.
There are 2 main techniques for painting with watercolors:
- Dry technique.
- Wet paper technique.
Everyone has been familiar with the basics of dry technique since childhood: we put paint on a brush and paint. Depending on the type of drawing, you can first draw its outline using a pencil.
To get the desired color, you need to dip the brush in water, then in the desired paint and apply it to the palette. After this, the brush is washed with water and dipped into paint of a different color. The resulting colors are mixed on the palette. The result will be the desired shade.
What is the difference between the technique of painting with watercolors on wet paper? This technique is quite interesting, because... it allows you to create an unusual effect. To do this, before you start drawing, you should thoroughly moisten a sheet of paper with water. While it is still wet, watercolor paint is applied to the wet paper. When mixed with water, it spreads, leaving intricate patterns on the paper.
Let's draw
So, we purchased materials for work. Learned basic drawing techniques. Now you can proceed directly to the creative process.
How to paint with watercolors for beginners? First, it is recommended to try to study paints. What will it take? Let's look at the main lessons for learning about paints:
- Let's study colors. Take a sheet of watercolor paper. Load your brush with the color you like. Put it on paper. Look at the effect. Now increase the degree of pressure on the brush. Look how the color has changed (it should darken). Now fill the brush with more water and dip it into the paint. Run a wet brush over the paper - the design will be translucent.
- Mix colors. Try mixing several colors. What shades did you get as a result?
- Apply yellow, orange, red colors to the leaf. Study them. What emotions do they evoke? Now apply blue, purple, black colors to the sheet. What sensations arise now?
- We draw from life. Now we need to learn how to display the objects around us. Place an apple in front of you. Study it carefully. Look what color it is. Try to draw it.
Practical work
After learning the basic skills of painting, you can move on to independent work.
We learn to paint the objects around us with watercolors. Look around. What do you see? You can draw a still life. To do this, place several pieces of dishes and any fruit in front of you. Try to draw them.
What else can you paint with watercolors? There are no restrictions here. It all depends on the artist’s imagination. We can draw everything that surrounds us. You can depict your own imaginary world.
You can start learning basic techniques for working with watercolors by painting flowers and trees.
How to draw a flower?
Draw a flower in watercolor yourself:
- Think about what kind of flower you should draw.
- Study its primary colors.
- Using a simple pencil, draw the main outline onto the paper.
- Choose a paint for the background and paint over it.
- After the background has dried, you can begin painting with watercolors.
- Paint the flower with translucent paint.
- After the watercolor has dried, paint the outline with darker paint.
- After the drawing has dried, place accents on the flower. This will give it volume. To place accents, you need to apply several thick strokes along the contour of the flower with contrasting paint. Our drawing is ready.
Painting with watercolors is an easy and very fun activity. Each of us can feel like a real artist, creating entire works of art. You just have to listen to the advice offered.
This lesson shows how to work with color and brush techniques, as well as step-by-step work on the background, middle and foreground.
For beginners, it is best to use inexpensive acrylic or oil paints. For example, acrylic paints from the company "Sonnet"
This picture was chosen for the lesson. A simple night landscape with some brush work on the thistles in the foreground.
This is a sketch. The horizon is below the middle, two mountains, an area with waves and a sand dune in the foreground. Sketch it casually, just as you see in the photograph.
Mix some cadmium yellow light with white and start painting the sky.
Add cadmium yellow dark and more cadmium yellow light to get this color.
Apply paint where I am in the photo and, accordingly, make a color stretch.
Add cadmium red light and black to the final color to get the color shown in this photo.
Fill the mountain behind with color.
Add cadmium red light and blue to get the next color.
Write another mountain like you see in this photo.
Add the same colors for the horizon.
Fill the back area with paint as you see in this photo.
Add black, cadmium red light and blue to get this color.
Make a mixture like for the mountains or use some of what is left and continue writing.
Mix blue and red until you get this color and fill in with paint where you see in the photo.
Here more black, red and blue are mixed to create a darker color. Using upward strokes, blend the paint onto the canvas to create the fluffy outline of soft grass.
Here I used a fan brush to add fluffiness. A fan brush works very well for this process. Now you need to wait for everything to dry before continuing.
Make sure the surface is dry before taking the next step. For the main color of the foam, mix blue, a little black and white.
After the main wave and a few at the back are painted, I add the foam pattern in the foreground.
This is what your underpainting should look like. Leave to dry before continuing.
Using a flat brush, mix black, phthalocyanine green and cadmium red to create a dark green color. Red dampens the brightness, but leaves a green tone.
Draw the lines as you see in this photo. The trick is to make them look more natural, they need to be placed at different levels. Try to avoid very curved and very straight lines. Practice on a separate canvas if you are unsure.
We begin to paint the base of the thistle, moving the brush from below from the middle to the side.
Now mix Neopolitan yellow with light cadmium yellow to lighten the dark green mixture. We will use the resulting color to highlight the lightest areas in the foreground.
Add the thistle stems as you see in this photo. Let them overlap each other at different angles to maximize the natural effect.
Using the same color, bending and turning the brush, we paint the leaves with strokes. This takes practice, so practice on a different canvas to get the effect right in both directions: left and right.
Here I used Alizarin Crimson to change the color of the leaf. This adds interest and play to the foreground.
Mix in a light blue color for the thistle flowers. Use blue or phthalocyanine blue.
We write with sharp movements from below so that the flower seems to dissolve in the darkness. Wipe out the brush and repeat so you don't end up with a dark color on top. Use white and yellow to highlight bright areas.
The lesson is over.
It may take you several times to get the strokes right. Don't give up, keep going. Don't be afraid of mistakes because you will make them anyway. Paint this picture 3 times and the fourth time you will get it right. Use art panels, they are inexpensive and good for practice.