Hi all! You really asked me to publish watercolor painting lessons, and I thought for a long time where to find suitable material, because this topic is not new, and there is already a lot of different information on the Internet, so I decided not to invent it, but to use materials from foreign authors. This article is the first, but not the last. I hope you enjoy it and find it useful!
This article covers the basics you need to know to get started with watercolors. However, if you continue to scratch your head after reading, then please feel free to ask questions in the comments! I will be happy to answer you!
Before I started writing this article, I decided to do a little research on the Internet about painting. watercolor for beginners. This way, I reasoned, I wouldn’t miss a single moment and would write the best post. But good God... I've been painting with watercolors all my life, and the information I found on Google stunned me. After three too many overwhelming articles, I threw up my hands and decided that I would show you how I, personally, work with watercolors - and the adjective to my watercolor approach is “simple”.
Tools and materials
First, I want to talk about the materials and tools you will need. Of course, the most obvious tool would be a watercolor set.
I prefer the set from Greenleaf & Blueberry. It's a little pricey, but I love it! However, if you are just starting out, there is no need to invest in expensive kits.
Advice from the site:
Go to the nearest art store and buy an art set of watercolor paints that suits your price, the main thing is that it is not for children 😉
If you live in the outback, where it is difficult to find such a product, then you can order a set through an online store. So that you can get an idea of the cost, I’m sending you examples of sets that are easy to find in our country:
Finally you will need clean water and cloth(I use an old dinner napkin) or paper towel to dry the brush.
Any glassware will do, I use an old mug.
Transparency of watercolor
The great thing about painting with watercolor is that you have complete control over the opacity of the paint. Watch how one color can change depending on the ratio of water and paint on the brush!
The picture on the left shows what a brush stroke looks like with a lot of water and a little paint. The illustration in the middle has a more equal ratio of water to paint. The picture on the right has more paint than water.
You may be thinking, “That's all well and good, but how can I control this water/paint ratio?” Before you do anything, apply a drop or two of water directly to the cuvettes you plan to use. This will wet the paint and make it ready to go. Then, you can do one of two things:
1. Use a palette
You can take a palette and mix three different shades of the same color on it. For the first color, use a brush to apply about eight drops of water into the indentation. Then, dip the still wet brush into the already moistened watercolor and transfer the color to the palette.
Apply about five drops of water into the second cavity. Again, dip your still wet brush into the watercolor and transfer the color into the water. Be sure to agitate the brush so that all the paint comes off! If this new color is very similar to your first, add more paint.
For the darkest shade, you will simply work directly with the paint from the pan, the shade should be very saturated.
2. We work directly from the watercolor set
You can use the concentration of water on your brush to control the shade of the paint. If you want a very light shade, wet your brush well with water and touch the tip of the brush to the paint. If, when transferring to paper, you find that the concentration of paint is too high, dip your brush in water again, and apply this water directly into the paint on the paper. The color will become more transparent! For midtones, you'll still be applying watercolor with a damp brush, but using more paint. For darker tones, I dab my brush with a tissue (it will still be damp, but not saturated) and then take the paint straight from the kit.
Mixing
The reason we looked into transparency is for mixing and overlaying colors. With different shades of the same color you can make any look come true. I'm going to show you how to turn a circle into a ball using watercolor blending and transparency:
1. First, draw a circle in the lightest shade.
2. Assume the light is at the top right as shown in the picture. Accordingly, the shadow will be in the lower left corner of the circle. To start painting the shadow, use your brush to pick your medium shade. Draw the shadow as if it is “hugging” a crescent-shaped circle, like this:
3. You can see that there is now a definite separation between the shadow and the highlight. To get rid of this difference and create a smooth transition, you need to mix the colors together - an easy task when painting with watercolors! To mix, submerge the brush in water to remove any remaining paint from the brush. Dry the brush to make sure all the paint is gone, then wet the brush bristles again with water. Then, place the brush on the separation between the shadow and the highlight and drag the middle shade with water, it will blur. Soon, you won't be able to tell where the mid-tone and light end and where the shadow begins!
4. Now it's time to add a dark shadow to the bottom of the circle. Apply a dark shade around the bottom of the sphere, as in the photo.
5. Mix the dark shade the same way you did with the middle shade, and voila!
6. You can add a drop shadow if you want. To do this, draw a thin line on the opposite side of the light below the sphere, like this:
Then, you need to draw out the color with a brush dipped in water until it disappears.
You might find it easier to understand the concept of blending/shading if you watch the video:
If you want more practice with blending and shaping, I'd recommend painting these shapes in different colors:
You could make the sphere green, the cube blue, etc. Drawing shapes like these helps you understand how to make things look three-dimensional. Yes, it can be a little boring... but so rewarding!
Mixing watercolors
To mix watercolors, you definitely need a palette, whether built into your kit or separate. The process of mixing colors is simple: apply one color to the palette and then add another color. Mix them together and you get a new color!
If you have a small selection of colors in a set, knowing how to mix will come in handy. There are many sources that tell you what colors to mix together to achieve the desired result.
If your mixed color dries out in your palette, don't worry. You can re-wet it and it will be as good as new no matter how much time has passed.
Drawing classes help you relax, calm down and escape from everyday, everyday problems into the world of dreams and fantasies. You can start drawing with anything: pencils, gouache, charcoal, oil paints, watercolors. But only a box of watercolor paints familiar from childhood can give a ticket to childhood, a world of fantasy and adventure. What can you paint with watercolors?
Where to begin
They will easily help you create a variety of images, landscapes, still lifes, everything your heart desires.
To begin with, you should arm yourself with desire, patience, various brushes, paints, a palette and water containers. Sometimes it is useful to have sponges, paper napkins, as well as simple pencils and sponges on hand. So, what can you paint with watercolors? How to make drawings of the highest quality and professional?
Watercolors - for battle
Both experienced artists and beginners, including the youngest, love to paint with watercolors. It contains natural, harmless pigments. The adhesives in these paints are also created by nature. Mainly used are gum arabic, casein, honey, dextrin, and phenol. The brush is moistened with clean water, then paint is drawn up, and then the intended images begin to appear on the surface of the paper.
What can you paint with watercolors? Thanks to the transparency of the pigments, they are able to convey weightlessness, lightness, and freshness. So, for example, to paint something light, weightless with oil paints, you have to apply several opaque shades one on top of the other until the desired effect is achieved. Watercolor is a universal medium, since thanks to the unique structure of the paints it is possible to reproduce all genres, unique and unpredictable effects. Pigments on paper seem to melt and spread; their mixtures can create various combinations of colors and shades. What can you paint with watercolors for beginners? Whatever the artist’s soul desires.
The question arises: what about gouache? How are they different from gouache? Transparency is what distinguishes watercolor from gouache, where pigments are mixed with white.
There are many interesting ways to paint with this paint. The main ones are described below.
Painting with a flat brush
What can you paint beautifully with watercolors? Let's figure it out. You can paint anything beautifully with watercolors. But there are also unusual ways to do this. There is an interesting method of painting, performed with a flat brush, developed for paints on a wide variety of bases, both water and oil, acrylic. Its principle is as follows: two different colors of paint are applied to the edges of a flat brush.
The work is done on a dry sheet of paper. First, the outline of a square or triangle is drawn to determine the beginning and end of the layer. Next, colors are selected, and a line is drawn from the upper left corner to the right corner (left-handed people start drawing from right to left). With this technique you can create masterpieces! So, plants are often drawn:
- flowers;
- petals;
- floral ornaments;
- snow-covered spruce trees.
Differentiated (in certain areas of the picture) blur
This method is the main one for professional artists. It is done as follows:
What can you paint with watercolors this way? This method is used by artists to depict the sky, large meadows, clearings, water, and various surfaces where it is necessary to convey transparency, lightness and immensity. It becomes possible to convey in the picture all the shades of natural beauty and natural tints. Differential blur helps reveal the richness and magic of natural beauty.
Glazing
What can you paint with watercolors step by step? A method similar to blurring, but in this case the pigment should be applied to a dry sheet of paper. Glazing allows you to adjust the color and tone of the picture, and clearly work out the transitions of shades. When working with glazing, each color should be dried separately in stages. This is how the background of the drawing is created; if the artist wishes, the sky, sea, or any extensive surfaces are drawn.
"Wet on Wet"
What can you paint easily with watercolors? There is a method developed by European artists that allows you to miraculously paint landscapes and natural phenomena. The secret of the method is that the paint is applied to a wet sheet. The entire canvas is evenly wetted with clean water. The easiest way to do this is with a sponge, but a large soft brush will also work. Next, the necessary strokes are applied with a brush, creating unique shapes, shades, and color transitions in the work.
"Dry brush"
This method requires certain skills and dexterity of the artist. An almost dry hard brush is used here. The paper must also remain dry. A large amount of paint is put on the brush and the elaboration of the images begins. On lumpy surfaces it is possible to create clearly defined marks and create effects similar to pencil drawings.
In this way, both independent works are created, and individual elements that are lost in a dim background are worked out. What kind of drawings can be painted with dry brush watercolors? Very often this method is used to create portraits, landscapes, and still lifes. In a word - wherever detailed elaboration of images is required. A “dry brush” is able to bring clarity and clarity to a drawing, like a pencil - to show the necessary lines and bends, one might say - to write a whole work about what the artist drew.
Washing off
What can you paint with watercolors? There is another unusual way of using watercolor paints, used by professional artists. In this case, the pigment must be washed off after it has completely dried. The part of the work that requires correction is moistened with water. Next, blot this area with a soft absorbent cloth. Excess paint, along with water, will remain on the fabric. This technique creates unusual shapes, curves, lines, adds volume to figures and depth of color.
Painting with water
A layer of watercolor is applied to a sheet of paper. When the paint has dried, take a clean brush, moisten it with water and drop drops of water onto the desired areas. This allows you to create layering, volume, and the illusion of cracking rounded shapes.
Glaze
Light-colored watercolor paints are applied one on top of the other in a certain order: lighter shades are lower, darker shades are higher. The pigment is transferred to a sheet of paper with the finest brush strokes only after the previous layer has dried.
As a result, three-dimensional figures will appear in which all colors will complement each other without mixing, allowing you to see the boundaries of multi-layer paint application.
scratching
A method that allows you to remove individual areas of paint on a dry surface. In some cases, in this way, within one tone, its enlightenment is made.
Disguise
What can be painted easily with watercolors for children? In principle - anything, but in this method there is an element of mystery and riddle that can attract the attention of any child. On a sheet of paper, before applying a layer of watercolor, use wax or paraffin to cover areas that should remain unpainted. Next, the work is done with paints. As soon as all the paint has dried, the wax can be rolled with your hands, with a brush, or left on the canvas.
Addition
A different color is added to the wet areas of the future work, which in a unique way creates illusions and fanciful tints. Using this method, you can create different color schemes that are not possible with conventional mixing of paints on a palette.
A little history about watercolor painting
Even primitive people discovered and began to use natural watercolor pigments. They mixed them with water, applied them to the rocks with their fingers, as well as with simple tools (sticks, bones).
In ancient Egypt, water-soluble dyes were used to create amazing, original paintings on the walls of pharaonic palaces, tombs, and religious buildings; during excavations, intricate watercolor drawings depicted on papyrus were found.
Watercolor paints were known to masters from Japan and China.
The works were performed on silk, as well as on hand-made rice paper. Artists of the Far East painted contemplative landscapes in the traditions of their schools, filling the images with literary allusions and calligraphy.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, a classical technique was developed in England, which incorporated all the most important and interesting things, allowing one to achieve amazing results using watercolor paints. Watercolor pigments were used in the wash technique, allowing light reflections from the paper surface to be transferred to the canvas.
For centuries, artists prepared their own water-soluble paints, keeping their unique recipes secret. In watercolor painting, the surface on which the artist works also plays a big role. The texture of the canvas is also an obvious and important factor in the work of true professionals. The surface texture of the paper changes under layers of paint, the slippery smoothness of pastels, and under the overlay of collages. All these changes need to be felt, perceived as if they were a continuation of the artist himself, and directed in the right direction.
It was in this country that special paper suitable for working with watercolors was produced. In the western countries of the continent, watercolor painting was not given due attention for a long time, and only at the end of the 19th century was it given its rightful place in the history of world painting. Using this technique, you can achieve amazing graceful lines, background translucency, and interesting blurry details. All this can give the drawing a mystical effect.
What brushes are needed?
Before you begin to study the technique of watercolor painting, you need to pay attention to the materials for its high-quality execution. The right brushes are the first necessity for those who want to learn how to paint with watercolors from scratch. They must have the following properties: quickly absorb water, have flexibility and the ability to immediately return to their previous shape, and also have smooth, non-brittle hairs. The handles of watercolor brushes are always short. A wide flat brush is used to remove excess paint, since its hairs have increased rigidity. The blur brush is used to paint the background. It is quite large and soft, so it easily changes its shape and does not dry out, holding water and dye in the hairs. Brushes for work can be of various sizes, which vary depending on the technique used.
Paper for drawing with watercolors
The paper you choose is also important. Its quality is easy to determine. If the paper is thick and does not delaminate, and is well glued, then there is no doubt about its quality. With the right choice of paper for drawing, you can paint with watercolors without fear that the water will be slowly absorbed and the colors will become lighter. You also need to pay attention to the grain of the drawing paper. Fine-grain paper is suitable for accurately conveying fine details. For general work, you can choose medium-grain paper. And to perform specific designs, a coarse-grained one is needed. It has a rough surface and distinct texture. This type of paper has a high density and is often made by hand. Paper without grain is not suitable for watercolor painting, as it will warp.
Correctly chosen paints are the key to success
The choice of the right paints is also important for those who are interested in learning how to paint with watercolors. For beginners, the usual school ones are also suitable. But if an immature artist is still focused on a good result, it is better to give preference to professional ones. It will take some effort to get ready to paint in the trays. First you need to drop a little water from the brush into the paint so that it softens a little. The convenience of such paints lies in the fact that there is no need to look for additional containers. If the artist has some experience in watercolor painting, then tube paints will suit him. Then you can create the desired palette yourself.
On the other hand, hobbyists can also use these paints if they buy a ready-made set with many tubes. Although paint sets are sold in sets of twelve and thirty-six, not all colors are used. In any case, there is a need to mix different paints to obtain the desired or unusual shade. In principle, a beginning artist will need no more than ten commonly used tones.
Warm or cool tones
Those who want to learn how to learn how to paint with watercolors need to understand warm and cool tones. If the paint is based on red or yellow, it will be considered warm. And blue and purple shades belong to cold ones. It should be noted that green, purple, gray and black colors have a unique feature and can be classified as either a cold type of paint or a warm one. The initial tone may depend on the characteristics of the color and the influence of surrounding shades. The main colors are considered to be blue, yellow and red. All others that can be obtained by mixing are called derivatives.
Drawing stages
Learning to paint with watercolors step by step is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. First you need to purchase a pencil, preferably with a hard core so that the lines are only slightly visible. Next, sketch out the main details of the drawing. Afterwards you can immediately take up watercolors. There's no need to rush here. First you need to think carefully about what colors and shades are desirable for the chosen pattern. Having decided on the color scheme, you can begin to apply paint. At the first stage, you should paint with translucent colors. After all, adding tone is easier than removing it. To do this, you need to dilute the paint with water. Once the bases are applied, you can add color to make the design richer. To obtain dark tones, blot the brush with a napkin after wetting it in water. Next, the brush is dipped into the paint and lines are drawn on the paper. It is important to remember about shadows, which need to be thought out before you start drawing. This is important to know for future artists who are interested in how to learn to paint with watercolors for beginners step by step.
Removing borders
In order to get rid of the difference between the shadow and light parts, you need to create a smooth transition. This means that all colors must be mixed. To do this, dip the brush into water so that all remaining paint on the hairs is washed off. Next, you need to dry the brush and make sure that there is no paint on it at all. Then the bristles of the brush must be immersed in water again. After this, the brush is placed to distinguish between the light and dark parts, and a line is drawn. Thus, the clear boundary will blur, and it will be impossible to accurately determine where the shadow ends and the light begins.
Drawing a landscape
Nature lovers who want to learn how to learn to draw should first outline the basic compositional lines on paper. When drawing the sky area, you must remember that this area of the paper is first wetted with water. Next, while the sky area has not yet dried, diluted light yellow paint is applied to its lower part. The upper part is painted red or orange. The boundaries of shades are erased with a damp brush.
Experimenting with green
How to learn to paint beautifully with watercolors and easily manipulate different colors on paper? It's much easier than it seems. The only difficulty may arise with the color green. Very often, artists have problems using this tone in their works. In order not to make a mistake and choose the right shade correctly, you need to know a few rules. You cannot lighten green with yellow. To mute the rich green, just add a drop of base red. And to give greenery a darker shade, a cool blue tone is often used. Knowing these basic rules on how to learn how to paint with watercolors, you can draw a great landscape with a mysterious sky in the background and bright green foliage in the front part of the picture the first time.
The most important thing in learning the technique of painting with watercolors is not to grab onto everything at once. You need to gradually increase your level of brush control, as well as your ability to correctly handle colors. Some artists prefer to use only soft and warm tones in their works, others, on the contrary, use cold and rich tones. It's not so easy to find your way in creating watercolor masterpieces. The main thing is that the drawing touches the senses, then the hand itself will begin to draw the necessary lines, and the brush will begin to add elegant color shades. Consistency is very important in the question of how to learn to paint with watercolors. You always need to go from simple things to complex ones, at each phase of development, acquire new skills and consolidate knowledge through constant practice.
With watercolors you can paint anything - from a realistic portrait to imaginary alien worlds. Many people think watercolor is a complex artistic tool. But all you really need to learn how to paint with watercolors is to just start. We have selected 11 tips for you, thanks to which you will become 11 steps closer to understanding the art of watercolor drawing.
1. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!
If you've never drawn before, it's time to get started. Open the album, create interesting textures and stains with watercolors so as not to freeze in front of a white sheet of paper. Start from them in search of a plot. Color pages can be bright and exciting or create a calm, melancholic mood. Color or texture may suggest the next step - or maybe you're itching to paint without it.
Illustration from the book “The World of Watercolors”.
2. Find your watercolor paper
The result of the work largely depends on the quality of the watercolor paper. Go to a bookstore and select 5-10 different sheets of watercolor paper to try out. Be sure to make notes on each sheet (type, weight of paper and results of working with it). A suitable paper weight for beginners is 300 g/m2, some professionals prefer 600 g/m2. There are other types of watercolor paper, such as NOT paper and rough texture paper, or cold pressed paper.
3. Use professional paints
Even novice artists should purchase professional watercolor paints. Unlike cheap analogues, artistic paints lay beautifully and spread on paper.
“I prefer tubes rather than pans: firstly, you don’t have to wait for the paint to soften and become workable, and secondly, it’s easier to create rich, dark mixtures with tube paint.”Billy Showell
It is true that artist paints are more expensive, but they will also last longer. They dilute better and therefore are not used up so quickly.
Advice. Try new paints and other art materials as often as possible. Experiment. Don't become a hostage to one habit
4. Observe and consider before you take up the brush
Before drawing, study the structure of the object. Look at it as if you were seeing it for the first time, look carefully, take notes, sketches, get familiar with textures and details that you have never paid attention to. For example, observe the spiral arrangement of the leaves or the whorls along the veins of the stem.
You get double benefits from drawing plants - first you meditate while looking at it, and then you get real pleasure from drawing. Isn't it wonderful? @miftvorchestvo
Try to mentally break down what you see into its components. Select the main shapes. See how they overlap each other. Imagine the landscape as a stage set. Pay attention to what is closest and what is further away.
5. Learn to mix paints
Try mixing colors to get an idea of what shades you can achieve with your paint set. Mix two colors first, then add a third to them. Experiment!
You will love creating such beautiful colors and variations of shades and tones, the number of them is almost inexhaustible.
Focus on yourself. You can make either very realistic drawings or very non-trivial ones. Your task is to collect paints whose properties you will know, which will allow you to create the desired shades with a guaranteed good result.
By mixing pure pigments, you can create cool, warm or grayish variations of the same color. Illustration from the book “Song of Colors”
6. Start with sparing expression
If you make pencil sketches or sketches, you can diversify your watercolor drawings by adding accents. You don't have to color the entire page; sometimes a few well-placed brush strokes create the most powerful effect.
Careless dotted watercolor strokes in sketches are the signature style of Felix Scheinberger. Illustration from the book “Watercolor Sketching”
7. Use liquid primer for watercolors
Liquid primer for watercolors is applied to the paper before starting work and allows you to easily remove dried paint if necessary. This is especially important when working with intense or persistent pigments: you don’t have to worry about “staining” the paper in the area of highlights. Before using it, practice in a sketchbook, as the surface for drawing will be quite slippery.
To remove paint from those areas where it was not needed (you accidentally went beyond the edges or you need to create highlights), simply wash off the paint with a clean, dampened brush or sponge.
8. Learn the art of glazing
Artists call glazing a technique for obtaining deep iridescent colors by applying translucent paints on top of the main one. The glazing technique is an excellent way to convey the finest color gamut. The paints are applied very delicately, layer by layer, and after drying the details of the last layer are worked out.
Illustration from the book “Song of Colors”
9. Dry brush technique
This technique can be used to draw animal fur or small hairs on fruits such as kiwi.
Apply paint to the brush and remove excess with a napkin. Straighten the brush hairs. Apply paint to a dry surface previously painted in the background color. Work in small strokes in one direction, imitating hairs on the surface.
Kiwi using dry brush technique. Illustration from the book
If you want to try something new in painting, pay attention to the acrylic painting technique. Canvases created with plastic-based paints have an interesting three-dimensional structure. Painting with acrylic is no more difficult than painting with watercolors. At the same time, the finished painting does not need to be treated with fixing compounds - the paints are highly durable, do not fade and are not afraid of water.
What is acrylic for painting?
Acrylic paints appeared in mass production relatively recently - only 50 years ago. Pigmented acrylic resin quickly gained universal popularity, primarily due to its versatility and durability. It is used not only by canvas painters, but also by interior artists who create paintings on walls, builders and even manicurists.
Acrylic paints come in different varieties. So, to decorate walls or ceilings, it is better to choose special acrylic paint of dense consistency. Three-dimensional images in the interior look colorful, realistic and original. Less concentrated paints, usually sold in tubes, are suitable for creating paintings on canvas. The drawing process for beginners is fascinating; it allows you to fully reveal your artistic talent.
How to prepare the basis for a future painting
Before choosing acrylic paint, take care to prepare the base. You can draw on wooden boards or plywood. You can use a stretcher or regular canvas. The easiest way to paint with acrylic is on paper, so a beginner should first master this canvas.
Choose paper with a dense, rough surface. For you to be able to paint with acrylic properly, the base must be strong. If you choose textured paper, glue a wood backing onto it.
Remove any air bubbles that have formed using a book - the canvas is ready for painting. Canvas for painting with acrylic can be additionally sanded, since the material adheres best to a smooth surface. Beginning painters often wonder whether it is necessary to prime the canvas for acrylic?
If you are working on boards, you will need an acrylic primer, which is sold in art stores. It is a special emulsion with titanium dioxide, which gives whiteness. The primer is applied to the prepared board in several layers and dried for 24 hours.
How to learn to paint with acrylic from scratch
First of all, make sure that the paints are not dry. When applying the first strokes, be sure to moisten the acrylic paint palette with water - you will need a spray bottle for this. There is no need to pour out a lot of acrylic paint at one time. Use absorbent paper, you can put it under the palette.
Observe the transparency of the paint: the more water you add, the more transparent the strokes will be. Paint with large brushes first, starting with large areas. Then smoothly move on to the main details. The technique of painting with acrylic on paper or a wooden board requires extreme care and precision. From time to time, look at the drawing in the mirror - this will help you understand whether its proportions are correct.
Many beginners find it difficult to mix acrylic paints with each other. You can use a thinner - it increases the “open” time of the paints, making them easier to compose. You only need to distribute the material with the edge of the brush, and to obtain clear contours of the sketch, you can use regular adhesive tape, which is sold at any hardware store.
Try lightening and darkening shades by adding white or black tones. To clean the palette from acrylic paints, use any product that dissolves plastic - a regular household solvent will do.
Painting with acrylic on paper or wood is a creative process that is a lot of fun. To make it even more enjoyable, follow these guidelines:
Paints become significantly darker when dry. Take this into account when choosing shades for the future canvas. Choose non-toxic materials for work, even if they cost more. Wear an apron while working to avoid getting your clothes dirty.
In addition to professional brushes with long handles, paints and canvas base, stock up on decoupage glue, as well as a convenient spray bottle filled with water.
It is better to use a plastic palette - it is practical and easy to clean. Don't forget to use clean water to rinse your brushes.
Having mastered the technique of painting with acrylic, you will be able to create real masterpieces. A little patience, diligence and the right materials for the job are the key to impressive results.
