Watercolor is one of the most forgiving and surprising ways to paint. It’s also one of the easiest to start: a few good tools, a little water, and a willingness to let the paint do some of the work. Here are five things worth knowing before your first painting.
1. Paper matters most
If you invest in one thing, make it paper. Look for cold-press watercolor paper that is 140 lb (300 gsm) or heavier. Cold-press has a gentle texture that holds water well, and heavier paper won’t buckle as much when it gets wet. Paper made from 100% cotton lets color flow and blend more evenly than wood-pulp paper.
2. Start with a small palette
You don’t need dozens of colors. A warm and a cool version of each primary (two reds, two yellows, two blues) will mix almost everything you need, and mixing your own greens is one of the best ways to learn. Artist-grade paints carry more pigment than student grades, so a few tubes go a long way.
3. One good round brush
A single round brush, size 8 or 10, can paint broad washes with its belly and fine lines with its tip. Synthetic brushes are affordable and work well for beginners.
4. Two jars of water
Keep one jar for rinsing and one for clean water. Muddy water makes muddy colors, and fresh water keeps your washes bright.
5. Learn two ways of painting
- Wet-on-wet: paint onto paper that is already damp. Colors bloom and soften into each other, which is lovely for skies and backgrounds.
- Wet-on-dry: paint onto dry paper. Edges stay crisp, which is good for leaves, stems, and detail.
Your first exercise: paint a leaf
Pick up a leaf from the garden. Lightly sketch its outline, wet the shape with clean water, and drop in a yellow-green. While it’s still damp, touch a deeper green near the stem and let it spread. Once it’s dry, paint the veins wet-on-dry. You’ve just used both techniques in one small painting.
In future posts we’ll look at color mixing, painting flowers, and the history of botanical art.
