New watercolor supplies can feel a little scary. The paper looks precious, the paints look tiny, and you are not sure where to start. Allison Lyon of Allison Lyon Art starts the way she did when she was learning: no painting at all. You get to know your paints and brushes with swatches and loose brush marks in a cheap sketchbook. It is relaxed, and it teaches you more than you would guess.
How to paint with watercolors for beginners: what you need
- Paint. A pan set is easy to start with. Allison uses the Art Philosophy Woodlands set. The Classics set covers every basic color.
- Brushes. A small, medium and large round, plus one flat. A size 8 round does most of the work.
- Paper. A student watercolor sketchbook. You will not worry about wasting it.
- Two water jars and a paper towel. One jar rinses, one stays clean for mixing.
Why two jars of water?
Rinse your brush in the dirty jar, blot it on the towel, then dip it in the clean jar before it touches paint. Your colors stay bright. With one jar, every color slowly turns a little grey and muddy. Change the rinse water whenever you can no longer see the bottom of the jar. A paper towel folded beside the jars lets you control how wet the brush is.
Water is the whole secret
In watercolor, water does what white paint does in other mediums. More water makes a color lighter. Less water makes it darker and stronger. That is why your swatches go from deep to pale. There is no white paint in the picture. The white of the paper is your white, so you plan the light parts and leave them alone.
| You want | Do this |
|---|
| Darker color | Less water, more paint |
| Lighter color | More water, less paint |
| White | Leave the paper bare |
| Deeper area | Add another layer once dry |
Work light to dark, and let it dry
Watercolor is transparent, so each layer you add makes an area darker. Start with your lightest layer. Then wait until it is fully dry before you go back in. Allison says this was her biggest struggle as a beginner. Working on a wet area over and over lifts the paint and makes blotches.
Common beginner problems
- Colors look dull. Your rinse water is dirty, or you skipped the clean jar.
- Paper buckles. Too much water for thin paper. That is normal in a sketchbook. Press it flat under books once dry.
- Hard edges you did not want. The paint dried before you blended. Work a smaller area.
- Brush will not point. Roll it on the edge of the jar to reshape the tip.
Where to go next
Once your swatches are done, try a simple card like this watercolor Christmas card or paint a flower. If you like more control, watercolor pencils are a gentle next step. Curious about opaque paint? Compare gouache.
