How to Start Painting With Watercolours: A Beginner’s Guide

My First Forays into Basic Techniques

Once I had my supplies, the real fun (and occasional frustration) began. I knew I couldn't just jump into painting a masterpiece. I needed to understand how the paint behaved, how much water to use, and how to control my brush.

Understanding Water Control

This was, by far, the biggest hurdle for me. Watercolour is, as the name suggests, all about water. Too much, and the paint becomes watery and loses its vibrancy. Too little, and it's difficult to get smooth washes. It took a lot of practice to find that sweet spot.

Wet-on-Dry

This was my starting point. I applied wet paint to dry paper. This technique gives me more control over edges and allows for sharper details. I practiced making different shapes, lines, and controlled washes this way. It's great for adding layers and building up colour intensity.

Wet-on-Wet

This technique fascinated me from the beginning. Applying wet paint to already wet paper creates beautiful, soft, and unpredictable blends. The colours flow and merge on their own, often creating happy accidents. I found this particularly useful for skies, backgrounds, and areas where I wanted a dreamy, atmospheric effect. My initial attempts often resulted in muddy messes, but with practice, I started to understand how much water to apply to the paper and how quickly to add the paint. It's a delicate balance!

Washes: My Foundation for Colour

A wash is essentially a layer of diluted watercolour. I learned several types:

Flat Wash

My first attempts were at creating a perfectly even, consistent layer of colour. This involved loading my brush with a consistent amount of paint and water, and applying it in overlapping strokes, working quickly before the paint dried. It’s harder than it looks to get truly flat!

Graded Wash

This involves transitioning from a darker, more saturated colour to a lighter, more diluted one (or even clear water). I practiced this by adding more water to my brush with each successive stroke, or by starting with a concentrated colour and then slowly introducing water into the wash as I moved across the paper. This is fantastic for creating gradients in skies or landscapes.

Variegated Wash

This is where I started to have a lot of fun. It involves blending two or more colours directly on the paper while the wash is still wet. The colours mingle and create interesting effects without being fully mixed on the palette. It’s a wonderful way to introduce variety and life into a painting.

Brushstrokes and Marks

Beyond just washes, I started exploring the different marks I could make with my brushes.

Lines and Edges

Using the tip of my round brush, I practiced creating thin, delicate lines. With more pressure, I could create thicker lines. I also learned to use the edge of my flat brush for crisp, straight lines. Control over line work is essential for defining shapes and adding details.

Dry Brush

This technique involves using a brush with very little water and more pigment, dragging it lightly across the dry paper. It picks up the texture of the paper and creates a broken, textural effect, which I found perfect for simulating rough textures like wood, stone, or distant foliage.

Lifting

This is an incredibly useful technique for correction and adding highlights. While the paint is still wet, I can gently lift some of the colour with a clean, damp brush or a piece of paper towel. If the paint has dried, re-wetting the area carefully and then blotting can often lift some of the pigment, though it’s generally easier when the paint is fresh.

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Practicing and Experimenting

With a basic understanding of my tools and techniques, I knew the next step was simply to do. I didn't worry about creating masterpieces; I focused on understanding the medium.

Swatch Sheets and Colour Mixing

Before I ever put brush to paper for a "real" painting, I dedicated time to creating swatch sheets. This involved painting small squares of each colour in my palette and noting its name. It helped me understand the true hue of each pigment.

Then came colour mixing. I started with the primaries – red, yellow, and blue – and explored how they combined to form secondary colours: orange, green, and purple. I also experimented with mixing complements (colours opposite each other on the colour wheel) to create neutral tones and earthy browns. Understanding my palette and how colours interacted was fundamental. I found that creating a colour chart for my specific paints was invaluable, as different brands and pigments behave uniquely.

Simple Exercises

My early practice involved a lot of simple exercises:

• Circles and Squares: Attempting to fill these basic shapes with flat washes, focusing on evenness and clean edges.
• Graded Washes: Practicing transitioning colours, like a sunset sky or a receding landscape.
• Wet-on-Wet Blends: Simply dropping different colours into a wet area and watching them bloom. This was incredibly therapeutic and taught me a lot about pigment flow.
• Value Scales: Practicing creating a range of light to dark tones using a single colour, from a very diluted wash to a concentrated application. This is crucial for creating dimension in a painting.

I kept a dedicated sketchbook just for these exercises. It removed the pressure of "making something good" and allowed me to freely explore and make mistakes.

Copying and Inspiration

I spent a lot of time looking at other artists' work. Not to copy directly and pass it off as my own, but to understand their techniques. I would try to replicate a simple wash from a painting I admired or analyze how they created a particular texture. This wasn't about stifling my own creativity, but about learning from those who had mastered the medium. I often picked simple subjects – a single leaf, a piece of fruit, a simple landscape photo – to focus on applying techniques rather than getting bogged down by complex compositions.

Embracing Mistakes

This was perhaps the most important lesson I learned. Watercolour is often described as an unforgiving medium, but I found that embracing "happy accidents" was key to enjoying the process. Paint bleeds unexpectedly, colours mix in unforeseen ways, and washes dry unevenly. Instead of seeing these as failures, I began to see them as opportunities. Sometimes, a "mistake" would lead to a more interesting texture or a unique colour blend that I wouldn't have achieved otherwise. It taught me to be flexible, to adapt, and to let the paint do some of the work. This shift in mindset was pivotal in my watercolour journey.

If you're eager to dive into the world of watercolors, you might find it helpful to explore some essential supplies that can enhance your painting experience. A great resource for this is the article on choosing the right materials for watercolor painting, which provides insights into brushes, papers, and paints that are perfect for beginners. You can check it out here to ensure you're well-equipped for your artistic journey.

My First Simple Painting Projects

After what felt like an eternity of swatching and practicing individual techniques, I was finally ready to attempt something that resembled a "painting." I still kept my expectations low, but the excitement was palpable.

Starting with Simple Subjects

I didn't jump into portraits or elaborate landscapes. My first subjects were deliberately simple:

• Monochromatic Objects: A single apple, a simple rock, painted in varying shades of one colour. This helped me focus purely on value (light and dark) and form, without the added complexity of colour theory.
• Simple Landscapes: I found photos of very basic landscapes – a horizon line, a few distant hills, a clear sky. These were excellent for practicing washes and understanding how colours recede in space.
• Botanicals: A single leaf or a simple flower petal. The organic shapes allowed for looser brushwork and offered opportunities to practice wet-on-wet blends for soft edges.

I always started by doing a light pencil sketch. This gave me a roadmap, but I tried not to make it too detailed, allowing the paint to define the nuances.

The Importance of Layers

I quickly learned that watercolour is all about layers. Unlike opaque mediums, you can't really paint light colours over dark ones. It's an additive process, building up intensity and detail from light to dark.

First Wash: The Foundation

My first layer was almost always the lightest wash, covering the largest areas. For a sky, this would be a pale blue or a gradient. For foliage, a light green. This established the overall tone and acted as a base for subsequent layers. I always made sure this layer was completely dry before adding the next, unless I specifically wanted a wet-on-wet blend.

Mid-Tones: Adding Form

Once the first wash was dry, I started adding mid-tones. These layers were slightly more concentrated in pigment and began to define the forms and shadows. I focused on applying these layers carefully, considering where the light was coming from and how it would create shadows.

Darkest Darks and Details: The Finishing Touches

Finally, I added the darkest darks and the finest details. These are usually the most saturated colours and are applied with a more controlled hand. This is where I defined edges, added texture, and brought the painting to life. It was a revelation to see how these final touches could transform a flat image into something with depth and dimension.

Learning to Stop

One of the hardest lessons for me was learning when to stop. There’s a tendency to keep adding more, to "fix" little things, but with watercolour, too many layers or too much fussing can lead to muddy colours and a overworked appearance. I learned to step back, let the painting dry, and then reassess. Sometimes, the beauty was in its simplicity and freshness. This took discipline, but it was crucial for maintaining the characteristic luminosity of watercolour.

Continuing My Watercolour Journey

I’ve come a long way since my first tentative strokes, but my journey is far from over. Watercolour is a lifelong learning process, and that's part of its charm.

Exploring New Techniques

I continue to experiment with more advanced techniques. I've dabbled in granulation, using specific pigments that separate into beautiful speckles, adding texture. I've experimented with salt, alcohol, and even cling film to create interesting effects on wet washes. Masking fluid, a latex-based liquid that protects areas from paint, has become a valuable tool for preserving white highlights. These techniques aren't necessary for beginners, but they add exciting possibilities as you grow.

Finding My Style

As I’ve painted more, I've started to notice patterns in my preferences. I tend to lean towards loose, expressive styles rather than hyperrealism. I love the accidental blends of wet-on-wet and the freshness of direct brushstrokes. This is my "style" emerging, not something I consciously decided, but something that developed naturally through practice and self-discovery. I encourage you to allow your own style to develop organically, too. Don't try to force it; just paint what you enjoy and how you enjoy it.

Joining a Community

Connecting with other watercolour artists, whether online or in person, has been incredibly enriching. Sharing my work, receiving constructive feedback, and seeing how others approach the medium has pushed me to improve and explore new ideas. It's a supportive community, and I've learned so much from fellow enthusiasts.

Patience and Persistence

Ultimately, my biggest takeaway from learning watercolour is the importance of patience and persistence. There will be days when the paint doesn't cooperate, when colours look muddy, or when a painting just doesn't turn out as envisioned. These are not failures; they are learning opportunities. Each "mistake" teaches me something new about the medium, about water control, or about my own artistic vision.

Final Thoughts on Watercolours

The joy comes not just from the finished piece, but from the meditative process, the challenge, and the continuous discovery of what this beautiful medium can do. So, if you're thinking about starting, I say go for it! Pick up a brush, a few tubes of paint, and some paper, and let the magic unfold. You might just surprise yourself.

Related reading: Irish Artists You Should Know: 10 Painters Who Shaped Ireland · Jack B. Yeats: Ireland’s Most Loved Painter Explained

Enda Storrie is a writer and the creator of Story Bible, the planning journal and app for writers, and Chain Story Online, a free collaborative storytelling platform.