Watercolor
Watercolor is a versatile, water-based paint known for its light, translucent quality. It’s popular for everything from quick sketches to detailed illustrations and is valued for its ability to create soft gradients and layered color. Because it’s transparent and dries quickly, it requires some planning, especially when working with highlights and darker layers.
Pros
- Portable and easy to set up
- Dries quickly
- Can create soft, layered color effects
- Works well for loose or expressive painting styles
- Easy to clean up and low-mess compared to other paints
Cons
- Mistakes are hard to correct
- Paint can be unpredictable on wet paper
- Colors often dry lighter than they appear when wet
- Requires good paper to prevent buckling or bleeding
- Layering too much can muddy the colors or damage the paper
In essence
Watercolor is activated with water and applied to paper using a brush. Artists usually paint from light to dark, leaving lighter areas unpainted to serve as highlights. Techniques like wet-on-wet (painting on damp paper) or wet-on-dry (painting on dry paper) offer different results in terms of edge softness and color blending. The amount of water used affects how the paint behaves—more water results in lighter washes and softer edges, while less water creates sharper, more saturated lines.
Guides
Tips and Tricks
- Use watercolor-specific paper. Regular paper can buckle, pill, or let paint bleed too much. Choose paper that’s 140 lb (300 gsm) or heavier—cold press has texture for most techniques, while hot press is smooth and better for detailed work with tiny strokes.
- Build color slowly by starting with light washes and layering as needed. Because watercolor is transparent, it’s easier to deepen a color than to fix an area that’s too dark. Leave highlights as untouched paper or mask them before you begin.
- Allow layers to dry completely before painting over them. Wet areas will cause colors to blend or bleed unpredictably, while dry layers give you cleaner edges and better control. Use a hairdryer on low heat if you want to speed up the process.
- Mix more paint than you think you’ll use, especially for large areas. It’s difficult to match a color exactly once it’s on the paper, and stopping to remix can interrupt the flow of your painting. Test the color on scrap paper first to make sure it dries the way you expect.
- Keep a paper towel or rag nearby while working. It helps with blotting excess water, softening edges, or gently lifting mistakes before they set. A quick dab can keep a section from becoming too saturated or muddy.