Watercolor is commonly regarded as one of the most unpredictable art mediums. It’s one moment calm and flowing, and in the next, it has bled into every nook and cranny of the painting and looks completely out of control. This is what leads so many people to say “I just can’t master watercolor.” They get discouraged because it feels like you just can’t control the medium at all. But watercolor isn’t a matter of controlling all the water you use at all times. It’s a matter of being able to predict how the water and pigments will work together, and learning how to work with it instead.
Begin by learning about the water, not the pigments
Many new watercolorists focus entirely on choosing the right colors. This is why they are often surprised by how easily the pigments run together once they start painting with water. You see, water and pigments are used in tandem, which means the balance of water to pigment determines how well your paint will blend or spread across the page.
If there’s too much water in your palette, the colors will begin to run and form an odd shape. If you add too little water, the paint becomes dry and uneven. Learning to manage this balance of water and pigment, and recognizing the visual effects it creates, is the most vital step in learning how to use watercolor.
Add the paint in layers, not all at once
If you are looking to finish your painting in one layer, then there is very little chance you’ll be controlling the water at all. The whole point of adding water to your paints is to blend and add color to your painting. When you paint watercolors, you want your painting to have many layers that are visible when you’re done.
When you are painting watercolor, you want to begin with a base coat and let it dry before adding more. That way, you don’t lose your place when adding the pigment to the painting. Instead of looking out of control and all over the place, each layer will only make the color more intense, rather than ruining the layers you already painted. You can add as many layers as you need to make your colors more intense and the pigment more obvious.
When painting watercolor, learning to wait is a vital part of the process. You can add layers and control the pigment to your heart’s content.
Control over the water starts with the timing
Knowing when to paint is one of the most difficult things in the world. When it comes to your pigments, it’s vital that you know when to use the water to apply more layers, when to use your brush to smooth over the pigment on the paper, and when to leave it alone entirely. Your paper will go through different stages depending on how much water and pigment is added, and how often you’ve been using it.
If your paper is still very wet, it will look a lot softer and more prone to blending than if it were just dry. If your paper is damp, there’s only so much blending you can do without looking messy and out of control. If your paper is completely dry, it gives sharp details and structure. Learning to recognize these three steps will help you determine when to start or stop adding layers.
Don’t be too afraid to make a mistake
When you start painting with watercolor, you may find that you feel as though your work is going out of control at every point. However, learning to accept what you create on the page is vital if you want to become a master of the watercolor medium. Watercolor is different from painting on canvas.
If you make a mistake on the page, just let the water and the pigment dry, and you’ll begin to learn what to look out for when adding it in the future. Many times, what will look like a mistake to the eye, will eventually become a beautiful effect once it dries. Learning to let your paint bleed is one of the hardest skills to learn in the watercolor medium.
Work lightly and carefully, and not too much
Watercolor is known to be a rather light medium compared to other paints on the market. Because of this, you don’t want to apply too much pressure when painting with it. Adding too much pressure will ruin the pigment and ruin the overall look of the painting. You want to take your time and add the layers of paint slowly, as to give yourself time to notice any mistakes.
You’re not supposed to spend all of your time worrying about how the paint will look, though. Instead, you want to notice how the paint is interacting with the water, and what kind of effect it gives. As you continue to notice how the pigments behave in water, you will become more accustomed to what your paint will look like, and it will become much easier to apply. Watercolor is meant to be painted with control in mind, but without too much pressure.
Wrapping Up
Watercolor painting doesn’t require that you control the water as you apply the pigments across the page. The whole point of watercolor is that it’s meant to be fluid and move around. The more you learn about using water in the painting, the less you’ll worry about having to paint each stroke slowly. Once you begin to know exactly how and when to use water in your painting, you’ll be able to use it to your advantage rather than feeling as though it was going out of control. If you stop worrying about controlling your water, that is when you’ll finally start learning how to work with it.