New watercolor painters often say that picking colors is the most difficult part of painting. We often just take any color we think looks “pretty” on the palette and then we end up with a painting that seems random, dull, dark, or unbalanced.
Color choice in watercolor isn’t necessarily about picking more colors, but about learning how to choose your colors intentionally.
Start with a limited palette
It’s common for people to use too many colors while starting to learn to paint. Even though using many colors might seem like being creative and having fun, this often ends up in a disorganized and hard-to-understand result.
It’s much easier to stay organized and consistent by using a limited palette. When you use fewer colors, you naturally start to notice how each color interacts with others, creating harmony and avoiding a muddy or confusing mess.
Less choices lead to better control.
Think in moods, not in colors
Rather than choosing colors randomly one by one, you should first think about the mood of your painting. Is your image calm, warm, dramatic, or soft? You can let the mood of your painting help you pick out the colors.
For example, warm tones feel more energetic and lighter, whereas cool tones look more calm and further away. By defining the mood of your painting first, your color palette will be more deliberate.
Understand warm and cool colors
Every color you use in your watercolor painting has a temperature: warm or cool. If you use too many warm colors without a balance of cool colors, or vice versa, you can end up with a flat, dull, unbalanced image.
Make sure you have a balance of warm and cool colors based on your subject. Warm colors tend to bring attention to your image, while cool colors add depth and distance. By learning about this relationship, you’ll be able to paint much more interesting images.
Avoid using pure color straight from the tube
Tube colors are often used directly, without modification. Many new watercolor painters use tube colors straight out of the tube without making any adjustments, which can end up with a harsh, unnatural appearance.
A great trick to make your painting look cohesive is by muting colors a bit or by mixing colors before applying them. This can help your painting look more harmonious and unified while creating a softer appearance.
Repeat colors throughout your painting
A simple trick for achieving harmony in your watercolor painting is repeating colors you used in the painting. If you see the same color throughout the different parts of your painting, then they’re all going to feel more unified.
This doesn’t mean you have to paint the color identically over and over, but that you should look to reuse similar colors in different parts of your painting as much as possible to achieve harmony.
Final Word
Choosing colors in your watercolor paintings is much simpler when you think in terms of structure: palette, mood, and balance.
Once you’ve learned how to paint with intentional colors instead of random colors, your paintings are more likely to feel more harmonious and pleasing.