About the Artist

watercolor techniques

I have also included several excellent videos that demonstration watercolor painting techniques below. Enjoy!

Basic Watercolor Techniques

Flat Wash Technique

The flat wash painting method is a common one. This technique is usually used when large areas of your support need to be covered. It is important to lay out the watercolor wash evenly and uniformly. First, you dampen the area of your paper where you will be applying the wash. Be sure to have an adequate amount of water and pigment available before your begin. If you should have to stop for any reason, it will be rather difficult to match your layers. It is better to have more than less available. The angle at which you apply the watercolor wash is important. If the angle is too steep your wash will run down the paper. If the angle is too level, then there won’t have enough movement. Use a large brush for this technique and start your first stroke at the top of the paper. Continue applying the watercolor wash going down the paper, but alternate sides as you move down.

Glazing

Glazing in watercolor is when you apply a thin transparent color over a completed dry layer of color. This technique creates unique and interesting blends of new color. You will need to use a non-staining, transparent color for this watercolor technique. You will need to use a soft brush and try not too apply that much pressure.

Wet In Wet

Wet in wet is simply applying a wet wash over a wet surface. You start by evenly wetting the paper with a brush or spray bottle. Have a sponge handy to absorb any excess water. You want your paper to be evenly saturated. Then apply your watercolor.

Dry Brush

With the dry brush technique, you begin with a dry piece of paper. Then pick up some dry pigment with just a touch of water and apply to your paper.

The dry brush method is only recommended when you want to draw focus or create texture in your painting. It’s always a good idea to use different brush techniques in a single painting. This results in a more interesting painting.

Lifting Off

Artists use this technique when they want to remove watercolor from a certain area of the panting. It is usually done by first wetting the area that needs to be removed with a clean sponge and then absorb the color with a tissue. If you find that the color does not come off right away, then let the water soak in a bit longer and try again. If you still are unable to remove the color, dampen a bristle brush and gently scrub the area. Use extreme care when utilizing this method as it is possible to damage your paper.

Watercolor Painting Videos

Painting a Flat Wash in Watercolor

How to paint a flat wash in watercolor. Artist Debbie Johnson demonstrates her technique of a flat wash – to lay down a flat, even area of color with watercolor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycJ08rbnKAk

How to Stretch Your Paper

Here is an old method for stretching paper that also prevents hard edges.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x25QNwmrwjM

Watercolor Dry Brush Painting

A dry brush technique in watercolor painting uses very little water. Learn how to paint with a dry brush in this free art lesson video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH-9YJZBLBk

Watercolor Salt Technique

Demonstration of salt application on watercolor paper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycJ08rbnKAk

Soft Focus Watercolor Techniques

Learn techniques to create beautiful, soft-focus watercolor paintings on damp paper. Techniques include positive painting, negative painting, lifting, and using gouache. Presented by Elizabeth Flue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTNbAfcC7ew

Recommended Watercolor Painting DVD’s

If you aren’t a big fan of learning from books, then I highly recommend you check out the following watercolor painting dvd’s from Creative Catalyst Productions. Creative Catalyst produces some of the highest quality DVD’s in the world and well worth every penny. I recommend Creative Catalyst throughout my website and in my newsletters and stand by them 100 %. Click the links below to see the pricing & ordering details for each video, including free previews.

The Traditional Watercolor Approach by Cheng-Khee Chee, Vol.2

Saturated Wet Technique by Cheng-Khee Chee, Vol.3

Improvisational Splash Color Technique by Cheng-Khee Chee, Vol.4

Crinkling Paper Technique by Cheng-Khee Chee, Vol.5

Marbleizing and Monoprinting Techniques by Cheng-Khee Chee, Vol.6

Recommended Books on Watercolor Painting Techniques

Here is a wonderful series of drawing and watercolor lessons I discovered from a very talented artist by the name of Mara Mattia. I have provided links to these drawing and watercolor lessons below for your convenience. I found these lessons to be very helpful and I am sure you will enjoy them as well.

Lesson #1 awareness (Lines)

Lesson #2 Lines Continued

Lesson #3 Shading and Dots

Lesson #4 Shading, Sun Dot & Grid Drawing

Lesson #5 Blending, Crosshatching & The Grid

Lesson #6 Draw a Face Using the Grid Method

Lesson #7 Continue Drawing of Keira Knightley

Lesson #8 Watercolor Wheel

About Steve

I am an artist and teacher who primarily works in watercolor. I have been painting for nearly 35 years, and teaching for 14. I believe that the goal of art should be a creative interpretation of the world around us and not the perfect rendering of what we see. I also strongly hold that art is a process not just a product. We should spend more time involved in the making and experiencing our art and less time worrying about the successful marketing of the piece we are working on. Good art is the result of hard work and dedication, but it only happens when the artists finds their own story to tell.

Please click here to visit Steve’s website to learn more about him and to view his work.

Brushwork

Although it is sometimes not what we notice first about a great watercolor painting, expressive brushwork is one of the most important qualities of a good work. Due to the fact that watercolor is fairly hard to remove from the paper and is somewhat less workable than oils, pastels, graphite and to some extent acrylics through the use of overlaying opaque colors on top, it is critical that you begin and end the painting with solid and creative brushwork. It will be very difficult to correct sloppy and repetitive brushwork in those major areas of the painting. Think of the trees you have painted with brushwork that evoke the look of a broom, not an elm, or the water you
painted that has the feeling of a parking lot, not a tranquil pond or the light on the side of a model’s face that looks like an advertisement for a beard commercial and you will understand that your freedom with the brush is a critical factor is expressing your creative intent.

Now I must say that there are times when you apply paint in big washes or solid color forms without a major concern for the individual brushwork, but you still want the brushwork in these forms and pieces of color to be reflective of your intent for this area of the painting and not be cluttered movement, conflicting movement or unintentional texture. If brushwork is not an important consideration in your painting then your work will not have the finish or quality of a masterful painting.  Learn to apply your paint with a purposeful and deliberate brush stroke and try to avoid continual rubbing onto the painted surface with a wet and soggy brush.  Get in the habit of thinking about the brushwork before you touch the paper and then have a confident and direct approach when your brush is in contact with the paper. The brush is the extension of your creative intent — it is your partner in the process, not just a stick with hair on it. Until we get to the point of painting with our hands and feet, the brush is the major way that the paint will get on the paper and the painting will always record for the viewer the  skills you possess in brushwork. Neglecting the improvement of your brush skills will always hold back your painting progress.

Ways to Improve Your Brushwork

First it is important to understand the factors that control the expressive marks you want to learn to produce.

Type of Brush

If you are like me you have a multitude of brushes in your bag and you have your favorite few with which you have a relatively good relationship. Each brush type whether it be flat or round, natural or synthetic, big or small has a range of marks it is capable of producing.

There is quite a bit of overlap in the type of marks brushes will make for the painter who will take the time to practice with each of the brushes in the bag. Some of these strokes are very familiar to you but I am quite sure that most painters have not really experimented with all of the favorite brushes to really see what they will do.

I think it is amazing how many brushes some of my students have and how few they really use. The common statement I hear is “Gee I really don’t like a round brush, they don’t work for me” or “flat brushes always make the same type of mark” or “I don’t have any control with that big brush so I use this small one”. These statements or this type of thinking leads us to buy a special brush for each specific problem when it would be a better idea to develop a varied repertoire of expressive marks using only a few brushes.

I am convinced that John Singer Sergeant could come back from the dead and do quite well with just a few sable rounds. Take the time to bond with your 1” flat sabeline, your #12 sable or white sable round, a 1.5 inch white sable wash brush and maybe a #4 rigger and your paintings will definitely improve. Think of them as the main tools in your tool box and then get some real mileage out of them — don’t move to new brushes until you can make these few really do the job in your paintings.

Angle and Edge

Brushes are very creative tools in the painting process when they are used by an artist who thinks about a variety of contact possibilities for the brush. Each brush has several edges to use and by exploring the different marks that can be made by each, your paintings will have a much more enlivened application of paint.

Try not to use the same edge repeatedly because this will lead to a tired and boring style. Also experiment with the pressure or amount of brush surface you are using. To complement your understanding and exploration of the edge, put more focus into pushing the brush in and out when in contact with the paper. Most brushes can take a whole lot more abuse than we give them — just remember to not put so much pressure on the bristles that you permanently break the bristles at the ferrule.

One last word of caution, when you are using a round brush or for that matter a flat brush, try not to paint too much with just the point because this will prematurely wear down the point. It is a better idea to paint with the side of the brush pulling it to the point, which keeps the bristles longer and the edge or point more defined and perfect. You can definitely use the point for those moments when it is required but keep it to a minimum.

Amount of Water in Brush and on Paper

The secret of watercolor painting is understanding the relationship between the amount of water in the brush to the amount of water on the paper. When experimenting with your brushes is the time to really pay attention to this secret.

Any brush will make a completely different type of mark when it is fully charged with water than when it is dry. It will also make a totally different type of mark when it is stroked across a wet, damp, or dry piece of paper. The amount of pigment in the brush also factors into the quality or character of the brushstroke. To really get the brush working for you in your painting you have to feel totally comfortable painting on the ever changing surface of the paper.

For me it is not as desirable to wait for the paper to dry before I move from stage to stage in the painting — I want to be able to keep right on working. I have learned to do this by practicing using a brush and applying pigment continuously throughout the painting process whether it is on wet or dry paper. I have found I can regulate the amount of water or pigment in the brush and be fairly comfortable painting whether the paper is wet, dry or somewhere in between. But I have to pay attention to the conditions on the surface of the paper and regulate the brush accordingly. Variety and creativity will be the result in your paintings if you work on changing the amount of water and pigment in your brush and paint on different types of surfaces.

Speed and Direction of the Mark

The faster the brush moves across the paper the less time there is for the paint and water to come off onto the paper. Practice using a fast pass across the paper and you will begin to see the wonderful textural effects you can achieve. Also by moving the brush quickly you can highlight a damp or wet area with a color and not have the usual explosive blossoms that are so problematic. I have found I can use the speed of the brush to put glisten on water or to highlight the light in trees without having to wait for the paper to dry. This does take some practice.

Distance from Paper and Arm Movement

For me there is no way I can really get into the painting process and develop expressive brushwork if I am sitting down and I am too close to the paper. I need to be able to get back from the painting and really get my arm and wrist working for me. I never hold my brush like a pencil I hold it like an extension of my arm and I work on  achieving a fluid and rhythmic painting motion. I believe this keeps me involved on all levels when I paint and the movement is translated into my expressive brushwork.

If you are so close to the paper that you feel cramped your work will show it. Your brushwork will be tight and tedious and your painting will lack rhythm and  movement. If you can’t stand up for physical reasons at least try to get back from the painting when you work. I always keep in mind that the brush is one of my most important tools I can use to translate my creative intention to the paper so I want to give it the most freedom and possibilities I can.

Exercises

Make as many brush marks as you can with all of your favorite brushes. Think of all of the factors listed above. Work on dry and wet paper and keep working until there is no white paper left. This is not about making paintings — this is about learning how to make creative marks and to develop a mental library of things you can do to create texture and interest in your washes and shapes.

Visualize a subject and make all of the marks that evoke the essence of the subject. Remember some subjects will require overlaying of washes and marks to really describe the object. Be creative not literal.

Learn to use two brushes, one flat and one round, better. Make every type of mark with these two. Try to duplicate the same type of marks and shapes with each. It is possible to come close to painting exactly the same types of shapes and marks with a flat and a round but it takes practice.

Wet to Dry over lay. This is a great lesson to combine both brushwork, value control and movement across the paper. Begin on wet paper and just start making expressive color washes and splatter marks — “Prouts Marshes” leave some large varied pieces of white paper. Immediately follow this without letting the paper dry, using expressive and varied brushwork. Try to think only of movement and creative line. Begin to cut away at the white paper creating more interesting and dramatic shapes. Remember to watch the water content in your brush and don’t over rub the pigment into the paper. Finally using big flat and round brushes lay on some dark values creating exciting and expressive areas of focus and interest. Keep working until you are using extremely dark passages of color and have really forced the viewer to move all around the paper. This lesson if done enough times will produce fabulous abstract results and give increased confidence with your brushwork and ability to apply paint.

About Angela

Drawn to the eloquence found in nature’s simple beauty, Canadian watercolor artist Angela Fehr has lived in Papua New Guinea, the United States and Canada.

A self-taught artist, today Fehr lives with her family in northern British Columbia, Canada, where she is the home educator of her three children and celebrates the small wonders of our world in her vivid floral paintings and tranquil landscapes.  Not content with simply painting, Angela lives the creative life daily, scrapbooking, writing, painting nostalgic wooden signs and crafting with her children.

Original art by Angela Fehr can be purchased online here or at Picture Perfect Gallery in Grande Prairie, Alberta.  Angela exhibits twice yearly with the South Peace Art Society in Dawson Creek, British Columbia.

Visit Angela’s blog to follow her creative journey.

Getting to Know Your Palette Part 1

These are the colors that are currently in my watercolor palette. I use mostly Winsor & Newton tube paints, and I squeeze them on to my palette and allow them to dry. This makes my palette portable, and shortens my prep time. I also find I waste less paint this way.

Click Image For Larger View

Some colors here look quite similar – for example, the cobalt blue and ultramarine. They are different, but similar enough that I could probably use one or the other. I use about 3x as much cobalt as ultramarine, but I keep ultramarine in my palette because it is a granulating color and so it has a different texture when dry than cobalt. But I use cobalt for mixing with burnt umber to obtain my favorite gray.

Speaking of burnt umber, I really don’t like Winsor & Newton’s burnt umber. It is lighter than I am used to (not sure what my previous brand was) and also more orangey. I bought a tube of sepia recently, in search of a darker brown, but I need to make space for it in my palette. Maybe I’ll get rid of the Winsor Yellow light – I rarely use yellow, and when I do I use Gamboge or Raw Sienna. Not sure if Raw Sienna counts as a yellow.

My quinacridone and permanent rose magenta are also very close in hue. I will remove one from my palette, but I’m not sure which yet. I’ll check the labels to see which one is most lightfast, and which one is most staining, and decide from there.

I’m planning a part two of this post, showing a sheet where I’ve mixed all the colors. And a part three comparing staining & non-staining, opaque and transparent might also be a good idea.

If you are starting out in watercolor and aren’t sure what to purchase, don’t feel like you need to copy my palette. Get some basic colors and familiarize yourself with them. Make some swatch charts, one of pure colors like the one above, one showing gradation of each color from dark to light, and one mixing each color with the other colors in the palette. Then paint a lot and get used to the colors you have.

The paint colors I would recommend for a beginning watercolorist are:

Raw Sienna

Gamboge Hue

Burnt Umber

Sap Green or Hooker’s Green

Cobalt Blue

Cadmium Red Med. or Dark

Quinacridone or Permanent Rose

From these you can mix nearly every other color you might desire.

Getting to Know Your Palette Part 2

Click Image For Larger View

Color Mixing Chart for Watercolor based on Angela Fehr’s palette

Part two of getting to know your palette is all about color mixing. In part one you used water and paint to lay down a block of each hue, and if you did as I recommended, you went a little further and varied the ratio of water to pigment to gradate each color from dark to light, and are now familiar with the pure colors in your palette.

However, in watercolor (and perhaps in all painting disciplines), the artist almost never uses pure color - at least not in representational art. While pure Hooker’s Green will look phony and plastic for foliage, when mixed with a little red or brown, it rings much truer and more natural.

In order to know what colors to mix to get the hues you desire you need to experiment and get familiar with the results of different color combinations. With only a few colors, the combinations are vast, and I have used only six colors from my palette for the sample color mixing chart above. Click on the image to enlarge it.

I painted each of the six colors twice, once along the left side of the paper, and once along the bottom. Then I mixed each color along the bottom with the colors along the left, stopping before I started repeating mixtures or mixed a color with itself.

As you can see, some of the hues are pretty predictable, or are not too visibly altered. Some colors (like cadmium red) are opaque and dominant their more transparent companions. The interest is in the colors that dramatically change – like the browns created by mixing hooker’s green with the two reds. Used in its most saturated form, cadmium red and hooker’s green would make a great black, don’t you think? Like many watercolorists, I prefer mixing my darkest (black) values from two opposite colors, making a richer, deeper, more “alive” hue than using black paint.

Also, look at the green created by mixing hooker’s green and new gamboge. Another example of a color brought alive by adding another hue. Hooker’s green is a gorgeous green anyhow, but when combined with other colors it just gets better.

My standard gray is also here on this chart – the combination of cobalt and burnt umber. I’m not overly enamored of my Winsor & Newton burnt umber – it’s too light and orange-y, in my opinion, but it still makes a rich grey shade that I use frequently. By varying the proportions of burnt umber to cobalt blue, I get a wealth of grays, and when I have a little purple in my palette, I throw that in, too!

You can expand this exercise by mixing your palette’s colors in a variety of saturations. Try increasing or decreasing the water in the mixture to see the resulting color when lightened or intensified. Increased familiarity with color mixing and what each color can do will increase your confidence as a painter.