How to Get Started with Watercolor | Beginners Guide

Getting started with watercolor painting for beginners is an exciting journey that blends creativity with a relaxing process. To learn watercolor art effectively, you need to understand the essential watercolor painting materials, basic techniques, and how to practice in a way that keeps motivation high.

This colorful guide covers everything from selecting the right watercolor supplies for your sketches to mastering fundamental skills of watercoloring like wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques. Additionally, we have some tips on setting up your creative space and making constant progress while having fun.

Essential Watercolor Art Materials You Need

When learning how to watercolor, gathering the right watercolor art materials are crucial first step. Quality watercolor supplies make a significant difference in your enjoyment and the results you achieve.

1. Watercolor Paints

Choose artist-grade if possible because these paints have more pigment concentration, richer colors, and better blend capabilities. Student-grade is fine for beginners on a budget or for kids learning on pre-made watercolor sketchbooks. 

2. Watercolor Paper

Watercolor paper is the base for your paintings. This must be strong enough to bear the color spreading. Opt for 100% cotton, cold-pressed paper. This paper absorbs the water and pigment well. This type of watercolor paper prevents buckling and helps paint flow smoothly.

3. Brushes

Fine-line brushes with fine fibers are always good for your artwork. Invest in good-quality watercolor brushes with soft bristles. You can have various sizes of brushes ranging from 4, 8, and 12, which are popular choices.
These sizes and types of brushes give you control for detailed and broad strokes without scattering all over the page.

4. Watercolor Pencils

You might be hearing about these watercolor pencils for the first time in your life, but they are very handy for beginners who want to sketch first or add extra details after painting. These will help you draw fine borderlines to your sketches and paintings. Using watercolor pencils really helps maintain sketch boundaries and fineness.

5. Watercolor Workbook

Using a watercolor workbook can help you keep track of these materials and gradually build your collection without overbuying. Your investment in watercolor supplies pays off by making the learning process smooth and more pleasurable.

6. Additional Recommended Supplies

You will need a palette for mixing colors, clean water containers, paper towels or our special BrushWipe Pro, and masking tape or artist tape to secure your paper. These watercolor supplies will help you draw clean and professional-looking paintings. 

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Learn How to Paint with Watercolors - Basic Techniques

Learning and mastering a few fundamental techniques is vital to get a perfectly crafted painting. These techniques help you to understand watercolor’s unique behavior, making painting enjoyable rather than frustrating.

Wet-on-Wet

The wet-on-wet technique is where wet paint is applied on paper that is already wet to create smooth textures. In this technique, you apply a layer of water using spray mist on the paper, then add wet paint. This creates soft, blended edges perfect for backgrounds like skies or water. It’s great for experimenting with flower color.

Wet-on-Dry

Wet-on-dry is a technique where wet paint is applied to a dry surface, resulting in sharp edges and a precise, detailed image. This technique allows more control, which is useful for subjects that need proper definition.

You simply paint wet paint pigments onto dry paper for sharper details and crisp lines. This painting with watercolor techniques is simple but essential to master.

Dry Brush

Using a brush with very little paint and water. It is mainly used to draw broken or gradient strokes on paper. These strokes are often used when creating sunrise or sunset, water shades, or sky. It adds details and effects on the paper.

Practicing these techniques on simple shapes, such as circles and leaves, can build confidence. Keeping a doodle sheet to explore these methods without pressure prevents fear of mistakes and wasted materials. We are offering you a wide range of colors, workbooks, and brushes for your initial practice.

Setting up Your Watercolor Workspace

Consistency is key to improving your watercolor skills. Creating a dedicated, inviting space for your watercolor practice can help you develop a daily habit.

• It doesn’t need to be a large studio; a small, clean corner or table works fine.
• Organize your watercolor supplies so they’re easy to access and clean up quickly.
• Having a visible workspace encourages regular painting sessions, even if just for 10 to 15 minutes a day.
• Good lighting, a comfortable chair, and a water source nearby improve your experience.

Making your workspace a pleasant retreat motivates you to keep painting regularly, accelerating your improvement and enjoyment of watercolor art. Completing your watercolor art material is also essential to start as a beginner.

Using Watercolor Workbooks and Tutorials

A watercolor workbook can serve as both a guide and a record of your progress. It typically includes exercises on techniques, color theory, mixing, and project ideas. Using workbooks helps structure your learning and technique.

Besides workbooks, online resources, especially YouTube tutorials, can help you better understand and practice your watercolor sketching and painting. Watching and practicing step-by-step demonstrations helps visualize techniques like how to use watercolor pencils, layer transparencies, and correct common mistakes.

Tutorials by experienced artists often share tips that fast-track your learning and avoid common beginner pitfalls.

The General Process of Watercoloring

You can start with the palette of colors. Such palettes come with different shades and all basic colors. Next, you need a color mixing tray to gently mix the colors. Use a small spray bottle or a spoon to hydrate the plate and your color.

Dip your brush directly into the water and then dab it onto the pigment you want. You can mix pigments on your plate. The water on your plate will help mix color effectively. Use a towel or BrushWipe.

In watercolor, you can mix two or more colors to create a new color. You don’t need to invest in sets of different colors. It is easy to mix and get the desired color. Just drop two colors on a plate, use water to make them smooth, and mix. The only thing you need to keep in memory is the color combination. Below are some basic color combinations:

Orange = Red + Yellow
Green = Yellow + Blue
Purple (Violet) = Red + Blue
Brown = Red + Yellow + Blue
Black = Red + Yellow + Blue (Equal parts)
Pink = Red + White
Light Blue = Blue + White
Light Green = Green + White
Dark Green = Green + Black + Blue
Teal = Blue + Green
Turquoise = Blue + Green + White
Magenta = Red + Purple
Peach = Orange + White
Gray = Black + White

You can also store these colors by making them separately. Just let them sit for 2 hours after mixing with water. They will dry, and you can use them again.

Motivating Yourself to Practice Regularly and Have Fun

Watercolor painting is as much about the process as the finished artwork. Balancing technique and technical practice with playful experimentation keeps the journey fulfilling. Here are some tips:

• Focus on daily short sessions rather than occasional long ones to build muscle memory and confidence.
• Embrace “happy accidents.” Watercolors often surprise with beautiful unintended effects.
• Join online watercolor communities for support, inspiration, and feedback.
• Try painting flowers, landscapes, animals, trees, or simple objects to keep things interesting.

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We are offering a wide range of watercolor sketchbooks, watercolor practice books, complete 24-color sets, and refillable brushes. Give your practice a professional look. Now you know how to watercolor; enjoy the daily habit with more convenience. 

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FAQ

What is the golden rule of watercolor?

There are two fundamental rules you need to learn. Wet-on-wet and dry-on-wet. These are golden rules in watercoloring technique. If you master these two techniques, you can be a master in watercoloring.

What are the 4 pillars of watercolor?

Color, shape, edges, and value are the 4 pillars of watercolor. Once you practice these, you know how to add shadows, contrast, and smoothness to your watercolor paintings. These help to create realistic watercolor paintings.

What should I paint first in watercolor?

Always start with simple paintings like leaves, fruits, and flowers. Then learn shades and edges. Once you learn these, experiment with different layering techniques using color combinations. This will help you understand colors more deeply.

Which watercolor brand is best for beginners?

ArtVibe Wellness is one of the famous watercolor workbook, sketchbook, color, and brush suppliers. You can get a complete set of colors, books, and brushes from their website. Quick delivery with huge varieties of watercolor workbooks, including flowers, animals, winter, coral, and Christmas books.