These Skills Only Take 5 Minutes To Learn But They Will Make A Huge Difference To Your Paintings

Many people are drawn to watercolor paintings because of the simplicity of the end product. They think that it is one of the easiest forms of painting and end up giving it up quickly because watercolor is a lot more complicated than it looks. 

Today, we are going to share 5 simple tricks with you that will make the process a lot easier. We learned all of this through trial and error, so let us save you a little bit of trouble. 

Tip #1 – Tape Down Your Paper 

When you first start painting you are going to want to make sure that you are securing your paper so it doesn’t buckle. 

When you add water to paper it starts to warp. To avoid this, pull your paper out of the sketch book and tape it to a board, or to something solid. You can use gum tape or masking tape.

After you are done you can cup the paper off the board and trim down the edges to get rid of the tape. If you want lots of white space around the painting, make sure to use a bigger piece of paper. 

Tip #2 – Always Mix More Paint Than You Think You Will Need 

When you are making up shades with your paint, you should make sure to make a lot more than you think you will need. 

Why? 

Well, if you run out of a color halfway through the painting, you may struggle to, as a beginner, to recreate that color for a second time. This will affect how good your painting looks. 

In the long run, it will be better for you to make a lot of one color and have some leftover than to run out in the middle of your piece. 

Tip #3 – Invest In The Right Equipment 

Not all watercolor painting tools are suitable for beginners. And as a beginner, you do not need every single watercolor tool, brush, and shade out there. 

Every beginner will need a small set of brushes, good quality paper (you’ll be shocked by how much of a difference this one makes), and watercolor paints for beginners. 

The six brushes that you should make sure are in your collection are a spotter, a round, a flat, a mop, a liner, and a fan brush. Using the wrong type of paper will actually destroy your brushes, so will holding your brushes wrong. 

You also may benefit from purchasing a book on color theory that will help you to mix your paints. 

Tip #4 – Make The Most Of Free Tutorials Online 

There is an amazing collection of lessons, tutorials, and guides available for free online. You shouldn’t be afraid to use these.

A lot of us think we should be able to pick things up naturally, but water painting is a skill that we need to work to develop. 

Using online classes you can learn how to blend your paints on the page, how to make realistic paintings and a whole load of other tips that will make your work better. 

There are thousands of free videos on Youtube, but many artists also offer premium classes where you can learn more about their techniques and painting styles. 

Tip #5 – You Won’t Get Any Better Unless You Practice 

We know that this tip is a bit of a cliche, but you have heard it so many times in your life because it is absolutely true. 

The only way to get better at something, particularly something that requires as much skill as watercolor painting does, is to put in the hours. It is to practice. 

It is easy to feel put off when you look at a watercolor painting in a gallery or online. What you need to remember is that you are only seeing the final product and you have not seen the hundreds of other paintings, practice stretches, and hours of practice that the artist put in before they made that picture. 

While you are practising, be patient with yourself. 

Watercolor painting is one of our favorite ways to spend an afternoon – particularly if we are out in nature. However, we will be the first to admit that it is not the easiest hobby. 

There are lots of little changes you can make to your process that will make your end product much better. You can see 5 ideas in the article above.