The Basics of Watercolour Painting | How to start painting with watercolours
Watercolour painting is a fascinating technique that offers many possibilities for creativity. It can also be challenging, but with practice and patience, you can learn to master the technique and create beautiful paintings. Here are some tips on the basics of watercolour painting:
Supplies
Watercolour Paints: You can choose paints in tubes or pans. For beginners, pans are often an easier option due to their portability and ease of use.
Watercolour Brushes: You will need brushes in various sizes and shapes. A good basic set for a beginner includes a round (size 6 or 8), a flat (about 1 cm wide), and possibly a small detail brush.
Watercolour Paper: Use high-quality watercolour paper (at least 300 g/m² or 140 lb) made from cotton or a cellulose-cotton blend. The paper's quality decisively affects paint absorption and how the water behaves.
Water Containers: You need at least two water containers: one for rinsing brushes and one for clean water to dilute your paints.
Palette: You'll need a palette for mixing colours. The lid of a watercolour pan set often works well.
Tape: You can use painter's tape to secure the paper to a board, which prevents it from buckling when wet.
Other Supplies: Paper towels or a clean cloth are useful for drying your brush and lifting excess water off the paper.
How to Get Started: First Steps
Prepare Your Workspace: Set out your paper, paints, water containers, and brushes. If you wish, tape the edges of your paper to a board.
Get to Know Your Colours: First, test what each colour looks like on paper. Paint a small swatch of each colour and try diluting it with water to see its different shades.
Practice with Water: Try painting on the paper with just water and then drop a little paint into the wet area. Watch how the colour spreads. This is the basis of the "wet-on-wet" technique.
Try a Wash: A wash is an even layer of colour. Practice painting a flat, even area with one colour. You can also try a graded wash (gradient) by starting with a strong colour and gradually adding more water to your brush.
Basic Techniques
Wet and Dry Techniques: Watercolour painting uses two main techniques: wet-on-wet, where paint is applied to damp paper, and dry-on-dry, where paint is applied to dry paper. Also, try using a dry brush on wet paper and a wet brush on dry paper.
Layering (Glazing): Watercolour painting is often done in layers. Start with light colours and add darker colours in layers. Let the previous layer dry completely before adding the next to prevent colours from becoming muddy.
Use of Water: Water is the most crucial element. It dilutes paints, blends shades, and moistens the paper. Too much water can lead to uncontrolled "blooms" or "cauliflowers," while too little water can make the paint look dull.
Tip: Watercolour Pencils – The Union of Drawing and Painting
Watercolour pencils are an excellent way to combine the precision of drawing with the softness of watercolour painting.
Basic Use: First, draw on dry paper with the pencils just as you would with regular coloured pencils. Then, take a clean, damp brush and sweep it over the areas you've drawn. The pigment will dissolve and turn into vibrant watercolour paint.
Details: Watercolour pencils are fantastic for adding fine details, such as hair, blades of grass, or textures, on top of a dried watercolour painting.
Blending: You can blend colours directly on the paper by drawing different colours in layers and then activating them with water.
On the Go: Pencils are extremely convenient for travelling. All you need are the pencils, a sketchbook, and a water brush (a brush with a built-in water reservoir), and you're ready to paint anywhere.
Deepen Your Skills
Colour Palette and Mixing: It's important to understand how different colours mix. A colour wheel can be helpful to see the basics of colour theory. You can also paint your own colour wheel with your paints. A greyscale chart can help you measure the values of grey in your painting.
Composition: Understanding composition is important for creating a balanced and pleasing painting.
Use of Light and Shadow: With light and shadow, you create depth and form in your painting. In watercolour, light areas are "painted" by leaving the white of the paper exposed.
Practice Makes Perfect
Start with Simple Subjects: Begin with simple subjects like fruits, leaves, or geometric shapes before moving on to more complex landscapes or portraits.
Don't Be Discouraged by Mistakes: Mistakes are part of the learning process. Watercolour is known for being "unforgiving," but many "mistakes" can also be incorporated as part of the artwork.
Seek Inspiration: You can find many useful videos and tutorials on YouTube. Books and courses are also great sources of learning.
Watercolour Tubes vs. Pans
Watercolour Tubes:
Paint squeezed from a tube is fresh and highly pigmented. It's easy to control the intensity of the colours and mix large amounts of paint at once, which is useful when painting large areas.
Watercolour Pans:
Pans are ready to use, small, and lightweight, making them excellent for travelling or painting outdoors. They are economical as the paint is used gradually.
Which is Messier?
Opinions are divided. Working with pans is clean because they are dry, but the paint must be activated with water. On the other hand, you can neatly squeeze the exact amount of paint you want from a tube onto a palette. By trying both, you'll find your own preference.
Remember, the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the process!
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We store uncollected store pick-up orders at the store for 3 months. For uncollected orders, the Itäisenkadun Taidetarvike online store complies with the current Finnish regulations on consumer sales, consumer trade, and e-commerce.
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The customer has 14 days to inspect the ordered products. If the customer wishes to cancel the purchase, they have the right to cancel or modify their order, or exchange the ordered product for another within 14 days of receiving the order.
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The 14-day right of cancellation, modification, or exchange applies to unused products that are in their original condition and resalable, and that are returned observing general care and diligence.
The customer has the right to return an incorrect delivery or a defective product within 14 days of receiving the order.
The goods must be returned no later than 14 days after making the cancellation notification.
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Returned products and packaging must be unopened, and the customer must handle the products with care until a final purchase decision is made. Labels on returned products and packaging must not be detached or removed. When cancelling a purchase, the customer must return all parts belonging to the product and packaging undamaged.
The customer must exchange or return the product or shipment by following the Itäisenkadun Taidetarvike online store's exchange and return instructions. The customer's purchase will be refunded within 14 days via the payment method originally used by the customer.
Payment card: Itäisenkadun Taidetarvike will refund the customer's payment card via the credit card company.
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Itäisenkadun Taidetarvike is not responsible for payment delays caused by the systems of banks, credit institutions, or other payment intermediaries.
Shipping costs will not be refunded if the return only applies to a part of the ordered products. When returning the entire order, the standard postal costs of the order will be refunded.
Itäisenkadun Taidetarvike is not responsible for damages to returns packed carelessly or negligently. Costs arising from an error on the customer's part will be charged to the customer. The customer is responsible for delays, as well as postal and handling costs, caused by a return made contrary to the return instructions.
Itäisenkadun Taidetarvike reserves the right to refuse refunds for products and shipments returned contrary to the instructions, and to send the items back to the customer.
In addition to these order cancellation, exchange, and return terms, the Itäisenkadun Taidetarvike online store complies with the current Finnish regulations concerning consumer sales, consumer trade, and e-commerce.
Reclamation Instructions
If we have sent a defective product or the customer has received the wrong product, the item must be returned according to the return instructions.
In the case of a defective product, the return notification attached to the packing slip included with the order must be filled out, indicating the defect in the product or order. A description of the defect must be noted on the return notification.
Depending on the manufacturer, some products in the Itäisenkadun Taidetarvike online store may have different warranty exchange and service practices. If a defect appears in the product you purchased, return the product according to the return instructions or contact our customer service to clarify potential warranty exchange or service procedures.
If the reclamation does not involve a product to be returned, or if you wish to file a complaint about another matter, the customer can send a free-form reclamation letter to: Itäisenkadun Taidetarvike Verkkokauppa, Itäinen Pitkäkatu 31a, 20700 Turku, Finland.
