What is the most basic watercolor technique?

There are 2 basic watercolor techniques that will be fundamental to your practice— wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry. In this tutorial, I cover what these terms mean, when to use each of the two techniques, and how to do it successfully.

Who is the father of watercolour?

The three English artists credited with establishing watercolor as an independent, mature painting medium are Paul Sandby (1730–1809), often called the "father of the English watercolor"; Thomas Girtin (1775–1802), who pioneered its use for large format, romantic or picturesque landscape painting; and Joseph Mallord ...

What is the golden rule of watercolor?

There are two fundamental techniques in watercolor painting. You can't escape them… they are: Wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry . Together, these techniques form a golden rule that is unique to watercolors, and highlights the broad range of possibilities in watercolor painting.

Who is the No 1 painter in the world?

Leonardo da Vinci , probably the most important Renaissance artist, is widely recognized as the most famous artist of all time.

Who was the old master watercolor artist?

Painter Winslow Homer (1836–1910) is widely held as one of the greatest American artists and watercolor masters of his time. He began as an illustrator for Harper's Weekly, one of the most popular publications of the day. He primarily depicted everyday life, responding to social and political change through his art.

What are watercolor paintings most often painted on?

Paper treated with gelatin sizing (a liquid compound that makes it less absorbent) is generally used for watercolor.

When painting with watercolor What should you always do before you start painting?

Before you start painting you need to mix some paint . Choose any color you like. Begin by getting your brush nice and wet so that it soaks up plenty of liquid. Then load it with water and press it against you mixing palette to release a puddle of water.

Do you do background first in watercolor?

First thing's first: You shouldn't try painting a background after painting the main act. Instead, you'll start with the background, leave it to dry, then progress to the foreground details .

Which country is famous for watercolor painting?

History From Ancient Times To The 21st Century. The British dominated watercolor from the 18th century on; currently the U.S. dominates the international watercolor scene. It is known a aquarelle in France and described as painting with water infused pigment on paper.

Which American artist is known for painting his mother?

1, best known under its colloquial name Whistler's Mother or Portrait of Artist's Mother, is a painting in oils on canvas created by the American-born painter James McNeill Whistler in 1871.

Which watercolor technique is best for details?

Details. You can also use wet on dry painting to go back over a painting once the first layers are dry and add finer details and textures. Read my full guide to using wet on dry technique for more examples and projects to try!

What is the traditional method of using watercolor?

Wet on Wet Watercolour This is one of the most traditional watercolour techniques but still very popular. The complete opposite technique to dry wash, wet on wet watercolour requires a thoroughly wet paper to begin your painting. Then, using a wet brush, apply the watercolour to the paper.

Why watercolor is the most difficult?

Because watercolour pigment is transparent when thinned with water, every preceding layer remains visible . Beginners might struggle with unintentionally darkening the tonal values of the painted areas as they add successive layers. Too many layers will take away the transparency and luminosity is lost.

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (2024)

Unlock Your Creativity with Step-by-Step Tutorials

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (1)

Diving into the world of watercolour painting can be both exhilarating and a bit daunting for beginners. With its beautiful washes and vibrant hues, watercolour art offers a unique medium to express creativity. However, the thought of mastering this fluid form of painting might seem overwhelming at first.

Fear not!

Through my own series of tutorials, I'm here to guide you through some easy watercolour painting ideas designed specifically for beginners.

These projects are not only simple and enjoyable but also serve as a perfect starting point to get acquainted with the basics of watercolour techniques.

Each tutorial is crafted to help you gradually build your confidence and skills in this beautiful art form, ensuring that you have all the support you need to embark on your painting journey.

I hope you get inspired with the following watercolour painting ideas!

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (2)

Some Simple Beginner Watercolour Tutorials

Banana - an easy watercolour to paint

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (3)

This beginner-friendly tutorial is an excellent way to learn an efficient painting method using just two complementary colours.

Throughoutthis tutorial, you will explore a range of techniques including pre-wetting the paper, mastering the wet-on-wet method, and learning how to blend colours seamlessly into one another. Additionally, you will experience the wet-on-dry technique, discover how to lift highlights from dry paper, and play with varying paint consistencies, a key skill in mastering watercolour painting.

You can complete this tutorial on Patreon or you can buy it as anindividual lessonfrom my online art school and have lifetime access to it.

Seahorse

In thisseahorse tutorial, you'll focus on the wet-on-wet technique.

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (4)

This tutorial covers a range of essential skills and methods, including:

Transferring your drawing onto the paper using graphite
Mixing different colours to achieve the perfect hues
Mastering the wet-on-wet technique to blend colours effortlessly
Applying the wet-on-dry technique for sharper details
Learning how to charge colours for dynamic effects
Enhancing the focal point with detailed focus
Simplifying your subject by not painting every detail you see
Working with a limited palette for coherence and impact

By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a beautiful seahorse painting and a solid foundation in key watercolour techniques.

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (5)

Feathers

In thisfeather tutorial, you'll start with basic brush exercises to refine your technique before moving on to the main project. As part of the process, you'll delve into the art of creating watercolour blooms, a technique that lends a unique charm and texture to your work.

Emphasising the wet-on-dry approach, this tutorial ensures precise control over your medium, while a limited palette teaches the value of colour harmony from a selection of carefully chosen hues.

You'll learn to mix a rich, dark colour, essential for adding contrast and depth. This tutorial is tailored to build your confidence and skill in watercolour painting through practical, hands-on experience.

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (6)

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (7)

Eucalyptus Leaves

This eucalyptus leaves painting comes to life through a simple triadic colour scheme of red, yellow, and blue, infusing the artwork with freshness and vibrancy.

Inthis tutorialyou'll delve into the wet-on-wet technique, layering colours to create depth, while also incorporating some wet-on-dry work for added texture and detail.

You'll also tackle simple cast shadows, grounding the leaves and enhancing their dimensional feel.

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (9)

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (10)

Leaves in Pot

Thisbeginner-friendly tutorialoffers a quick and straightforward painting project featuring a simple pot with leaves. It introduces you to a variety of techniques without being too demanding. Throughout the process, you'll explore the wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry methods, practice colour blending, learn how to soften edges, and discover how to leave a lost edge to create depth in your artwork. It's the perfect way to dive into the world of painting while picking up essential skills.

If you'd prefer to buy the tutorial and have lifetime access to it - it's available forpurchase here.

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (11)

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (12)

Paint Flowers

If you love painting flowers I have plenty of easy watercolour flower tutorials you can try.

Pansy

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (13)

In thispansy tutorialwe take a closer look at the wetness of the paper and how it affects the flow of the paint. We paint the soft grey shadows on first and then we add the pink edges in two layers.

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (14)

Daffodil

Here is a fairly simple daffodil watercolour painting that you canpaint in my tutorial.

After washing yellow all over the daffodil we take a look at the reference photo and locate all the shadow areas and paint them in. Then we turn our attention to the trumpet and bring that to life.

It contains wet on wet and wet on dry work that will help you develop your skills.

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (15)

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (16)

4 Floral Greeting Cards

A simple way to practice your painting skills is to paint some simple greeting cards. I painted four easy watercolour flowers on greeting cards and made a two part tutorial. Inpart 1you will paint a petunia and a white rose.

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (17)

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (18)

Inpart 2you will paint a lily and a pink rose.

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (19)

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (20)

Each watercolour painting is fairly quick to paint and not too difficult. You'll use both the wet on wet technique and wet on dry technique.

Watercolour Supplies for Beginners

With all of my painting tutorials I recommend using 100% cotton watercolour paper. I use Arches paper but it's expensive so a 100% cotton paper that is less expensive for beginners is Stonehenge Aqua. I tried it out whenI painted some pandas on it. It handles the paint well but it's a fragile paper.

I have recently discoveredJackson's Studio synthetic brushesthat I recommend my beginner students buy. They have good snap and they hold their shape well. They are more affordable than the sable brushes I like to use.

You can find them here.

11 Easy Watercolour Painting Ideas for Beginners — Louise De Masi Watercolour Artist (21)

Final Thoughts

I hope these tutorials have sparked your creativity and given you the confidence to explore more with your brush and palette. The beauty of watercolour lies in its blend of unpredictability and control, offering endless possibilities for expression.

Whether you're adding soft shadows to delicate pansies or experimenting with the dynamic flows of colour, each brushstroke is a step towards mastering this exquisite art form. So whatever your painting style, keep practicing, stay curious, and most importantly, enjoy every moment of your creative exploration.

Happy painting!

If you are interested in learning to paint in watercolour, I have over 170 online, voiced over watercolour tutorials for all skill levels.

Original art, prints and merchandise are available to purchase in the shop.