Art is about exploring your creative abilities and experimenting with different styles. There are many mediums an artist can use in their work. If you are particularly trying to use the watercolor technique, there are a few tricks you need to master before you move forward. Because it is such a tricky medium, handling it becomes hard. But if used right, it is a versatile and flexible painting technique. It is centuries old and also known as aquarelle.
Buy a variety of brushes
Having different brush options is important because it can widen your choices of artwork. So if you are working on large objects, more large-sized brushes would be needed. Similarly, small objects would require small sized brushes. However, always fill in the little details with the tiniest brushes. The range varies from 000 to 6.
Get quality paints
Invest in good quality watercolors. Not only will they make your artwork look great, but it will also last longer and would not get yellow or degrade much over time. You can buy a set of paints or a few colors from different brands to see which ones you prefer. You can start from a few and mix a variety of colors using a limited palette.
Dry v/s wet
Watercolor itself is a water-based medium. To play with the darkness and saturation of the pigment, you can add the amount of water accordingly. It will help you set the ground of whether you want a wet or a dry canvas. Painting in watercolor has many ways, and you can see which ones suit your style. Some artists find working on dry canvas easier as it gives them more control.
Transition from light to dark
One of the important tricks is to remember that you’re working from light to dark. It means that the areas you are keeping white or light in your painting need to stay that way for the whole time. You can start building layers to achieve the desired effect. However, you need to be careful to plan well.
Stock on tissues
You would need plenty of paper towels or absorbent tissues to act as a kneaded eraser for the watercolor. It is a must-have item to keep in your tool kit. You can lay down a wash of color and also lift parts of it and add details. Correcting mistakes is also easy with them.
Splatter colors
While there are many ways to go about with watercolor painting, one great trick is splattering your colors. While using your index finger, pull back on the bristles of a paintbrush and let them snap forward. It would give a nice texture to the artwork. However, it needs to be done carefully.