Hello everyone! You very much asked me to publish watercolor painting lessons, and I thought for a long time where to find suitable material, because this topic is not new, and there is already a lot of different information on the Internet, so I decided not to invent, but to use materials from foreign authors. This article is the first, but far from the last. I hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

This article covers the basics you need to know to get started with watercolor painting. However, if you keep scratching your head after reading, then please feel free to ask questions in the comments! I will answer you with pleasure!

Before I started writing this article, I decided to do a little research on the Internet on painting. watercolor for beginners... Thus, I reasoned, I would not have missed a single moment, and I would have written the best post. But God right ... I've been painting with watercolors my whole life, and the information I found on Google overwhelmed me. After three overwhelming articles that were overwhelming, I threw up my hands and decided that I would show you how I, personally, work with watercolors - and the adjective to my watercolor approach is “simple”.

Tools and materials

First, I want to tell you about the materials and tools that you need. Of course, the most obvious tool will be the watercolor set.

I prefer the Greenleaf & Blueberry set. It's a little pricey, but I love it! However, if you're just starting out, you don't need to invest in expensive kits.

Advice from the site:

Go to your nearest art store and buy an art set of watercolor paints that suits you for the price, as long as it is not for children 😉

If you live in a remote place where it is difficult to find such a product, then you can order a set through an online store. So that you can navigate the cost, I throw off examples of sets that are easy to find in our country:

Finally, you will need clean water and cloth(I'm using an old dinner napkin) or paper towel to blot the brush.

Any dish will work, I use an old mug.

Transparency of watercolor

The great thing about watercolor painting is that you have complete control over the opacity of the paint. Watch how one color can change depending on the ratio of water to paint on the brush!

The picture on the left shows what a stroke looks like when there is a lot of water and a little paint. The illustration in the middle shows a more equal ratio of water to paint. The picture on the right has more paint than water.

You might be thinking, "This is all good, but how can I control this water / paint ratio?" Before you do anything, apply a drop or two of water directly to the cuvette you plan to use. This will moisturize the paint and make it ready to use. Then, you can do one of two things:

1. Use a palette
You can take a palette and mix three different shades of the same color on it. For the first color, use a brush to apply about eight drops of water into the indentation. Then, dip the still wet brush into the already dampened watercolor, and transfer the color to the palette.

Apply about five drops of water to the second well. Again, dip the still wet brush in watercolor and transfer the color to the water. Be sure to shake with a brush so that all the paint comes off! If this new color is very similar to your first, add more paint.

For the darkest shade, you just work directly with the paint from the ditch, the shade should be very saturated.

2. We work directly from the watercolor set
You can use the concentration of water on the brush to control the shade of the paint. If you want a very light shade, dampen your brush well with water and touch the tip of the brush to the paint. If, when transferring to paper, you find that the paint concentration is too high, dip the brush in water again and apply this water directly to the paint on the paper. The color will become more transparent! For medium tones, you will still be painting with a wet brush, but using more paint. For darker tones, I blot the brush with a napkin (it will still be wet, but not saturated) and then take paint straight from the set.

Mixing

The reason we studied transparency is blending and overlaying colors. With different shades of the same color, you can make any look real. I'm going to show you how to turn a circle into a ball using watercolor blending and opacity:

1. First, draw a circle in the lightest shade.

2. Suppose the light is at the top right as shown in the picture. Accordingly, the shadow will be in the lower left corner of the circle. To start painting the shadow, use your medium shade with the brush. Draw the shadow as if it "hugs" the crescent-shaped circle, like this:

3. You can see that there is now a definite separation between the shadow and the highlights. To get rid of this difference and create a smooth transition, you need to mix colors together - it's an easy task when painting with watercolors! To mix, immerse the brush in water to rinse off any remaining paint from the brush. Dry the brush to make sure all the paint is gone, then wet the brush bristles again with water. Then, place the brush on the separation between the shadow and highlights and drag in the middle shade with water, it will blur. Soon, you won't be able to tell where the middle hue and light ends and where the shadow begins!

4. Now it's time to add a dark shadow to the bottom of the circle. Apply a darker shade around the bottom of the sphere as in the photo.

5. Mix the dark shade just like you did with the medium shade, and voila!

6. You can add a drop shadow if you like. To do this, draw a thin line on the opposite side of the light below the sphere, like this:

Then, you need to draw out the color with a brush soaked in water until it disappears.

You may find it easier to understand the concept of blending / shading if you watch the video:

If you want to practice more mixing and shaping, I would recommend painting these shapes in different colors:

You could make the sphere green, the cube blue, and so on. Drawing shapes like these can help you figure out how to make things look three-dimensional. Yes, it might be a little boring ... but so rewarding!

Mixing watercolors

To mix watercolors, you definitely need a palette, whether built into your kit or standalone. The color mixing process is simple: you need to apply one color to the palette and then add another color. Mix them together and you have a new color!

If you have a small selection of colors in a set, knowing how to mix will come in very handy. There are many sources that tell you what colors to mix together to achieve the desired result.

If your mixed color dries up in your palette, don't worry. You can re-wet it and it will be as good as new no matter the amount of time that has passed.

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All children love to draw. But sometimes the child does not turn out the way he wants. Or maybe he doesn't know enough ways to express himself? Then you can inspire him to experiment with different techniques, among which there will definitely be a favorite. After that, your child will probably want to invent something new.

site collected the most interesting techniques for you.

Dot patterns

First, draw the simplest squiggle. Then, using a cotton swab and paints (gouache or acrylic), we make intricate patterns as the soul lies down. It is better to pre-mix the paints and slightly dilute with water on a palette.

Frottage

This technique is familiar and beloved by many since childhood. We put an object with a slightly protruding relief under a sheet of paper and paint over it with pastel, crayon or an unsharpened pencil.

Foam rubber prints

Having dipped a sponge in thick gouache, the child can paint landscapes, bouquets of flowers, lilac branches or animals.

Blotography

One option is to drip paint onto a sheet and tilt it in different directions to get an image. Second: the child dips a brush in paint, then places a blot on a sheet of paper and folds the sheet in half so that the blot is imprinted on the second half of the sheet. Then he unfolds the sheet and tries to understand who or what the drawing looks like.

Hand and foot prints

It's simple: you need to dip your foot or palm in paint and make a print on paper. And then use your imagination and add a couple of details.

Paint patterns

For such an application, you need to apply a thick layer of paint on paper. Then, with the opposite end of the brush, scratch the patterns - various lines and curls on the still wet paint. When dry, cut out the desired shapes and stick on a thick sheet.

Fingerprints

The name speaks for itself. You need to paint your finger with a thin layer and make a print. A couple of strokes with a felt-tip pen - and you're done!

Monotype

On a flat smooth surface (for example, glass), a drawing is applied with paint. Then a sheet of paper is applied, and the print is ready. To make it more blurred, the sheet of paper must first be wetted. When everything is dry, you can add details and outlines if you like.

Scratchboard

The highlight of the work is that the drawing needs to be scratched. A sheet of cardboard is densely shaded with spots of multi-colored oil pastels. Then black gouache must be mixed with soap on a palette and painted over the entire sketch. When the paint is completely dry, scratch the drawing with a toothpick.

Air paints

To prepare the paint, you need to mix a tablespoon of "self-rising" flour, a few drops of food coloring and a tablespoon of salt. Add a little water until the consistency of thick sour cream and mix well. The paint can be placed in a pastry syringe or in a small bag. Tie tight and notch corner. We draw on paper or plain cardboard. We place the finished drawing in the microwave for 10-30 seconds at the maximum setting.

"Marble" paper

Paint over a sheet of paper with yellow acrylic paint. When it is completely dry, paint over again with diluted pink paint and immediately cover with cling film. The film needs to be crumpled and assembled into folds, since it is they who will create the desired pattern for us. We wait until it dries completely and remove the film.

Painting with water

Draw a simple shape in watercolor and fill it with water. Until it's dry, we put colored blots on it so that they mix with each other and form such smooth transitions.

Vegetable and Fruit Prints

The vegetable or fruit must be cut in half. Then you can cut some kind of pattern on it or leave it as it is. We dip in paint and make prints on paper. For prints, you can use an apple, potato, carrot, or celery.

Leaf prints

The principle is the same. We smear the leaves with paint and make prints on paper.

Drawings with salt

If you sprinkle salt on a still wet watercolor painting, it will soak in the paint and, when dry, will create a grainy effect.

Brush instead of a brush

WikiHow works like a wiki, which means that many of our articles are written by multiple authors. To create this article, 13 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time.

This article is intended for beginners, that is, for those who are going to start learning something new, since any road begins with the first step. Just get started and take your time trying to enjoy the process of mastering your drawing skills! Watercolor painting is both enjoyable and slightly challenging. It all depends on your approach. Watercolor is one of the most versatile genres of painting, in which you can paint almost everything: from realistic concrete images to abstraction and impressionism. It is recommended for beginners to start not with the idea of ​​creating a masterpiece, but with small steps, in stages and slowly.

Before you feel completely comfortable with watercolors, you will have to paint a lot. Don't give up if your first attempts are less successful than you would like. Mastering the watercolor technique takes a lot of effort and time, but it's worth it!

So, let's begin!

Steps

Place a sheet of heavy paper on the table. Draw something very primitive with a simple pencil. For example, a square or a circle

Apply a small amount of watercolors of any color to the white surface of the palette.

Moisten the brush a little. If the brush absorbs too much water, remove it with a cloth or shake it slightly.

Place a drop of water from the brush on the paint previously applied to the palette. One or two drops are enough, no more.

Dip the brush into the paint and water formed on the palette and pick up a small amount of paint. Next, paint over the geometric shape drawn on the sheet of paper. If the paint is too thick and won't smudge, dip the brush in water and try again. Continue experimenting with different amounts of water and paint in the mixture until you get the consistency you want. If you want light dry shades with a dry brush effect, you will need less water. If you want juiciness and brightness, then, accordingly, more, etc. Paint over the geometric shape drawn on the paper completely.

Let the drawing dry.

Take a piece of watercolor paper and attach it to the drawing board with special duct tape. Use a large brush or sponge to moisten the entire surface of the paper sheet. Then try applying a few strokes of watercolor paint in different colors. See what results you get with different moisture levels on the paper with different colors of ink.

If you use paper that is too damp, you can get a very smooth and light color. Different colors of paint are mixed on paper to create new shades. Try applying a blue stripe next to yellow or gold to wet paper, and then red. You will see how the colors are blended, creating uniform color transitions.

Try letting the test pattern dry until the shine is gone and the paper is still damp. The applied stripes will now still have soft edges, but will be slightly sharper. After the paint is completely dry, add details with a wet brush over dry paper.

First, try to depict a very simple subject that can be multi-colored. Mix in some sky blue paint. Sketch the hills and tree. First paint them with a wet brush on wet paper. After that start adding some large details with a damp brush. Finally, when the paper is completely dry, add the finest details with a wet brush over dry paper. That is, the larger the parts, the more moist the paper should be.

You can determine that the paper is completely dry by its temperature, which can be checked by holding the back of your hand over the paper, but without touching it. There should be no cold coming from the leaf. In order to acquire the skill of determining the temperature in this way, you need to practice a little. But this is necessary, since any touch can damage the pattern and the appearance of fatty spots on its surface from the skin of the palms. Do not remove the tape until the paper is completely dry. The ribbon helps the paper not to curl, keeps it flat and flat, eliminating the formation of unevenness caused by changes in humidity and exposure to ink.

You can use ready-made watercolor blocks, in which all four sides of the paper are glued like the top edge of a notebook. It's a little more expensive, but very beginner-friendly.

Try applying a light-colored paint to the surface of the paper and sprinkle salt on it while the paint is still wet. You will have interesting effects that you can use to paint landscapes with snowflakes in the sky or lichen on rocks.

Try drawing on paper with a white pencil, wax pencil, or the tip of a candle to see how the lines appear when the watercolor is applied.

Try cutting out the shapes from your masking tape and painting over the stencil to get specific shapes. Everything that is sealed with stencil film will remain unpainted.

Always start your watercolor painting by painting over the darker areas and outlining the light areas. Isolate or mask anything that should remain white. Get used to the "negative image" as it will also help you get more accurate outlines of objects than drawing them first and then tracing them with the background. Try to start the image of the cup with its surroundings and background behind the handle, leaving details of the cup itself for last. You will feel a big difference in image fidelity!

Try the "glaze" technique. After the watercolor is completely dry, mix a small amount of paint in a contrasting shade and quickly paint over the area. This will change the color, and if you've done it right, it won't smudge the images. Light golden paint, applied by glazing to illuminated areas of a landscape, can make sunlight much more expressive.

1. Read books and articles on watercolor and try to get new ideas from them. Watch videos on YouTube and other portals to learn more about watercolor painting techniques. After that, try to draw something that you really like. An interesting type of painting is Sumi-E or Japanese ink painting, which transforms perfectly into watercolor drawings.

   • Many instructors begin their courses by teaching the wet-on-wet-paper technique, but it is preferable to start by familiarizing themselves with the most common technique, the wet-brush-on-dry technique.
   • If you're using quality embossed watercolor paper (like Arches), don't throw away your sketches or bad paintings. You can always paint over them again with acrylic or gouache, or use it as a background for pastel painting. This paper will also look better no matter what you paint on it, and if you paint something beautiful, your painting will last longer and will not turn yellow.
   • Watercolors are produced in various forms: in tubes, in the form of a pencil or in cuvettes. There are also watercolor crayons. In this article I used tube watercolor.
   • Try to find the type of paper that suits your painting style. Different types of paper have different characteristics. Arches paper is free from most of the disadvantages and is the most versatile, even allowing watercolors to be washed off, dried and reused.
   • If you use paint in trays, do not throw them away after the paint runs out. You can always reuse the cuvettes by filling them with paint from tubes, after rinsing them thoroughly, and you will be able to refill the cuvettes with your favorite colors, without being guided by the standard kits in which the cuvettes are supplied.
   • Don't buy the most expensive paper or natural sable brushes. You can spend a large amount of money on a purchase, but this is not necessary! Quality synthetic brushes, a small palette with good paint (paint for artists is more suitable than paint for students) and cold-pressed paper with a weight of 300 g / m² is most suitable for beginners. Buy some supplies to start with and gradually buy them as needed.
   • Ditch watercolor kits are handy for painting outdoors or when traveling. They are not easy to mix in large quantities, but they are very useful for wet brushing on dry paper. For travel, choose a medium to large sharp-tipped brush that comes with the drawer kit. However, you will need a smaller brush to draw small details. For sketching while traveling, class, or lunchtime, a pocket-sized block of watercolor paper will work. Some sets (for example, Winsor & Newton) include a water bottle, folding palette lids, and so on.
   • One of the best manufacturers of watercolors is Winsor & Newton. The Cotman brand is designed specifically for beginner use. It is cheaper and therefore you can experiment with peace of mind without fear of high costs. Winsor & Newton "Cotman" accessories are of excellent quality and are suitable for students.
   • The wet-on-wet-paper method is also well suited to the wet-on-dry method within the same painting.

From the article you will learn how to paint flowers with gouache, create picturesque countryside and mountain landscapes. At the end, you will find useful tips to help you make the job easier and get it done as neatly as possible.

The content of the article:

It is pleasant to look at the paintings created by the artists. Many people like to admire the canvases, mentally transport themselves to where the plot takes place. But not everyone knows that, if you wish, you can become a painter and create canvases for yourself, your family, and give them to your friends. If you like this type of creativity, it will turn out to transfer the scenes to the canvas, then this activity can be profitable if you sell paintings. Therefore, let's draw, and perhaps this occupation will fascinate you and enjoy it so much that it will become your favorite hobby and even a source of income.

How to paint flowers with gouache

If you need to draw a landscape in which most of the sky is occupied, then using the fill method, its background is painted, and then the details are drawn.

If you want to reproduce such poppies on canvas, start drawing by creating a background. To work you will need:

• gouache;
• palette;
• paper for watercolors or gouache;
• brushes;
• rag;
• a jar of water.

So, before depicting the flowers with gouache, starting from the upper right corner, shade a sheet of paper with straight diagonal movements, not reaching the bottom. Here paint it with a light green paint.

Now mix the green and yellow colors in the palette, paint in the foreground of the canvas a few light blades of grass. Add yellow highlights. Watch the video at the end of the article, which explains step by step how to draw flowers with gouache.

Here's how to paint flowers with gouache to make them look more realistic. With the help of this paint, picturesque paintings are also created.

How to easily paint a winter landscape with gouache

For work, take:

• a set of artistic gouache, consisting of 12 colors;
• sheet of A 3 format;
• 2 flat pork bristle brushes # 9 and 18;
• palette;
• a jar of water.

A palette knife is used to apply thick paint to the canvas, as well as for mixing, cleaning the palette. With it, the paint is applied with relief or even strokes.

This is the tool you will need to draw the mountains. If you don't have a palette knife, then replace it with a small blunt knife. You can adapt the most unusual items, for example, use a slightly sharpened ice cream stick, make a palette knife from an old business card holder.

Mix purple, blue and white paints. Using diagonal movements from right to left, paint a few firm strokes on the canvas. The paint in this place should lie in a thick layer. Let it dry and apply over the white. Then continue painting the landscape with gouache.

Next, use white paint to make them snowy. Also paint white clouds in the background. On the right, you can depict another Christmas tree. At the bottom along the line of the mountains, draw the outlines of the forest and create snowdrifts in the foreground using white paint. She will also help to draw them in the center of the landscape.

Here's how to paint with gouache to create such a beautiful canvas. If you like the mountain theme, you can create some more landscapes by sketching in pencil first.

How to draw a landscape step by step

Here we see all the necessary outlines:

• clouds;
• foreground vegetation;
• bushes.

For the mountains you will need a brown tone, paint some green strokes here to paint the vegetation.

Use the same paint to depict a meadow. Dark green brushstrokes will fall on the canvas in the form of bushes. The same paint will help to draw the stems of plants, you will depict flowers with the help of yellow.

How to paint nature with gouache

Cover some trees with dark green paint, as shown in the photo. When it's dry, apply a yellow, light green tone to make the painted trees look more realistic.

You can draw a beautiful landscape by watching the video. A step-by-step lesson will help you create a different picture.

Rural landscape in gouache

While this part of the design dries, wash the brush. She needs to draw the trees in the background and the ground. Use a dark brown paint to depict the trunk of a tree, and with a thin brush - twigs.

You will create foliage in the following interesting method. Take a round bristle brush, dip it in yellow, burgundy, green and, tapping on the paper, paint in foliage.

Draw the flowers in the same way, but using paint of red, yellow, pink colors.

• Gouache is sold in tubes and small jars. Buy it in whatever packaging you like best.
• You don't have to buy a lot of flowers at once. The main thing is to get the necessary ones: white, blue, black, yellow, red, brown. Some others you can create by mixing these colors.
• Before you apply colors to the canvas, even if you don't mix gouache, apply it first to the palette. This way, you can't go wrong with the color and you can make the paint of the desired thickness by adding the required amount of water.
• If the gouache cracks, add a little gum arabic to it and stir well.
• Wait until they are dry before applying additional coats of paint over the first or lower ones.
• Since gouache is water-based, when you are finished, the paint will dry, cover it with varnish. Better to process each color separately, rinsing well with a brush that will absorb the paint.