Hi friends! Let me preface this by saying I am not an advanced watercolour artist. I am at intermediate level, and now that I have moved past the beginner level, I want to share what I have learned in this beginner watercolour dos & don’ts post. If you are a beginner in watercolour, I hope you find this helpful.
Beginner Watercolour Tips
Disclaimer: these are from my own experience, which may not be the same as yours.
#1: Don’t Use Quill or Squirrel Hair Brushes
Even at intermediate level, sometimes I struggle with quill or squirrel hair brushes because they hold so much water and are harder to control. I find that as a beginner, before I got the water to paint mix ratio right, using a brush that holds so much liquid can be difficult.
Do: Use them for washes
Quill brushes are great for covering large areas, like washes, or loose painting styles.
If you want more control with less capacity, a stiffer brush with synthetic bristles like Princeton AquaElite series is easier. In addition, I would also blot off excess water on a paper towel or cloth every time I pick up paint or water.
#2: Don’t Use Cellulose Paper
When I first started watercolour during the pandemic, there were fewer options for budget 100% cotton paper. I used Canson XL, but it dried so quickly that I got hard edges and blooms, and I couldn’t blend the paint quickly enough. It was frustrating, and I thought I was the problem. It wasn’t until I switched to Arches paper that I realized cotton paper was the way to go.
By the way, even a 25% cotton rag mix like the Winsor & Newton one still dried very quickly. In watercolour, I find that the right paper (100% cotton, sized) is more important than good paint. You can still make good artwork with mediocre paint, but not with wrong paper.
Do use: 100% cotton cold pressed watercolour paper
There are so many budget cotton paper available now–Grabie, Lightwish, Meeden all make good 100% cotton paper. If you have it in your budget, go for Arches, but this post is meant for beginners so you won’t be too precious with expensive art supplies.
#3: Don’t Throw Out Artwork Right Away!
This is a personality issue and I know myself too well to not acknowledge this. I would trash an artwork seconds after I painted it, because it didn’t look like what I had envisioned. I focused on every little flaw instead of looking at the painting as a whole.
Do: Take a step back, wait till the next day before you trash
Just because your execution didn’t match your expectation, it doesn’t mean the artwork is bad. In fact, a lot of times, when I look at the same artwork the next day, my opinion of it can change.
And if you really don’t like the artwork, that’s okay too. Not every piece has to be a masterpiece. At the end of the day, it’s just a piece of paper.
#4: Don’t Compare!
This is the hardest. You either compare your artwork to the reference photo, or, if you are learning from a tutorial, you compare yours to the one the artist painted. Humans are competitive by nature; we are genetically wired to do this.
Do: Appreciate differences
When you go to an art museum, you will see many different styles of paintings from different artists. Not one is superior to another; different styles exist and different artists approach a painting differently. Like the Chinese saying goes, there will be always be higher mountains. You may not be the tallest one but you are still a mountain. 😉
#5: Don’t Paint When You’re Tired or Depressed
This may be a contentious one, but personally, I find that it never turns out well. When I’m tired, I don’t have the same focus or mood to do a painting justice. And when the painting doesn’t turn out well, it makes me feel even worse. This is the reason why I don’t agree with forcing yourself to paint every day. Sometimes you just feel too meh to be motivated, and art should never be forced.
Do: paint when you feel like it
So here are my beginner watercolour dos & don’ts born out of my own experiences. Wherever you are in your watercolour journey, I wish you a good day. Happy painting!
