Watercolours With Confidence!

Explore watercolour materials with main and optional supplies, learn how they work through theory and activities, and adapt to whatever you have on hand while using a beginner's material list.

Explore watercolor formats from tubes and pans to pencils, markers, and sticks. Learn how to reinvigorate dried paint, with tubes kept as the preferred option for freshness and flexibility.

Explore the essentials of paints and reinforce lessons by revisiting sections. Projects will walk you step by step through everything shown, guiding you toward the next section.

Explore a wet on wet watercolor technique where colors blossom like fireworks on a moistened paper, starting with light values and a thin paint, keeping colors separated to avoid muddiness.

Explore watercolor brushes - synthetic, natural hair, blends, and hacky options - and learn how bristle type, absorbency, and sizes shape washes and lines from one to three inches.

Identify brush parts - tip, belly, ferrule, and edge or toe - and learn how to use the tip for lines or the belly for washes, including hake brushes with goat's hair.

Discover essential brushes for watercolor painting, from hake and sable brushes to synthetic options and a toothbrush, with guidance on brush sizes, washes, and mark-making techniques.

Explore how watercolor paper weight and tooth influence durability and results, why 300-pound cotton paper is preferred, and how cold press, hot press, and care impact your paintings.

Choose high cotton content watercolor paper, preferably 300 pound, to prevent buckling and pilling; learn to flatten buckled sheets with ironing and boards, and rip sheets for smaller projects.

Stretch a watercolor piece by wetting the page, letting purple and green bleed, then dry and remove gummed tape to reveal smooth edges.

Learn to use masking fluid in watercolors: ensure the paper is completely dry, avoid heat, and choose pigment-free options for crisp, clean lines.

Apply masking fluid to protect the sails and create masked waves beneath the blue line, then dry before painting with a ruling pen and toothbrush.

Demonstrates masking fluid use and removal on a sailboat scene, tests color purity on scrap, and paints sky blue, water blue, red boat with a yellow stripe while softening edges.

Learn to paint waves on a sailboat in watercolor by planning color layers, testing ultramarine blue, using wet paper for controlled flow, and masking fluid to keep crisp highlights.

Remove masking fluid with a masking tool remover to reveal white sail areas, create sea foam by lifting dot patterns, and lighten pencil marks to complete a sailboat greeting card.

Learn to use a pipette to transfer water into watercolor wells, mix colors quickly, and create hands-on, science-like painting experiences that students love.

Use kneaded erasers, pliable and soft, to erase lightly and lift graphite without damaging the paper. Avoid other erasers to prevent scratching the surface and undesirable texture.

Learn to use tracing paper, available in rolls or sheets, to draw line drawings and transfer them onto watercolor paper when ready.

Create snowflake-inspired textures in watercolor by using salt and masking fluid, then reveal shapes by removing salt and masking fluid with careful drying and blotting.

Stencilling with doilies, lace, and plastic stencils to create soft watercolor patterns with thick paint and a sponge dab, with optional watercolor pencils for finishing.

Explore texture with wet paper, color drops, and plastic wrap (saran wrap) to create hills and valleys; trap color for darker areas and lighter spots where wrap touches, then dry.

Learn to create a smooth wet-on-wet wash by mixing pigment in a water well, applying to a pre-wet surface, and avoiding clumps for seamless, layered watercolor washes.

Master the graded wash in watercolor, applying a darker edge that lightens using wet-on-wet techniques. Apply tips to control pigment and avoid over brushing to protect the paper from crumbling.

Master the mountains with careful layering: wet below the painted area, apply a darker layer to prevent blooms, and use hake, natural hair, and synthetic brushes to keep edges crisp.

Develop a dark, graded wash for the left-hand mountains by layering rich pigment, feathering edges, and guiding water with hake and synthetic brushes to avoid hard lines.

Lighten pencil lines or erase them to prevent showing through watercolor. Use a kneaded eraser rolled like a snake to lighten lines without indenting, and practice to balance visibility.

Flood the area with water to prevent staining, then lift the stray color back to the surface of the paper while it is still wet.

Learn watercolor color theory by mixing primary colors—yellow, red, and blue—to form secondary colors orange, green, and purple. Practice transitions with water to blend and control color on the wheel.