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Brian Christopher DuPree - How to Paint with Watercolor? In general, how to paint with watercolor is quite a striking subject, something that many would like to try (especially after seeing the beautiful works that many great... more

Brian Christopher DuPree - How to Paint with Watercolor?

In general, how to paint with watercolor is quite a striking subject, something that many would like to try (especially after seeing the beautiful works that many great watercolorists achieve).
If to this we add the general perception that it is a medium that does not require difficult-to-obtain materials and with which we have already had at least some approach (at least in childhood), it definitely seems a good starting point to get involved with art. However, it takes a little research in cyberspace to realize the main problem that beginners face: they really don't know where to start.
That is why here painter Brian Christopher DuPree will undertake the task of addressing this issue. He will talk about the process, techniques and even a little about how you can create your own watercolors. Also, if you want to know more about the history of watercolor, we recommend this publication.

How to paint with watercolor: the basics

As Brian Christopher DuPree mentioned at the beginning, watercolor is one of the favorite means of artistic expression, both for many professionals and for all kinds of art enthusiasts. To practice it, you only need a brush, water and colors to start. It is also useful to know a little about the wide range of creative possibilities that this medium allows us. In fact, one can easily improvise and even use household items to achieve certain effects and textures.

The materials
The first thing we need to have on hand to paint with watercolors is our supplies, which are fortunately actually quite simple to get for beginners. Thus, we recommend that to start you have:

Any set of watercolor paints
How basic or professional is something that will depend on you, however, we can tell you that at least to start experiencing a medium quality it is recommended due to the quality of the pigment. Having good quality colors has advantages such as that they are more durable, apart from that they fade and / or yellow much less over time. There are sets of different grades: infant, student and artist / professional. For a beginner, undergraduate ones are a good option.

If you buy your pigments in a tube, you do not need to get many because to start testing your skills when painting with watercolor you do not need too many colors.
If you want to start in a more traditional way and make your own watercolor pills, buying pigments and binder (also called "watercolor solution") is a good option. To make your tablets, you just have to mix the binder and pigment in equal parts and let your tablet dry in a container.

Paper
This is said to be the natural support of watercolor. We can find it in different thicknesses or "weights". It should be noted that the larger the size of our work, the greater the thickness must be.
Additionally, in terms of texture there are three types that we can use:
• Hot pressing. Smooth surface, ideal for detailed drawings.
• Cold pressed. Semi rough. It is the most adaptable since it admits delicate brushstrokes, but also large and smooth washes.
• The rough or rough paper. Of the three, it is the roughest in texture and is also the cheapest. It is not highly recommended for small details.
These types of paper are available in sheets or blocks / notebooks, but there are many more varieties.

Brushes
There are many types, but for painting with watercolor, we can tell you that those with good quality synthetic hair are very suitable, as are those with soft natural hair. As for the size, some recommend 8 to start and that they be round. To learn more about this, visit our post about brush types and their uses.

Adhesive tape or rubber cement / masking liquid
Its use is the same: cover the paper so that the watercolor pigment cannot penetrate certain areas. Rubber cement paints on paper and has more flexibility, and on the other hand, masking tape is easier to apply, although it works better when working with straight, rigid lines. The masker has the only disadvantage that in the long run, where it was on the paper will yellow.
Other materials you can use when experimenting with watercolor are:
• Table salt
• Sewing needle
• Ethyl alcohol
• Plastic for wrapping
These materials may seem a bit strange, but they serve to achieve different effects when painting with watercolor that we will see later.