Watercolor painting has become so popular not only because it is easy to get started but also because there are so many different watercolor techniques you can try. Each watercolor technique will bring a different effect to your artwork. This blog post will introduce you to 20 fun techniques that promise to make your painting more stunning.
The wet-in-wet technique is one of the most basic watercolor techniques for beginners. Some people also call it the wet-on-wet painting technique. To use the technique, you will paint wet colors onto wet paper. Pigments will have a chance to flow in their way on the surface of the paper, creating beautiful patterns. This technique is also used when you want to blend different colors to create a gradient color.
Wet On Dry
To paint wet-on-dry, use a watercolor brush to get some wet paint from your palette, then paint on dry paper. With the wet-on-dry technique, you can get sharp edges and paint small details.
Dry Brush
To add more textures to a painting, you can use a dry brush to add moist colors to the paper. This technique can be used when you want to paint branches or the surface of the ocean when it reflects sunlight and creates glittering highlights.
Glazing
The glazing technique involves layering colors on top of each other. Because watercolor is transparent, you can see the previous layer through the new layer. The key thing in glazing colors is to wait for the previous layer to dry completely before applying a new layer. Read my guide to the glazing technique in watercolor painting for more details.
Splattering
Splattering colors is a fun technique to try. This can add motion to your painting and make it more dynamic. To splatter colors, you can use a paintbrush such as a fan brush, a round brush, or a used toothbrush. You might need to cover some objects that you don’t want to splatter colors on with a piece of tissue before splattering the colors.
The painting I did below has splattered colors as I used this technique.
Masking
The masking technique involves using masking fluid or masking tape to cover some parts of the paper before painting. This technique is very useful when you want to keep some highlights white for your painting. Remember to allow masking fluid to dry before you paint.
You can also create a stylish painting by using masking tape to create shapes on the paper, then paint each shape with a different color, wait until the colors dry completely, then remove the tape.
Flat Wash
Creating washes is one of the basic techniques that I would recommend any beginner to practice and master first before trying more fancy techniques. No matter whether your painting is small or big, you will need to create washes.
There are three types of washes: flat wash, graded wash (gradient wash), and variegated wash. A flat wash is a flat base of one color with the same consistency. Read more about how to create a flat wash with watercolor.
Graded Wash
A graded wash is sometimes called a gradient wash. The difference between a flat wash and a gradient wash is the consistency of the color decreases after each brush stroke in the gradient wash. If you paint flowers or a gradient sky without clouds, try to create a graded wash.
Variegated Wash
Similar to the graded wash but the variegated wash looks like a spectrum of two colors. To create a variegated wash, create two graded wash of two colors, starting from two sides of the spectrum and grading towards the middle of the spectrum.
Lifting Color
Lifting color involves lifting some pigments out of the painted surface. It requires some practice to know when you should lift the color. If the paper is already dry, it’s hard to lift the colors out. If the paper is still very wet, it won’t work. Remember to use a clean brush to lift the color.
Scratch-Off
To add more textures or highlights to your work, you can also try scratching off a wet wash with a sharp pointing tool such as a palette knife or a plastic card. People also call this technique “sgraffito” which is an Italian word for “to scratch”.
Pulling Color
Pulling color or dragging color is a technique in watercolor painting. To use this technique, paint a brush stroke or two with a lot of pigments on dry paper, then use a wet brush to paint next to it. The pigments will be dragged along with the new brush strokes.
Negative Painting
Among different watercolor techniques, I love negative painting the most! Negative painting in watercolor is very powerful and useful when it comes to a complex painting. To do this technique, you need to wait for each layer to dry completely before painting the next one. Negative watercolor painting involves painting negative space around an object to create its shape. The negative painting technique can bring more depth to your watercolor artwork. Read my secret to negative painting technique for more guidelines.
Blooming
Blooming allows you to create a beautiful and natural gradient of colors. To use the blooming in watercolor, load your brush with a thin color that has a lot of water in it and paint it on dry paper. When it is semi-dry, load another color and paint next to the first color. The water helps the pigments bleed into each other.
Using Tissue Paper
To create some texture for your work, you can crease tissue paper and use it to absorb some wet paint on the paper.
In the winter forest painting below, I used tissue paper to create clouds with soft and random edges.
Sponge Painting
Using a sponge to paint can be interesting. It is very simple to use but the texture is amazing. Grab a sponge that has some texture on it, pick some moist paint, and apply it to a dry surface of paper.
Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol can be used in watercolor to create fascinating effects. To use this technique, you need to paint on your paper a layer of wet paint with a lot of pigments in it first. Then, drop alcohol onto the wet paint randomly and allow the alcohol to create its magic.
Salt
The salt technique in watercolor painting is very similar to using rubbing alcohol to create textures. Instead of dropping rubbing alcohol, splatter salt crystals onto the wet paint and let it dry completely before removing the salt. This technique can be used when you paint a dark sky with stars or snow with glitters.
Dish Soap
I love it when we can try different materials in our daily lives in watercolor painting. Dish soap is another example, besides salt and rubbing alcohol. This technique is as same as the other two. Drop diluted dish soap on wet paint and then see how it turns out for you.
Dripping
The last but not least technique you can try in watercolor painting is dripping. This technique uses gravity to create an interesting dripping effect. You need to keep your paper inclined so the paint can drip downwards. Remember to load your brush with a lot of water to make it work.
Try Different Watercolor Techniques and Choose your Favorite Ones
There are many different watercolor techniques that you can try for your next painting. Each technique creates a different effect and texture. You will never know you will never try. That’s why I encourage you to try them and choose the watercolor techniques that work best for you.
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