Tundraco's Daily Living Guide to Home & Garden The Basics of Painting with Watercolors

Many new artist overlook watercolors because they see them as a medium used only by child. Many of the same qualities that make watercolors suitable for use by children also makes them an ideal medium for the mature artist.

• Watercolors are easy to use.
• They don't stain.
• They are easy to clean up from.

Watercolor paints are available in tubes, jars, and dry pans. Student paints are available, but they have inferior color and they fade rapidly. At minimum, you should have a basic paint pallet that includes the colors:

• Ultramarine Blue
• Thalo Blue
• Vermillion Red
• Thalo Crimson
• Burnt Sienna
• Raw Sienna
• Burnt Umber
• Hansa Yellow
• Thalo Green

Unlike oil and acrylic paintings, which are done almost exclusively on canvas, watercolors are worked predominately on paper.

• Paper is, in a way, more important when it comes to painting with watercolors than the paint itself. Use poor quality paper and you will have poor results – no matter how good your paints are.

• Paper is one area in which a beginning watercolor artist should pop the money to buy the best.
• Watercolor paper comes in various weights ranging from 90 – 300 pounds. 140 pound weight paper is suitable for beginners, but 300 pound paper is the most durable.
• Watercolor paper is available in sheets and rolls.
• Do not use unsized paper with watercolors. Unsized paper absorbs water like a sponge and your colors will bleed together.

• Soak paper in water for 5-10 minutes.
• Gently lay the wet paper over a board. Place stables or tacks around the outer edge of the paper to hold it in place.
• As the paper dries, it will shrink, providing you with a taunt, flat surface on which to paint.

• Brushes: Synthetic brushes work well with watercolors, however sable-hair brushes are the best when working with watercolors.

• Natural sponge, the sponge is used to dampen your paper before painting.

• Water Container to dip your brush into. This can be as innocuous as an old yogurt container.
• Paper towels or rags to clean up your messes.
• Watercolor Palette: This is a plastic board with wells in it to place you paints. It should have a lid to keep your paints from drying out.
• Hard Surface that you can secure your paper to, so that the paper does not move around while you are painting.
• Water: Use only distilled water when painting with watercolors. Contaminants in water, such as chlorine, can discolor your paper and adversely affect the watercolor pigments.

One of the predominant features of watercolors is that they are easy to clean up.

• Wash brushes in warm water with a mild soap. When the brush is clean, gently smooth the bristles back into the shape desired. Allow it to dry completely before storing, or store the brushes, handle side down, in an open jar.