13 watercolour techniques you need to try

With a step by step tutorial for each of the 13 different watercolour techniques. It will give you plenty of ideas to explore.

Watercolor has got to be my favourite paint medium.

It almost has a life of it's own, the way it moves across the page, the translucent quality of the paint and the beautiful colour combinations you can make.

If you've never tried it before this post is the perfect place to start.

There is also a video if you prefer to watch rather than read for inspiration and a free practice worksheet to download.

Perfect to use with beginners whether they are adults or kids.

It's one that I have used many times in my teaching career.

From dry brush techniques to using common household times to create unique textures, you'll love playing and experimenting with water colour paints as much as I do by the end of the helpful post

Dry brush

This is the easiest technique to try. Using a dry brush and paper.

Run the brush over your moistened watercolor tablet or dip into liquid watercolor and then run over the paper.

Experiment with how many faded strokes you can get from just one dip.

Great for getting an ombre look to your designs.

Wet on wet

Wet the area of watercolor paper first, then add your paint to the area.

Add in extra colours to watch them bleed together.

Try using same colours in different tones or mixing colours.

A good technique to show children how primary colours mix to create secondary colours.

Also can be good if you are trying to illustrate tie dye.

A very similar effect to this watercolor inspired mural wallpaper.

Cling film

Start with the wet on wet process.

Once the paint is applied, add cling film over the top and manipulate to crease.

Leave to dry.

Once dried remove the cling film.

Great for creating textures in your paintings such as ice and water.

Foil

Same process as the cling film, but replace with foil.

This gives much sharper lines when dried.

Good for doing aerial landscapes.

Rice

Scatter rice onto wet paint and leave to dry.

The paint gravitates to the rice and leaves a negative print when it is removed.

Salt

Adding salt crystals over the wet paint can create a variety of patterns.

Experiment with rock and table salt to get differing results.

Lemon juice

Lemon juice has a bleaching effect on the wet paint.

You can drop it directly onto the surface or use it as a paint to remove pigment from more focused areas.

Crayon resist

White crayon or candle wax applied to the paper before water and paint are applied, stops the paint from adhering to the surface of the paper.

Splatter

Splatter effects are great for wildflower meadows, seascapes and the night sky in paintings.

Try both splatter effects either onto wet or dry paper.

With wet splatter you lose definition in the paint as it finds it own way as it mixes with the water.

With dry paper the splatter is much more bold and the colour stays highly pigmented.

Water drops

Create large water droplets on the paper, then drop pigment onto the surface.

Leave to dry to revel random ethereal shapes.

These are great to draw into once they are dried.

I can see a mountain scene with lots of pine trees in this one.

What can you see?

Masking

You can use various materials for masking such as masking fluid, liquid rubber, masking tape or even washi tape.

Once applied leave to dry if needed then paint over.

When your watercolour has dried, remove to reveal pure white areas below.

Blotting

Try removing pigment from certain areas with blotting.

Use cotton wool, tissue or kitchen roll to dab at the wet paint.

Spray

Use a water spray bottle to encourage the paint to move randomly across your page.

Leave to dry to discover what shapes and textures it has created.

Which of these watercolour techniques is your favourite? What will you create with them?

Don't be intimidated by a blank sheet of paper, these help sheets give you the chance to play and explore the great medium of watercolour paint.

Free Watercolour techniques worksheet

Download the techniques worksheet to try out all the ideas here.

Save this cheat sheet to remind you of the different techniques.

Print it out and laminate it or stick it in the front of your sketch book.

Don't forget to Pin it for later!