We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, Trendy Mami may collect a share of sales or other compensations from the links on this page.
–
Watercolor painting is a beautiful, relaxing hobby that has been enjoyed by artists for centuries. With its unique blending and layering, watercolor can produce stunning and ethereal effects. But without one of the best watercolor tutorials for beginners, you may not get the information you need to get started!
As a beginner, the learning curve can be steep at first. With the help of our how-to video and steps below and a little practice, you can create beautiful works of art you will be proud to display.
If you’re ready to give watercolor painting a try for the first time, read on. You’ll create a lovely painting in no time with these basic watercolor steps!
Painting with Watercolor for Beginners
What You Need to Get Started
Here are some of the best products we recommend for painting with watercolor for beginners:
- Round Brushes: this $5 Paintbrush Set from Mondo Llama at Target will give you everything you need to get started and hone your skills
- Watercolor Paint Palette: Mondo Llama’s $10 Watercolor Paint Set gives you a wide range of colors and shades that will be more than enough for a beginner. You can even blend colors for the best effect!
- Ruler: Any 12″ ruler will work well.
- Watercolor Paper: Unless you want some very soggy paper, you need to get a specialist’s watercolor paper. Don’t worry, it’s affordable for beginners – you can get this 9×12” Strathmore Paper Pad with 40 sheets for just $2.75 at Target.
- Water: You’ll need two jars of water, one for clean water you can use directly on your paper and one for washing your brushes.
- Paper Towel: Any will do, but something ultra-absorbant like Bounty will ensure you don’t go through a whole roll just to dry your brush.
How to Paint Beautiful Watercolor Flowers
Watercolor flowers are a great place to start when you’re painting watercolor for beginners. That’s because you’ll love the results, and they are the perfect starting point to teach you how to mix colors effectively.
In addition, you’ll learn how to blend and create fine lines. Gather together your equipment and watch our video below to learn how to paint tulips, roses, daisies, poppies, lilies, and sunflowers.
Before you get started, here are some of our top watercolor painting tutorial tips to keep in mind:
Draw an Outline:
It can be helpful to draw an outline with a pencil when you first start watercolor painting. That way, you don’t need to think about the shape and can focus on learning how to work with wet paint.
Colors and Blending:
The more water you add to the color, the lighter the shade will be.
When you choose your colors, always start painting with the lightest color and build the darker colors on top. Then, gradually add your other shades.
If you add too much color, use a paper towel to absorb the excess. Just don’t smudge the color as you do so!
The best way to get the fade effect is to start with a base of water. You can do this by dipping your brush in your (clean) water and then gently dripping a few drops onto the paper. This means that when you add color, it will automatically spread. Dip your color where you want the darkest point to be.
Mindset:
The beauty of watercolor is that it doesn’t have to be perfect to look beautiful. So, don’t worry if the color isn’t even or if your color goes a little outside the lines.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes when you first start, either! Mistakes lead to learning, so relax and enjoy the process as you learn wet on wet techniques!
Watercolor Tutorials for Beginners
Watercolor painting is a versatile and tranquil art form that’s simple to get started with and satisfyingly challenging to master. With our top tips and our watercolor tutorials for beginners, you’ll soon learn how to do all the basic techniques, work in layers, and experiment with blending. With patience, practice, and a willingness to learn, you can learn to create artwork you’ll be proud to display and share.
If you get bitten by the bug for painting and want to explore some other mediums, take a look at our other fun tutorials:
