40 Simple Watercolor Painting Ideas for Beginners to Try | Artisticaly - Inspect the Artist Inside You! (2024)

Patience is a virtue best kept! And if you are someone whocan deal with the thing going wrong when you are trying it out, only then thewatercolors are for you. Yes! We are not trying to alarm you, but yes,watercolors are difficult than the acrylic or oil paints. We are not trying tobaffle you here! The reason for us to say this is that when you use watercolor,you cannot make mistakes because hiding them one over another is not easy at all,as you can do with the acrylics. However, water coloring is love and you mustgo for it whether it turns out good or bad! Therefore, since you are giving ita try, here are SimpleWatercolor Painting Ideas for Beginners to Try!

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PREPARING A WATERCOLOR CANVAS

Now, sinceyou are the beginner, you must have painted mostly on plain drawing paper. Thatis one of the easiest and great canvases for the watercolor painting. However,if you wish to paint on the actual huge canvas, you need to do some additionalsteps. See, the watercolors are different than the usual thick acrylic or oilpaints, hence the canvas should be such that it absorbs the paint!

  • Initially,you need to gesso the canvas as you do for the acrylics for up to two layers.
  • Letthe canvas dry first
  • Thenuse an absorbent and gesso the canvas in a thin layer as thick layer may crack.
  • Afterevery layer, you need to let it dry repeat the process
  • Dothis for up to 5-6 layers so that the canvas becomes absorbent.
  • Thenlet it set for 24 hours before you start painting.

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SIMPLE WATERCOLOR TECHNIQUES FOR BEGINNERS

Wet On Wet

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The wet on wet techniques helps you to paint landscapes,water, sky, etc. It is a simple technique in which you apply water on thecanvas and then apply wet paint on it.

Wet On Dry

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For more defined shapes, use the wet on dry technique. This isbecause the color will not be diluted and will leave more edges than the wet onwet technique.

The Ombre Effect

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Do you want to include detail in your paint that shadowsdown? Well then, the ombre effect is for you. It is about building a colorgradient from one color and water.

Different Color Gradient

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Similar to the ombre effect, this technique is used to paintthe sunset or sunrise scenes. Use water and different shades of color and waterto create shades.

Precision Painting

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Every object in your painting will have a boundary thatdefines the shape of the object. So precision painting takes a round therewhere you will have to mind the boundaries of each object and paint.

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SIMPLE WATERCOLOR PAINTING IDEAS

Up With The Morning Tea

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Start slow when you are a beginner as little wins improveyour self-confidence! Therefore, here is a perfect example of how you can painteasy yet beautiful watercolor art.

Float Up With TheBalloons

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Reach to the sky exploring your painting talent with thissimple balloon watercolor painting! Precision painting is what you will have todo here.

Misty Flowers For You

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One of the most simple and easy thing that we learn to drawand paint as children is the flower! So start small with little flowers thatwill mild up your confidence!

Flip It Up

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This watercolor painting is not just easy but also has aunique concept to it. the lower half is dusk and the upper is dawn just likethe phases of life!

The MesmerizingMidnight Sky

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Who doesn’t like the view of a serein mountaintop with blinkingstars? Everyone does! However, being an artist has its perks so put that to useand capture the memory on your canvas.

The Eye For TheHorizon

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Isn’t it mesmerizing to see the sunset, isn’t it? Reachingyour eye on the horizon, paint a beautiful watercolor painting of the sunset!

The Innocence Of TheBird

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Look at the innocence of a bird and try to bring that inyour painting. Being a little difficult than drawing the landscapes, thisdrawing is however easy if you want to learn to draw emotions.

The Bicycle WithFlowers

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Using different techniques to paint different shades, thispainting is one of the prettiest of them all. Moreover, you can experiment thetechniques and if you spill, it okay just blend.

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We hope you like our collection of Simple Watercolor Painting Ideas forBeginners to Try! Try to apply the techniquesof watercolor paintings that we shared above and remember to have a neat absorbentcanvas. Happy painting!

40 Simple Watercolor Painting Ideas for Beginners to Try |  Artisticaly - Inspect the Artist Inside You! (2024)

FAQs

What is the most basic watercolor technique? ›

There are 2 basic watercolor techniques that will be fundamental to your practice—wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry. In this tutorial, I cover what these terms mean, when to use each of the two techniques, and how to do it successfully.

What is normally painted first on a watercolor? ›

In most forms of painting, the artist paints with their dark colors first and then works lighter, however in watercolors, it's the other way around. When working with watercolor paints, you want to begin with the lighter colors and then work towards the darker ones.

What should beginners do watercolor? ›

First, start with a palette of watercolors. Next, use a small spray bottle, a blunt art syringe, or a spoon to hydrate the colors you wish to use. Then, dip your brush in water to moisten it, dab the brush onto a pigment, and put the pigment-rich brush on paper. That's it!

What is the golden rule of watercolor? ›

There are two fundamental techniques in watercolor painting. You can't escape them… they are: Wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry. Together, these techniques form a golden rule that is unique to watercolors, and highlights the broad range of possibilities in watercolor painting.

What should you not do in watercolor? ›

Using too many colors

While watercolor is known for its vibrant and varied colours, using too many can create a chaotic or overwhelming effect. To avoid using too many colours, start by selecting a limited palette of colours that work well together.

What is the Scumbling technique in watercolor? ›

Scumbling is a technique that artists use to build a textured, layered surface that creates depth. It involves applying paint in a rapid figure-eight or circular manner to the colors below. He used his thumb nail to scratch at the surface of the watercolor paper to remove the darker color.

Do you wet the paper before watercoloring? ›

Should you wet watercolor paper before you begin painting? The watercolor paper only needs to be moistened prior to painting if you intend to use a wet-on-wet painting technique. Wetting the paper can lead to buckling, making brushstrokes challenging to control because of the resulting bumpy surface.

Should you paint the background first in watercolor? ›

If you're aiming for a soft, diffused look for your background, you might want to paint the watercolour background first, using the wet-on-wet technique. This method allows the colours to blend seamlessly on the page, creating a gentle gradient effect. It's ideal for skies, landscapes, or abstract backgrounds.

Do you sketch before watercolor? ›

Sketching is an important step that allows you to plan, compose, and refine your ideas before applying vibrant washes of watercolor. With a sketch as your guide, your watercolor paintings will flourish with intention and artistic vision.

What is the best brush to start with for watercolor? ›

Try synthetic brushes first – many beginners find them easier to control. I also strongly recommend having at least one round brush, because it's so versatile. It can create nice thick strokes or fine thin ones, so it's like having two brushes in one. Look for round brushes that have a nice pointy tip.

What is the weakness of watercolor? ›

Weaknesses of watercolor paints

Firstly, watercolors can be unpredictable. Their fluid nature often results in the colors bleeding into each other, creating unexpected effects.

How to correct mistakes in watercolour? ›

Fixing Smaller Detailed Watercolor Mistakes

While the mistake is still wet, take a clean and dry Q-tip and simply pick up the water and pigment. The Q-tip will suck up most of it. Then you can go in with your dry brush and brush out the mistake area. The pigment will pick right up into your brush.

What makes watercolor difficult? ›

Watercolour is hard due to its unpredictable nature. Watery pigment flows wherever it wants, which makes it difficult to control. And since watercolour is translucent and appears lighter once the pigment has dried, it's hard to fix mistakes because they show through the layers.

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