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 golden rule of watercolor? ›

The answer is: Work from light to dark! This is the traditional approach to building up a subject in watercolors. It's one of the first things newcomers need to grasp, and it's actually quite unique to watercolor paints… Painting like this often requires a bit of forward planning.

What are 3 common mistakes that people make when using watercolor? ›

5 Common Watercolour Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
  • Using too much water. One of the most common mistakes that beginner watercolour artists make is using too much water. ...
  • Not using the right paper. ...
  • Overworking the paint. ...
  • Using too many colors. ...
  • Not using enough contrast.
Apr 17, 2023

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? ›

Work from light to dark

In watercolor painting, it's recommended to add light colors first and gradually introduce darker tones. This is because of the translucent nature of watercolor paints – if you add darker paints first, you can't make them lighter.

What part of a watercolor picture do you paint first? ›

In general, if you want the background color to show through and become part of the subject, then paint the wash first. If you want to keep your background and your subject clearly and distinctly separate, then be sure to use masking fluid to mask your subject before painting your wash.

What order should you paint watercolor? ›

The key is to work from light to dark since removing value in watercolor painting is impossible (that's probably why we end up using so much paper!) Start with lots of water and not so much paint. Glazing layers of paint also offers another advantage.

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 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.

When painting with watercolor What should you always do before you start painting? ›

Before you start painting you need to mix some paint. Choose any color you like. Begin by getting your brush nice and wet so that it soaks up plenty of liquid. Then load it with water and press it against you mixing palette to release a puddle of water.

What do you put on canvas before watercolor painting? ›

Gesso your canvas first as normal. Gessoing first is an important step to allow the Golden Absorbent Ground to adhere properly to the canvas. Two coats of gesso are recommended. After the gesso has dried, apply a thin layer of Golden Absorbent Ground using a brush or a roller.

What are the basic rules of watercolor painting? ›

The process for successful watercolor painting, is to avoid the areas to be left white and apply the lightest washes first, gradually working your way towards darker washes. Try to cover large areas fairly loosely in the early stages of the painting, applying tighter detail towards the end.

What is breaking the rules of watercolor? ›

Shirley Trevena takes the reader through 10 paintings in great detail and shares all her professional tips and painting secrets. In addition, each painting has large close-up details so the reader can really see all the brushstrokes.

What is the theory of watercolour? ›

In watercolor painting you control the water to pigment ratio to create the relative lightness and darkness of your paint. For example, a lot of water mixed with very little paint will create a very light color; a little bit of water mixed with a good bit of paint will create a dark color. !

What is the golden rule in painting? ›

The golden ratio is a structural device based on the patterns of nature, that has been used by artists and designers for centuries. The golden ratio, also known as the divine proportion, is a mathematical ratio of 1:1.618, or Phi, with a decimal that stretches to infinity, closely linked to the Fibonacci sequence.

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