The natural composition of watercolors is ground pigment with natural adhesives - gum arabic, casein or milk phosphoprotein, dextrin, honey, phenol. The paint is applied with water with a brush on the surface of the paper. This term denotes work performed in this environment. The pigments are usually transparent, but can be made opaque by mixing them with white - in this form the paint is known as gouache.
Watercolor differs from other types of painting in its variety of technical techniques.
Weightless, light paint gives freshness and luminosity to calligraphic strokes, which gives the work an atmosphere and weightlessness.
There is one fundamental difference between watercolor and other painting mediums - its transparency.
The artist applies one opaque color to another in oil until the desired result is achieved. Watercolor is a universal drawing medium, as it makes it possible to reproduce all genres, since the water base allows you to obtain unique and unpredictable effects. For an abstract style, random scattered watercolor strokes on wet paper help create a blurry effect.
Gouache painting technique 
Watercolor paints on paper can melt, spread, and mixtures create a beautiful combination of colors in painting of different styles.
Working methods
Watercolor is the freest form of painting due to its transparent watery nature. There are certain painting techniques for working with watercolors, but the most popular ones are:
This is the basic way artists work and is achieved by wetting paper in a specific area and applying pigment to the surface from top to bottom. The technique is used for a massive image of the sky, water, meadow and allows you to experiment with different shades. The paper rises almost vertically, and on a damp surface the colors spread in all directions. The technique requires drying naturally.
Glazing
This method is similar to blurring, but requires the use of a pigment that is applied to a dry sheet. The method actually regulates color and tone, ideal colors and transitions. Dry each color separately before applying the next one.
"Wet on Wet"
The "A la Prima" method is a process of wetting the paper before applying pigment. To do this, use a large brush or sponge to evenly distribute the water over a sheet of watercolor paper. The technique creates beautiful blurred shapes and colors, soft shades and paint transitions in the works.
Glazing as a painting technique
"Dry brush"
For painting, use a barely damp, hard brush with a large amount of paint on dry paper. On an uneven surface, a clear, hard, highlighted mark is obtained, with granular effects similar to a pencil drawing. Entire compositions are made in this way, also used to enliven a dull background. 
Washing off
The process of removing paint after application and complete drying. The area that needs to be changed, to deepen the color or add volume, is moistened with water and the paint is blotted with a cloth. The technique creates complex shapes and lines, especially if strips of paper are used to mask areas with removed pigment in the painting.
Impact of water on paint
When the applied watercolor in the drawing dries, you can use a clean wet brush to drip water onto the desired area to obtain the effects of layering, cracking, roundness, and volume.
Glaze
This is a method of applying multi-layers of watercolor from a light tone at the base to a darker shade on top. Watercolor is applied with transparent, thin strokes after the previous layer of work has dried. The result is a three-dimensional image where the colors do not mix, but complement each other and allow you to see the border of each layer.
Features of hyperrealism as a style in painting
Author Natalia Shevchenko
scratching
By scratching or removing some areas of the painted dry surface, lighter areas of a single tone are created.
Disguise
If you want to keep some areas white during the work, use a reserve, that is, cover the necessary areas with a mask of paraffin or wax, which, after the work has completely dried, I remove with a brush or roll into a ball with your hands.
Addition
Adding another color to the wet area of the painting allows it to merge and branch out, creating interesting illusions. The method produces interesting and vibrant color gradations that cannot be achieved by mixing pigment on a palette.
Famous artists
Some famous artists working with watercolors often used similar effects in their works:
Painting with wet watercolors
Watercolorists learned to take advantage of the unexpected results of painting. The greatest masters of painting practiced spontaneity. Artists improvised to effectively harness the power of watercolor.
English School
The classical painting technique was perfected in England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries:
Watercolor is a tradition that has its own chronicle in history. Prehistoric man used pigments mixed with water for rock paintings and applied them with fingers, sticks and bones. The ancient Egyptians used water-based paints to decorate the walls of temples and tombs and created the first designs on papyrus.
We are painting a copy of Vincent Van Gogh's painting "Starry Night"
Eastern school
In the Far and Middle East, the first watercolor schools had an individual style - Chinese and Japanese masters of painting on silk and exquisite handmade rice paper. Their art was filled with literary allusion and calligraphy. But the basic image remained a typically contemplative landscape, which became a central aspect of the watercolor tradition in subsequent centuries. In India and Persia, opaque gouaches were used for religious images.
Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, European monks used tempera to paint manuscripts—books were considered the most important form of art and the equivalent of easel painting. The monks copied holy texts by hand on sheets of parchment made from sheepskin and calfskin. Sometimes entire pages were decorated with elaborate flourishes and symbolic images.
Lately, more and more special paints and pencils have been appearing to make it convenient for children to embody fantastic images on paper. But for beginners, the most successful introduction to fine art is in the process of painting with watercolors. Let's look at some of the nuances of this process step by step.
Unity of water and color
Watercolor appeared in Europe in the 15th century, while in China, an aqueous suspension of coloring pigment was used in painting as early as the 2nd century. Even then, artists valued paint for its ability to create stunningly subtle color transitions on canvas or paper. It is this property of watercolor that has made it so popular not only in professional, but also in amateur fine arts. It is recommended that even very young creators practice painting with watercolors. For children 2-5 years old and older, this paint is ideal because:
- does not require special skills to get started - you just need to prepare water, brushes and paint;
- mixes well and allows you to achieve a wide palette of colors;
- easily washed off the body and washed off clothes, which is especially important in the case of babies;
- affordable, because usually young artists spend material very uneconomically.
Types of paints and watercolor techniques
Before you start drawing, you need to decide on the idea and choose a watercolor. There are 5 types of paints:
- tiled hard;
- semi-solid;
- liquid;
- pencils, crayons;
- pearl watercolor.
The first type is suitable for posters and drawings, but is not suitable for children's creativity. But other types can be used depending on which texture is easier for a person to cope with. In addition, the combination of liquid form and pencils or crayons brings the originality of a combination of painting and drawing to the finished work.
After choosing paints, you need to decide on the technique of execution:
- on a dry sheet (the picture is bright, with clear contour lines);
- on a damp canvas (makes all transitions blurry, revealing the richness of shades).
In the latter case, you can use either special paper for watercolors, or place a damp cloth - flannel - under the sheet.
What do you need to work with this type of paint?
To make working with paints enjoyable, you need to prepare everything you need for work in advance. In addition to watercolors and paper mentioned above, you will need:
- shallow container with wide sides for mixing paints;
- paint brushes in sizes from 0000 to 6 made of mixed fibers (it is most convenient for beginners to mix paints with a brush No. 3);
- a glass for water to graduate washes;
- paper napkins to remove excess water or paint;
- hard and hard-soft simple pencils for sketching the outline of the drawing.
Be prepared that over time a drawing board with a slight slope may come in handy, as well as masking fluid for areas of the painting that should not have paint on it.
How to draw flowers?
Getting acquainted with watercolor painting for beginners should occur in stages. And flowers with semi-solid paint on a dry sheet in this case are a very convenient object for depiction. It allows you to demonstrate all the richness of color shades, but does not contain too small elements that would be quite difficult for a beginner to handle. And, since watercolor painting involves drawing from life, it is advisable to place a vase or a separate flower in front of your eyes. It is better to choose tulips, irises, pansies, that is, fairly large representatives of the flora.
Instructions:
- We place the nature so that the light is concentrated on it. It is better if it is daytime and not artificial.
- We sketch the contours using a simple pencil.
- Showing areas of shadow.
- We draw the back petals with paints.
- Making a shadow. To do this, we use two shades of the main color - dark and light.
- We proceed to the center of the composition, alternating with leaves and stem.
- Tint the background with a translucent shade.
Landscape paintings are most effective in liquid paints, as they allow all the color details to be conveyed. For landscapes, it is better to use the technique of painting with watercolors on a wet sheet. However, for beginners, this image method can be slightly simplified by gradually wetting the desired areas of the paper.
Instructions:
- Let's make a sketch. On objects with shadows, apply a little more pressure.
- We moisten a section of paper under the sky, apply paint and let it spread.
- For the bulk of the foliage, we also lightly soak the paper with water and, after mixing the desired colors, apply paint so that white areas of the paper remain.
- We draw large details of the image (mountains, cliffs, etc.).
- Let's move on to the foreground of the picture. We draw the grass, adding tones from dark to light.
- Adding shadows. Please note that the further away from the foreground, the deeper, that is, darker, the shadow.
- We draw the tree trunk and branches.
- We clarify the contours of foreground objects.
- Remove paint stains, if any. To do this, press a paper napkin to the area of the drawing, then drip water and blot again. Repeat until the stain disappears.
- If necessary, add details. The drawing is ready.
If you want to try something new in painting, pay attention to the acrylic painting technique. Canvases created with plastic-based paints have an interesting three-dimensional structure. Painting with acrylic is no more difficult than painting with watercolors. At the same time, the finished painting does not need to be treated with fixing compounds - the paints are highly durable, do not fade and are not afraid of water.
What is acrylic for painting?
Acrylic paints appeared in mass production relatively recently - only 50 years ago. Pigmented acrylic resin quickly gained universal popularity, primarily due to its versatility and durability. It is used not only by canvas painters, but also by interior artists who create paintings on walls, builders and even manicurists.
Acrylic paints come in different varieties. So, to decorate walls or ceilings, it is better to choose special acrylic paint of dense consistency. Three-dimensional images in the interior look colorful, realistic and original. Less concentrated paints, usually sold in tubes, are suitable for creating paintings on canvas. The drawing process for beginners is fascinating; it allows you to fully reveal your artistic talent.
How to prepare the basis for a future painting
Before choosing acrylic paint, take care to prepare the base. You can draw on wooden boards or plywood. You can use a stretcher or regular canvas. The easiest way to paint with acrylic is on paper, so a beginner should first master this canvas.
Choose paper with a dense, rough surface. For you to be able to paint with acrylic properly, the base must be strong. If you choose textured paper, glue a wood backing onto it.
Remove any air bubbles that have formed using a book - the canvas is ready for painting. Canvas for painting with acrylic can be additionally sanded, since the material adheres best to a smooth surface. Beginning painters often wonder whether it is necessary to prime the canvas for acrylic?
If you are working on boards, you will need an acrylic primer, which is sold in art stores. It is a special emulsion with titanium dioxide, which gives whiteness. The primer is applied to the prepared board in several layers and dried for 24 hours.
How to learn to paint with acrylic from scratch
First of all, make sure that the paints are not dry. When applying the first strokes, be sure to moisten the acrylic paint palette with water - you will need a spray bottle for this. There is no need to pour out a lot of acrylic paint at one time. Use absorbent paper, you can put it under the palette.
Observe the transparency of the paint: the more water you add, the more transparent the strokes will be. Paint with large brushes first, starting with large areas. Then move smoothly to the main details. The technique of painting with acrylic on paper or a wooden board requires extreme care and precision. From time to time, look at the drawing in the mirror - this will help you understand whether its proportions are correct.
Many beginners find it difficult to mix acrylic paints with each other. You can use a thinner - it increases the “open” time of the paints, making them easier to compose. You only need to distribute the material with the edge of the brush, and to obtain clear contours of the sketch, you can use regular adhesive tape, which is sold at any hardware store.
Try lightening and darkening shades by adding white or black tones. To clean the palette from acrylic paints, use any product that dissolves plastic - a regular household solvent will do.
Painting with acrylic on paper or wood is a creative process that is a lot of fun. To make it even more enjoyable, follow these guidelines:
Paints become significantly darker when dry. Take this into account when choosing shades for the future canvas. Choose non-toxic materials for work, even if they cost more. Wear an apron while working to avoid getting your clothes dirty.
In addition to professional brushes with long handles, paints and canvas base, stock up on decoupage glue, as well as a convenient spray bottle filled with water.
It is better to use a plastic palette - it is practical and easy to clean. Don't forget to use clean water to rinse your brushes.
Having mastered the technique of painting with acrylic, you will be able to create real masterpieces. A little patience, diligence and the right materials for the job are the key to impressive results.
In the modern world, more and more newcomers are trying themselves in new things in order to find their calling. Many people stop at drawing, namely creating paintings with watercolor paint. Many people think that drawing is a very complex process that requires special knowledge and skills. But everything is much simpler, because anyone can paint with watercolors from scratch.
To learn more about watercolors and become a real artist after just a couple of classes, we recommend contacting a drawing school http://arhangelsk.videoforme.ru/designschool/drawing, there you can understand in more detail all the subtleties and nuances.
The process of creating a drawing using watercolor paint appeared a long time ago; it happened in China. Subsequently, it was this country that became the first manufacturer of a special canvas on which it was best to paint with watercolors. Although drawing was difficult back then, now it is a very easy and interesting process. Just open a search engine and study the materials yourself and look at examples.
What do you need to get started?
Before you learn how to paint with watercolors for beginners, you need to stock up on certain tools and supplies:
- brushes;
- paper;
- paints.
Brushes are perhaps the main tool that will help you create masterpieces of art, read more about the history of brushes at the link https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D1%8C_(%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%82% D1%80%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82). They must be flexible, that is, after exposure they must take the same shape, they must absorb water well, and when drawing, the hairs must not be lost on the paper. Remember that real watercolor brushes have shorter handles than regular brushes.
High-quality paper is the key to a beautiful drawing. It’s not for nothing that they say that bad paper spoils the image. The situation is the same in watercolor painting. Therefore, it is extremely important to approach the choice of canvas especially carefully. The main characteristic is density. It should be above average, that is, the higher the density, the better. The paper should not delaminate, this indicates poor quality. A medium-grain and thick canvas is best, because you can draw anything on it.
The paints must be special - watercolors. Before starting work, it is definitely recommended to drop a little water on them to make it easier to draw with them. For beginners, paints in trays are suitable, and for those who are more confident in their abilities - in tubes.
Watercolor painting techniques for beginners
There are many ways and all kinds of techniques for beginners, but I would like to highlight the four most effective and useful:
Painting with a flat brush;
Gradient;
Watercolor glaze;
"Wet" technique.
Drawing with watercolors step by step for beginners, starts from theoretical knowledge:
Drawing with a flat brush allows a novice artist to depict any figure with an absolutely identical and even color tone. To do this, you need to outline the desired figure with a simple pencil, then take a brush, dip it in the paint and draw a straight line along the drawing. Next, you should repeat these steps, but at the same time overlapping the previous end of the stroke, so that there are no accumulations of paint in the form of lines. Throughout the procedure, try to stick to the same paint tone.
In art there is such a thing as a gradient. This is a special drawing technique in which you can get a smooth transition between dark and lighter tones, which makes it possible to depict a beautiful background or iridescent objects. To begin with, you should take a suitable brush and dip it in a color that suits you, but always in the darkest shade. Next, we draw lines similar to the technique using a flat brush. With each subsequent application of new lines, you need to select lighter and lighter tones, and it is also necessary to overlap the lower border of the previous line.
A technique such as watercolor glaze requires a little ingenuity and imagination from the author. This technique allows you to depict landscape changes in different colors. It’s always worth starting from the sky, because it requires light colors. Then we begin drawing the mountains and slopes; to do this, take a yellow tint of paint and outline the contours of the mountains, sketching them sequentially. Higher mountains can be drawn green. You can also depict a river or waterfall by mixing a couple of blue shades, such as cobalt and ultramarine.
The next, “Wet” technique, makes it possible to obtain beautiful and unusual landscapes and backgrounds. To do this, use a spray bottle to slightly wet the paper and remove excess drops with a rag or napkins. Then, as is customary, we draw the sky, for this we take a blue tint and apply it to paper as your fantasy and imagination require. It is recommended to paint subsequent objects in bright and neutral tones, as this technique makes it possible to obtain unique images. The main thing is to apply a little imagination and be creative. After completing the drawing, give it a chance to dry, and then you can safely show it to your friends.
Tips for Beginners
The first thing to remember is to use only high-quality materials. This means high-quality brushes, paints and paper. It is not necessary to buy expensive brushes and equipment; it is enough to find good ones, even at a low price. The main thing to remember is that the best drawings are always those in which you put your soul. Therefore, create with pleasure.
In contact with
Learning to create smudges
If you apply a stroke of one color to the paper and, without allowing it to dry, put a second stroke of a different color on top, they will begin to leak and mix, creating a colored spot.
Not every paper is suitable for such an experiment. On paper with greater absorbency, the paint will simply be absorbed before mixing, and on paper with minimal ability to absorb moisture, the paint will spread as much as possible. With practice, you will find it easier to use this technique and control the flow of paint.
If you fail, you can always wash off the paint and start over. This technique is used not only by novice artists, but is also widespread in the professional environment for drawing large objects such as water and sky, as well as for local areas on the canvas.
The effects of paint smudges are almost impossible to replicate with a brush. This is what makes them unique. They can create the effect of a water surface by applying heavily diluted paint onto already dried paint; the fresh paint will spread, forming a semblance of ripples on the water. True, the ability to determine whether the paint on the first layer has dried sufficiently comes with experience.
Drawing materials
Brushes
Tools for painting with watercolors must meet the following requirements:
- Be able to absorb water well
- Be flexible
- Resume the same form
- When drawing, hairs should not bristle
It should be remembered that watercolor brushes, unlike other brushes, have short handles.
Wide flat brush serves to remove excess paint or wipe it off due to its rigidity.
Blur brush quite soft, large, used for background processing. The best others change shape and hold water with paint without drying out.
Working brushes can be of any size, varying depending on the technology.
Paper
1. The drawing paper must be thick and not delaminate, otherwise, when removing excess water and paint, it may warp.
2. The paper must be white. The colors of the paints are most clearly visible on it.
3. The paper should be thick and well glued. Well-glued paper absorbs water more slowly and does not allow the colors to lighten. Papers sold in packs of A3 sheets are most often poorly sized and suffer from excessive yellowness.
4. Grain (smoothness of paper)
- Fine-grain paper is suitable for fine detail rendering. There are almost no obstacles to the stroke on it.
- Medium-grain paper is the most common and is suitable for all types of work.
- The coarse-grained surface of the paper is slightly rough and has a distinct texture. It is used in very specific jobs. It is often made by hand and is famous for its high density.
5. Thin or non-grained paper cannot be used; it will warp during use.
Paints
It is always better to prefer professional watercolors to ordinary school watercolors if you are committed to results.
Paints in trays require a little more effort to prepare them for drawing than all the others. To use them, you need to drip water from the brush into the tray so that the paints get a little wet. These paints are convenient because you don’t need to look for additional containers for them.
Paints in tubes Suitable for more experienced artists. The master himself can create a palette in accordance with his needs, although a ready-made set with a dozen tubes can be recommended to amateurs.
Number of colors in the set There can be either twelve or thirty-six pieces, but not all of them are used. It will still be useful to mix different paints to see which ones produce unusual combinations. To work, you will need no more than ten commonly used paints.
In general, paints are divided into two types: warm and cool. Warm colors include yellow, orange and other colors based on red or yellow. Cool colors include colors with a predominant blue or violet tint. Green, purple, gray and black colors can be either cold or warm, depending on the characteristics of the color and the influence of the environment. The colors blue, yellow, red are basic, the rest, obtained by mixing, are considered derivatives.
Let's draw a poppy
Painting with watercolors is more difficult than with oil paints or gouache, but you can always try to create works full of tenderness and lightness. At the same time, see how much easier it is to paint with watercolors after practice.
The white color of the paper itself adds transparency to watercolor strokes. It is almost impossible to correct watercolor works, so try to act without mistakes.
Start by mixing a few colors. To do this, wet a piece of paper with water and brush it with paint over the wet paper. Excess paint can be removed with a glass of water.
You should paint with the tip of the watercolor. Do not press on it, let the paint spread, make a couple of strokes on top of the already applied paint. You should not mix more than three colors in one place, otherwise you will get dirty stains. Now let's get down to drawing.
Make a pencil sketch and move on to the background. Trying not to dry the paint, draw the background. The strokes should flow into each other, hiding the traces of the pencil on the paper. Use ocher, light green and yellow paints.
Wait for the background to dry and grab the petals. Using dampened paper, paint the light parts with yellow paint. Without waiting for it to dry, apply red paint to the petals. Do not paint the entire petal, the paint will spread on its own. Don't make the color too thick.
All that remains is to draw the leaves and green stems, add dark green shadows and the drawing is ready. You can also draw a frame on it.
Watercolor, flowers. Artists' works
