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Step 1
Begin with laying a wash when painting with watercolors. This is used for making a background or covering a large area. It can be all one tone called a flat wash, or a graded wash which goes from darker to lighter as it goes downward.
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Step 2
Lay down a wet-on-wet wash to create different effects. Put one color down, and then put another color over the first color before it has dried.
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Step 3
Put down a color and let it dry before applying another color over it. This is called wet-on-dry and makes an entirely different effect. Experiment using the wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques.
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Step 4
Decide where you want areas of white on your painting. Watercolor paints are transparent and may seem strange to work with at first. Avoid painting on the areas you want to leave white and apply lightest washes to your painting first, gradually working toward darker washes.
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Step 5
Limit your color palette to two or three colors in the early stages of a watercolor painting. More intense colors can be added later. Good colors to start with are raw sienna, burnt sienna, ultramarine and indigo.
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Step 6
Create a center of interest, such as an object. Avoid placing the center of interest in the middle of a painting. Keep it a bit off-center to add interest and perspective.
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Step 7
Search for free watercolor tutorials. Many great watercolor artists have free classes and tips for beginning watercolor painters. Look for classes through local adult education courses, parks and recreation, art supply stores and free online tutorials.
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Step 8
Enjoy what you have done. Almost any painting looks great when professionally matted and framed. Hang your work and take pride in your accomplishments, concentrating on the positive aspects of your painting. This will build your confidence and enthusiasm.
