A Beginner’s Guide to Watercolour Painting

 Watercolour is light, fluid, and full of possibility. However, for many beginners, it can feel intimidating before the brush even touches the paper. The paint moves on its own, mistakes seem permanent, and control feels optional. But that’s also where the magic lives. Once you understand how it behaves, this medium becomes more expressive and forgiving. I’ll help you take the pressure off, and ease into painting with confidence. I’ll walk through the essentials, from choosing a starter palette that won’t overwhelm you to learning how colours blend and interact on the page.

What You'll Need

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If you’re just getting started, the good news is you don’t need a studio full of supplies. A small, thoughtful kit is more than enough to begin experimenting and building confidence. Here’s what I recommend having on hand:

-A watercolour set: These sets are usually available in children’s, student, and artist grades. For beginners, student-grade paints are often the sweet spot because it’s good quality without the higher price tag. It’s especially practical to choose compact watercolor painting materials. It keeps everything neatly in one place, travels easily, and encourages you to work with what you have instead of feeling overwhelmed by endless choices. A set with a wider range of colours can also reduce the need for constant mixing when you’re still learning. Once you get your paints, create a simple colour chart on a small piece of watercolour paper and tuck it into the lid. Swatching each shade helps you see how the colours look on paper, which can be different from how they appear in the pan.

-A few reliable brushes: When shopping for watercolour painting materials, you won’t need dozens of brushes. A couple of round brushes in small and medium sizes will cover most beginner projects. Smaller rounds are great for detail, while a slightly larger one helps with washes and filling space. Start simple and upgrade as you discover your style.

-Proper watercolour paper: Paper matters when shopping for watercolor painting materials. Regular printer paper absorbs water unevenly and causes paint to spread unpredictably. Specialised paper is designed to handle moisture. It allows colour to sit beautifully on the surface. Cold-press paper has a bit of texture and is beginner-friendly, while hot press is smoother if you prefer crisp lines.

-Clean water and a cloth: You’ll need water to activate your paints and rinse your brushes. Keep a cloth or paper towel nearby to control moisture and blot excess paint.

Getting Started

How do you start a watercolour painting? One of the reasons I love this medium is how simple and unfussy it is. You don’t need a complicated setup or a dozen extra tools to begin. Just open your palette and wake up the colours with a little water. I usually mist the pans lightly or add a few drops with a spoon to soften them before I start painting. After that, simply dip your brush into clean water, swirl it over the pigment, and bring that colour straight to the page.

The beauty of watercolour paint shows in how much control you have over intensity. The more water you use, the softer and more delicate the colour will appear. If you’re after something bold and rich, use less water and load more pigment onto your brush. A slightly damp brush with concentrated paint creates deeper, moodier tones. Adjust the balance until it feels right in your hand.

How to Mix Colours

It’s tempting to think you need a huge set with every shade imaginable. However, a few basic colours can take you surprisingly far because watercolour paints are beautifully easy to mix. All you need to do is add a small amount of water to a pan, loosen the pigment with your brush, and transfer a bit of that colour onto a smooth surface like a palette or ceramic plate. Then repeat the process with another colour and gently blend the two. Just like that, you can create a new shade.

One of my favourite things about mixing your own shades is that nothing goes to waste. If you’ve blended a colour you love, simply let it dry on the palette. Later, you can reactivate it with a touch of water, and it’s ready to use again. As you experiment, you’ll notice how certain combinations naturally create familiar hues. Red and blue lean toward purple, yellow and red warm up into orange, and blending all three primary colours can produce a deep, muted tone.

How to Contour

Watercolour paint blends naturally, which makes adding dimension feel surprisingly simple. If you want to turn a flat shape into something that looks more lifelike, work with different strengths of the same colour. Start by painting a soft, light circle. Then imagine where your light is coming from. If the light hits from the left, the right side will naturally fall into shadow. Deepen that area with a slightly richer version of the same hue, curving it along the edge.

At first, you’ll probably see a clear line between the tones, but that’s easy to fix. Rinse your brush, dampen it with clean water, and gently soften the edge where the colours meet. The paint will begin to blur together, creating a smooth transition. Add a deeper tone near the bottom for extra depth, and suddenly your simple circle starts to feel like a solid sphere sitting on the page.