Watercolour painting is a versatile medium that ranges from the softest gradients to the wildest textures imaginable. Whether you are a beginner or looking to add more tricks to your repertoire, mastering these essential techniques will open up endless possibilities for your artwork. In this blog, we’ll discuss ten basic watercolour techniques for beginners and when and how you can use them.

1. Wet-on-Wet

Wet-on-wet is probably the most liquid and spontaneous technique in watercolour painting. Here, we apply wet paint to a wet surface. As a result, colours bleed. This technique gives us naturally soft, blurred edges.

How to do it: Wet your paper with clean water using a big brush. Immediately apply wet paint on top of the wet paper. The paint will spread, giving natural gradients and flowing shapes.

Best for: Utilize this technique to paint skies, abstract backgrounds, or any scene that requires smooth blending.

2. Wet-on-Dry

Wet-on-dry is the converse of wet-on-wet. Here, we apply wet paint on a dry surface. The paint remains more confined, allowing us to create sharp lines and detailing.

How to do it: Dampen your brush and load it with paint. Then, apply it to dry paper.

Best for: It is perfect for detailed areas or when you want to show defined shapes in your composition.

3. Dry Brush

Dry Brushing is a fabulous way to add texture to your painting. We use little water in this technique, keeping the paint thick. This gives us rough, uneven strokes that can be useful in creating textures like wood grain, hair, or foliage. It gives a sense of tactile detail or highlights specific areas with a coarse texture.

How to do it: Apply thick paint to the dry paper using a brush with very little water. Lightly drag the brush across the surface, allowing the texture of the paper to show through.​

Best for: It is good when you want to make rough textures, such as wood, rocks, or grass.

4. Glazing

Glazing is a technique that involves layering. Here, we apply thin, transparent washes of colour over an area to build depth and complexity. To avoid unwanted blending, you must dry each layer completely before applying the next.

How to do it: Paint a light wash and let it dry completely. Then, apply subsequent layers of colour to deepen shadows or change the tone of an area.

Best for: This technique is ideal for building up shadows, depth, and rich colours.

5. Lifting

Lifting involves lifting off/ removing paint to create highlights or correct mistakes. To do this, we remove paint from the paper using a clean, damp brush or tissue. We can do this on both wet and dry areas.

How to do it: Use a clean, damp brush or tissue to gently blot or wipe away wet paint. If the paint is dry, re-wet the area and lift the pigment with a brush or sponge.​

Best for: This technique is ideal for creating cloud-like shapes, adjusting the lightness of certain areas, and correcting errors.

6. Salt Technique

The salt technique involves sprinkling salt onto wet paint to create unique textures and crystal-like patterns. The salt sucks some water and pigment, resulting in interesting patterns that may resemble frost or stars. It’s a fun, experimental technique that adds unexpected details.

How to do it: While your wash is still wet, sprinkle coarse salt over the painted area. Once the paint dries, brush off the salt to reveal the texture.​

Best for: It can create abstract textures, snow, frost, and starry skies.

7. Splattering

Splattering creates a fun, dynamic texture that can mimic natural splashes, raindrops, or energetic bursts. It’s perfect for creating a sense of motion or adding some randomness in your artwork.

How to do it: Load your brush with paint and flick it onto the paper using your finger or another brush. The splatter size depends on the size of brush you use and the amount of water used.

Best for: It creates dynamic textures, stars, raindrops, etc.

8. Graded Wash

A graded wash creates a smooth transition from dark to light. This technique provides a gradual change in tone or colour.

How to do it: Start with a concentrated colour at the top. Gradually dilute the paint with water as you move down, fading the colour toward the bottom.

Best for: This creates great skies, water, or even smooth gradients for a nice, smooth-looking finish.

9. Flat Wash

A Flat Wash is a basic but essential technique. Here, we cover a large area with an even layer of paint with no visible brush strokes or colour variations. This technique is often used to create backgrounds or as a base for more complex layers.

How to do it: Mix a sufficient amount of paint with water.​ Start applying even, horizontal strokes while making sure the colour is smooth and uniform.

Best for: It is used for backgrounds and underpainting.

10. Scumbling

Scumbling is a dry brush technique used to create broken, textured layers. It’s great for adding texture and roughness to a painting, similar to dry brushing but even looser.

How to do it: Drag a dry brush loaded with thick paint lightly across the paper for a broken, textured effect.

Best for: It is best suited for rocky surfaces, tree surfaces, and foliage.

Conclusion

These watercolour techniques, ranging from beginner-friendly to more advanced, provide a foundation for creating varied textures, effects, and depth in your artwork. From the soft blends of wet-on-wet to the textural magic of sponge, each technique adds a unique touch to your work. Exploring and practising these watercolour techniques will allow you to achieve unique and stunning results in your watercolour painting.

You can even experiment with combining techniques as you get the hang of it. The more you practice, the more confident and creative you’ll become with your watercolour painting.