DO’S AND DON’TS: E F F EESSENTIAL CTIVE WAYS OWATERCOLOR F STUDYING TECHNIQUES TIPS BEFORE & EX A MFOR S ALL BEGINNERS AVOID PRINTER PAPER The first tip is pretty straightforward: don’t use printer paper! Printer paper is very thin and flimsy, which means it doesn’t hold water very well. Even just a single layer will cause it to buckle and create unsightly wrinkles all over the page. Yuck!
WATERCOLOR TECHNIQUES FOR LIFTING PAINT First, don’t use toilet paper or thin tissue paper! Second, don’t apply too much pressure! Too much pressure may damage the fibers of your paper, and creates harshlooking marks.
HOW TO AVOID BUCKLING Use artist’s tape (or masking tape) around the border of the watercolor paper. This type of tape isn’t as sticky as regular tape, so you can peel it off without tearing the paper underneath.
ADDING WATER Water is a must when working with different watercolor techniques. When working with the wet-in-wet technique (i.e. adding wet paint to an already wet surface), the first step is to add a layer of water to your watercolor paper. A handy tip to remember here is: don’t add too much water!
SKETCHING IN OUTLINES Sketch lightly and try to use the least amount of lines possible. You can make your lines even lighter with careful erasing (pro tip: if you have a kneaded eraser, you can roll it over your pencil lines while applying a little pressure). As you paint, these lines will practically disappear into your painting and allow the colors to shine through!
COVINGTONWATERCOLORS.COM