The first and most obvious feature of watercolor is that it is transparent. It is applied to clean white paper. This means you need to decide from the beginning where the white areas will be in your painting and plan ahead to keep those areas intact.

Secret successful drawing The trick with watercolor is to avoid areas that need to remain white and apply light layers of paint first, gradually adding darker layers. Try to cover large areas fairly lightly in the early stages of painting, adding heavier details towards the end. There are a few points to remember here...

Small sketches allow you to distribute your objects and adjust your composition before you start painting. If you have a work plan, it will be much easier for you to avoid problems that primarily relate to tone (light and dark) and contrast. Break your sketch into about 4 tonal areas and shade them. This will allow you to control the shadow and light so that the maximum contrast is in the place where the main subject in the composition is located.

Of all the tips for painting with watercolors, maintaining color harmony is one of the most important. There are a few simple techniques to maintain color harmony throughout the painting.

Limit your palette

Working with twenty different colors mixed in your palette sounds tempting, but it usually results in an uncoordinated, messy result. Limit your colors to just two or three, especially in the early stages of your work. Your subject will determine which ones to choose. I start painting buildings and landscapes with solutions of Raw Sienna and Burnt Sienna, with the addition of a small amount of Ultramarine and Indigo, depending on what atmosphere I want to convey, this gives a harmonious atmosphere for further work. Brighter colors can be added later if necessary.

The River Landscape project uses only 5 colors (four of which are blue) to create a simple, understated color harmony.

The picture below shows that a limited palette has a much stronger effect than the full color spectrum. Unlike grey, white and black charcoal Grey, White, Black Charcoal, Phthalo and Ultramarine Blue make up a large part of this picture. Small splashes of Permanent Rose add warmth to the main areas of the painting.

How often do you look at a painting and see that in one area the color is not right? A few trees in an unusual green color, a contradictory blue river or a purple flower that seems to be bursting out of a bouquet. The solution to this problem is simply to add more conflicting colors to the rest of the painting.

Allowing the Permanent Rose in the painting above to splash across the surface ties the color to the painting. If this color were only on the main objects, it would look unnecessary.

A few thin calligraphic lines in a harmonizing color will help connect the different colors in composition.
Use a fine #1 or #2 brush, or an ink pen. It's important to use only one color for these lines, otherwise you may end up with a mess. If you are using ink, spraying water on the design immediately after applying it will help soften the lines and create an interesting shading effect.

This painting shows the spray effect, with lines drawn in Burnt Sienna ink tying the piece together.

Avoid neutral dark tones - the picture will more life and characteristic features if it contains warm and cold dark colors. To create a rich, dark color, avoid adding matte yellow. Windsor & Newton's Quinacridone Gold or Rowney's Indian Yellow are ideal. Most other yellows make dirty dark tones. Just like with clear yellow, you will need a lot of pigment and very little water. It can be helpful to dip your brush into one color immediately after another, without rinsing. Rinsing the brush dilutes the solution and desaturated the dark color.

The main focus or main subject is the area in which your painting grabs and holds the viewer's attention before turning it to the rest of the painting. Just like the interesting parts of the subject, the main focal point should contain the maximum contrast of tones and the most saturated colors.

For a painting to be interesting, the main focus must be clear and well placed. Don't place the main objects in the center of the picture (both horizontal and vertical) unless you want your composition to be static and symmetrical.

Set your main focus at a different distance from each edge so you place your subject correctly. Separating the horizontal and vertical axis in a 1:2 ratio will also help establish the main focus.

A painting filled with meticulously detailed details from one edge to the other can be difficult to perceive. If you enjoy working with fine detail, try incorporating raised areas into your painting.

In this painting, the viewer can make out the details and textures in the main focal area and the flat areas of the terrain caused by the river in the foreground.

To make the paintings interesting, it is important to use pencil sketches.

No matter what you draw, you first need to determine the location on the page where the object will be located. Doing some pencil sketches before you start drawing will help you create a good composition.

Start drawing by mentally dividing the object into several small shapes. Draw them lightly and neatly, and then continue to break them down into even smaller shapes. There is no need to start from one corner of the object and move towards the opposite.

Your sketch will look better if the most interesting parts (the main objects or main focus) are not located on the center lines of the page. The strongest tonal (light/dark) contrast should be located in the main focus area.

Let some areas of the sketch be less detailed than others. Try placing more detail in the main focal area.

To be more confident, practice sketching on large sheets of inexpensive paper with a soft (5B or 6B) pencil, charcoal, or pastel pencil. Work for vertical surface, standing, (or on a surface that is at the correct angle for your field of view) and move your arm from your shoulder. Work from large and embossed to small details. Only finishing touches must be done with precise, short movements of the hand.

Practice - No matter what you draw, you need to practice so that you can determine the proportions at a glance and transfer it to paper. There are no easy paths here; a lot of pencils will be sharpened.

A list of tips for beginners to paint with watercolors would be incomplete without a description of the necessary tools and materials.

One of good features watercolor painting - if you're just starting out, you need very few materials. A few paints, four or five brushes, some drawing paper, and that's it! An old white plate will serve as a palette, or you can buy an inexpensive one plastic palette. Best advice which I can give here is to buy professional quality paints and good paper. Here's my shopping list for beginners.

Paints

• Ultramarine Blue (French is better, but also more expensive)
• Long lasting Alizarin Crimson
• Indian Yellow or Quinacridone Gold

Brushes

• Long flat brush
• Liner No. 1 or No. 2
• Bristle brush (Long bristles)

Paper

Some medium paper to experiment with and a sheet of Arches or Saunders 300g (140lb) medium texture paper. Cut the sheet into 4 parts.

Folding plastic palette

This is enough to get started. You can add tools to this later, but don't rush into buying 20 different colors and a dozen brushes - it won't make you a better artist, just more confused.

Once you've painted a few pictures with these tools, you might want to add some more colors and brushes to them. I use very few tools.

This color wheel only shows the colors listed above. It has a fairly rich range of colors that can be mixed, but no more than two main ones.

By mixing primary colors, you can get composite shades (Brown, Khaki, Gray), which we often use in paintings.

Transparent Quinacridone Gold prevents paints from becoming dirty. Read more about materials in Painting On Location.

Last and not least

Enjoy what you do!

Give your work a matte finish, sit down with a glass of wine or a mug of coffee and look at all the good things you've achieved. It's important to enjoy your work. Memories of mistakes and problems are frustrating and make it difficult to move on. I still see the picture without any positive aspects. Focusing on the positive aspects of your work will give you confidence and enthusiasm, and bring you success.

• Leave the paper white from the start.
• Work out your composition with a sketch before you begin.
• Limit your palette to create color harmony.
• Don't let out-of-place colors create clutter—connect them with the rest of the painting.
• Try using a cohesive color to bring the painting together.
• Make your dark tones warm or cool to avoid neutral areas.
• Make your subject or main focal point the main one.
• Don't overwork - leave areas for simple relief.
• Practice sketching - this is the basic skill on which all your paintings will be built.
• Be conservative when choosing your drawing tools - you really don't need a lot.
• Enjoy your success!

Many people want to learn how to draw, but are afraid to start. How to approach paints? Which brush and paper should I choose? Where to start? The Painting from Scratch guide has the answers to all these questions.

Here are the basics of where to start painting. Follow these tips, do the exercises and you will no longer be afraid of a blank slate. You'll get necessary knowledge and basic skills. Painting will become closer, clearer and will bring a lot of pleasure.

Part 1. Preparatory

1. Find an inspiring subject to draw

It happens that you have already prepared everything, but you cannot find an object that would inspire you. This should be taken care of in advance. Something interesting is probably lying around in cabinets and desk drawers. Look for items at sales, consignments and grocery stores. Study paintings by your favorite artists.

The selection should include items that are pleasant to look at: this is important for creating successful work

An interest in color and shape will motivate you as you work on your painting. There is a connection between feelings for an object and the ability to reveal your abilities. You can do more than you think.

For the first picture, a simple one-color symmetrical vessel, such as a regular coffee cup, will do. Illustration from the book

2. Get to know brushes and paints

Take a soft round brush and a bristle brush in your hands and compare their bristles. Squeeze a little onto the palette acrylic paint from a tube. Try applying undiluted paint with different brushes to canvas or watercolor paper. The strokes should be bright and bold. Feel the differences in strokes with different brushes. Add a little water and apply the strokes again. Medium consistency paint has the same color intensity as undiluted paint, but its texture is smoothed out. And do this exercise again with a weak paint solution. Notice how quickly the paints dry the first, second, and third times.

Illustration from the book

Try applying paint with different brushes - soft oval, synthetic thin, bristly flat. Try each brush until you are confident that you know which brush to use to achieve the design you have in mind.

Illustration from the book

3. Useful techniques for working with the palette

The colors in the paintings we see are usually obtained through mixing: the pure color from the tube is usually too intense. These techniques will make it easier for you to get the color you want.

1. 1 Squeeze the paint from the tube onto the edge of the palette, leaving space between the colors. Use the center of the palette for mixing. Make batches farther apart to prevent unwanted mixing.
2. Apply pure color to the brush from the edge of the palette, and not from above or from the middle of the squeezed out “sausage”.
3. Intensive dark colors, such as black (although it is not considered a color with scientific point vision), add with caution: even a small amount can significantly change the color being mixed.
4. You need to mix the colors together until the mixture becomes completely homogeneous.
5. Don't skimp on the paint. Squeeze out as much as you need - usually this is a circle the size of a ruble coin (for whitewash - the size of a five-ruble coin). Paint consumption is an integral part of the painting process. If you save too much, you will never learn how to use paint.

4. Learn to get neutral colors

In any picture there are neutral colors - “visually gray”. Due to their low intensity, they are invisible at first glance, but this is the most useful tool to create a harmonious color composition. Let's see how to achieve this.

Mix blue and orange in any proportion. Now let's try to change color temperature due to the proportional ratio of warm and cold colors in the mixture. If the result is more purple, try making a rusty color by adding more orange paint, then whitening for a lighter color. peach color. If the first step produces a rusty color, add blue to make it appear cool color, close to violet, and then whitewashed to make a light violet-gray.

Repeat the previous steps for another pair of complementary colors - yellow and purple, red and green.

Pairs of complementary colors are connected by short vertical strokes. The colors of each pair are mixed with each other to create two neutral colors, in each of which one of the parent colors was dominant - they are located to the right of the corresponding parent. Illustration from the book

5. Primary, secondary and tertiary colors

Draw a circle, then divide it into three equal sectors. Paint the upper sector with cadmium yellow medium, the lower right one with ultramarine blue, and then mix the main red from naphthol crimson and cadmium red light and paint the lower left sector with it.

On the color wheel of primary colors, draw semicircles with centers at the intersection of the sector boundaries with the outer contour of the color wheel. Fill these semicircles with secondary colors, placing them above the “parents”: cadmium red light above the border between red and yellow, dioxazine violet above the border between red and blue. Add yellow to the green FC and fill in the green semicircle above the border between yellow and blue.

The primary color, when mixed with the adjacent secondary color, produces a tertiary color. Add one triangle on each side of the semicircle, making a total of six. Color in each triangle based on the labels.

Primary, secondary and tertiary colors. Illustration from the book

Part 2. Drawing

6. Start with abstractions

Abstraction is an interesting and simple way to prepare for working on a realistic piece. It is important to choose 3-4 colors that you like in order to feel an emotional connection with the painting. Draw over the entire surface of the sheet with a simple pencil a continuous angular or rounded line. It may intersect several times.

Paint the shapes in the drawing with the colors and shades, paint consistency and brush that you like. Listen to your inner voice. The main task is to do it the way you like, forgetting about everything else.

Illustration from the book

7. Smear pattern

Beginners are often unsure how to apply strokes. The arrows in the figure show the direction that will help to achieve good depth in the depicted space using the example of a mug.

Smear diagram and result. Illustration from the book

8. How to apply eye shadow

Shadows play a key role in creating a three-dimensional image: first of all, you need to learn to see and write them. There are four types of shadows:

• Own shadows located on objects. These are areas of dark tone that contrast with the illuminated parts of the depicted form. They usually have a sharp edge at the outer edge and a smooth transition at the edge of the light-colored areas of the subject. They own the main role in creating volume.
• Halftone areas- narrow, with a soft contour, located on the border between its own shadow and the illuminated area of ​​the object. These shadows are the middle tone between the contrasting dark and light tones of the subject.
• Falling shadows- silhouettes of an object, “fallen” or thrown by it onto any surface other than itself. They give the impression that the object is on some surface.
• Shadows at the point of contact- the darkest area of ​​the falling shadow, lying next to the object. They are responsible for the “stability” and mass of the object. These shadows are also called the accent - the darkest area among the dark tones. An accent is the dark counterpart of a highlight, the lightest area among the highlights.

To paint a shadow, apply black paint or paint of a darker color than the base color. And in the second step, cover this darkened area with the main color. The halftone black should show through under the new coat of paint, creating a colored shadow. If you want to make the shadow darker, apply more black from the clear edge of the shadow and mix with the color in the midtone.

Shadow using a cylinder as an example. Illustration from the book

9. How to apply highlights

To create a realistic highlight, use a dry brush with white paint to paint the lightest area on the subject as many times as necessary to achieve sufficient brightness. In the middle of the highlight, place a small dab of thick paint for extra brightness.

Two examples of highlight overlay. Illustration from the book

10. Paint pictures in your imagination

While studying everyday affairs, paint pictures in your imagination. Mentally look for correspondence between the surfaces and textures you see around you and the way you work with a brush and apply paint.

There are never too many ideas for creativity, and if children also participate in the creative process, you will agree that it often becomes not only creative, but also exploratory. WITH simple techniques the use of watercolors, which will show us from a new side the properties of some ordinary objects, introduces us today to Anastasia Borisova , blog author English4.me - English for me and my family. Anastasia's blog is not only about language, but also about creativity, so today we are going on an excursion to creative storerooms and learning simple watercolor techniques and techniques.

There are so many creative and well-rounded mothers here on! AND interesting finds waiting for us at every step. Many mothers, seeing the incredible results of their 2-4 year old child’s work after some kind of training - even if not always as intended - exclaim: “How original and simple! Where is this taught? Everyone wants to become a little bit of a sorceress for their children.

So, using the simplest techniques, in 15 minutes I painted a winter landscape, which my husband considered worthy of putting up for sale. 🙂

The best children's books

The non-standard use of materials and the variety of created effects give the child the feeling “I can!”, and allow the mother, who all her life thought that she couldn’t draw, to overcome the “I can’t draw” feeling.

Watercolor is a fluid and unruly thing. We will use precisely these not always convenient properties, creating “masterpieces” mainly “wet”.

1. Crayon resistance effect - manifestations of wax crayon

This is perhaps the most common technique. Using a wax crayon or a candle, a drawing or inscription is applied to a sheet of paper, and then painted over with watercolors. Using white chalk or a candle, you can make secret notes or congratulations; yellow chalk creates a glowing effect; bright blues, greens and pinks under dark watercolors - a neon effect. You can also combine this technique with rubbing. We put a textured backing under the sheet (whatever you can find at home) and rub it on top with the flat side of the chalk. If you do this carefully and place leaves or some kind of relief object, you get excellent prints.

2. Salt - salt over wet watercolor

By sprinkling salt on a still wet painted sheet, you can achieve interesting effects. Medium-coarse salt leaves “snowflakes” on the blue when dried. On a green background you will get translucent foliage. Fine extra salt dries almost completely. This way you can add texture to a road, a stone, or create a galaxy.

3. Blotting - bleaching paint.

By removing excess water and a layer of paint from the sheet with a dry napkin, you can draw winter spruce trees covered with snow or sea foam. You can get a pale moon or sun if you wrap a paper napkin around a tube from toilet paper and blot the watercolor sky. Even a drawing that has already dried can be corrected by sprinkling it with water and gently rubbing the desired area.

If you crumple a napkin and apply it to the blue sky, you will get very natural clouds.

A crumpled napkin also creates an interesting texture. Texture sheets can then be successfully used when creating collages.

4. Pressing - pushing

In the picture above you can see a clear inscription in dark letters (I ...). It was made on wet watercolor with the tip of a brush (the paint seems to flow into the depressed hollows). This way you can sign the drawing or add details. The same principle applies to placing a sheet of wet watercolor with a textured object on it under a press. It is best, of course, to print the leaves this way. But even feathers and a tree branch make a good decorative picture.

5. Splatter and spray - splashing

A toothbrush plus watercolors will help you make rain, snow, falling leaves, or depict the wind. It's fun to just splash different colors on a dry leaf. A moistened leaf will give a completely different effect. You will be able to watch how the droplets blur, merging with each other into a bizarre ornament.

You can spray around the stencil, or vice versa inside it. A consistently original result is guaranteed. Just don't forget to cover it with newspapers. working space, the paint scatters far.

6. Masking tape - painting with masking tape

I was surprised to discover that the above-mentioned adhesive tape peels off from the paper several times, which means we use it as a basis for the stencil. You can tear it into uneven strips with your hands and draw a forest.

Any geometric compositions turn out great. You can even cut out something more detailed into the thickness of the tape, like the houses in the first photo. The main thing is that this stencil does not need to be additionally secured and held, and the likelihood of paint getting under it is not high if the edges are smoothed well.

7. Foam painting - drawing with foam

Fun and beautiful texture all rolled into one. In a container you need to mix water, a little liquid soap and a lot of paint. We hand the child a straw and allow him to blow bubbles. As soon as the tall hat grows, we apply paper to it. In this case, it is better to undress the child completely, so that it will be easier to wash later.

8. Alcohol and citric acid - alcohol and citric acid

Both liquids seem to “move apart” and “eat away” the paint. A drop of alcohol gives a fish eye effect, and its volatility can create additional areolas around the eye, similar to a halo around the sun. Very unusual.

Lemon juice spreads well over fresh watercolors, but has no effect on dried ones. It spreads quite a lot on its own, so it’s important not to overdo it. IN ideal you get these “furry” blots. After drying, they can be turned into monsters or something else by adding arms, legs, eyes.

9. Stamping - stamping

In my opinion, it is better to work with stamps with thicker paints - gouache, acrylic. You can use whatever is at hand, and also cut out stamps from potatoes, imprint cut vegetables, etc. Watercolor is good for creating textures. We take a napkin, dip it in paint and leave marks that are quite similar to stones, for example.

10. Plastic cling wrap - cling film

Did you know that film can also draw? It is enough to lay it on wet watercolor and move it around. The result is ice crystals or other kinds of abstractions.

If you make one large, even “window” framed by wrinkles, then after the paint dries you will see, say, a lake or wormwood. In the photo it even looks like it turned out to be a rose.

11. Blowing

Another technique for drawing with a tube. And again you need to blow, but now as hard as possible, driving a drop of paint along the sheet. As a result, you will get intricate trees or just funny weirdos, or perhaps hair for a pre-drawn character.

If you want, you can let the paint flow on its own wherever it wants. Just turn the sheet over vertically and then play around with your child, this is what it looks like.

12. Light table - light table

Or a window, in other words. 🙂 This technique is not for kids, but mom can create a gallery of children’s portraits if she wants. All relatives will be provided with gifts for the year ahead. In childhood, I think everyone “combined” pictures by placing the original with a white sheet of paper against the window. What if you take a photo? In photo editors, you need to ensure that there are 2 colors left - black and white (posterize function).

Then there are several options for action. You can paint over all the white areas with wax crayon or a candle, and then go over with watercolors. It turns out interesting, but not very clean, because it’s quite difficult to track where the chalk went.

You can simply outline all the white spots with a pencil, and then carefully fill in the rest with paint. It's not as long or as difficult as it seems. Just a little patience and accuracy, and you will have 3-4 portraits during your children's nap.

If you decide to put things on stream, then it is better to purchase reserve liquid for watercolor paper in hobby markets. We apply it with a brush on white, go over it with watercolors on top, and then remove the reserve, like a film from a sheet. Fast, clean, original.

IN Ancient Egypt drew with a sharpened stick with a piece camel hair at the end with paints from crushed earth. This was the first watercolor technique, which is already about four thousand years old. Since then, watercolor painting has become firmly established in Europe.

The word “watercolor” itself has the Latin root “aqua” - water. That's why main principle Watercolor painting techniques are the degree to which the paper is moistened. It is water that gives the transparency of paints, purity of color and allows you to see the texture of the paper.

The artist has a choice of existing watercolor painting techniques:

• dry watercolor (Italian watercolor);
• wet watercolor (English watercolor);
• combined (mixed) technique;
• watercolor on fragmentarily moistened paper.

Dry watercolor (Italian watercolor)

Acquarello - this word sounds musical to the ear. Layers of paint are applied (one if it is a single-layer watercolor) or several (if it is glaze) on a dry sheet of paper.

“Watercolor is the tender promise of oil,” and this technique is a direct confirmation of this.

The tonality of the paint is thicker, the colors are brighter, the strokes are visible as if the drawing was painted in oil. The main difficulty is that if the oil endures everything, the work can be corrected, but in watercolor it is almost impossible to make mistakes. The Italians even have the term “A la Prima”, that is, “in one go.” The picture is painted without stages. With pure, undiluted colors, you need to boldly capture the essence, make a sketch from life.

Steps of an artist using the watercolor-on-dry technique:

1. drawing a contour drawing, developing shadows;
2. watercolor in one layer, or glaze;
3. brush strokes are opaque, mosaic, precise;
4. avoid dirty deposits, high speed of work.

Who to learn Italian style from: Russian academic painting XIX century. For example, “Italian Landscape” by A.A. Ivanov is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

Watercolor on wet (English watercolor)

The French call this technique “working on water” (travailler dans l’eau, French).

A sheet of paper is generously moistened with water. In this technique main feature- unpredictability of the result. Even if the artist has correctly calculated the tone and color, the drawing may still change more than once before it takes its final form before it dries completely. The contours of objects in this technique are blurry, the lines smoothly flow into each other and are airy. A painting made using this technique is thought out and imagined by the viewer.

In his book How to Understand Watercolor, writer Tom Hoffmann said: “Painting in watercolor is a dialogue between the artist and the viewer, each with their own role. If only one person talks, the other one will get bored.”

Artist's steps in wet-on-watercolor technique:

1. adding water to paints;
2. mixing paint, it doesn’t matter where, on the palette or on the sheet;
3. wet the sheet generously, then smooth it so that there are no irregularities left;
4. remove excess water from the sheet with a piece of cotton wool so that it stops shining;
5. complete the drawing using extremely precise strokes;
6. drying the pattern for 2 hours;
7. development of foreground elements (if required).

Who to learn the English style from: the brilliant English painter William Turner. According to contemporaries, he created four drawings at once using this technique “with amazing, monstrous speed.”

An example of Russian artists is the drawing by Maximilian Messmacher “View of Cologne Cathedral”.

Mixed media watercolor

Many artists combine several drawing techniques in one work.

Combined (mixed) technique techniques:

1. put the first layer of paint on a wet sheet;
2. elaboration of plans, creation of the required degree of blur;
3. drying the drawing;
4. lay out the next layers of paint in stages;
5. elaboration of the middle and close plans.

Basic rule of technology: the paper is not wetted entirely, but in desired area(reserve); the pigment is applied to the surface from top to bottom.

The paper may become wet in patches. The artist himself decides which plan to work on, creating watercolor stains. Using a sponge, you need to remove excess water so that water does not seep into those areas that should remain dry according to the artist’s plan. Examples of combined techniques in the work of artist Konstantin Kuzema.

The next issue for the artist is to create layers of paint. There are single-layer and multi-layer techniques (glaze).

Single layer watercolor technique

To paraphrase the famous satirist, one careless movement, and at best you will end up with graphics instead of watercolors. The paint is applied in one layer; adjustments cannot be made. The single-layer technique can be applied dry-on-dry or wet-on-dry.

Features of single-layer watercolor “dry on dry”:

• execution literally in one or two touches;
• it is necessary to outline the contours of the drawing in advance;
• select the colors to use for speed;
• for colorization, use shades only on a damp layer;
• more clarity and graphics, less overflow.

Features of watercolor in one layer “wet on dry”:

• more shimmer, less graphics and clarity;
• Apply strokes quickly, until dry, one after another;
• For colorization, have time to add paint when the smear has not yet dried.

The advantage of the single-layer technique is the creation of picturesque watercolor tints. On a dry sheet it is easier to control the fluidity and outline of the strokes. Contemporary artists often conduct master classes and post videos on Youtube. You can see the technique of single-layer watercolor, for example, from watercolorist Igor Yurchenko.

Those who tirelessly improve their watercolor technique should master the multi-layer technique (glazing), which is used by famous masters.

Multilayer watercolor technique (glaze)

This watercolor technique can give " green light» creating paintings in the style of realism. Glaze- multi-layer technique, applying watercolor with transparent strokes from lighter to darker, one layer on top of the other.

Features of multi-layer watercolor technique:

• realism of the image: the picture is in bright, rich colors;
• the bottom layer of light and transparent strokes must have time to dry before the next application;
• the boundaries of the strokes are visible;
• the paint does not mix in different layers;
• the strokes are done carefully, the plans are airy, the painting is in a soft style;
• You can divide the process into several sessions and complete a large canvas.

Watercolor works made with glaze become similar to oil or gouache painting. So that the work does not have such a disadvantage, you must be able to work with light, apply glazes subtly and accurately.

Sergei Andriyaka is considered an unsurpassed master of multi-layer watercolor. In addition to his creativity, the artist is actively involved in teaching; his and his students’ works are constantly exhibited.

“Oil painting is like driving a limousine, and watercolor is like driving a Ferrari.” Not the same respectability and security, but it’s really cool,” Croatian watercolorist Joseph Zbukvich wittily remarked. What does it take to paint a good watercolor, or to “drive a Ferrari like a breeze,” according to the artist? He answers: “Follow watercolors, or just paint.”

To draw you need brushes, paints, mastery of technology and special effects. You can paint with a dry (wrung out), semi-dry and wet brush (kolinor or squirrel brush).

Techniques in multilayer technology are also varied:

1. Strokes you need to do it according to the principle “the master’s work is afraid”, invent your own technique, making dotted, linear, blurry, curly, solid and intermittent strokes.
2. Fill covers most of the design with one color, used to provide smooth color transitions.
3. Washing- applying no more than three layers of paint, one on top of the other after drying, to enhance halftones, add details and shadows. This way the overall tone is achieved.
4. Gradient stretch- strokes smoothly transition into each other, each next one is lighter than the previous one. This is done with a rainbow transition of colors.
5. Pulling paint- a clean, dry brush makes the tone of the stroke lighter, passes over the paper, collecting excess pigment.
6. Reserve- that part of the sheet that is left white.

Types of reservation:

• « bypass“- the name speaks for itself, you need to carefully go around the right places with your brush. In wet watercolors, you need to leave more space for the reserve due to paint leakage.
• mechanical impact: scratching, masking. Avoid damaging the paper with sharp objects and sharp contrasts. Additional materials: razor, wax crayons, etc.
• paint washing out with a dry cloth or wrung-out brush. You can use a palette knife if the paint is dry.

You can create watercolors using the grisaille (monochrome), dichrome (with ocher) and multi-color techniques.

You can also combine coloring materials and create special effects:

• Mixing watercolors with whitewash, gouache, watercolor pencils, ink, pastel. This is no longer clean technology, but mixed. What does this give? - clarity (pencils), shading (pastel), wash (ink), book illustrations (pen), reserve (white), linear strokes (watercolor pencils).
• Special effect " drawing on crumpled paper"gives an amazing effect of chiaroscuro on the folds of paper.
• Special effect with salt: salt crystals are applied to the drawing, and as a result of friction with the paper, fantastic stains appear. Suitable for drawing a starry sky or water meadow.
• Special effect " splashing“- this effect is familiar to all 1-2 year old toddlers. It turns out that the technique of splashing exists in painting, and you won’t be scolded for it. Using a toothbrush, apply tiny drops of paint. Suitable for writing the elements, storms, storms.
• Watercolor with tea: for the effect of “aging” paper, with a texture reminiscent of parchment. The leaf is tinted with tea leaves.
• Special effect with cling film: the film, moistened with paint, is sharply separated from the sheet of paper. The resulting stains are used as a background.

And again about the principle “the master’s work is afraid”: each artist can create his own, original techniques and techniques. Whether or not to share with others is his business, but every artist is responsible for the originality of his work. As the already mentioned watercolorist Joseph Zbukvic said: “Watercolor is the boss. I’m just her young assistant.”

Drawing helps you discover your inner world, take a break from the gray everyday life, calm down and relax. One of available materials Watercolors are considered.

Watercolor is based on the use of water-soluble paints and has characteristic features, having mastered which, you will be free to work on creating watercolor paintings, drawing nature, and making portraits.

First, you need to choose the right tools; brushes should be made of natural materials, of different diameters and shapes. Next you need to purchase special paper for watercolor, thicker than regular drawing sheets.

And also stock up on consumables:

• plastic palette;
• pieces of fabric;
• water container;
• paper tape;
• pencils for sketching.

To design unusual masterpieces, you also need to prepare a toothbrush, a porous sponge and white gouache. You can use any non-absorbent materials as a palette. And for ease of work, you can take a special tablet on which you need to attach a sheet of paper soaked in water under the tap.

It is important to choose the right paper for creating a drawing. Watercolor loves water, but paper does not. It comes in waves and warps. And instead of a drawing, it turns out to be a wrinkled blot.

Therefore, special thick paper for watercolors will be what you need for both beginners and professionals! There is no need to take ordinary sheets for the printer, thin and with a density of 80 grams per square meter.

For beginners, the paper density should be 200 grams per square meter. Although there is paper with a density of 600 grams per square meter, this is already material for more experienced artists.

You can choose a type of watercolor paper with a pronounced rough surface, cold pressed. Or smooth with embossed single, " eggshell" At the first stage, you can buy different types of paper and try which one will be the best option for you.

Before you start painting, you need to take at least a basic online course in watercolor painting, see how to mix paints, how to apply them to the canvas, and how to correct defects.

If you already know everything, you have chosen full set to paint with watercolors, then you can proceed to the practical part. Let's start watercolor painting lessons.

Lesson 1 on watercolor painting - drawing under watercolor!

Watercolor drawing: choose a still life, a simple one is better to start with. It should contain 2-3 items.

Let's make a drawing. To do this, take a T-TM pencil (so as not to leave excess graphite on the paper), well sharpened so as not to damage upper layer paper and have a complete overview of the work. While working, hold the pencil in your hand under small angle relative to the plane of the paper, approximately 5-10 degrees no more, we work only with the tip.

Attention! It is not at all necessary to make a drawing in watercolor every time. When it is not difficult for you to visually notice all future tonal transitions, then it will be enough to just lightly outline the objects.

On the sheet, mark the boundaries of the still life, the place of each object. Barely noticeable, without pressure, you draw the outlines of objects with elements of construction. All construction lines should be barely visible.

Now you need to separate the light from the shadow using a light stroke, the bed is shaped like a stroke. Start shading at the break of the shape, where the light turns into halftone, and continue shading towards the shadows. This is important to determine the place of shadow and light, and to capture the distribution of halftones by shape.

Lesson 2 on watercolor painting - color sketch!

Round brushes should be used. Large numbers can be used to fill large areas, and smaller numbers can be used to work out details. Three or four are universal for a beginning artist.

We take a quarter of a landscape sheet, attach it to the easel and get to work.

In this sketch we will determine the color scheme of our composition. It contains various items, one of them will be dominant. All other objects (spots) will be ranked according to the dominant one, from which we will begin. Mix the color of the main subject and fill in our dominant.

There must be a connection between all the objects in the picture. They will be one whole composition. Solving the shadows in the composition will be the next step. How shadows will behave needs to be studied in more detail.

To create an abstract background with shimmer, you need to dampen the selected area with a cloth or sponge, applying the selected colors with a wide brush so that their edges touch and the colors mix independently.

Note: if the palette is saturated with paint, then take a clean leaf, transfer part of the mixture onto it and continue working.

To create effective lines, you need to use the “free brush” technique, take a thin tool, for example, a knife, closer to the base, and then start moving the brush along the paper, turning in the desired direction. This makes the lines very realistic and unique.

1. Washing, a general background is created on a uniform coating of paper - sky, grass, road.
2. Stretching, from bright color to white.
3. “Dry on” technique, drying each applied layer before the next one.
4. “Wet on wet”, paints are applied to a sheet of paper previously moistened with water, giving bizarre transitions.

After you have decided on the color scheme of the composition, we attach the finished sketch to top corner easel, take a washcloth or wet sponge and moisten the paper. This is done in order to wash away any remaining grease from the paper, so that the paint will not roll off.
Afterwards, we fill in the shadows, determine the light, and work out the main halftones in the drawing, where each of them will have its place.

Comment: You need to work with watercolor paints delicately, no more than three strokes in one place, otherwise the paper will not show through (which is the beauty of watercolor work itself).

At first, set yourself an example of how to do watercolor painting. You need to paint in watercolors in daylight. There is no point in trying to finish the work in a short time; if the limit for applying strokes has been exhausted, it is advisable to leave everything as is - do not rush to “ruin the paper.”

To erase dry watercolor, you need to do this with a damp brush, dabbing the contents from the paper. It is advisable to do less mistakes so that the work is of higher quality.

It is also important to learn how to stretch the tablet, because it will be preferable to create canvases on a stretched tablet. This is necessary because when painting with watercolors a lot of water is used - which greatly warps the paper after drying.

On a stretched tablet, the work will look solid and the sheet of paper will be perfectly straight after being cut from the tablet. You can show such work at an exhibition or even sell it.

Conclusion!

In every task you need to be assertive and try to do it properly! Take your time, choose the right colors, harmonize them with each other and realize your fantasies on canvas.

Congratulations on your talented performance and good luck in your work!