5 Common Watercolour Mistakes
Regardless of how long you’ve been painting, you’ll no doubt have encountered at least one of the following problems below. But if you are new to the painting world, then this would be both frustrating and perplexing. Here are some of the most common watercolour mistakes that you’re making and how you can avoid them in future.
1. Muddy colours
Muddy colours happen because of inadequate knowledge about colour theory. Colours that aren’t supposed to be friends are mixed together, resulting in dull muddy colours. This can be mitigated by learning more about colour theory, and using a colour wheel to aid your process.
Understanding basic colour theory is useful for your artistic journey because it helps you develop a spidey sense about what kind of colours can or cannot work together, and it is especially important for colour mixing, so that you do not get muddy colours. Once you understand the relationships between colours, you will be able to use them with confidence.
2. Unwanted backruns
When you go back into a damp wash with a watery brush it can lead to unwanted back runs. The effect can look nice if done with intention, but if not, it can ruin the look of a painting. Always check that the brush is not holding excess water and the paper is not damp. Never rush the process.
If you go back into the painting when the paper is still damp, backruns will happen. If you want to avoid backruns, always wait until the paper is completely dry before painting the next layer.
3. Overworking
Overworking will dull your painting, and your painting will lose its brightness and luminosity. Overworking usually happens because we are so focused on working on a section of the painting but it is imperative to take breaks and step away from the painting, and to look at it from a distance because then you are able to assess and look at the painting as a whole as opposed to just a section. Then you can accurately judge for yourself if something needs more work or if it’s time to stop. Stepping away for a break allows you to look at your work with renewed perspective and will help prevent overworking.
4. Unwanted bleeding
If two or more colours are too close to each other when the paint is still wet, it will cause the colours to bleed into each other. This is my favourite wet-on-wet technique, because when used correctly, it can produce very natural and fun colour effects. It is a technique that I use a lot in my work to create beautiful and natural blends.
However if this is not your intended effect, it’s important to work on dry paper. Make sure the paper is dry before painting the next thing. You can fix an unwanted bleed with a clean damp brush, just lift some colour and dab with a tissue.
5. Hard lines
Sometimes wet paint dries with a hard line on the paper and it creates a very rigid line and shape that is unsightly. This happens if your brush is too wet, or if you linger too long on a spot. In wet on wet techniques, if you didn’t wet your paper properly, the hard line will appear when the paint eventually meets the edge of the dry parts of the paper.
You can fix it by using a clean, damp brush and gently go along the line while it is still damp to soften it. This will give you a soft, blended edge.
