How to Blend Watercolor Paint. Watercolor Painting Techniques for Beginners, by Louise De Masi on YouTube. 37 min 8 s.
- Video length
- 37 min 8 s
- Time to do it
- 25 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Squeeze a little paint onto your palette and add clean water with a soft brush to make a smooth, runny puddle.
For wet-on-wet, brush clean water evenly across the paper and wait until the shine dulls but the paper is still damp.
Load your brush with colour and touch it to the damp paper. Let the paint spread on its own instead of scrubbing.
For wet-on-dry, paint a stroke on dry paper, then add a second stroke beside it while the first is still damp to create a softer join.
Try the half-and-half exercise: wet one half of a small area and leave the other half dry, then paint across both to compare the soft and hard edges.
To revive a dried edge, dip a clean brush in water, blot it, and gently brush along the hard line to lift and soften the pigment.
Finish with a clean, damp brush dragged lightly along any harsh edge, rinsing the brush as soon as it picks up colour.
Practise on simple shapes such as lemons, keeping the light side soft and the shadow edge controlled.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep the paper damp but not shiny, because standing water causes puddles and blooms.
Rinse your brush before dipping into a new colour so the mix stays clean.
Let each layer dry fully before adding a hard-edged shape on top.
Do not scrub the paper, because it damages the surface and makes future blends patchy.
Questions
Can I blend watercolor after it has dried?
Yes. Wet the area with a clean, damp brush and gently work the edge. You can soften or lift pigment, but you may not get the same flow as wet paint.
Why do my watercolor edges turn hard?
Paint dries fastest at the edge of a stroke, so the pigment gathers there. Work while the paper is still damp, or run a clean damp brush along the edge to soften it.
What brush works best for blending?
A soft round brush holds water well and gives you control. A clean damp brush is also useful for softening edges without adding more colour.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
