Making a watercolour Background wash, by Koosje Koene | Draw Tip Tuesday on YouTube. 1 min 47 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 47 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Set out a watercolour brush, water, paint and watercolour paper. If you use tube paint, squeeze a little onto a palette. Pans work too.
Dip your brush in water. Use plenty of water because a wash needs loose, transparent colour rather than dense paint.
Mix your chosen colour on the palette. For an orange wash, blend yellow and red until you like the tone.
Load the brush and apply the mix to the paper in loose strokes. Keep the surface wet so the paint can move.
Add more colour or water as you work. Let different colours flow into each other and move the pool gently with your brush.
Leave a few gaps of white paper if you want light areas. Try different amounts of paint and water to see what works.
For a light splatter, dip your brush in paint and flick it with your finger over the paper. Practice on scrap paper first.
For bolder drops, load a wet brush with paint and hold it above the paper. Tap the brush so drips fall. Wetter paint and more height make larger drops.
Repeat with other colours if you like. Let the wash dry completely before drawing or painting over it.
Tips and common mistakes
Watercolour often dries lighter than it looks when wet, so test your mix on scrap paper first.
Too little water makes a streaky wash and too much can buckle thin paper, so use watercolour paper.
Keep splatters away from finished artwork and nearby electronics.
Do not scrub a drying wash. Add fresh colour and let it flow instead.
Questions
Can I use watercolour pans instead of tube paint?
Yes. Load a wet brush from the pan and mix it on a palette. You may need a little more water to get a loose wash.
Why does my wash look lighter after it dries?
Watercolour usually dries lighter than when wet. Test your colour on scrap paper and build a slightly stronger mix if needed.
How do I stop the paper from curling?
Use watercolour paper and avoid flooding it with more water than it can take. Tape the edges down if the paper buckles easily.
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.
