Get Good at Watercolor

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There is only one way to become good at something, whatever it may be, and that is to do it often and regularly. No one has ever become good at playing the piano or running a marathon by reading about it in a book. Nor has anyone become good at painting watercolors by reading books or blogs like this one, not even by watching YouTube videos.

Learning a craft takes time and effort; only through repetition can you slowly become familiar with the medium. Painting with watercolor is not an innate ability — those who are skilled watercolor painters have spent thousands of hours on stubborn attempts and failures.

Sometimes a student says: “I’m not good at drawing.” Then I usually ask: “How often do you draw?”
The answer is always the same: “Never.”

Many people seem to believe that the ability to depict something is a talent you either have or don’t have. But like anything else, drawing from observation is a skill that must be trained.

Here are some pieces of advice for those who want to become truly good at watercolor:

Good materials

Use only good materials. You cannot paint watercolor on bad paper. It is a very common misconception that you can practice on lower‑quality paper and then transfer your newly acquired skills to good paper when needed. The difference is so great, and the result so different, that the skills you might develop on poor watercolor paper simply cannot be applied to high‑quality materials.

The same goes for paints and brushes. Ignore the so‑called student-grade paints. They are cheap because they are produced with less care; they also contain less pigment and more fillers and brighteners. Fine paints are naturally more expensive than basic ones. If a certain color costs $8 while the same color of higher quality costs $12, that price difference should truly influence your choice. It is probably better to buy one really good paint than two cheaper ones. Fewer, truly good colors are likely better than many mediocre ones.

Brushes, I usually claim, are less important than paper and paint. Still, there is a difference — good brushes are better than bad ones. For under $50 you can buy two good brushes, and that is a better choice than many poor ones.

Be curious

Only by being curious about different techniques, papers, and colors can you understand how they work. When you run out of watercolor paper, buy a different brand. Notice how the new paper behaves with different techniques. Later, buy a third and a fourth paper; over time you will develop an understanding of the differences and variations among good watercolor papers. Read about the paper you’ve bought (you can easily find reviews and videos about watercolor papers online). Try to understand what sets it apart from others and what properties it has. Every paper has its strengths and weaknesses.

Do the same with all your paints. Try to figure out how they mix with other colors, how they behave on the paper. Does the paint granulate or is it staining, and what does that mean for your painting? Read about all your colors and understand their different characteristics. It is very important to know which pigments your paints are made from and what properties those pigments have. Try using only three colors in a painting, choosing different ones for each new attempt.

Try every possible technique in your paintings. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Try splattering and pouring paint; practice basic techniques like washes, wet‑in‑wet, and glazing until they become second nature. Do all these experiments in actual paintings — don’t just practice techniques in isolation, but use them in your work.

Challenge yourself

Far too many aspiring artists paint the same type of subject, in the same size, over and over again. An experienced watercolor painter can of course paint anything in any format — but you don’t get there by staying in your comfort zone.

If you are a watercolor painter who makes small paintings, try making very large ones. If you’re used to large formats, try miniatures. Find some images by your favorite artist and copy them; also find artists you don’t like and copy those as well.

If you enjoy painting flowers, try painting a rusty bucket. If you like sunsets, try painting a rainy day in the city. Sometimes I tell my students that the ugly subjects are the best ones.

Be persistent

According to Malcolm Gladwell, the man who popularized the so‑called “10,000‑hour rule,” it takes roughly 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to achieve expertise in almost any field.

This means that if you spend 2 hours every day painting watercolor, it will take 13.5 years to become phenomenally good at it. If your ambition is to become skilled at watercolor painting, you must be persistent and paint all the time.

There are no shortcuts. To reach ambitious goals, passion is required.

Most participants in my watercolor courses don’t paint at all between sessions; they lack the ambition to become truly good. If you are not passionately interested in watercolor, you won’t paint for several hours a day — and then you won’t become exceptionally skilled at it either.