Paint Green Trees
Painting green trees in watercolor can be surprisingly challenging. It is not only difficult to create convincing greens, but also to capture the volume and form of the tree canopy. In this article I…
Category: Techniques
Celebrate Your Mistakes
Many years ago, I watched a television program featuring an English watercolor artist. I believe it was Alwyn Crawshaw demonstrating how to paint in watercolor. Yes, programs like that were actually shown on television…
Paint what you see
“Paint what you see, not what you know” is a fundamental principle in representational art. That does not mean it is the only way to approach painting. Pablo Picasso is said to have remarked:…
Aerial perspective
Aerial perspective is the term used to describe the phenomenon whereby a landscape appears lighter, bluer, and less distinct at a great distance. The effect occurs when the air is filled with moisture and…
Don’t write with a brush
Why do almost all beginners paint a thin line using a bunch of tiny brushstrokes?The answer is actually pretty obvious: we’re used to writing with a pen but not with a brush. When we…
Stop Rubbing
Since many of my students – both beginners and those who have painted for years – tend to rub watercolor paint onto the paper, I assume this is quite a common habit. By “rubbing”…
Mix with three primary colors
It is often said that with three primary colors, all other colors can be mixed. Therefore, we will test this with a few simple mixing exercises. To try these yourself, I recommend the following…
Pouring and tilting Watercolor Paint
To create smooth and seamless transitions with watercolor, artists often use the wet-on-wet technique, which involves applying paint to already wet paper. Another way to achieve similar effects is to use generous amounts of…
Signing your painting
Artists haven’t always signed their work. The role of the artist began to shift during the Renaissance, when ideas of individual creativity and the artist’s status as an intellectual rather than a craftsman became…
