Handling Watercolour

Pensive250Today’s tip is for watercolour painters. When painting, just put out enough watercolour paint to do you for that session. Do not put out your complete tube of paint into the wells of your palette. Once that paint dries it never gets as rich and creamy again when you rewet it. Practically speaking, this makes it difficult for you to make rich strong darks in your painting. Now, I know that some teachers tell students to put the whole tube out, so this is not to make you feel guilty if you have done this. I suggest that you use that paint up, and if you need an area of dark colour, put out a bit from a fresh tube for that. Fresh paint just out of the tube also gives a richer flow into a wet area too – it’s more fun and more effective. If you still end up with left over paint on your palette when putting out the smaller amounts, spray them with water and cover with plastic wrap to keep them creamy for a few days. Happy painting!