I’m a fresh face on Skillshare and thrilled to be teaching drawing/illustration/watercolor. If you’re new to watercolor or looking to develop your craft in 2021, here are a few beginner mistakes to avoid which I delve into in my new course Stuck at Home Self-Portrait: Conceptualizing a moment in time with Watercolor.

Beginner Watercolor Mistakes & How to Avoid Them - image 1 - student project

1. Too timid. Using a new medium, you may be tempted to define your drawing with a harsh black line which can flatten the overall image. The beauty of watercolor is in its fluidity and transparency. Use an H pencil to lightly outline your composition and let the watercolor itself define the volume of the drawing.

Beginner Watercolor Mistakes & How to Avoid Them - image 2 - student project

2. Color by number. Ah! The first-day-of-school joy of buying a new watercolor set. You may automatically put the paint directly from the palette to your paper without mixing or really studying what you are rendering. This can lead to a flat, one-dimensional watercolor. Oftentimes, we draw what we think we know without really looking at the subject at hand. The same can be said with color. Don't just paint a lemon yellow because that's what you know is true. You've got your primary reference there, so look look look. What’s unique to my own practice, is I mix everything on-site on a marble table top or on a dinner plate. It leads to a more engaged practice because I’m forced to observe at every step of the way. Don’t forget too that watercolor is all about using the blank page. The white of the paper is just as important as the color you add. So use that strategically.

Beginner Watercolor Mistakes & How to Avoid Them - image 3 - student project

3. Too timid. Looking back at my early work, my colors were so flat and muted. It could be that I was too shy with color, I used cheap, flimsy paper or I added too much water to my paints because I used big brushes. If you want to take your color to the next level, play around with liquid and tube watercolors which will automatically give you a bolder palette. I realised I spent a lot of time fighting the cheap paper I was using because it was always warping and giving me hell when scanning/Photoshopping. When I found my favorite cold-pressed 300 g/m2 watercolor paper that worked for me, painting was a breeze. Upgrade your supplies if you can afford to and don't be afraid to play around till you find what works best.

4. Overworked. If your watercolor water looks like a cup of coffee, you’ve gone way too far! Clean (AKA transparent) water is just as important to your overall painting than the paint you use so I fill up a giant vase or jar with water. You won’t have to change it as often and you won’t overwork as much. If your paints are looking a little mysterious, wet a paper towel and rub off any excess pigment till you find its original color. If you are still in the muddy zone, create a color wheel to understand how your specific paint works.

Watercolor is like cooking. You can always add more salt, but you can’t take it away. If you are happy with how your painting looks, walk away for a while and come back to it with fresh eyes. And you can adjust it accordingly. And finally, although it's not an eco-friendly thing to say, if it's not working, scrap it early and often. Adding more won't save it.

Happy painting, my friends. And don't drink the watercolor water.

Jessie Kanelos Weiner

Watercolor illustrator & author

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