Watercolor Practice: Mastering Paper Wetness, Brush Wetness, Pigment Strength and Blooms! 🎨

In this tutorial, we are taking a closer look at one of the most important parts of watercolor painting: water control. We will begin with a practice sheet where we compare different levels of paper and brush wetness, explore light, medium, and strong pigment concentrations, and experiment with timing to see exactly when blooms appear and how we can either avoid them or use them intentionally. (You will find the two pages available to download and print, including the practice sheet and the moth study sketch)

After the exercises, we will put everything into practice by painting a colorful fantasy moth. This little study is a wonderful way to experiment with soft and sharp edges, layered washes, lifting techniques, color variations, and controlled blooms without the pressure of creating a perfect finished painting. And please do not worry if your first attempt does not turn out exactly as planned, because mine certainly did not either!

📖 This Tutorial has Chapters! You can find all voice-over instructions by opening the video directly on YouTube – the chapters are listed there, so you can easily click through each step.

Video Length: ~ 1 h

Painting Size: ca 25 x 25 cm

Materials: Watercolors used: Permanent Rose, Cadmium Yellow Lemon, Cobalt Turquoise, Prussian Blue, Ivory Black

Reference: