- Best Watercolor Paint Brushes For Beginners
- What Are The Best Paint Brushes For Watercolor
- Watercolor Paint Brushes For Beginners Instructions
- Best Paint Brushes For Watercolor
- Watercolor Brushes For Beginners
- Essential Watercolor Brushes
Kids love watercolor painting! It’s an easy and fun art medium for kids to explore. You don’t need a lot of supplies to get started, a few inexpensive but great quality items are all you need.
Brushes are also expensive, so you need to buy the fewest number of brushes capable of performing the widest range of jobs. In looking at the different brush shapes for watercolor painting, I've split them up into three main catagories: versatility, detail work, and wash work. Clever Watercolor Painting Techniques for Beginners to Improve your skills. Watercolor Washes. Watercolor washes are the basic watercolor techniques that you must know. Because most of the watercolor painting comprises of watercolor washes. For this, all you need to do is dip your brush in the paint and then. Silver Black Velvet Basic Watercolor Set (The Susan Louise Moyer Selection) These watercolor brushes for beginners come in three sizes: 4, 8 and 12. Made in New York, the bristles have a blend of squirrel hair and black synthetic. 9 Pieces Set of Round Pointed Tip Brushes by Amagic. Since round brushes are believed to be the. Watercolor brush pens with bristle tips are some of our favorites to work with due to their no-mess and fuss-free application. These ready-to-use tools are portable, blendable, and can be used in a variety of ways. Pair them with wet paint brushes or water brushes to create a soft, diffused look, or use them alone for vibrant pops of color.
These beginner watercolor supplies will get kids started painting and having fun!
There are so many great watercolor techniques for kids to explore and paint with! Take a look at my collection of watercolor painting for kids for some fun and creative project ideas.
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Watercolor Paper
Using real watercolor paper for art projects makes all the difference and is so fun for kids to explore! And it can be quite affordable if you choose the right one.
There are so many different types of watercolor paper out there, however, that it can get confusing! Watercolor paper comes in different weights, in pads or on its own, in different textures and hot or cold press.
Keep on reading for a brief explanation of how to pick the perfect paper.
Weight
The weight of watercolor paper is measured in reams or 500 sheets of paper. So 140lb paper refers to 500 sheets of paper weighing that much altogether.
For the beginner and especially for kids, 140lb watercolor paper is the best. This paper can be cut or torn easily and is great for all types of watercolor projects.
Cold press or Hot press
This simply refers to the texture or surface of the paper. Hot press paper is smoother and cold press has more of a bumpy texture to it, which is great for holding paint and water.
Cold press paper is the most common type and the type of paper that we use.
Single sheet or pad of paper
Watercolor paper comes in large single sheets and also in pads of paper. The single sheets offer more options in the types of weight and texture but are more expensive.
I like to use watercolor pads, they are inexpensive, and work great for kids projects!
Canson XL Series Watercolor Textured Paper Pad, 11 x 15 Inch, 30 Sheets
This is the watercolor paper that we use the most. I like the flexibility of the larger size. You can use the whole sheet for some projects and cut the paper smaller for other projects.
Strathmore (360-111 300 Series Watercolor Pad, 12 Sheets
We have also used this brand of watercolor paper and it is another great option!
Plain white cardstock
Sometimes we will use plain white cardstock for our watercolor projects.
This is usually for a multi-media art project that uses liquid watercolor paints to do a flat wash of color like in this Christmas tree art project or for craft projects like in this Father's Day popsicle card craft.
Darice GX-2200-06 Core'dinations 50-Piece Card Stock Paper
We use plain white cardstock for liquid watercolor washes when doing multi-media art projects.
Watercolor Paint
There are three main types of watercolor paint to use, a pan set, liquid watercolors and watercolors in tubes. For kids, using a watercolor pan set or liquid watercolors is the best option.
Watercolor pan sets
Watercolor pan sets are inexpensive, come in a variety of bright colors and are easy to store and transport.
Most art and craft stores will have a few of these sets to choose from. This is the type of watercolor that we use the most.
You can use these watercolors straight from the set to your paper, or dilute the color with water in a paint palette depending on how dark you want your colors to be.
36 Color Fundamental Watercolor Pan Set with Paint Brush by Artists Loft
This is the watercolor set that we use the most and I love it!
The colors are bright, there are 36 colors to choose from and they look great painted on watercolor paper either diluted in a paint palette or straight from the paint set.
Watercolor Artist Set, 36 Colors, Includes a Variety of 12 Quality Brushes
This looks like a great beginner watercolor set for kids. It also comes with a set of brushes to get you started.
Angora Watercolor Set, 36 Color Pan Set (100510660)
We also have and use this watercolor set. The colors are nice and bright and the quality is really good.
Liquid watercolors
Liquid watercolors come in small bottles and don't have as many color options. But a little goes a long way and they will last for a while.
They are very convenient to use, and the colors are so bright and vivid that they are definitely worth using for the right project.
You can dilute liquid watercolors in a palette and mix the colors together for more options.
I like to use liquid watercolors to cover larger areas, like a sky or if I need a really bright color and my pan set doesn't have it. We used liquid watercolors as well as a watercolor set for this beautiful watercolor poppy art.
Sargent Art 22-6022 6-Count 1-Ounce Watercolor Magic Kit
This is the liquid watercolor set that we have. I really like how bright the colors are and a little goes a long way! The colors are very vivid, I usually mix the paint with water in a palette to dilute the colors a bit.
Sargent Art 22-6010 10-Count 8-Ounce Watercolor Magic Set
This set is larger and comes with 10 color options.
Watercolor brushes
There are so many choices when it comes to picking out a good watercolor brush. Paintbrushes can get pricey but you don't need to spend a fortune to get some nice quality brushes for kids!
Brushes come in numbered sizes that are standard so it makes it easy when looking at all the different options available.
I like to have a mixture of flat brushes and round brushes in a variety of sizes. Flat brushes are great for doing a flat wash and covering large areas.
Small round brushes are good for detail work and larger round brushes are a great all-purpose watercolor brush for kids to use.
We tend to use #12 or #16 size round brushes the most.
Artlicious - 10 Hand Made All Purpose Nylon Hair Brush Set - Acrylic, Oil, Watercolor Paints
This is a great set with a mixture of round and flat brushes that is very affordable.
Artist Watercolor Paint Brushes Set 13pcs - Round Pointed Tip
This round brush set has a great variety of sizes including some larger sized ones.
Marrywindix 9pcs Flat Pointed Tip Nylon Hair Acrylic Watercolor Brush Artists Paint Brush Set Black
This flat brush set has a good variety of sizes, including a couple larger sizes.
Paint palettes
Watercolor paint palettes are essential for mixing your paint in. It's nice to have a palette with a variety of sized compartments or wells to mix larger and smaller quantities.
Darice White Plastic 10 Oblong Palette
This palette is affordable and has a lots of different spots for paint.
Reeves Flower Plastic Paint Palette
This palette has deeper wells that would be suited to liquid watercolors.
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You’ve assembled your watercolor paint. You have brushes, paper, and water for mixing. Now all you need is to learn what to do with all of your cool watercolor gear! Intimidated? Don’t be! These watercolor techniques for beginners will set you on the right path for your painting journey.
Photos and art via CakeSpy
Best Watercolor Paint Brushes For Beginners
Here, we’ll outline some basic techniques for the beginning watercolorist. These tips are appropriate for a variety of different styles and can be used with either watercolors from cakes or tubes, depending on your preference. In general, the best types of brushes for these basic techniques will be a round brush for detail work and a larger and more absorbent “mop” brush for washes. For more in-depth information, see our guide to the different types of watercolor brushes.
1. “Filling” areas with watercolor
Is using watercolor to paint between lines cheating? Not at all. It’s actually a really helpful way to gain confidence with working in watercolor, since most people are familiar with coloring “between the lines.”
To use watercolor to fill areas, simply think of the watercolor as crayons with which you are coloring in the page of a coloring book (you can even practice on our free coloring book page downloads). The watercolor will give the area a unique, textured appearance. It’s a great way for beginners to get used to handling the brush, mixing paint, and working with this medium.
What Are The Best Paint Brushes For Watercolor
2. Watercolor washes
There’s more than one way to approach a watercolor wash. There are two simple ways to approach it: either on a wet surface or on a dry surface.
Wet surface watercolor wash
To create this type of watercolor wash, dip your brush in water (no paint) and brush it over the area you’d like to create a watercolor wash. Be generous with the water — you want the surface glistening with moisture, but not sopping wet.
Once you’ve wet the area, dip the brush in paint and paint lines of color within the wet area. The paint will blend together into one luminous wash of color.
Watercolor Paint Brushes For Beginners Instructions
Dry surface watercolor wash
You can also create a watercolor wash with dry paper. To do this, you’ll want to load up an absorbent brush such as a mop brush with a very wet mixture of paint. Use the brush to create lines of paint. If desired, you can go over the paint with water to smooth any edges.
As you can see, each of these wash styles has a slightly different effect. The wet surface wash is a little softer and dreamier, whereas the dry surface wash looks more precise. You can choose which type to use depending on your preference and what works best with the piece you are working on.
Best Paint Brushes For Watercolor
3. Gradients
Watercolor Brushes For Beginners
Now that you’ve learned how to do a simple watercolor wash, the next natural step is to add a gradient. A gradient can be a graduation of tone from dark to light or of different colors blending into one another (think: rainbows and sunsets).
The basic method of a gradient is simple: Simply add a patch of fresh watercolor to a still-wet paint surface. The color can be a more intense version of the same hue, or a different hue entirely, or even a series of different colors. The idea is that the paint will blend slightly, giving a natural gradient to the tones. You can control how neat or painterly a gradient comes out by the wetness of the paint. Here are some ways to approach it…
Wet gradient
Apply the second color of paint while the first color is still glistening wet. The colors will blend immediately. This method is best for using the same color or creating a more abstract look with different colors.
Moist gradient
![Watercolor Watercolor](/uploads/1/3/4/8/134879703/310988970.jpg)
Apply the second color of paint when the surface appears matte but is still damp to the touch. You will have a little bit more control over the colors like this, and they will retain their own distinct identities.
If the colors aren’t blending as much as you’d like, you can wet your paintbrush with water (no paint) and gently brush between the colors to blend them.
Diffuse a single color with water
You can also create a gradient by starting with a strong area of color and then using a brush wet with water, no paint, to “diffuse” the color, making a gentle gradient.
4. Layering colors and accents
Once a color of paint has dried, you can add additional layers of watercolor to add dimension, texture and color variation. This is similar to what you’d do to make a gradient, but on a completely dried surface so that the paint doesn’t blend.
To do this, wait until your initial color has dried completely (not damp — dry!), then paint a second color on top. Do not add much water to the second color, as this can re-wet the initial color and make the two colors blend in ways you don’t want. To make lines less severe, you can wet the brush with water and brush gently to form a gradient of the color on top so it is not so stark.
5. Create a simple texture
Creating texture with watercolor is as easy as flicking the brush. For a great texture to get started with, simply load up your brush with paint, and create small flicks of paint on the page. You can let them dry and layer more flicks on top for more texture or leave them as-is. This versatile texture is great for creating grass, foliage, or even fur on animals.
Once you begin to master some of these easy techniques, you’ll be surprised by the wonderful pieces of art that begin to come together with just a few simple skills.
Essential Watercolor Brushes
Learn how to paint your best watercolor works with this free reference guide!