a lot of you have been asking for tips + tricks to watercoloring, so i’ve decided to share some color knowledge with you!
color mixing has always been my favorite part of art. it’s so amazing how many colors you can make… with so few colors. i personally like to stick with mostly primary colors to create my palette. i think using too many ‘straight from the tube’ colors gives your work a flat look. plus, you can save lots of money by mixing your own colors from the basics.
p.s.let me know what you think of my tutorial… maybe this will become a regular post!
SECRET TO MIXING BLACK. ULTRAMARINE BLUE + BURNT AMBER = BLACK
this is my number one trick. most people just buy a black tube, and yes that can create a deep true black, but I prefer to mix. you can create blacks with a hint of any color, which adds more depth. Just use the mix above and add a tiny amount of a color of your choice.
MIXING GRAY. CADMIUM RED + CERULEAN BLUE = GRAY
gray is another color i see people confused on how to create… and it’s one of the easiest. just mix a little orangey red and light blue, and there you have it! it takes some experimenting to figure out how much to use of each color, but do a few tests and you’ll get it in no time.
MIXING DARKER SHADES. RED + GREEN = DARK GREEN
this is more of an overall rule to creating deeper shades of a color. once you have a color you want to use, but you need it in a darker shade, just add its contrast color. i used a simple example above to demonstrate. red is the opposite of green, so in order to create a deeper shade of that green, just add a tiny bit of red. if you want a deeper red, use more red and a tiny bit of green.
MIXING PEACHY SKIN TONES. CADMIUM RED + CADMIUM YELLOW + CERULEAN BLUE= PEACHY SKIN TONE
mixing skin tones can be tricky with watercolor. i like to use these colors as a base to create a peachy tone, and then adjust it accordingly. you can experiment with using more of less of each color to create different shades. add more blue to get a deeper shade. i’ll do a later post focusing on skin tones alone- so you can see how i mix lots of different ones.
and my number one tip for watercolor… NEVER USE WHITE! there really isn’t a need for using white watercolor. to make colors lighter, just add water. the white should always be the paper shade, and you layer colors on top of the white. this can be tricky, because you have to think about what’s white before you start. but you’ll get the hang of it.
want to know what paint i use? look here.
This is so amazing, katie! thank you! I am definitely looking forward to more tutorials in future. and a tutorial on skin tones alone? YES PLEASE. xx
Great succinct tutorial on color mixing. Love the suggestion for a rich black instead of a flat black. It truly does make a difference in your design. Alos appreciated the colors used to create a peach skin tone. In art school, my professor always said skin isn’t one color; it’s made of MANY colors. Would love to see this continue as a series on your blog!
Loved the tutorial! Hope it become a regular post!
This is awesome. I used to do skin tone using a lot of white, red and ochre. Thank you!
Oooh! I love when you post tips and tricks! Even as another watercolourist, it’s so fun to see how other people work. Love, love, love!
Thanks for the tutorial, really helpful, I haven’t used watercolours in ages so it’s nice to have a refresha hopefully I’ll crack them out again soon. And yes please, to more tutorials especially skin tone.
Lovely tutorial. I’ve been playing with watercolor pencils lately for sketching, and have been loving the results, but they don’t come anywhere near yours! Yes, please make this a regular series!
I love this. I think it’s great to share tips and tricks, and I want to try out your ideas. Please do share again, and I’m always wanting to learn more.
wow. this is amazing!!! i love it so helpful and inspiring. THANK YOU!
GREAT post….. I agree that mixing your own colour gives so much moee depth. I find when I use straight from the tube I end up having to mix in so many other pigments to get it right I should just not waste time in the first place! Absolutely love your work and your story, Pip x
A-mazing ! thank you for the tips – I’m pretty new to watercolors, so this is sooooo helpful! Thanks :-)
Kate
This is a fantastic post. I’m colour blind so having it laid out like that is really useful for me.
thank you. so clear. i can actually do this.
pictures are good too.
Thanks for the post, I learned a lot!
This was a wonderful tutorial, and I would LOVE to see you do more! Being new to watercolor, this will be of great use to me. Thanks, and please do more colors.
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Thanks so much! I’ve been wanting to try watercolor (I’m an acrylic girl) for a long time, but have been intimidated by mixing color. I might give it a go now!
Most artist hate sharing their secrets. Im glad you dont! Keep it going! Thnx :)
love this, looking forward to more to come! weekly post/column maybe?
So pretty to look at!
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Do u ever trace? I heard you are an avid tracer and cant really draw, is that true?
Hey I’m a biiiiiig fan of u. I always make it a habit to check on ur website everyday. I wanna ask after the drawing is finished, how do u post on ur blog? Take picture of it? Cause ur drawing u posted has super white backgrounds.
thank you, that was awesome! please so more of these, you are one of my favorite watercolors artist, so I would love to know your secrets :)
LOVE this! Please post more tutorials :) You are easily my favorite illustrator.
This post is amazing! I am learning to watercolor paint and I can use all the help I can get. I just found your blog and am loving it! Thank you. :)
Thank you for the great post! Looking forward to more tutorials. I usually use oil paint but I’ve been trying to get into watercolors.
This should definitely become a regular feature, it’s such a nice insight into how you work !
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beautifully done post … would love to see this as a regular feature
I absolutely love the tutorial, definitely do more of these! If you had an instructional book on illustration published I would definitely buy it! :)
Love this! Its soo useful to know the basics of colour mixing especially with watercolours!
this is incredibly helpful thank you :) a watercolour pencil tutorial would be awesome as well
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i simply love your blog n tutorials… ur work is truly an inspiration… please give sm more tutorials on usage of water colors……… thanks a tonn!!! <3 love u n ur wrk :) !!!!
I adore your blog. this is a lovely tutorial. I love it, gonna learn how to use it. will catch up reading your blog. :)
i love these tutorials of yours. i’ve always disliked watercolors because I never seem to have control over them (i’m more of a marker and color pencil girl), however i definitely going to test out some of your tutorials. bet: great work, absolutely love.
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