Hi all! You really asked me to publish watercolor painting lessons, and I thought for a long time where to find suitable material, because this topic is not new, and there is already a lot of different information on the Internet, so I decided not to invent, but to use the materials of foreign authors. This article is the first, but not the last. I hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

This article covers the basics you need to know to get started with watercolor. However, if you keep scratching your head after reading this, then please feel free to ask questions in the comments! I will answer you with pleasure!

Before I started writing this article, I decided to do a little research on the Internet on painting watercolor for beginners. That way, I reasoned, I wouldn't miss a single moment and write a better post. But good God.. I've been painting with watercolors all my life, and the information I found on Google stunned me. After three too long mind-boggling articles, I threw up my hands and decided that I would show you how I, personally, work with watercolor - and the adjective for my watercolor approach is “simple”.

Tools and materials

First, I want to talk about the materials and tools that you will need. Of course, the most obvious tool would be a watercolor set.

I prefer the set from Greenleaf & Blueberry. It's a little pricey, but I love it! However, if you are just starting out, there is no need to invest in expensive kits.

Advice from the site:

Go to the nearest art store and buy an art set of watercolor paints that suits your price, as long as it is not for children 😉

If you live in the outback, where it is difficult to find such a product, then you can order a set through an online store. So that you can navigate by cost, I throw off examples of sets that are easy to find in our country:

Finally, you will need clean water and cloth(I use an old dinner napkin) or paper towel to blot the brush.

Any dish will do, I use an old mug.

Watercolor transparency

The great thing about painting with watercolors is that you have complete control over the transparency of the paint. Watch how one color can change depending on the ratio of water and paint on the brush!

The picture on the left shows what a stroke looks like when there is a lot of water and a little paint. In the illustration in the middle, a more equal ratio of water and paint. The right picture has more paint than water.

You might be thinking, “That’s all well and good, but how can I control this water/paint ratio?” Before you do anything, apply a drop or two of water directly to the cuvette you plan to use. This will dampen the paint and make it ready to go. Then, you can do one of two things:

1. Use a palette
You can take a palette and mix three different shades of the same color on it. For the first color, use the brush to apply about eight drops of water into the indentation. Then, dip the still wet brush into the already dampened watercolor, and transfer the color to the palette.

Apply about five drops of water to the second recess. Again, dip the still wet brush into the watercolor and transfer the color into the water. Be sure to shake the brush so that all the paint comes off it! If this new color is very similar to your first, add more paint.

For the darkest shade, you'll just be working directly with paint from the pan, the shade should be very saturated.

2. We work directly from the watercolor set
You can use the concentration of water on the brush to control the tone of the paint. If you want a very light shade, dampen the brush well with water and touch the tip of the brush to the paint. If, when transferring to paper, you find that the concentration of the paint is too high, dip the brush into the water again, and apply this water directly to the paint on the paper. The color will become more transparent! For midtones, you'll still be painting with a wet brush, but with more paint. For dark tones, I blot the brush with a tissue (it will still be damp, but not saturated), and then I take the paint directly from the set.

Mixing

The reason we learned about transparency is the blending and overlaying of colors. With the help of various shades of the same color, you can make any image real. I'm going to show you how to turn a circle into a ball using watercolor blending and transparency:

1. First, draw a circle of the lightest shade.

2. Assume the light is in the upper right side as shown in the picture. Accordingly, the shadow will be in the lower left corner of the circle. To start painting the shadow, take your medium shade with a brush. Draw the shadow as if it is "embracing" the circle in the form of a crescent, like this:

3. You can see that there is now a certain separation between the shadow and the light part. To get rid of this difference and create a smooth transition, you need to mix the colors together - this is an easy task when painting with watercolors! To mix, dip the brush in water to wash any remaining paint off the brush. Dry the brush to make sure all the paint is gone, then wet the bristles of the brush again with water. Then, put the brush on the separation between the shadow and the light part and drag the middle shade with water, it will blur. Soon, you won't be able to tell where the midtone and light ends and where the shadow begins!

4. Now it's time to add a dark shadow to the bottom of the circle. Go with a darker shade around the bottom of the sphere, as in the photo.

5. Mix the dark shade the same way you did with the medium shade, and voila!

6. You can add a drop shadow if you like. To do this, draw a thin line on the opposite side of the light below the sphere, like this:

Then, you need to draw the color with a brush dipped in water until it disappears.

You may find it easier to understand the concept of blending/shading if you watch the video:

If you want to practice mixing and shaping more, I would recommend drawing these shapes in different colors:

You could make a sphere green, a cube blue, etc. Drawing shapes like these helps you understand how to make objects look three-dimensional. Yes, it can be a bit boring... but so rewarding!

Mixing watercolor

To mix watercolor, you definitely need a palette, whether it's built into your kit or standalone. The process of mixing colors is simple: you need to put one color on the palette, and then add another color. Mix them together and you get a new color!

If you have a small selection of colors in a set, knowledge of blending will come in very handy. There are many sources that tell you what colors to mix together to achieve the desired result.

If your mixed color dries up in your palette, don't worry. You can re-wet it and it will be as good as new, no matter how much time has passed.

This tutorial shows working with color and brush techniques, as well as step by step work on the background, middle and foreground.

For beginners, it is best to use inexpensive acrylic or oil paints. For example, acrylic paints "Sonnet"

This picture was chosen for the lesson. A simple nightscape with some brush work on a thistle in the foreground.

This is a sketch. The horizon is below the middle, two mountains, an area with waves and a sand dune in the foreground. Sketch casually, as you see in the photo.

Mix some cadmium yellow light with white and start painting the sky.

Add dark cadmium yellow and more light cadmium yellow to get that color.

Apply paint where I am in the photo, and stretch the color accordingly.

Add cadmium red light and black to the last color to get the color in this photo.

Fill in the color behind the mountain.

Add cadmium red light and blue for the next color.

Paint another mountain as you see in this photo.

Add the same colors for the horizon.

Fill in the back section with paint as you can see in this photo.

Add black, light cadmium red and blue to get this color.

Make a mixture like for mountains or use some of what is left and continue writing.

Mix blue and red until you get that color and fill with paint where you see in the photo.

Here, more black, red and blue are mixed in to get a darker color. With strokes upward, blend the paint on the canvas to create fluffy outlines of soft grass.

Here I used a fan brush to add fluffiness. A fan brush is very good for this process. Now you need to wait for everything to dry before continuing.

Make sure the surface is dry before taking the next step. For the main color of the foam, mix blue, a little black and white.

After the main wave and a few behind are painted, I add a foam pattern in the foreground.

This is how your underpainting should look like. Leave to dry before continuing.

Use a flat brush to mix black, phthalocyanine green, and cadmium red to create a dark green color. Red dampens the brightness, but leaves a green tone.

Draw the lines as you see in this photo. The trick is to make them look more natural, they need to be placed at different levels. Try to avoid strongly curved and strongly straight lines. Practice on a separate canvas if you're unsure.

We begin to paint the base of the thistle, moving the brush from the bottom from the middle to the side.

Now mix Neopolitan Yellow with Light Cadmium Yellow to lighten the dark green mixture. We will use the resulting color to highlight the lightest areas in the foreground.

Add the thistle stems as you can see in this photo. Let them overlap each other at different angles to achieve the most natural effect.

In the same color, bending and turning the brush, paint the leaves with strokes. This takes practice, so practice on a different canvas to get the right effect in both directions: right and left.

Here I used Alizarin Crimson to change the color of the leaves. This adds interest and play to the foreground.

Mix in a light blue color for the thistle flowers. Use blue or phthalocyanine blue.

We write with sharp movements from below, so that the flower seems to dissolve in the darkness. Wipe off the brush and repeat so you don't get a dark color on top. Use white and yellow to highlight highlights.

The lesson is over.

You may need several times to get the strokes right. Don't back down, keep going. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, because you will make them anyway. Write this picture 3 times and the fourth time you will get it right. Use art panels, they are inexpensive and good for practice.

Each of us is an artist at heart. Remember the golden moments of childhood, when we enthusiastically painted with paints “kalyaki-malaki”. The art of painting is the greatest mystery in the world. With the help of paints and brushes, real miracles appear on the canvas. Many mistakenly believe that they do not have artistic talent. In fact, anyone can learn to paint with paints. How to paint real works of art with watercolors? To do this, you only need to follow simple recommendations.

What will we need?

So, we decided to enter the world of art and become artists. How to paint with watercolor correctly? This will require the following tools:

• paints;
• brushes;
• palette;
• sheets of paper.

The choice of accessories should be taken very carefully. The final result - a work of art - depends on them.

Choosing colors

How to paint with watercolors yourself? First of all, you need to choose the right colors. There are a huge number of watercolors on the shelves of art stores. Which one is better to choose?

Do not look at the price category here. High cost is not always a guarantee of quality.

It is better to choose paints made on the basis of beeswax. On the cover should be the inscription "honey". They have the brightest color.

Paint brushes

The brushes are just as important. Which of them are most suitable for watercolor?

The brush should be soft and pick up paint well. Its tip must be pointed. The bristles of the brush should be well fixed on the base. The best option would be brushes made from squirrel wool. Their bristles correspond to the declared parameters.

How many brushes will you need? To paint small parts of the picture, you should purchase a thin brush (number 1 or 2). For the main part - a greater thickness (numbers 5-6 or 7).

Palette

The palette serves as a kind of “draft”, a place for mixing paints. Several paints of different colors are applied to the palette, they are mixed. The result is the desired shade.

You can purchase a ready-made plastic palette. You can also do it yourself. For this, a sheet of thick paper is suitable, which should be folded around the edges.

Choosing watercolor paper

The process of choosing paper should be treated with special attention. The fact is that watercolor is a translucent paint. It requires a lot of water to work. If you draw on plain paper, it can quickly get wet from water. It is better to purchase special paper for watercolor. It is denser and thicker. Its surface is rough. Water particles get stuck on the rough surface of the paper. This prevents spreading.

Let's start drawing

How to paint with watercolors yourself? Having studied the basic features of watercolor paint, we know that it requires a large amount of water. The drawing is translucent, airy, flying. This effect is due to the structure of the paint.

There are 2 main watercolor painting techniques:

1. Dry technology.
2. Raw paper technique.

Everyone is familiar with the basics of dry technique since childhood: we pick up paint on a brush and draw. Depending on the type of drawing, you can pre-draw its outline with a pencil.

To get the desired color, you need to dip the brush in water, then in the desired paint and apply it to the palette. After that, the brush is washed with water and lowered into the paint of a different color. The resulting colors are mixed on the palette. The result will be the desired shade.

What is the difference between watercolor painting on wet paper? This technique is quite interesting, because. it allows you to create an unusual effect. To do this, before you start drawing, you should moisten a sheet of paper well with water. Until it dries, watercolor paint is applied to the wet paper. When mixed with water, it spreads, leaving fancy patterns on paper.

Let's draw

So, we purchased materials for work. Learned basic drawing techniques. Now you can proceed directly to the creative process.

How to paint with watercolor for beginners? For starters, it is recommended to try to study the paint. What will be required for this? Consider the basic lessons of acquaintance with paints:

1. We study colors. Take a sheet of watercolor paper. Pick up the color you like with the brush. Put it on paper. Look at the effect. Now increase the amount of pressure on the brush. See how the color has changed (it should darken). Now fill the brush with more water and dip it into the paint. Draw a wet brush over the paper - the drawing will be translucent.
2. We mix colors. Try mixing several colors. What shades are the result?
3. Apply yellow, orange, red to the sheet. Study them. What emotions do they evoke? Now apply blue, purple, black to the sheet. What are the feelings now?
4. We draw from nature. Now we need to learn how to display the objects around us. Put an apple in front of you. Study it carefully. See what color it is. Try to draw it.

Practical work

After learning the basic skills of the art of painting, you can move on to independent work.

Learning to paint objects around us in watercolor. Look around. What do you see? You can draw a still life. To do this, put in front of you a few items of utensils and any fruit. Try to picture them.

What else can be painted with watercolors? There are no restrictions here. It all depends on the imagination of the artist. You can draw everything that surrounds us. You can draw your own invented world.

You can start learning the basic techniques of working with watercolors by painting flowers and trees.

How to draw a flower?

Draw a flower with watercolors yourself:

1. Think about what flower to draw.
2. Explore its primary colors.
3. Using a simple pencil, draw the main outline on the paper.
4. Choose a paint for the background and paint over it.
5. After the background is dry, you can start painting with watercolors.
6. Paint over the flower with translucent paint.
7. After the watercolor has dried, draw the outline with a darker paint.
8. After the drawing has dried, place accents on the flower. This will give it volume. To place accents, it is necessary to apply several dense strokes along the contour of the flower with contrasting paint. Our drawing is ready.

Painting with watercolors is a simple and very exciting activity. Each of us can feel like a real artist, creating whole works of art. You just have to listen to the suggested advice.

How to learn to paint with watercolor from scratch?

Watercolor painting is one of the most difficult in the world, but at the same time, it is the most delicate, fragile and attractive for beginners. What is so special about her? The whole secret is in the transparency of the lines, thanks to which even the most insignificant color transitions are visible. Watery pattern, which gives it volume. But how to comprehend this not a simple art? How to learn to paint with watercolor from scratch? Before we start drawing, we need to select auxiliary materials. The art school for adults and children in its courses offers professional training in drawing in any technique, but you can learn it yourself. Consider in the article the points that will help us in this.

On what paper and what brushes to paint with watercolors?

1. Paper. It is better to immediately purchase a watercolor, it is not expensive (about 40 rubles. Notepad). Its difference from the usual in the dense texture of the sheets. Such paper will not swell from water and warp.
2. Brushes. In the paint store, first we take two brushes. Small and big. Squirrel fur is well suited for watercolors.
3. Palette. The choice of palette is not fundamental, choose any. Some artists replace the palette with a small glass that is practical to use and easy to clean.
4. Paints. Children's honey paints with the addition of lemon and other things - immediately put aside. We won't need them. In the shop for artists we take any professional paints. Open them up and look at the colors, you should like them. It is not necessary to take the most expensive, it does not matter.

How to learn how to draw watercolor for beginners in stages?

How beautiful to paint with watercolors? In order for our watercolor drawings to be of high quality, it is necessary to master a few basic techniques.
1. Uniform filling. Draw a square or rectangle on paper. It is better to choose a color darker, it will be better visible on it. Type it on the brush and stretch it from one corner to another. Pick up the paint again. Draw the next strip so that it overlaps the seam of the previous one. If the first strip does not completely flow into the second, then tilt the sheet of paper. Pick up paint and continue to draw stripes, keeping a uniform shade. Rinse the brush in water and wring out. Smooth out dark stripes with a brush. Let the drawing dry. If you end up with a rectangle filled with paint evenly, you're done.
2. Dependence of the shade of paint on the amount of water. We draw paint on the brush and draw the first line, then lower the brush into the water and draw the second one 1 cm from it. We continue to dip the brush in water and draw lines until they become as transparent as possible. This exercise helps you get a feel for how much water you need to add to get the desired shade.
3. Gradient. The goal of this exercise is to get a uniform transition from dark to light. Pick up paint with a brush and draw a vertical line, then dip the brush in water and draw a second one so that it goes a little behind the first and the paint begins to flow. We repeat the same thing again, adding water. We achieve a complete color transition. Swipe the last strip with just water. Dry the brush and run a roller of paint from the bottom of the fill.

Learn to paint watercolor in stages using various techniques for beginners

How to start painting with watercolor? It is necessary to comprehend the basics of art. These are certain exercises, performing which, you will master the first basics of drawing with watercolors.
1. Wet on wet. Wet a small piece of paper with water. The sheet must be evenly saturated with water. Now take the paints on the brush and swipe over the wet area. Watch how the paint spreads. Practice adding more or less paint to a piece of paper. This will be very useful to you.
2. Flowing from color to color. First, draw any shapes with water. We take on a brush, for example, blue color and apply it to the figure. Add some burgundy and yellow. You must achieve a smooth transition from one color to another. If it doesn't, add some water.
3. Overlay layers. Let's draw a background, as in the first exercise. Let's wait a bit, let it dry completely. We draw a couple of circles of different colors on the background and let it dry. Draw the third layer on the circles.
4. Reception using edible salt. We draw a background and fall asleep on top of a little ordinary table salt. We wait. Salt crystals gradually absorb the paint and become like stars. The effect is most noticeable in dark areas.
5. Clouds with a napkin. Fill the background and while the paint is still wet, begins to apply a napkin, giving shape. Thus, we get a texture that resembles clouds. This technique can be used to correct the mistakes you make while drawing. Just blot off excess paint.
6. Spray. We pick up the paint on the brush and run your finger along the brush over the paper or drip, forming uneven splashes over the entire surface. It is better to cover the table with a cloth to avoid contamination.

10 common mistakes beginner artists make

1. Love yourself. Too many artists begin to scold themselves and overly criticize their paintings. You don't need to do this. Drawn something - praise yourself. Everything you do is only for you and for the realization of your creative needs. The more you enjoy the process of drawing, the better you will get.
2. Use comfortable materials. Quality brushes, paper and paint. Then the drawing process will bring you only pleasure.
3. Copy the stories of famous artists. They will serve as the basis of your knowledge.
4. Show your pictures to all your friends, relatives and acquaintances. Submit your painting. Gather around you like-minded people who will support you.
5. Warm and cold colors. Use more cool colors in the distance and warm colors near. This is how you show the aerial perspective in your painting.
6. Do not paint the entire background with one color. Change the tone, mix colors, create color in your picture. Made two or three strokes with one color, add another. The more shades you use, the more interesting your picture will be.
7. Let the painting dry. So you will make it more elaborate and deep.
8. Show volume up close. Apply more paint to nearby objects with a palette knife. Make them big.
9. The more colors you mix, the more picturesque your painting will be. Mix in halftones.
10. Decorate pictures with a baguette. It gives the picture extra volume.

Not only children dream of learning how to draw, especially since many adults have talents that have remained unrealized. There are various easy techniques that allow you to make drawings with paints for beginners. The easiest way to learn creativity is with gouache, you can also use watercolor or oil paints, but certain skills are needed to work with the latter.

Artist's Kit - Components

To learn how to draw, you can not do without paints. It is better to buy high-quality paints right away, because too cheap ones fit worse, therefore, the learning process will be less productive. A beginner should not spend money on a professional set: to start drawing from scratch, it is enough to have basic colors:

• titanium white;
• yellow (lemon, medium yellow, yellow ocher);
• red (carmine, cadmium);
• blue;
• emerald and light green;
• black.

The easiest way to work with gouache, but an adult or a schoolboy can easily cope with watercolor. The ideal option is not an ordinary nursery, but a watercolor for artists, which has the best quality. Budget sets of 24 colors cost 400-500 rubles. In principle, five tones (red, blue, yellow, white, black) are enough for the artist, and the rest can be created by mixing. To combine paints, you need to immediately buy a palette. Form, material can be any. On sale there are round, oval, square palettes, wood products, plastic. The size of the palette is also left to the user's choice.

It is equally important to choose a good brush. For beginners, three brushes of different sizes are enough. You can also buy an additional thin brush for bitmaps, small details. Squirrel brushes are the most popular - they perfectly absorb water, give it longer, therefore they paint without spots, stripes. This brush is good for glazing or creating clear contours.

Suitable for a novice artist and kolinsky brush - round, with a sharp tip. It is also convenient to work out thin contours, elegant details in the technique of watercolor painting. Be sure to include a flat wide brush for pouring. She performs the background or stripes over a large area of ​​the canvas, sheet of paper. Over time, fan, linear, and retouch brushes are usually added to the collection of brushes. It is important to inspect the brushes for the reliability of the connection between the pile and the handle - it must be very strong.

Other accessories in the artist's kit:

1. Paper. For watercolors, you should buy a special paper with low absorption, which will not allow water to wet the sheet until it is completely dry. On plain printer paper, watercolor tends to bleed. The best option is hot-pressed paper, which additionally has a very smooth surface.
2. Thinners. Special solvents will be required to dilute oil paints. Usually linseed oil or turpentine is used for this. Organic solvents are not recommended - they spoil the structure of the oil paint, remove the beautiful shine. However, to clean paint from brushes, you need to buy turpentine, white spirit.
3. Canvas. Usually used for painting with oils or acrylics. The stores have ready-made canvases in stretchers made of linen, cotton, synthetics. Natural fabrics are dense, sag a little, drawings look more beautiful on them. You can also make a canvas yourself. To do this, you need to buy a stretcher, cover it with a cloth, then prime it. As the primer dries, pull the canvas a little tighter.
4. Easel. It is recommended to purchase it if you plan to take drawing seriously. The easel is placed at eye level, which gives an excellent overview of the picture, helps to work correctly and quickly look for flaws. For small canvases, there are mini easels on sale.
5. Protective varnish. It is advisable to cover the picture with varnish, this will help protect it from ultraviolet radiation, make the colors saturated.

Also, to compile an artist's kit, you need to buy jars for brushes, wet wipes, cotton rags. To work with oil, you will need a palette knife - a spatula for thick paint, removing dried material and applying beautiful strokes. Another option is to buy clip-on oilers (single or double) that contain paint and are easy to attach to your palette.

Watercolor painting techniques

You need to learn different ways of drawing in stages, moving from the easiest to the most difficult. At first, most artists use sketching, then they begin to show imagination and create their own masterpieces. It is recommended to start learning how to work with watercolor with the techniques described below.

Flat brush painting

If the drawing is invented, you should follow these steps step by step:

1. Draw a square, a rectangle to indicate the beginning, end of the layer. With a dark shade, draw a thin line from the upper left corner to the upper right corner.
2. Wet the brush with watercolor. Run the second stroke from the bottom edge of the first line, covering the accumulated paint below. You need to work quickly so that there are no streaks of watercolor or gently wash them with a cloth.
3. Repeat this action again with the next line. It is better to use the flat edge of the brush for strokes, which will make the bottom of the stroke more even. Intermittent strokes must be immediately redrawn.
4. Completely fill in the intended contour, repeating the steps in the same way. It is important at the same time to observe the evenness of the tone of the paint, not to change the brand of watercolor. On paper that is too thick, the strokes may be uneven. Then it is recommended to slightly sprinkle the sheet with water, get wet, let it dry, and only then start drawing.

At the end of the work, it is necessary to rinse the brush, squeeze it dry, remove all the clots of paint at the bottom of the last stroke with it, preventing the picture from discoloring. To give the picture texture, you can leave it to dry at an angle.

Gradient

First, you also need to work out a square, a rectangle (in the future, this will be the drawing required by the artist). Then the following steps should be taken:

• dip the brush in a dark shade of the desired color, draw a vertical or horizontal stroke;
• wipe the brush with a cloth, paper towel, dip in a lighter shade of the same color, draw a stroke overlapping part of the previous one;
• rinse, wipe the brush, make another stroke (lighter, darker or a completely different color);
• repeat until the shape is filled;
• rinse the brush, dry it, pick up the remaining paint.

With the help of a gradient, you can create very interesting transitions that form the basis of the future picture.

watercolor glaze

The glaze technique requires the imagination of the artist; with its help, the landscape, the image of autumn and summer, the landscape come out well. Description of the technique on the example of the landscape:

• complete the sky above, the river below with blue watercolor;
• dilute the paint with water, draw a waterfall;
• make pink clouds in the sky;
• draw the bottom of the picture and the mountain in yellow;
• let all layers dry well;
• using dark blue to shade the horizon of the mountain and its top, they can also beautifully decorate the waterfall;
• make the banks of the river orange, shade the sky a little;
• as the drawing dries, draw bubbles on the waterfall in purple;
• you can draw trees along the banks of the river - the trunks are brown, the leaves are green;
• shade blue sky, water;
• draw grass in blue, green;
• you can depict trees and fruits under them.

The meaning of glazing is that all layers of paint interact with each other, overlap one another and, when overlapping, give even more interesting effects.

"Wet" technique

Before drawing, you need to moisten a sheet of paper with water. Of course, the paper needs to be thick, not sagging. Wetting is done with a sponge, after squeezing it out. Moisture should be evenly distributed over the sheet and not shine, otherwise there is too much water on it.

• first draw a background, choosing any light shade;
• make a drawing of a vase;
• draw leaves in a vase using yellow, red, orange;
• apply each new shade after partial drying of the previous one, the vagueness of the lines creates very interesting effects;
• at the end of the work, you can place accents with brown, dark brown, burgundy, make shadows;
• with a wet clean brush, do some blurring of the borders, but do not overdo it to eliminate the sloppy look of the picture.

You should not combine cold and warm tones in one picture, this will give a visual dissonance.

Dry brush drawing

It is easy to draw in this technique. The paint must be taken on a dry brush, then a stroke on paper. Preliminary it is recommended to sketch with a pencil. At first, the sketches will be quite rough - for example, the outlines of the sky, trunks and branches of trees, a river. After the first layer dries, details are added, shadows are created, texture is drawn. Then they make a background around, place the necessary accents.

When drawing, you need to change the pressure on the brush, which will add or remove texture. It is important that the brush does not remain too wet after rinsing and blotting. Otherwise, the paint will not give the effect of texture, it will look flat.

No excess moisture

The technique is well suited for drawing clouds, streams of light. Before starting work, you need to prepare a few sponges or sponges for the face. First, strokes are made with a dry or wet brush, then they are rubbed with sponges. It is important not to rub the sheet hard so as not to damage the paper. Highlights can be done with paper towels. After, if necessary, the contours of the drawings and accents are drawn with a thin dry brush.

Discoloration of dried paint

In this case, the already dried drawing is clarified. Moisten the desired areas with a cloth, gently wipe with a dry brush. It is best to use brushes with stiff bristles, which can scrape off the paint a little. Actions must be careful, otherwise there is a risk of damaging the paper. Instead of using a rag, it is acceptable to spray paper from a spray bottle, and then moisten the moisture with a paper towel. Another option is to gently rub the pattern with sandpaper, then you do not need to wet it first.

Gouache for beginners

Usually, learning to draw with gouache is recommended as early as childhood - from 4-6 years old. It is very easy to apply, does not float, and is much easier to work with than watercolor. Gouache drawings can be very diverse - nature, animals, flowers and trees, fruits, etc. Adults paint real landscapes with gouache.

You can make drawings not only on paper, but also on canvas, plywood, wood, fabric, even on stones, pebbles. For this purpose, it is better to purchase not children's, but artistic gouache, which is of high quality. First, a sketch is made with a pencil, after which it is painted over. Start with dark colors, gradually moving to light ones. Mixing paints must take into account the color wheel, otherwise the result will be a gray tone.

Features of oil paints

Experienced artists greatly appreciate oil paints, which are available in a wide range in specialized stores. The paints contain mineral substances, organic and synthetic components. They are diluted not with water, but with linseed oil, which gives brightness, richness of tone. Paints dry for a long time, but the drawing can be corrected for a certain time. To dilute dried, thickened paint, a special oil is also used, which is sold in the art departments.

Types of oil paints

There are three types of oil paints:

1. Highly artistic. Usually they are used for professional painting. The price of the material is high due to the excellent quality of the components. For decades, paints do not lose color, do not fade.
2. Sketchy. Suitable for beginners, inexpensive, can be used in different techniques.
3. Studio. They have an intermediate price between the two listed options, suitable for artists and beginners.

Also, oil paints are transparent, opaque. The latter are denser, do not transmit light. If the packaging is marked with a “*”, such material is very resistant, it lasts a long time. The more stars, the higher the quality of the paint.

Rules and drawing techniques

The oil painting looks very beautiful. The strokes look each on its own, although it is rather difficult to achieve such an effect. There are two main techniques: in one coating (alla prima) and in several layers. For a multi-layer overlay of paints, you will have to try - work quickly, do not dilute the material, know its properties and how one tone will look over the second. Oil consumption for multilayer application is usually high.

Single-layer drawing has its drawbacks. So, over time, strokes can crack due to paint shrinkage, so most professionals dry the first coat and apply at least one more. Thus, material costs can be reduced.

• the lighting should be good, otherwise there is a risk of making unnecessary shadows in the picture;
• first you need to draw a contour, then make oil strokes along the lines;
• colors can be mixed, knowing the basic principles of combining tones;
• usually they paint pictures, starting with bright elements, highlighting the darkest and lightest points;
• after completing the sketch, outline the contours and details, make the necessary accents;
• the finished picture must be allowed to dry for three days, but on the second day you can make some edits;
• the canvas after drying can not be rubbed, touched with hands.

Acrylic paints combine the properties of oil and watercolor, they do not fade, they are not afraid of water. You can apply layers directly on the previous ones, without waiting for them to dry. To begin with, it is better to buy a set of 6 colors, then expand to 18. Acrylic painting is on paper, canvas, fabric, glass, plastic, stones. Dilute the paint with water, solvents. The following techniques are used:

• dry - on paper, canvas;
• wet - on a dampened canvas;
• glazing - applying a thick layer and its subsequent shading;
• impasto - drawing with clearly distinguishable strokes.

To give the picture a complete look, you can apply individual strokes with felt-tip pens, markers, pencils, pastels. At first, simple pictures are performed, then they move on to still lifes, views from the window, and portraits. For training, it will be useful to apply the technique of abstraction - to make spots and add details, giving them an image.

Tips for working with acrylic are as follows:

• nearby it is necessary to have a spray with water to moisten quick-drying paints;
• when adding water, you can make a more transparent material from acrylic paint;
• it is impossible to introduce too much water, after drying the paint may crumble;
• before wetting the brush in the paint, you need to dry it;
• to slow down the drying of the material, the addition of not water, but a solvent will help;
• to preserve the pattern, it is varnished.

Drawings on fabric

It is quite difficult to make fabric drawings, it is better to practice on a different basis. With experience, it is quite possible to draw on silk, synthetics, natural fabrics. First, the fabric must be washed, ironed, pulled onto a frame or placed on a flat surface. Place an oilcloth under the fabric, make a drawing with a special felt-tip pen for matter. After doing art painting. The easiest way is to work on ready-made stencils, but you can make a drawing yourself. After a day of drying, you need to iron the product with an iron, after 2 days it can be washed.

Paintings on canvas

For acrylic, canvas is the ideal base. Paints must be prepared in advance, diluted with water. If mixing is planned, it is better to use a special solvent, otherwise the material will dry quickly. The palette should be periodically sprinkled with water. They begin to draw the largest details, as they draw smaller lines, they change the brushes to thin ones. The rate of dilution of paints with water to create more transparent tones is less than 20%.

Drawings on paper

For the first time, it is worth trying drawing on paper. Since the structure of the paints is dense (it is, in fact, liquid plastic), ordinary thin paper will not work. It is better to take cardboard or special thick paper. Also, drawings can be done on paper wallpaper that is already pasted on the walls. This is a popular design technique that allows you to decorate plain material and give the room an original look.

glass painting

The pictures on the glass look very beautiful, reminiscent of a finished stained glass window. The contours of the future drawing are made with a thin marker according to the sketch, which is placed under the glass. After that, paints are applied in layers, forming the desired combinations of colors, accents, lighter and darker zones. At the end of the work, acrylic varnish is applied to the painting.

Paints give endless scope for imagination. Learning to draw is easy. Even without talent, you can make beautiful drawings with sufficient diligence and perseverance.