Watercolor Painting Techniques Do's & Don'ts for Beginners

Hey everyone! I made a watercolor painting do's & don'ts video for beginners, this means these techniques aren't hard or complex. They are simple but once you are good with these it will be easier for you to follow some more intermediate complex level techniques! And yes, in watercolor, techniques can get hard to try and understand if you're a beginner!
Also guys, I created a new youtube channel, where I will be posting easy and simple acrylic paintings, it would mean a lot if you can show your support and subscribe to me there: / @galaxyahmad
Comment what kind of video you want to see next. A tutorial, time lapse, watercolor product review or another technique-tips related video? I'd love to know your suggestions and ideas. Comment! And don't forget to like this video!
Follow me on: www.Instagram/aishaaaaah / ahmadillustrations
Music: www.purple-planet.com

[@morgann3519]

A tip for using tape: stick it to your clothes before sticking it onto the paper to avoid ripping the paper when you remove it :) • Edit: I do use masking tape

[@Sophia-nk4vu]

Morgan Nederlof thx so much I was having that problem!

[@alizaalam7382]

Thanks so much, it makes stuff so much easier

[@cosmixmars]

omg thank you

[@terrywang561]

Thanks I ripped my “masterpiece” before your tip

[@Yassou.96]

Thanks! ^-^

[@akeemmanalo7286]

4:13 you can also use a watercolor pencil, when applying the water color, the liquid can dissolve the outline as you're coloring. - Always happy to help! Thanks for the likes!

[@AhmadArt]

True! :)

[@mama--rua]

And an eraser if fine after painting

[@dananapeel]

I have watercolor pencils

[@posehionomu3717]

Never though of that but now that I'm reading it, it seems so obvious ! Thanks for the tip :)

[@tathyfigueroa7996]

I was going to say this!!

[@Coratison]

I actually liked the marks the toilet paper left haha

[@pumpkinomom4446]

Coratison me too!!

[@Aham-ll3zb]

Coratison toilet paper can be used as a gradient when watercolor painting

[@SamirCCat]

If you plan it in your painting it'll be a really cool effect! Maybe as a background on a card or just lots of different patterns that get dried out. These "don'ts" are more of a "if you do this you get this effect". Sometimes you WANT the "don't" effect!! There's no right or wrong in art. Just planed or non-planed.

[@ArtWithEm]

Yeah I feel like the toilet paper left marks that could be used to suggest lace or other detailed fabrics! “Don’t”s can def be used if that’s what effect you want, but that’s why art is about learning the rules AND how to break them!

[@rabbiqa]

Coratison It looked like a cool Iceberg... could be sold in a modern art museum

[@et4949]

1:20 am i the only one seeing a piece of artwork (clouds) xD

[@sophiamarie4880]

Mimi Chan i totally saw them too, in fact i’m using that technique to help make clouds for my landscape painting

[@terrywang561]

I saw the clouds #cloudsquad

[@physicalpurchase4908]

yep, i even thought that i can use that technique to draw clouds much easier XD

[@bunnunyy4665]

nope i saw it too i was like " oooh ok ;) "

[@HELLOMECI_]

ET 👽 omfg calm down!!1!1! xD

[@orlaithoreilly2598]

Lmao I use $1 kids watercolour pallete, an old makeup brush and a $1 sketchbook its not great but hey. Like I literally just dip the brush into water and wipe it on my trousers to get the paint off

[@AhmadArt]

Nice 😂

[@madisonxyz9887]

_awkard-knees _ The poor pants...😂

[@reabuwu5326]

I use kid watercolors and a canson watercolor paper but i also use my pants 😂😂

[@madisonxyz9887]

reanah abusnaina canson is pretty good paper 👍

[@aoarashi3025]

I use really cheap, basic art supplies, because I don't want to waste money on anything I don't use regularly. I'm not a professional artist, or even an art student, and I like the results so it's great.

[@SamirCCat]

The last one about not drawing too heavy lines doesn't apply to lots and lots of people. I do linework with black fineliners before I even start painting at all and prefer to have a good ground of pensil to do linework from. It's another style, more "cartoony" if you will, but certainly not a "don't". It's an effect that many artists use. Just thought I should tell people.

[@AhmadArt]

I did say that it can still look good. It's a don't as in don't use a grey writing pencil harshly, because after you also won't be able to erase it, which is what some beginner might end up thinking to do. watercolour on that kind of pencil looks very different comparing to black fine liners. I never said don't to fineliners and stuff, only the writing pencils harshly. For a beginner, that is a don't if they're going for a more realistic type of painting.

[@alexellis358]

I agree it's a style and it's one that could look nice however like they said they did point out that it doesn't look ugly, I'm sure a lot of people would watch this not being very good at art who would benefit from being told to erase the lines as newer folk like myself who haven't found a style appreciates seeing all the techniques :)

[@LxstinNeverland]

I outline a lot of my work, and even then the don't use a pencil harshly still applies. I can't erase pencil if it's too harsh. This tip can still apply to those who outline their work in black fineliners.

[@whit2642]

Monica Shantel Agreed. I am a drawer but just started painting. All of my art is sketched in pencil, lined in ink and then pencil erased before painting.

[@shortycrust]

Yep, I also use a fineliner on my paintings.

[@InkanSpider]

Regarding dark outlines... some artists actually go for that effect, so depending on what you are painting it's not wrong to go for dark outline. Heck, some people even ink the outlines before colouring with watercolours. I've started doing that and it's actually kinda nice to combine them

[@fleurvnrcisse]

yeah

[@Satarupa902]

Please use different color font...white font on white background id difficult to see

[@rapidtower1753]

Satarupa Sen Gupta agree

[@summer-pv4wg]

@@g0rybtch dont be rude.. *hisses* people r different in seeing things the way they r so...

[@g0rybtch]

keisha dajao Lol wtf is that “hisses” thing. You are so weird.

[@summer-pv4wg]

@@g0rybtch its... What u do or say when u are dissapointed. Look it up

[@leja9380]

@@g0rybtch Hm.. Have you ever heard of people's eye sight being worse... Or people being colorblind? You are just throwing yourself under the bus.

[@dc3399]

I got a watercolor set - paints, brushes, paper, then realized that I don't know where to begin. I loved your video. So helpful. Thank you.

[@cherryrawson6909]

For the outlines tip at the end - I would recommend using water colour pencils as close to the colour you will be painting in, this way once you paint it will fade and blend in. Also makes fixing any mistakes a little easier.....

[@yohancurisepatu6750]

Thank you so much!!

[@hueyos]

Personally i do agree with most of your tips but i was surprised at the "outlining for flower" portion as there are artists out there which adds black outlines (using ink pens) to their drawing then colour their picture xD but to be fair maybe your technique is towards realistic art which does not have harsh outlines. Really enjoyed the video!

[@AhmadArt]

Yes those are more like illustrations, and also outlining with ink pens or pen aftwards isn't wrong, the wrong part I am showing is if you see pencil marks specifically. In realistic or not art, we never see pencIl marks. I'm glad you like it!

[@renaes5262]

Line and wash a specific motif she was referring to sketch blocking your WC piece

[@floweykablowey]

These tips are very useful! I just started using watercolor for my artwork and I made many of the mistakes you've mentioned. Thanks for the video!

[@rockstarrevolution4355]

Hjhjh

[@lorrieharkey3383]

Very helpful! It is difficult to find just straight forward “do this, don’t do that” tutorials. I just wish you had used darker color for your font choice, it’s a little hard on the eyes trying to read white on such a light background..... I hope you more of these!!!!

[@mariaprice7345]

*_slowly realizes how i'm so bad at water colours_*

[@soph111a_]

SAME. that’s why I’m here, reassurance, but nahhhh IM TRASH!

[@fleurvnrcisse]

same 💀💀

[@birgitmitchell5648]

Dear Ahmad art- Back, back, back, in the day , when I learned to paint watercolours in the 1970's ..we were taught to STRETCH the paper- this is where you completely wet the paper and attach it to your boards with white packing tape and let it dry FIRST. Usually at least overnight. This way the paper has completely shrunk to its final preportions already, and so does not stretch much and of course is held firmly in place and dries again to its perfect size. the final difference is subtle but tremendous. Thank you for making me feel knowledgeable :) sometimes its great getting old. :))

[@bloodblues85]

I recently got into watercolors. Now I'll have some things to remember to make better art. Thanks!

[@watercolornyc]

Much good information here, but please let me stress that using 100% cotton 'rag' paper will make it MUCH easier to control the water, get smooth washes/blends of colors, and allow you to scrub out and correct mistakes. Paper is THE most important thing, along with learning water control. Painting on cheaper "student-grade" paper will make watercolor far, far harder. 100% cotton paper (Arches, Fabriano, Lanaquarelle, etc) is expensive, but worth every nickel. I've been teaching Beginner Watercolor for 13 years, and it's the one thing I insist on for my students. (They always fight me...but then they try both and agree.)

[@AhmadArt]

Very true, arches are amazing. What I use is canson 140lb I've done commissions and serious work on it. Where arches and others may be very good, canson isn't bad, it is good for beginners. However paper is very important I agree with you !

[@rallyrandy69]

AhmadArt canson XL watercolor paper is some of the worst student grade paper I have ever used.. ripples much more then others, and dries too fast

[@pallythelavendermenace]

Great tips! If someone though cannot afford those expensive brands, I would recommend that they try the Fabriano sample sheets. Its a pack of 12 different papers that can mostly be used for watercolor. They have different weights, can either be hot press, cold press or rough etc. They are super affordable which is great if someone wants to test which paper they like best Hope this helps :)

[@helenaadams3957]

A tip for picking up paint, instead of using a paper towel you can just use your brush instead by cleaning it in water and pinching it to dry it then it will absorb the paint back onto the brush when you touch it to the painted area and that saves the risk of leaving marks on the paint and it looks more natural and part of the painting

[@cyanidemeisterdrakon118]

I used to love making art all the time. I was pretty good at drawing and coloring with pencils and other paints, but watercolor was the bane of my existence, cause I simply wasn't taught properly. I was recently given a watercolor set from a friend and decided I should revisit and refine the skill. Looking over this quick tips of do's and don't, I'm actually excited to get to work. Simply wonderful. ❤

[@lg-vs9eh]

I am a young artist, I watched this vid and I helped me a lot, I did realize I was doing some things wrong and some things right, thanks for the video it really helps !!

[@griffinnguyen945]

For the pencil outline, instead of using a regular eraser you could lightly dab a kneadable eraser over the pencil for easy pickup

[@mollymollusk1012]

At 3:48 it looks like a dog outline 🐶

[@AhmadArt]

I see it a little 😂👌🏻

[@wintersaylee2946]

Ohhhhhb true the dog is loooking up!

[@neonice]

WinterSaylee Weird I see it looking to the left haha

[@ping_81]

lunamøn me too!

[@user-rw5tf9cf6k]

lol I didn't notice

[@marysmith9041]

First time for me to watercolor. Wanted to do it for years. Finally decided to try but didn't want to spend an arm and leg not knowing if I would like it. So I brought a school grade watercolor set, $1.96, and a 4 pack of brushes for $2.96. I have been amazed at the ability of being able to blend colors with this set. A few more practice pics then I will probably invest in better supplies. But it has worked for me to learn techniques and basics. Love watercoloring!

[@purplemisty111]

Thank you for this! Made me realise what I was doing wrong :)

[@beeisverycool]

But the last one isn’t accurate, if you’re going for realism, then do what’s on the right. If you want to be more cartoony, do what’s on the left of the last watercolor tip.

[@riekim8155]

Here am I thinking, how many paper did she use. Those papers seems expensive at least for me. 🤔 Anw thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@brianapyle7731]

At the walmart it should be about 5 to 6 bucks for a pad of watercolor paper. Compared to hobby lobby it isnt bad

[@riekim8155]

@@brianapyle7731 yeah sounds good, got a problem buying the paper rn due to quarantine. Sigh

[@Gurhwhur]

This video actually helped quite a lot, I already knew you were supposed to use tape but I’m not too experienced with water colour paints and I want to make art with them more

[@TranquilWanderer]

Thaaannkkkk youuu it was very helpful

[@umemaahmed7794]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! May Allah always bless you! Such helpful tips for me as I am a beginner! ❤️

[@Yokodono]

What type of tape should I use? I've been using masking tape and I keep tearing the paper on the edges ;-; also I'm sorry but I have to be a cheap scrub and keep using non watercolour paper. :')

[@catherinegomez2055]

Michelle -dono You can use craft tape but you can still use masking tape! A little tip: use a hair dryer to help you peel off the masking tape It will stop the tape from ripping your paper 👍

[@kioskclerk]

Michelle -dono try sticking the tape to a piece of fabric a few times before putting it on your paper. That would get some of the stickiness so your paper wouldnt get ripped

[@shingo_rp87]

whatever the tape you will use just place it on your hand for a while then stick on the paper that way it wont tear it. i tried that once and it worked. another thing you could tape it from the back so if anything got teared it wont show on the work

[@Yokodono]

tape it from the back?

[@Yokodono]

mmhhmm I've done that a few times and it does work but it takes me legitimately 2-3mins per piece of tape ;v;

[@massprite2929]

3:30 it looks like a side profile of a dog :D

[@sukiart0097]

Ahhh jojiii 💜💜🤣

[@evahouse7873]

Copied

[@almaramos1931]

I see it now that's cool!

[@kittenlaughin2402]

The paper towel trick reminded me of clouds x3 I am probably going to use that trick to make a painting for my room! Thank you for the tips, this really helped me out~

[@talyacohen1941]

Thank you! I saw a lot of things which happen to me when i coloring with watercolor , and that truly help me!

[@user-dc2ns3ze4j]

شكرا جزيلا 😊👌👍

[@mlipnos2319]

For Paper you van also use a "blok" of paper (not sure what it's called). The sides are glued to each other, which has the same result as adding tape. When the piece is dry you just use a knife to go around the edges and cut the glue in between the layers of paper

[@AhmadArt]

Nice , never heard of this

[@ion_batteries1808]

Oh! I just bought a drawing "pad" by POTENTATE and it's just like what you described!

[@chellgarcia1851]

Pad is the term

[@ailinr9385]

It's a watercolor block! They're awesome!

[@ion_batteries1808]

Chell Garcia ok, thank you!

[@StuckinNormal]

I just started taking watercolor classes from someone here in the area he’s been teaching for about 30 years, so I was glad to see you that he was teaching me some of the really practical techniques that you are using; take the paper down and less I’m looking for dark lines go ahead and only sketch and lightly, that sort of thing (he uses that painters tape because it’s so low adhesive that when you pull it off it doesn’t mark the paper at all). What I would love to see, even on Some of the older videos, is changing the print font to black; it’s really difficult to read through that when the font is white. Other than that I’m enjoying the daylights out of these!

[@jeanineskitchen2607]

just bought my first set of paints brushes and correct paper,love your video so good for me a beginner!

[@dearbrave4183]

Thanks for the advice! Very useful for a beginner 😊❤️

nice vídeo!!

[@shakirabosnyak449]

Maria José gomes sorry it's video

[@mwacks]

@Mi Mi portuguese*(Brazil) ;---;

[@JennaRaineyChannel]

Very helpful tips, thanks for sharing with everyone! Happy painting!

[@love4art_ac]

Great tips! Every artist should know this. Esp for a beginner like me. Thanks for this!

[@wispicaldream]

When i first used water color i didnt know what i was doing and fail miserably and when i learned how to water color i slapped my face on how bad i messed up So the moral of the story know how to watercolor before doing it

[@user-lq6hd5bl7g]

wispical dream yes indeed

[@rayray8687]

wispical dream: Isn’t that kind of like saying don’t start something unless you’re already good at it?? Or worse still, don’t test new techniques or unfamiliar territory. That would be pretty poor advice to 100% of artists and art students alike. It would leave the world with no art.

[@spongebob1849]

wispical dream I know how you feel. I like to do things and then look at the directions.

[@wispicaldream]

@@rayray8687 sorry about that I was really stupid at the time I think what I was trying to say at the time was you should watch a quick video or read the instructions about it so you know how to use it (I was and still am really stupid lmao)

[@essentiallyitsamy]

Lmao I'll try 😦

[@theartistspen7808]

Niice i really love these tips thank youu

[@Nixieyume]

Thank you soo much!!! I've always wanted to try out watercolors and I've finally bought them lol

[@nikkilacroix910]

Awesome! Thanks! I am just starting to learn watercolor! I have used acrylics pretty much my whole art career and a little oil, but never tried watercolor and I decided to start today! lol These were all very helpful! Thanks! :)

[@kris_3220]

my brushes are kinda cheap so they don't have that flowy texture :(((((

[@anjaliantony3760]

This video was very helpful and can I just point out the AMAZING editing?! I loved it!!

[@ScrapbookingManiabyNuria]

Thanks for all the fantastic tips 😃

[@ChuChu.id0l]

Amazing! Just amazing! This inspired me even more to use watercolors and I learned a ton!

[@Sss-cr8lq]

Thank u so much for this ! Helped a lot!!

[@AhmadArt]

you're welcome! :)

[@OneTrueWord1988]

Great video! Just found your channel and subscribed! :)

[@neveroche]

Thank you for the tape tip ! Understood why I kept having the same problem !

[@emi_okie]

I absolutely loved your video! I love water color painting and I was able to learn new trick I am defiantly going to apply!

[@missbeautygirl8389]

hay what brush are you using

[@fernemoohni5680]

I have a few questions, if you don't mind me asking. Will washing tape work for taping the edges of the paper? Is it most suitable to use watercolour paper from a pad or a watercolour journal? I'm currently wanting to do watercolour in a journal, designed specifically for watercolour. However, does it have the same affects?

[@CutieSnootable]

ferne moohni yes it will, especially considering the adhesive isn’t as strong as clear tape or such things. I’ve used Washi tape in the past (I use painters tape now). I’ve been doing watercolour for about 5 years now.

[@zerowastefreak1050]

This was actually amazingly helpful, thank you so much!

[@lorabrewer4447]

Thank you for sharing these hints. They are exactly some of the things I have been struggling with.

[@sumaiyahanif3604]

Youre great

[@picklesdill9138]

this was almost impossible to read because white letters on white background. pls use black letters next time...

[@picklesdill9138]

uh ok not if your phone is low on data and the picture isnt hd...its pretty hard to read. i wouldnt say that to be mean... plus my screen is tiny..so had black letters been used...id be able to guess at least what was being written in fuzzy words...rather than white blobs on white background...

[@whatever.1765]

Faith Ellis Then It's your fault, not the creators lol

[@picklesdill9138]

i wasnt rude. and it wasnt a bad request...what are you all the youtube police? back off...i suggested he use black lettering...sue me.

[@shingo_rp87]

totally agrees cuz my eyes hurt now

[@chellgarcia1851]

Then it's your fault

[@iwonderwhatmydognamedme4000]

Also a tip for blending, when you first put the colour down and wanna blend that colour out, take ur brush and wipe it down with paper towel so it’s a little dry, then take that brush and go back to your drawing and use the brush like a shading tool. It will help out the colour look gradually blended and not just dark and then to light.

[@veronicaanne7279]

omg a floaty bubbly blob! LOL i love that description!

[@gabbygerster2675]

Your left handed #Leftysquad

[@gabbygerster2675]

I'm left handed to

[@alizaalam7382]

🙌🏼 left handed here

[@keisievaleza9891]

You're*

[@gachanicola9582]

Left here

[@waso-suwi]

Im left handed It is weird to observe people when using their dominant hand to see whether or not they are left handed?

[@mistychaos451]

1:16 tbh you can use toilet paper for interesting texture techniques, it’s doesn’t look so bad tbh

[@DavidSoekana]

Wow! Thank you AhmadArt for this watercolor tutorial👍 Nice to watch because I love to painting to👍

[@hopelesslytrying1007]

oh this is so cool,i should have found this video before i tried painting on my own...i will definitely use your tips the next time i try using watercolor paint again

[@smartartist9075]

Amazing! as always... can you do something abstract on watercolor of course...maybe like people or birds etc.. pls?

[@carolynshiers9921]

Thank you for your tips, I am guilty of all of them !!

[@bikramsinha1198]

Nice video, helped a lot😊👍👍

[@blueynights]

Thank you! This will be helpful when I have to do more paintings for my art class

[@AliAhmad-rf9vx]

good job sis

[@AhmadArt]

Thank you my cutie pie 💙💙💙💙💙

[@HelloKitty-nf1fw]

I did each one of these mistakes and kept wandering why my paintings are ugly lol thanks alote

[@an3582]

Name buddies! I actually really love how the flower with the outline looks.

[@goblin8078]

I love your channel :) you should do a time lapse they're really calming and beautiful

[@ammarietta]

The last advice is unspecified. If somebody need to have thick outline because of their art style it isn't wrong to do dark outline. However, it's nice video ;)

[@alannajimenez5965]

I like hard pencil lines under my watercolor paintings, is it bad for realistic drawings? I think my pics look okay but every KZbin vid says not to draw hard lol

[@sunnywo2259]

Alanna Jimenez I’d say not to use it for realistic drawings and things in real life don’t have outlines.

[@shahar9452]

if harsh line are a part of your style then it's absolutely fine! it's a "don't" if you don't want the lines to be shown in the final painting. there are no actual rules in art

[@IrishMommy1975]

You have to do what feels right and comfortable for you. It’s your art:)

[@mirabelapip]

Thanks--looking forward to begin!

[@gaibby]

Thank you!!! :) so excited to get started.

[@thesarahdilemma9752]

I just realised that the person is using tiny pieces of paper for some of his things Budget.

[@ellafaustino8489]

Me: *watches video* Also me: does these things again

[@lisafortin3523]

It's been a long while since I painted, thanks for the update!

[@salesse84]

Great tips! I loved painting in high school, but 15 years and two kids later I cannot remember anything! Thank you KZbin

[@remtt]

Um what is your watercolor brand?

[@AhmadArt]

Uh it's Van Gogh colors and whitenights Leningrad

[@meenugupta2755]

Which tape do you use?

[@AhmadArt]

Masking tape

[@Wenjun_art]

Thank you, great painting exchange and display. ❤

[@eronoah8738]

I just bought canson 140lb paper and i'm honestly in love with it lmao

[@bric.9472]

What brush did you use?

[@neonice]

Panic!At the Twenty Romance Veil ! Your Username is true art😂

[@asia3598]

your username is true cancer

[@begrateful9836]

Fq

[@sanezea6921]

Same question.what brush did U use?

[@puddle.drinker]

Wait, you're supposed to add water to the paper???? *I never knew that*

[@tracy8001]

haha me too

[@brianapyle7731]

The technique is called wet on wet and it has some very cool effects but its not always necessary

[@puddle.drinker]

@@brianapyle7731 Oh! Cool, thank you :)

[@brianapyle7731]

No problemo

[@aadvika3476]

Lol me too

[@astridsiregar]

for a beginner this was really helpful. thank you so much!

[@jezebelm400]

Thanks for the gradient tip!

[@santoshkhedkar8626]

oooooh

[@hvriceart1581]

love how you can paint such a nice painting.

[@ameliecrawshaw3792]

When she erased the little pink flower I tried to blow the eraser off! 🌸 😃 Lovely video by the way, thanks alot. 💕

[@BS-le7uc]

Aww

[@paranoiarpincess]

I saw a technique for lightening your lines that works really well. I suffer from drawing my lines over and over until I have the right one, then I erase the rest. But then to keep the lines I need to see, I make my kneadable eraser into a cylinder, and roll other across the page, pushing down as I roll. It pulls up the excess graphite, without totally getting rid of the lines I need. They also aren't visible under the paint ^-^.

[@InspirasyonKulot]

Wow. thanks to you. It will add to my drawing skill. I really love your work.

[@catalinareveco4486]

About the outline, instead of erasing to make a softer line, just use a 4H or something along that line.

[@StartArtSmart]

This is a very informative video... After seeing some if my Favorite KZbinrs. Show off their waterpainting skills. I'm almost ready to give it a shot... One of these days. As I bought some cheap ones to start off with 😁 "Thanks for sharing!"

[@AhmadArt]

Best of luck and don’t give up even if you feel like you didn’t do good at times, Keep practicing!!! I’m glad this video helped!!!

[@ayushiidaksh5219]

Awesome techniques. Very helpful

[@alejandrapalacios6525]

Thank you ! I am learning by myself so this tutorial is great for me !

[@jatinsharma2631]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/lavUppSXg85loMU

[@asteria4324]

Everything was cool up to the outlines. Some people watercolor ink drawings and they turn out wonderfully

[@wanderer-my-beloved]

I do the dont for using too much water haha i liked the bubbly paint effects!

[@Meanne77]

very useful, thank you. on what kind of support should we tape the paper? I have a plastic tablecloth to protect my craft table, is it ok or should I add something else in between (something that would absorb the water too just in case?)

[@NamdYaIllust]

thank you for these techniques