🎨 Learn watercolour painting
Start watercolour painting with a minimal kit, simple wash exercises and a finished postcard-sized painting.
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Plan the experience
Planning estimates, not a price quote or a deadline. Your version may vary.
- Time
- A first afternoon, followed by a few short practice sessions.
- Cost
- A small beginner set, one brush and watercolour paper; borrow supplies before buying a large kit.
- Where
- A table with good light and space for water jars.
Before you start
Use paper intended for watercolour rather than ordinary printer paper. Choose a simple subject such as a leaf or a mug. Limit yourself to a few colours so mixing and water control get your attention.
How you would actually start
Make a page of tests
Paint a strip with plenty of water, another with less, and a few colour mixes. Let them dry before judging the result. Label the tests so you can connect the dried colour with what you did at the brush.
Paint something small
Sketch a simple outline on a postcard-sized sheet. Work from light washes towards a few darker details, allowing layers to dry when needed. Keep the subject simple enough that you can finish it in the same session.
Repeat the subject
Paint the same object again on another day. Compare the two pieces and choose one specific improvement, such as less water in a shadow or fewer outlines. Date both instead of throwing the first attempt away.
What counts as done
You have finished a small painting and repeated enough basic exercises to understand how your paint, brush and paper behave together.
A limited kit gives you fewer variables. Save new colours and expensive brushes until you know what your current materials cannot do.
When you finish, mark it fulfilled in My list. You can remember it in your weekly journal.