Key Takeaways
- You need only 5 colours to start — not a 48-pan palette
- Watercolour is about controlling water, not paint
- Your first 10 paintings will be learning experiences, not masterpieces — and that is fine
Supplies You Actually Need
Ignore the 48-colour sets. Start with 5 colours, 2 brushes, and decent paper.
- Paint (5 colours): Cadmium Yellow, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna, Sap Green. These mix to create hundreds of shades.
- Brushes (2): One round brush (size 8) for most work, and one flat brush (¾ inch) for washes.
- Paper: This is where you should spend. 300gsm cold-pressed watercolour paper. Thin paper buckles and ruins the experience. A Brustro or Canson pad (₹300-500) works well.
- Palette: Any white plate or plastic palette for mixing.
- Water containers: Two — one for rinsing, one for clean water.
Colour Mixing Basics
Before painting anything, spend 30 minutes mixing. Yellow + Blue = Green. Red + Blue = Purple. Red + Yellow = Orange. Vary the ratios. Add more water for lighter tints. This exercise teaches you more about watercolour than any tutorial video.
Exercise 1: Flat Wash
Mix a generous amount of colour with water. Using your flat brush, paint horizontal strokes from top to bottom, overlapping each stroke slightly. The goal: even colour with no streaks. This is the foundation of every watercolour technique.
Exercise 2: Gradient Wash
Start with a concentrated colour at the top. With each stroke, add more water to your brush. By the bottom, the colour should fade to nearly white. This teaches water control — the most important watercolour skill.
Exercise 3: Wet-on-Wet
Wet your paper with clean water first. Then drop colour onto the wet surface and watch it bloom. This is the magic of watercolour — the unpredictable, organic spreads that no other medium can create.
Common Mistakes
- Not enough water: Watercolour should flow. If it feels like you are pushing paint, add more water.
- Overworking: Once paint is on paper, leave it. Going back over semi-dry paint creates muddy textures.
- Cheap paper: Good paint on bad paper looks terrible. Good paper makes cheap paint look decent. Always prioritise paper quality.