What children need to know in watercolour painting

Today watercolour painting has become a popular medium in art. It is a highly expressive and versatile medium. Watercolour painting is also one of the most challenging and economical of all painting media. Children or any beginner needs to know to get started in watercolour painting, it is the wash technique introduced to beginners.

Wash

A painting done in minimum colours.

The principle of watercolour painting is simple. All one needs to do is to wet the brush with colour and water and spread it over the paper. First of all you must practise the basics of wash techniques with a single colour.

A small amount of paint is placed on the watercolour palette. Water is added with the brush. The more water you add the more transparent the tone appears. The palette could be a saucer, a porcelain container or a lid of the paint box will do.

When the colour is on the palette a little paint is placed in a compartment. Then a little water is added with the brush to lighten the colour.

First apply the colour with a wet brush. Next the brush is washed in water and rinsed and the colour is spread. A tone is made more transparent by adding water.

Observe the painting done in minimum colours. A careful study will show that this painting is done with three colours - green, blue and burnt amber (brown). Green is used for trees and bushes, the blue is used for water and the sky and burnt amber for the branches, trunk and twigs.

Different tones were obtained by adding more or less water to the original colour to lighten it, as well as applying pure colour to the darkest areas of the painting.

The brushes used were Nos 1, 2 and 6 used for dark tones. Kent paper 150 gms. was used.