5 things I wish I knew before I started watercolor

Main ideas / lessons (5 things)

1. Don’t lighten with white or darken with black

   • Watercolor is transparent, so adding white/black changes the medium in a way that undermines that transparency.
   • White in watercolor
     • Removes transparency, turning a light, “classic watercolor” wash into something less transparent.
   • Black in watercolor
     • While it makes values darker, it tends to change the chroma/hue character of the color rather than simply deepening it naturally.
   • How to get lighter/darker values instead
     • Lighter color/value: add more water.
     • Darker color/value: add less water (use a thicker/more concentrated mix), and wipe off excess moisture before painting.
   • Note: white/black can be used if you specifically want that look, but they are not the traditional method for value control in watercolor.

2. Master “water control” (consistency)

   • Water control is framed as the root cause of many watercolor problems.
   • Core idea: watercolor outcomes depend heavily on the ratio of water to pigment at the moment you apply it.
   • Consistency spectrum (tea → butter) as a mental model
     • Tea: lots of water, very little pigment
       • Very transparent/see-through
     • Coffee: still lots of water, slightly more pigment
       • Less see-through than tea
     • Milk: more pigment than coffee
       • Approaching ~50/50 water and paint
     • Cream: more pigment than water
       • Thicker; you can feel thick movement when mixing
     • Butter: very little water
       • Dry brush, sticky/thick paint; very dark
   • Why this matters
     • In watercolor you can’t easily “bring light back” once it’s laid down.
     • You’re building from light to dark, so you must know when you need each consistency/value.
   • Value scale exercise (instruction)
     • Create a value scale from:
       • the lightest possible wash → gradually add a bit more pigment at a time
       • let colors blend naturally
       • end with the darkest value on the far right
   • Application example: tree study (instruction)
     • Use one color and map light-to-dark through consistency:
       • First layer: tea-to-coffee ratio, very light (critical because you can’t restore lost lightness later)
       • Mid details: coffee/milk as the paint stays wet to blend
       • Shadows/form: increase to cream as drying progresses
       • For loosening darks into mid-values: add a bit of water to thin the darker paint
     • Same concept applies to typical color palettes (lighter tones first, then darker greens via increasing pigment thickness).
   • If you struggle with consistency
     • Do a swatch/test on scrap paper before committing to the real painting to check whether the mix is too watery or too pigment-heavy.

3. Paper is everything (brand and quality matter)

   • Poor practice progress can be due to paper quality, not your skill.
   • Paper affects how watercolor behaves (absorption, texture, blending).
   • Personal preference example
     • The speaker contrasts:
       • cellulose / lower-quality paper (can feel ugly/unsatisfying and frustrate learners)
       • high-quality cotton paper (e.g., Arches) for better texture and blending
   • Practical instruction / encouragement
     • Use better paper during practice to improve faster and enjoy practice more.
     • The speaker recommends cutting an Arches pad into smaller pieces to make it affordable.
   • Specific recommendation
     • Arches 140 lb cold press watercolor paper, loved for being rough enough for texture but not too rough.

4. Don’t fear the “ugly stages”

   • Watercolor commonly looks bland/awkward early because:
     • you start with light layers first
     • there’s little contrast at the beginning
   • What to expect
     • Multiple layers are normal:
       • first washes may be dull
       • you then glaze (layer additional color over top)
   • Key lesson
     • If early layers look wrong, that does not mean you did something incorrectly—those stages are part of building the final depth and contrast.
   • Example used
     • A strawberry is referenced to illustrate how it starts flat/bland and becomes more dimensional after successive layers.

5. Take time to understand color theory (especially complementary colors)

   • Color theory is presented as more important than beginners often expect.
   • The speaker uses yellow-magenta-cyan as the basis and emphasizes complementary colors.
   • Complementary colors concept
     • Complementary colors are positioned opposite on the color wheel.
     • Mixing a little of one into its complement creates a muted/dusty version of the other.
   • Why this helps in watercolor
     • Darkening doesn’t always mean using black/indigo/blue.
     • Natural shadows can be created by mixing complementary hues into the local color rather than making a flat “black shadow.”
   • Examples demonstrated (instructional comparison)
     • Magenta ↔ Sap green
       • Adding sap green into magenta → muted dusty rose
       • Adding magenta into sap green → deeper muted army green
     • Shadow mixing comparisons
       • For shadows, compare:
         • black vs indigo vs complementary-muted mixes
       • The muted complementary result is described as more natural and cohesive.
     • Practical object example: blueberry
       • Shadow approach 1 (less natural): black shadow looks flat/off
       • Shadow approach 2 (more natural): mix blue + orange to create shadows that feel cohesive because the shadow still contains related hues from the object.
   • Takeaway
     • Understanding how colors relate leads to paintings that look aesthetically cohesive and “like they belong.”

---

Speakers / sources featured

• Speaker: The video narrator/instructor (unnamed in the subtitles) giving watercolor advice (“today I’m going to tell you five things…”).
• Sources referenced:
  • The speaker’s own linked video(s):
    • A video about watercolor supplies
    • A video about color theory (simplified in detail)
• Brands / paper sources mentioned:
  • Arches (140 lb cold press)
  • Canson/“Canon” (left-paper example; mentioned as a comparison)
  • Cellulose paper (general category referenced)