Watercolor 101 Painting Water

In this tutorial, we will be using more wet on dry techniques, plus a little color mixing to create a beautiful landscape with trees, a sandy beach and water. Yep, we are painting waves!

My first tutorial has a list of all of the hues from my Kuretake watercolor palette, that I prefer using. If you have not watched it I recommend going back and taking a look. For this painting, we are going to be creating color mixtures with 5 hues from that palette.

Color mixing can unify your palette by creating a harmonious set of colors based on your core color choices, often using a unifying color. In this painting our unifying color is ultramarine blue. By understanding color theory (this is just a little bit) you can create a palette in your painting that has a more cohesive and visually appealing look.

This is what we are making!

How to choose a unifying color palette

1. Choose the unifying color. If you are using a reference photo, look for the color that you see throughout the photo. In this case, the photo is full of blue tones so we will be choosing ultramarine blue.

2. Add the unifying color when you mix. As we work, we will add a little bit of the ultramarine blue to each of our other hues.

3. Experiment and adjust. You will need to work with the color mixtures so that they feel right and harmonious to the overall composition. You can also use a color wheel if you have one.