Getting Started

A clear order for your first watercolour session, with a useful next step whenever you need more detail.

A reference photograph records a scene; the painting decides what to keep, change and leave out. A practical way to turn a photo into a watercolour plan.

A working glossary of the watercolour terms that change what you choose, mix, paint or leave alone.

Six manageable subjects, each chosen to make one useful watercolour decision easier to see and practise.

Getting Started · Guide For most subjects, a few light pencil lines help, mainly for placement, proportion and reserved white

Getting Started · Guide Two paints you already own are enough to see how colour mixing works. Make three mixtures

Getting Started · Guide In transparent watercolour, the clearest white usually comes from paper left unpainted. Mark the largest light

Getting Started · Guide The safest correction begins with a pause. Look at whether the paint is wet, damp or

Getting Started · Guide You can begin with a surprisingly ordinary setup: a few colours, paper that suits them, one

Getting Started · Guide There is no single drying time between watercolour layers. A small, pale shape on light paper