Technique

Drybrush uses a lightly loaded brush across dry paper so the surface catches broken colour. The result depends on moisture, pressure and paper tooth.

Lifting can lighten a passage or recover a highlight, but the safe limit depends on the paint, paper, timing and amount of friction.

Watercolour edges are controlled by the moisture relationship between the paint, brush and paper at the moment a stroke is made.

A variegated wash lets two or more colours meet within one connected field while preserving their individual character.

A graded wash changes the strength of one colour across the sheet. Small dilution steps and a connected wet edge keep the transition free of bands.

A flat wash depends on enough mixed paint, a connected wet edge and steady timing. This guide explains the complete method and its common failures.

The bead is the moving band of liquid at the lower edge of a wash. Its size and continuity control how evenly the wash develops.

A bloom records a difference in moisture between neighbouring passages. Recognising the drying stage lets you prevent the mark or place it deliberately.

Technique Colour Guide Mud in watercolour almost always comes from one of two things: the wrong pigment combination, or touching

Technique Paint Guide Wet on dry has a reputation for producing stiff, overworked results. That reputation is about poor execution,