Discover your unique watercolor art style with my easy-to-follow 7-step guide. Paint your way into the world of colors and unleash your creativity with techniques, color palettes, and your natural surroundings.
This is a process of exploring different techniques, materials, and inspiration to help you uncover your artistic talents you didn’t even know you had within you.
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TAKE THE WATERCOLOR ART STYLE QUIZ!
Experiment with Techniques
Embrace the versatility of watercolors by trying various techniques to help guide you to discover your watercolor art style. From wet-on-wet to dry brushing, each method offers a distinct look and feel.
Let’s take a quick look at various techniques for you to work on.
Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and explore new approaches. Practice each of these techniques to discover if any of these fit into your watercolor art style.
Play with Color Palettes
Color is your tool in watercolor painting. There are many color combinations and palettes to discover which hues compare to your vision.
Let’s look at a few color schemes:
- Monochromatic: Think of a single color, like blue. (My favorite color) Now, imagine using different shades, tints, and intensities of that blue – from very light (almost white) with a touch of blue, to very dark (almost black) with a touch of blue. That’s a monochromatic color scheme. It’s like creating an entire artwork using one color but in many different lightness and darkness levels. This scheme is great for a peaceful and soothing look. I love creating misty forest scenes using either purples or even paynes grey in a monochromatic scheme.
- Complementary: Picture two colors that are opposites on the color wheel, like red and green. When used together, these colors create a vibrant look because they stand out against each other. Complementary colors are like best friends who are complete opposites but balance each other out perfectly. This is excellent for making something stand out because the contrast between the colors grabs attention. Think Christmas colors, red and green – they complement each other to give that festive look.
- Analogous: Pick three colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel, like red, orange, and yellow. These colors naturally work well together because they share common hues and are often found together in nature, creating a kindred and cohesive look. It can be like a gradient of colors that blend smoothly into each other. For more on analogous colors, Yellow Slice has a great, in-depth article on this.
Experiment with these color schemes and watch how they interact with each other. How they blend on your paper to create unique effects, you may find that in your watercolor art style, you use these more often than not.
Seek Inspiration from Nature
Nature is a boundless source of inspiration for watercolor artists. From the intricate details of flowers, the movement of water, or the vibrant colors of a sunset, you can observe many natural elements to include in your watercolor art style.
I often find myself, especially when I am on vacation, observing all the colors and scenery all around me.
We recently went on a cruise and I often found myself sitting on the deck watching how the sky met the sea and the color combinations. I noticed the further out, the darker the sea became and that very thin line of light where it met the sky. I watched how the water rolled in the distance compared to closer to my vantage point from the ship.
I often take my portable sketchbook and watercolor journal with my water pens and small palette with me when I travel and sketch and paint what I see. I take note of all of the colors and variations of those colors.
I will admit that part of my watercolor art style does compare to that of more of a landscape artist, but I do have various styles that I love to create.
Explore Different Subjects
Let’s look further than nature. Watercolor is so versatile, that it can be used to depict a wide range of subjects. Putting landscapes and seascapes aside, there are portraits and still lifes to explore.
Each of these subjects offers unique challenges and opportunities for self-expression.
I believe that landscapes are one of the easiest to paint. Think of Bob Ross and his happy trees. He always made it look so easy. When you move on to portraits, capturing the essence of the subject can be challenging, but for some, it comes naturally. I encourage you to try it though. There are many studies online to help you in every aspect from painting facial features to full body images.
I have tried my hand at portraits and will admit that I struggle with it. I will say though that I do love to do portrait charcoal sketches. I have a whole notebook full of them. When it comes to painting them from there, I need to have more patience.
Still-life watercolor is fun to do. Painting a bowl of lemons or oranges is fun once you get your shading and perspective on track to keep it more 3D than flat. Although your watercolor art style may be more of an abstract artist, having that 3D look is not on your radar.
You aren’t going to know your watercolor art style until you try exploring different subjects and you may surprise yourself and find one that you enjoy so much, it’s all you want to paint!
Develop Your Unique Brushwork
Your brushstroke is like your handwriting. It is a distinct part of not only your style but your watercolor art style.
There are different brushstrokes like vertical hold to make those straight lines, slanted hold to make thicker lines, or doing a wash. Then there is the way you create petals on flowers, and your leaf formations if you like to paint botanicals.
The way you hold your brush, how much pigment to water ratio, and the type or thickness of the brush, all depend on how you develop your brushwork.
Observe how the brush interacts with the paper and paint and you can develop a repertoire of brushstroke techniques that reflect your artsy personality.
Embrace Imperfections
Watercolor painting can be an unpredictable process. Going back to Bob Ross – happy accidents. Imperfections will happen, but they can often lead to unexpected and beautiful results.
Take for example a bloom – a “bloom” is a term used to describe an effect that looks like a flower or a cloud spreading out on the paper. It happens when you add a drop of water or wet paint to a damp area of your painting. Instead of staying put, the new water or paint pushes the existing paint away, creating an edge that spreads out and looks a bit like the petals of a blooming flower or the soft edges of a cloud.
Blooms can be used intentionally to create interesting textures and effects, like fluffy clouds, fog, or abstract backgrounds. They give a sense of movement and depth to your painting. However, if you’re not expecting them, they can be a surprise!
The key to creating a bloom on purpose is controlling the wetness of your paper and the amount of water or paint you add. It’s a fun technique to play with and can be an added expression to your artwork.
Other unexpected imperfections could be you dropped or dripped some paint on your paper in a place where you didn’t want it to be! You could either 1. Lift it off, or 2. Splatter more paint and make it into something else. OR – instead of throwing your painting away, repurpose it into something else. Cut it down and make gift tags or bookmarks.
Accidents and imperfections will happen. Too many new watercolor artists become discouraged and quit. Don’t let that be you! One of the watercolor artists I followed when I first started always made us take an oath before every painting – I promise to be kind to myself, I promise not to compare myself to others, and I promise to have fun!
So be kind to yourself and don’t expect to be a professional artist right away. I have been painting for years and there are artists out there I can only dream of having their skill. With that said, I promised to be kind to myself and not to compare myself to others and develop my watercolor art style.
Study Other Artists And Their Watercolor Art Style
Remember that watercolor artist that made us take an oath? Her name is Sarah Cray and her style is one that I love. It’s how I learned by following her online and keeping up with what she creates. I study what she does and her techniques.
There is also another watercolor artist that I adore and that is Louise De Masi. Her watercolor art style is gorgeous and the way she paints birds and animals is top-notch in my opinion. I love to go to her page and look deep into her watercolor art style. She will admit though, that she feels she is finding her personal art style.
Lastly, I also love the work of Matthew Palmer. He also offers online painting tutorials, and I learned the art of Sgraffito – using a credit card to create trees in the background from him when I first started painting.
There are many other artists to consider. The ones I listed are current and some of my favorites.
Here are few others to look at:
- J.M.W. Turner: Often referred to as the “painter of light,” Turner’s watercolors are known for their beauty and portrayals of landscapes and seascapes. His ability to capture light and motion in watercolor set him apart in the art world. He was fascinated by the violence of the seas and captured that in some of his watercolors.
- Winslow Homer: An American artist who is known for his watercolor landscapes and seascapes. Homer’s watercolors are remarkable for their simplicity, boldness, and mastery of the medium, illustrating the beauty of nature. When he switched from oil paintings to watercolors, his first paintings were referred to by a critic – “A child with an ink bottle could not have done worse”. Obviously, he improved with time and developed his watercolor art style.
- John Singer Sargent: Sargent’s watercolors are a brilliant display of light and color, showcasing his incredible skill in capturing the essence of his subjects with seemingly effortless brushstrokes. His work ranges from elegant portraits to vibrant scenes of everyday life. He painted over 2000 watercolors.
- Georgia O’Keeffe: While more commonly known for her oil paintings, Her early watercolor works show compositions of natural forms and landscapes. Her landscape sceneries came from her views on her daily walks.
- Beatrix Potter: Renowned for her children’s book illustrations, Potter’s delicate watercolor paintings of animals and nature have captured the hearts of many. Her attention to detail and ability to bring characters to life with watercolor is truly special. Who doesn’t love Peter Rabbit?
These are just a few of the famous watercolor artists who have a watercolor art style, mainly due to the circumstances of the time they lived, but you can study their techniques, color choices, and subject matter.
While it’s important to develop your watercolor art style, studying the work of others can provide valuable insights and inspiration.
Finding your watercolor art style is a journey of self-discovery, experimentation, and perseverance. Embrace the process, and don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone.
With each painting, you’ll uncover new parts of your artistic voice, ultimately leading you to a style that is uniquely your own.
This won’t happen overnight or even next year! It could take several or many years to develop one particular art style, but you will find along the way compositions you love to paint and will create many more.
Just remember Sarah Cray’s oath! Be kind to yourself, don’t compare your work to others, and have fun! Oh and happy accidents from Bob Ross! You can turn those happy accidents that you aren’t happy with into something completely different! There is a solution to every opportunity. Keep the faith, not matter what you believe in, and you will succeed.
Stay Colorful, Stay Creative, and HAVE FUN!
~Laurie