The key to learning watercolor is:
Is Watercolor Painting Good For Beginners? (You’ll Be Surprised!)
Ok… that’s the very short answer. But maybe you need a bit more convincing?
I’m a fan of watercolor. As you can probably tell from the name of my site
So perhaps you think I have a biased opinion. But after years of painting with watercolors, I think I can give you a realistic overview of this medium.
Is watercolor good for beginners?
Yes, watercolor is ideal for beginner artists. Despite having some characteristics that can cause newcomers some problems, this medium is accessible to artists of any skill level, it’s fun to use, and great results can be obtained quickly.
You may have heard that watercolor is challenging to master.
To some extent, that is true. Watercolor can be a bit… hmmm… unpredictable.
The medium of watercolor may seem daunting and tricky at first, but it really isn’t. After painting in watercolors for many years, I’ve always found it a constant source of pleasure.
The techniques you need to learn to paint with this beautiful medium are relatively easy to pick up. You just need some background knowledge about watercolors and some practice… (and perhaps a bit of guidance).
Watercolor remains one of the most popular art mediums for newbies, and plenty of good reasons exist for this.
Why is watercolor good for newbies?
Here are some of the reasons why many newcomers prefer to start with watercolor:
- Watercolors are fast drying. This makes the painting process relatively quick. You can start and finish a painting in just a few minutes. Laying down large washes of color is more straightforward than some other mediums, thus providing fast results. And there is little waiting time between applications of paint.
- It’s relatively affordable. You only need a small amount of equipment to get started with watercolors. Some paper, a couple of brushes, and a handful of paints are all you need. You can produce a wide range of colors with a limited paint palette (for example, follow my recommendations here). This low cost makes watercolor a very appealing medium.
- Watercolor painting is clean. Painting with this medium isn’t messy, and the paints are non-toxic. Tidying up is quick and easy.
- Watercolors are portable. A palette and a pad of paper or sketchbook are highly portable. So you can set yourself up to paint almost anywhere and take your painting equipment to any location. Watercolors are among the most popular mediums for “plein air” outdoor painting.
- Takes up little space. Similarly, the compact nature of watercolors makes it simple to improvise a place to paint. You can set up your paints easily with little preparation. The kitchen table or a small office space can become a “studio” with little fuss.
- There are lots of learning resources available. Learning watercolor online or offline is easily accessible. There are plenty of books or courses on this subject and plenty of inspiration too For example, you’ll find loads of painting ideas here on my blog and my Youtube channel (if you want to jump right in – check out my masterclass course for beginners).
- Provides a relaxing moment in your daily life. This can be said for many types of art practice, but watching watercolor spread and produce unique textures on the paper is always surprising and enjoyable. And if something is enjoyable, you’ll return and do it more often!
- Watercolors are easily combined with other mediums. Watercolor paint can be the basis for many mixed-media styles of artwork. You can easily combine it with pens, gouache, colored pencils, etc. In this respect, it’s less limiting than other ways of painting.
As you can see, watercolors have plenty of advantages, making them an ideal choice for beginners.
Once you decide to get going, you’ll be captivated! This will put you on the path to developing the skills you need.
What is Traditional Gouache?
Gouache is a non-permanent, water-based paint that contains large pigment particles. Once dry, this paint is easy to reactivate if you want to make touch ups and changes. Similar to its watercolor paint counterpart, you must mix traditional gouache with water before spreading it across a surface or canvas.
You’ve probably seen traditional gouache as the art technique of choice on children’s posters, book covers, and other professional illustrations. It has a higher opacity than conventional watercolors, so it makes deeper shades that allow illustrators to grab a reader’s attention.
A Little History Behind Gouache Art
The term “gouache” only goes back as far as the 18th century, but the medium itself has been around much longer than that.
Artists like Hans Holbein the Younger, who was one of the greatest portraitists of his time, was a true gouache enthusiast. Holbein created some of his best Renaissance masterpieces using gouache paints.
His artistic style is known for having a matte finish and vivid colors. You’ve probably seen a lot of Renaissance paintings with dark backgrounds and vibrant subjects. That is the classic Renaissance-era painting look that gouache helped achieve.
The Impressionist school revived gouache paintings, intrigued by the fact that though the Renaissance artworks were more than 1,000 years old, each piece was still vivid. And though gouache has different material components today, it still creates paintings that are intense and animated.
Making Gouache
Gouache is a mix of simple and complicated. Its binder is a middle-ground between the oil-based and water-based binders.
Traditional gouache is a perfect mix of the best of both oil and water-based paints. It dries quickly, like watercolors, but it’s opaque like oil because of its chalk component. It can be reactivated with more water if you want to make changes after it’s dry. And its oil content means that colors will come across with more depth.
Traditional gouache consists of pigment, water, and gum arabic or yellow dextrin. The drawback to this medium is that it tends to become brittle when dry, something that is not an issue with acrylic gouache.
Artists who want something similar to watercolor with a heavier and denser look often rely on traditional gouache. It lets the painter create different layering effects and build up colors; hence, its popularity with children’s posters and books.
Can Acrylic Gouache Replace Your Gouache?
If you typically use traditional gouache but are starting to become more and more curious about acrylic gouache, we absolutely recommend you try it.
Many artists use traditional gouache and love how it is like a thicker, more pronounced watercolor paint. But acrylic gouache has a lot going for it, too.
This does not mean you have to replace your trad gouache with a complete set of acrylic gouache. In fact, as we will see, they can wonderfully complement one another.
