Watercolours

Watercolour is one of the most beautiful and distinctive painting mediums, known for its luminosity, transparency, and the way colour and water interact on the paper.

Watercolour paints have been used by artists for centuries and remain one of the most expressive and elegant forms of paint. Made from finely ground pigments suspended in a water-soluble binder, watercolours are activated with water and applied in translucent washes that allow light to pass through the paint, giving a luminous, delicate quality to the finished work.

One of their greatest strengths is their transparency and fluidity. They can be used with a very light touch to build soft, atmospheric layers, or layered gradually to develop richer tones and greater depth. Because the paint moves so freely with water, it encourages a more spontaneous and responsive way of working, where timing, control, and intuition all play an important role.

Watercolours can be applied with brushes in a variety of techniques, from smooth even washes to more expressive, textured marks. They can be lifted, blended, and reworked while still wet, offering a unique flexibility that rewards experimentation. Suitable for a wide range of surfaces, though traditionally used on watercolour paper, they lend themselves beautifully to subjects such as landscapes, botanicals, and studies from life.

While often considered a delicate medium, watercolour can also be bold and dynamic in the right hands. Its combination of subtlety and immediacy makes it equally appealing for beginners discovering its possibilities, and for experienced artists who value its unpredictability and expressive potential.

Watercolour Paints…an Introduction

For those just beginning, watercolours offer an easy way into painting, with just a few simple materials you can soon get started - a small set of paints, a few brushes, and some good quality watercolour paper are enough to begin exploring this beautiful medium. From the very first brushstroke, you’ll soon see how the paint flows, blends, and settles into the paper, encouraging a more fluid and intuitive way of working.

Rather than focusing too intently on trying to control it, watercolour invites you to watch and respond as the paint moves. It’s a medium that rewards curiosity and gentle experimentation, where each wash and mark you make can lead to wonderful unexpected results. There’s real enjoyment in watching transparent layers build and colours interact, creating soft, luminous effects that are unique to watercolour painting.

Some of the Benefits

  • a beautiful range of colours with naturally luminous qualities

  • watercolours dry relatively quickly, making it easier to build gentle layers and develop depth

  • brushes and tools are easily cleaned with water

  • no solvents required, keeping the process low odour, and easy to work with in any space

  • ideal for creating soft washes, subtle transitions, and fine detail

  • encourages a more fluid, expressive approach, where colour can move and blend in unique and often unexpected ways

  • lightweight and portable, perfect for taking on location

The main challenge with watercolour is its unpredictability, and the tendency to over-work brush marks creating muddy areas of colour. But, with patience and practice, a lightness of touch can be developed and the unpredictability of it becomes part of its charm, helping you become a more confident and responsive artist.

Which colours to start with?…

A good watercolour palette doesn’t need to be huge to get started, in fact, just a few, well-chosen colours will teach you far more about colour mixing, than a huge selection will - too many colours can often feel overwhelming.

Many beginner sets are designed around this idea, including a balanced selection of primary and secondary colours to give you plenty of flexibility, and opportunities to learn about colour.

Colours can often vary depending on the brand you buy, but as long as you have something similar to those suggested here, there’s no need to worry. We'll delve more into brands and their differences later.

Buying a pre-selected box of paints is usually a good, cost effective way of starting, and most include these colours.

Basic set of colours

Watercolour paints are available in both pans and tubes, and while they contain the same ingredients, they offer slightly different ways of working…

  • Pans are solid, dried cakes of paint that are activated with water, making them convenient, portable, and ideal for controlled, lighter applications.

  • Tubes, on the other hand, contain soft, moist paint that can be used straight away, allowing for richer colour, larger washes, and easier mixing in greater quantities.

Many artists use a combination of both, choosing pans for ease and portability, and tubes when they want more intensity and fluidity in their work.

Why this works

This kind of palette gives you a balance of warm and cool primaries, along with a few natural earth colours, allowing you to mix a wide and versatile range of tones without needing dozens of tubes. Many artists find that starting with a smaller selection like this helps develop a better understanding of how colours interact, rather than relying on pre-mixed shades.

If you prefer, you can also begin with a ready-made set such as the Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolour Sketchers Pocket Box or Royal Talens Van Gogh Watercolour Pocket Box, which are designed with beginners in mind and typically include a well-balanced range of colours straight away.

A good basic selection of colours…

  • Lemon Yellow (cool yellow)

  • Cadmium Yellow or Yellow Ochre (warm yellow / earth tone)

  • Cadmium Red or Vermillion (warm red)

  • Alizarin Crimson or Scarlet (cool red)

  • Ultramarine Blue (warm blue)

  • Cerulean Blue or Phthalo Blue (cool blue)

  • Burnt Sienna (warm earthy brown)

  • Burnt Umber (darker earth tone)

  • Sap Green (useful natural green)

  • Payne’s Grey (a softer alternative to black)

Note: with watercolour, it’s useful to remember that water is your white…this will lighten colours and keep their luminosity. Often by adding white as an actual paint, you’ll make the colour you’re mixing it with more opaque.