How to Paint With Watercolor: Understand This First

The snowy road in the French countryside that I walked along many times: "Snowy Lane French Countryside" (watercolor, 10.5 x 14.5 in.)

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Want to learn how to paint with watercolor? In this guest blog post, Catherine Hillis shares what you need to do first to avoid frustration.

I’m just back from a month serving an Artist Residency at Chateau d’ Orquevaux in France doing what I love more than anything else: painting with watercolor. (What you see here are some of the paintings I created while there.)

What a beautiful medium watercolor is, with transparency and depth like nothing else – not to mention the fact that it has a mind of its own.

My art residency allowed me to paint without interruption and return to the soul of why I paint. Put quite simply: JOY. Without deadlines or a “to-do” list, I could return to the spirit of why I paint and commit to slow and heartfelt strokes once again, enjoying every moment when fluid paint joins with water.

How to paint with watercolor - “Chateau les Artistes,” the little art store in the village — “Chateau les Artistes,” the little art store in the village

I’m thrilled to be invited to teach Essential Skills and Special Effects on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 for Watercolor Live.

Sharing my love of painting through teaching is important to me. If I can instill a little bit of joy and love for our medium through that venue, then I’ve done my job. My approach is practical, and I always assure that students have the basic skills in their pocket before moving on. Otherwise, watercolor painting can seem very frustrating. Once students understand the Essential Skills, they move on to Special Effects.

A look through my studio window: "Through a French Window" (watercolor, 11 x 15 in.) — A look through my studio window: “Through a French Window” (watercolor, 11 x 15 in.)

Special Effects is all about texture and fun. There are so many ways to include texture with watercolors and new methods are being introduced all the time. Everyone has heard of using salt with paint, but have you heard about using grated watercolor pencil shavings and splattering with a toothbrush? Did you know that sponges, bubble wrap, and textured paper towels are excellent for stamping texture on top of paper and paint?

Plein air watercolor painting of a cat — This naughty cat lives in the house where I served an Artist Residency in France: “Chateau Catitude in France” (watercolor, 7.5 x 7.5 in.)

I invite students to attend Watercolor Live to strengthen your basics and learn about some of the texturing techniques you can include in your work. I’m excited to meet you on January 21 and hope you’ll approach the week as an opportunity to grow and learn.