The Pros and Cons of Watercolor

Do you need to know the pros and cons of watercolor? Keep on reading! We’ve also included 25 easy watercolor painting tutorials that anyone can do.

Watercolor is an intimidating and challenging medium to paint with. But while it is one of the most difficult techniques to master, it is one of the most popular and most beautiful mediums to use for fine artwork. Watercolors are unforgiving and when you make mistakes, they can ruin your whole work.

Both kids and adults can enjoy using this paint as it is versatile and affordable for your art projects. However, just like any other paint medium, watercolors have their pros and cons. 

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Table of Contents

Pros and Cons of Watercolor

Keys to Mastering Watercolor

25 Easy Watercolor Paintings You Can Do

Favorite Watercolor Supplies

Final Thoughts

Pros and Cons of Watercolor

It can be difficult to get things right on your first few tries. Watercolors are very fluid and you have to learn how to control the amount of water on your paintbrush to get your desired effect. You’ll need patience and time to practice your skills. Here are some pros and cons of watercolor paints that you need to know.

Pros

• This paint is water-based so it’s easier and cleaner to work with compared to acrylics.
• Watercolor paints don’t have an unpleasant chemical odor, unlike oil paints.
• High-quality watercolors are quick to dry, but if you really want to speed up its drying time, you can always use a hair blower.
• Watercolors are beginner-friendly, it’s easy and simple to use.
• This medium is highly portable so you can take it anywhere you go.
• Cleaning up the brushes you used while working with watercolors is very easy. you only need to clean it up with water and a little bit of soap.
• Dried paints can be re-used, you only have to reactivate it with water.
• Watercolors are best for painting bodies of water, liquids, atmospheres, and gaseous effects.
• There are various of vibrant watercolor paints available in the market.
• A lot of brands carry high-quality watercolor paints.
• Watercolors are more affordable than other paint mediums.
• You can use other media with watercolor.

Cons

• Watercolors need a specific type of paper for you to get its full effect. If you paint it on a non-compatible surface, you won’t be able to create the effects you want.
• Watercolor paints can crack and lighten if you leave your finished artwork in the sun. It needs care so your pieces will keep looking good throughout time.
• Watercolor techniques can be difficult to master. You’ll have to get used to handling the liquid paint and understand how it flows with water.
• Painting with watercolor leaves you no room for mistakes. Otherwise, you’ll have to scrap your work and start all over again.
• Painting with watercolor is time-consuming. If you want to add layers to your painting, you’ll have to let the paint dry first before adding more layers.

Keys to Mastering Watercolor

To master the use of watercolors for your artwork, you need to have these qualities:

• Learn to paint from light to dark a habit. Watercolor painting needs you to preserve your highlights first until you go to your darkest shades.
• You need to learn how to control the fluidity and thickness of your paint.
• Know how to be patient by allowing the paints to dry first before adding the next layers.
• You need to learn how to reserve areas with masking tape or fluid to preserve your highlights.
• Learn how to control your painting. Overpainting is apparently the most common mistake.
• Know how to use your brushes and sponges to your advantage. Your brush strokes are dependent on your tools.

25 Easy Watercolor Paintings You Can Do

• Birds 

• Misty Mountain Landscape 

• Garden Door Painting 

• Northern Lights

• Coastal Waters 

• Galaxy Forest 

• Snowy Winter Scene 

• Easy Sunset 

• Landscapes 

• Misty Scenery 

• Forest 

• Watercolor Flowers 

• Pear – Such a beautiful and easy watercolor painting to make! You should try this!

• Autumn Leaves 

• Palm Trees 

• Watercolor Feather 

• Japanese Flowers 

• Sunflower 

• Lemons 

• Sea Turtle 

• Koi Fish 

• Moon 

• Jellyfish

• Dragonfly 

• Whale 

Favorite Watercolor Supplies

Watercolor Paper

• Canson XL Series Watercolor Paper
• Strathmore 400 Series Watercolor Pad

Related Article: The Best Watercolor Paper for Beginners

Watercolor Paints

• Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolours Sketchers’ Pocket Box (12 Pieces)
• Sennelier la petite Aquarelle, Set of 12 tubes

Related Article: The Best Watercolor Set for Beginners

Watercolor Brushes

• Winsor & Newton Cotman Short Handle Brush
• Da Vinci Watercolor Brush Set

Related Article: The Best Watercolor Brushes for Beginners

Also Read: The Best Watercolor Supplies for Beginners | How to Paint with Watercolors for Beginners

Final Thoughts

When it comes to watercolor painting, there is a lot to learn. You will never grow bored with this medium because it has a lot of beautiful aspects. You just need to have time and patience to keep practicing the basic techniques to improve your skills.

Learn the pros and cons of watercolor and keep practicing.

I hope you enjoyed this article. The tutorials we shared are fun and I’ve tried some of them and I really enjoyed the process!

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