Watercolor Painting Tips

For All Levels of Watercolor Painters

My name is Mary Ann Boysen and I have been sharing watercolor painting tips with my classroom students, and in books, for many years. While I still teach, I also travel extensively which limits the amount of classroom time I have.

So I decided to expand my web presence with watercolor-painting-tips.com to let my students, and anyone else who might be interested, find answers to questions without having to signup for a class.

Fortunately, I've been able to do this in such a way that you can interact with my website. In other words, not only can you ask questions, but you can also submit content! This way, you can share your watercolor painting tips with everyone.

You will see opportunities throughout the site to submit your ideas as well as comment on other visitors contributions.

I believe you will benefit greatly from not only my FREE painting tips, but tips and tricks others have come up with. Your ability to comment on these submissions makes everyone involved really think through what they are discussing. And as a result, it's easier for participants (and lurkers) to retain the information being discussed. Watercolor painting is not as easy as it looks! Sometimes a different perspective is all you need to make that fundamental leap to the next watercoloring level!

But, before you begin, you should know more about the person who created this site...ME!. After all, who am I?. In a nutshell, watercolor painting has been my passion for nearly 40 years. I hope it will become yours as well.

Watercolor Painting Tips Categories

Watercolor Painting Tips Blog
The Watercolor Painting Tips Blog provides the latest updates to pages, articles, comments, travel journal and lessons at watercolor-painting-tips.com

Watercolor Paper
Learn about the differences between watercolor paper. I will also introduce you to alternative media such as watecolor canvas and clayboard

Your Watercolor Brushes Guide
What makes good watercolor brushes? It depends on what you want to use it for. Most art supply dealers carry many brands of brushes, and some of them have brushes made under private label by the best

Watercolor Paint - Where To Start
When I first began taking watercolor lessons, I was afraid to waste money on the finest watercolor paint, or pigments. So, I bought the student grade Winsor Newton.

Common Watercolor Techniques You Need to Know
This entire site is about watercolor techniques. But here, you will find a growing list of step by step techniques I use to create my watercolor paintings.

Watercolor Landscape by Mary Ann Boysen
Read about my approach to painting a watercolor landscape. This happens to be my specialty and have a lot of my watercolor work here to share

Free Watercolor Lessons by Mary Ann Boysen
Learn to paint in watercolor from MaryAnn Boysen in a personal setting or with free watercolor lessons provided on this site.

Watercolor News
One stop shopping for watercolor news. And the best part is that it's right in the middle of all of these watercolor painting tips.

Mary Ann Boysen's Bio
You should know who is sharing all of this watercolor painting information. My bio page will tell you everything

My Watercolors - Mary Ann Boysen
I've published many of my watercolors here to, hopefully, inspire you to do the same. Fee free to comment and share your thoughts about them.

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What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

crystal watercoloring for toddlers
I have to do a lesson plan for watercoloring and Im trying to know what materials to I need and how would a toddler benefit from this.

Masking Fluid
I would love it if you did a lesson on masking fluid and how and where to use it.

How to do a on-line critique for my water color?
Dear Mary,

I am a beginner of water color fan. Right now, I am getting frustrated because I couldn't do a good job of washing the layer of color, light ...

More about painting birds in watercolor
I would like to learn more about painting birds into my paintings, either in flight or in a tree. Just can not seem to get the right touch.

Thank You...

glazing
I would love to learn about glazing. I paint mostly in watercolour and at times would like to recolour the whole painting to give a sunlit or cloudy mood ...

Sreejesh koonerys EMS Crayon Work
hi

=============

Sreejesh, please tell us more about your works, what inspired you, the process, etc.

Watercolor Artist by Clemente Flores
I was born and raised in East Harlem known as Spanish Harlem or El Barrio. I created a
watercolor collection titled "Memories of East Harlem. It reflects ...

Penny digs!
These are two of my granddaughters watching Penny dig at the seashore.

Cheaper masking fluid
Instead of the more expensive masking fluids, I tried Jiffy Sew which is a rubber based fabric glue. It is a little thicker but it worked just fine - removed ...

Share photos?
Would it be possible to have a page where we could share photographs that subscribers could use without copyright? Some of us have no access to photos ...

What is the Painting Flowers in Watercolor Ebook?
What is an e book? Can we print it after it is downloaded? If we do a painting from a lesson, can we sign our name and sell it? If we can't sign it,...

Watercolor Paper Paper Treatment Question
Just found your site and have not read it all, but have a question. Recently saw a TV program which mentioned the water color paper had been treated and ...

Excited
I am thrilled to have found this website. I have been experimenting with watercolor here and there for years, never had any formal art lessons. Mostly ...

Composing beyond the obvius
Can you show and tell about how to skip the obvious and get to the magic or even the mysterious in composing a landscape?

Grateful Watercolor Student
I'm currently attempting to watercolor in my art class. I'm taking it by computer class and it's been a bit of a struggle. I've been looking for a decent ...

Painting Reflections
I am struggling with painting water reflections. I've tried about all I can think of but still don't get anything that to me looks like a reflection.

Currently ...

More On Painting Faces
I would like to see more on painting faces , hair, colors used and all ideas to paint a portrait in watercolor.

Thanks Brian

Hello and thank you!
Thank you! Your tips are great! God bless you!

Yohanes Toro - Surabaya - Indonesia...

Thanks From Rea Wedekamm
I really enjoy your websites. They are very informative and inspiring. I am truly enjoying your class also.

I appreciate any suggestions you may have ...

Brush Care And Friskit
How do you care for a brush when applying friskit. So not to ruin it

How Do I Control Water?
I tend to always have to much water, and weak paint.
any suggestions.

Thanks,

Lois

PAINTING MIST & FOG
THIS IS A SUGGESTED TOPIC FOR THE WEBSITE. THANKS

Riadra
I would like to suggest that you make more videos for water color painting as they are much easier to follow. I realize though that you must be busy with ...

Painting Kit for a Toddler
MaryAnn,

This isn't a suggestion as much as it is a question for you. I would like to spend a little time with my godson's three-year-old daughter. The ...

How to Loosen Up A Tight Style
Suggestion for a topic or a series of topics: How to loosen up a tight style, exercises to loosen up a tight style.

Flattening a warped painting
Need to know how to flatten watercolor painting. It's warped. How to know which needs stretching? Thank you

Finishing Touches
I have been to lots of workshops..great to get one started but they are always over before we get to the finishing touches..you know, the ones that separate ...

Watercolors & Acrylics---Watermedia
Hi Mary Ann: I have painted watercolor for 20 years, & have begun to experiment with acrylics. I would love to hear your impressions as you proceed. I ...

Travel Journal Painting supplies
I am interested in your set up and supplies you use for creating your lovely Travel Journals. I carry in my purse at least a small sketchbook, drawing ...

Watercolors and Acrylics
Hi Mary Ann,

I'm interested that you are venturing into acrylics!

I have been doing some work in watercolor and gouache and love what I have discovered!...

How To Paint Rocks
I continually get mired down in trying to create realistic rocks. I either overwork them or get values way off so that when I'm finished I have something ...

Gratitude
You are truly a great artist and person! Your sharing of your art and techniques, free, is so unusual! I cannot thank you enough and look forward to each ...

More Watercolor Demos Please
Painting crystal and how to do pourings are two things I would love to see demos on please.

Watercolor For the Real Beginner
There have been many books written on this subject but most of them fail to emphasize on things like:

- Color mixing (which color does what)
- What ...

Mike Izod
You or your students may be interested in the following website:-

www.subjectstopaint.co.uk

Kindest regards, Mike Izod - site owner

Dry Brush videos? Not rated yet
Hi from a fellow SBIer. I love your site!

However, something you might not be aware of:

The dry brush video tells us to use the arrows to see other ...

Thanks for the website - Kathleen Smolinski Not rated yet
Discovered this website by accident. I started trying to watercolor last year, and it is great to find a place to share with other artists. It's my first ...

Painting animal portraits Not rated yet
I have painted in watercolors for more than five years then gave it up for about the past three or more years. Am trying to get back into it. Animal portraits ...