While I’m 99.9% sure I’ll never truly master watercolors, I’m going to continue painting and practicing with this medium simply because it’s unpredictable and never boring. Which for me, makes it feel challenging in a fun way.

In the video below, I share a timelapse process of a bunny that I painted with my membership community, Paint With Me, while I share with you 3 things that have helped me find more “success” with wet on wet watercolor painting.

If you’d rather read through my tips, scroll down below!

I love the overall look of paintings that are done when the paper is wet. The soft fuzzy details, the way subtle brush strokes can be abstract yet tell a story of movement, the contrast with finishing details…it’s such a beautiful aesthetic that I am always trying to get better at.

This rabbit could have been done “better” in many ways. I see the missteps and the could-have-beens. But I also see the progress I’ve made and I’m proud of that. Every painting each of us makes is just another step in the process of learning.

So with that, here are 3 things I’ve come across in the process of learning watercolors that has helped me paint wet-on-wet with more success.

3 Tips I’ve Learned for More Success With Wet On Wet Painting

Tip #1: Paper, Paper, Paper.

You might have heard this before, and maybe you’re still in denial about it - which I totally understand, but paper is your number one most important supporter here. If you want to paint with lots of water and get those beautiful watercolor effects, then the foundation you’re laying your water and paint onto needs to be a reliable one.

100% cotton is going to be your best bet but even within the requirement of having 100% cotton watercolor paper, there are nuances. Paper that comes in pads will receive water differently than a block or a sheet. Paper brands differ, too. It takes some time to figure out what works for each of us, and it’s a bit of a personal thing.

For me, I’ve found the most enjoyable wet-on-wet painting to be on 100% cotton coldpress sheets. I have the most experience with Arches and have also been branching out to Saunders Waterford sheets as well. I’ve gotten good results with both of them.

Paper Recommendations

• Arches Watercolor Sheets (Bright White Coldpress 140lb)

• Saunders Waterford Watercolor Sheets (White Coldpress 140lb)

Just starting out? Check out my guide to watercolor paper for beginners

Tip #2: Soak the Paper

The second thing that has really helped me get nicer effects when painting wet-on-wet is taking the approach of wetting both sides of the paper and allowing it to “stick” to a backing board. This means either dipping the paper completely in water (which I don’t do) or simply applying water to both the front and back sides of the paper and laying it down on an acrylic sheet.

I feel like my paper stays wetter longer and it also stays completely flat when I’m painting. When I use a taped border I will inevitably get some warping (which is normal) because I don’t pre-stretch my paper.

You should, however, take my comment with a grain of salt because I typically/currently am not painting very large. With larger paintings, for example wetting a full sheet or half sheet on both sides may be cumbersome through not impossible, of course, depending on your set up. All of that to say, in full transparency, is that I’ve only really tried this with paintings up to a size of 10”x15” so far - in other words, a quarter sheet.

Tip #3: Understanding the “Watercolor Clock”

The last thing that has really changed my understanding and outcomes when painting wet-on-wet, is having a better understanding of timing and its relationship with the consistency of paint. This happened over time, gradually after making many failed attempts at painting wet on wet. It was all the times I overworked or underestimated the impact of a watery stroke on an almost dry but not quite dry painting (which causes lifting or pushing away of paint that some call cauliflowers or backruns).

I came across an excerpt from the book, Mastering Atmosphere and Mood in Watercolor by master watercolor painter, Joseph Zbukvic which describes this time-to-paint consistency relationship as the “Watercolor Clock”. It is explained very well in his book and I highly recommend you look it up (I found this excerpt on the internet). I wish I had come across it before all my trial and errors. Not that it would have solved the mystery of how to paint. But would have explained why I was getting those results so I could name it and have a clearer idea of what might have gone wrong.

I think that watercolor is so interesting to me because there is no formula. There are mechanics to how to use the medium, but even if one were to understand all the mechanics, the outcomes of each painting - especially when painting wet - are still variable. Watercolor is unpredictable and the more I’ve willingly accepted that, and learned to approach painting with a sense of curiosity rather than control, the more I’ve discovered and learned along the way. All while having more fun, too.

I hope that some of these insights have helped. If you’d like come practice with me, this rabbit class and many others are available inside the Paint With Me membership community.

I break down paintings into sketches and warm-up exercises as part of the lessons, so don’t worry if you’re feeling like this might be hard, I’m here to help and guide you through it.

As always, thank you for reading!
Susan