HOW TO PAINT

WITH WATERCOLOURS
the ultimate beginner’s guide

MIRANDABALOGH.COM
About Me
Hey there! My name is So let me show you how to
Miranda Balogh. I’m a self- take your first steps. In this
taught artist, blogger, and watercolour guide, I'll teach
online educator over at you how to:
mirandabalogh.com. Choose your art supplies
Apply different water-
I love inspiring my audience colour techniques
to step into their power and Fix and avoid 3 common
become the artist of their watercolour mistakes
dreams! It’s absolutely Get started by giving you
possible to accomplish this some painting ideas

goal if you believe in your- Now, without further ado,

self and take action. it’s time to get started!

My mission is to teach you

how to paint confidently with
watercolours so you can create
beautiful artwork that you're proud of.

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM

How to Paint
with Watercolours
SECTION ONE

1 Choosing Your Supplies

2 Watercolour Tubes & Pans

3 Student & Professional Grade Paints

4 Watercolour Paper & Brushes

5 Supplies Checklist

SECTION TWO

6 Learn How to Skyrocket Your Skills

7 Watercolour Techniques

10 3 Common Mistakes

11 Painting Ideas

12 Next Steps #1

13 Next Steps #2

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM

Choosing Your Supplies
In this first section, I'm To accomplish this goal,
going to help you decide I've created simple pros
how to choose the best and cons charts that
watercolour supplies that highlight the benefits and
fit your budget and suit drawbacks of each major
your personal preferences. category of supplies.

The goal is to make By the time you've finished

informed purchasing reading this section, you'll
decisions that’ll give you have a good idea about
the best value for the which supplies to purchase
investment you make. and add to your collection.

At the end of this section,

you’ll find a printable
watercolour supplies
checklist of all the basic
supplies you need to get
started with watercolours.

Use it to help you keep

track of the watercolour
supplies you own.

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM 1

Watercolour Tubes
PROS CONS

Highly pigmented Runs out of paint faster

Great for painting big Not portable unless the

areas in a larger painting pigment is stored in a
sealable palette
Tube paint can be used
to refill empty pans Uncapped tubes will dry
out the paint

Watercolour Pans
PROS CONS

Portable and very easy Pan paints are less

to transport vibrant than tube paints
Pans have great long- Dust can enter an
evity; can last for years uncovered palette
Able to easily rearrange
Pans must be activated
the pans in a palette
with water before use

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM 2

Student Grade Paints
PROS CONS

Very affordable for artists Paints contain fillers

Good for experimenting Colours look chalky and

with your pigments too opaque

Great option for Lower quality can make

beginners & hobbyists them hard to paint with

Professional Grade Paints

PROS CONS

Vibrant, luminous, and Can be quite expensive

transparent pigments
Beginners might waste
They usually have great these pricey paints
lightfastness ratings because they don’t know
Using a little bit of paint how to mix colours or
goes a long way layer the paint properly

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM 3

Watercolour Paper
GOOD PAPER BAD PAPER

Made of cellulose or
100% cotton
wood pulp
300 gsm (140 lbs) so it Thin paper that’s less
can handle many layers than 300 gsm or 140 lbs
Acid free so the paper Paper that buckles and
won‘t turn yellow warps easily

Watercolour Brushes
SYNTHETIC NATURAL HAIR

Very affordable Brush can last 10+ years

Quite easy to control Brush tips are versatile;

bristles are high-quality
Synthetic brushes fall
apart faster Can be very expensive

Bristles are less versatile Bristles aren’t easy for

beginners to control

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM 4

Supplies Checklist

Watercolour paints

Watercolour paper

Watercolour brushes

Mixing tray or palette

Painter’s tape

Two jars of water

Cloth or paper towels

Graphite pencil

Eraser

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM 5

Learn How to
Skyrocket Your Skills
It’s time to learn how to improve your painting skills!
With this knowledge, I'm confident that you'll level up
your watercolour skills quickly and effectively. All you
need is the passion to succeed and the commitment to
practice. Want proof? Compare the two images below.

The image on the left is the first set of watercolour

paintings I ever created in January 2020. The image on
the right shows a set of watercolour paintings I created
only 8 months later in August 2020.

If I can skyrocket my watercolour skills, you can, too!

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM 6

Wet-on-Wet
CHARACTERISTICS

Unpredictable and hard to control

Paint flows loosely and freely
Dries lighter on the paper
Edges appear soft

USE IT TO PAINT...

Smooth sky gradients

Fluffy clouds
Galaxy skies
Soft edges

Wet-on-Dry
CHARACTERISTICS

Easy to control paint distribution

Use it to create hard edges
Colours are more vibrant because
the paint is less diluted

USE IT TO PAINT...

Controlled washes
Precise details
Landscapes
Portraits

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM 7

Dry Brush
CHARACTERISTICS

Great for adding/creating texture

Requires very little water
Paint-to-water ratio is usually
90/10 or 80/20, so it’s very dry

USE IT TO PAINT...

Rocky or jagged mountains

Fine blades of grass
Uneven tree bark
Animal fur

Flat Wash
CHARACTERISTICS
CHAR
ACTERISTICS
An even and consistent layer of
paint that looks "flat"
Requires you to have good water
control; needs to be applied evenly

USE IT TO PAINT...

The sea or ocean

Backgrounds
Landscapes
Skies

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM 8

Graded Wash
CHARACTERISTICS

It’s easier to apply this technique

when painting from dark to light
Produces a nice range of light,
medium, and dark values

USE IT TO PAINT...

Sunsets and sunrises

Backgrounds
Landscapes
Gradations

Variegated Wash
CHARACTERISTICS

A colourful wash that’s created by

blending two or more pigments
It can be applied using the wet-on-
wet and wet-on-dry techniques

USE IT TO PAINT...

All kinds of skies

Special effects
Backgrounds
Galaxies

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM 9

3 Common Mistakes
1: Water Control 2: Layers Aren’t Dry

If you want to master Another common mistake is

watercolours, you must not giving the paper
learn how to control the enough time to dry before
paint-to-water ratio. starting the next layer.

Remember to not use too Patience is key when it

much water. You should lay comes to watercolours. If
down enough water to you don't let the layer dry,
create a glossy sheen, but you risk smudging or
not so much as to create ruining your artwork.
pools or beads of water.
For example, if blooms or
3: Overworking
cauliflower textures form on
the paper, that means you When it comes to water-
used too much water. Try it colour painting, less is more.
again and don’t give up!
To prevent overworking,
It's best to practice control- take a step back from your
led flat washes as warm-up painting and evaluate it
exercises. That way, your while it dries. Does the
hand warms up before you artwork really need to be
start creating artwork. fixed? If not, let it be.

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM 10

Painting Ideas
Not sure what to paint?

Then skim through this list

of painting ideas. I'm sure at
least one of them will spark
the flame of your creativity!

Planets and moons

Beautiful galaxies
Starry night skies
Sunsets or sunrises
Cotton candy clouds
Misty mountains
Enchanted forests
Seascapes or beaches
Countryside
City skylines
Rustic doors
Succulents
Trees
Flowers or florals
Fruits or vegetables
Cats or dogs
Birds or butterflies

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM 11

Next Steps #1
SUBSCRIBE TO MY ART CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE

If you enjoyed this guide and you would like to learn

more about watercolours, then I highly recommend
that you subscribe to my art channel on YouTube.

Feel free to join our wonderful community of like-

minded artists. I think you’re gonna like it!
Happy painting, and best regards.

SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM 12

Next Steps #2
CHECK OUT THESE WATERCOLOUR E-BOOKS

How to Paint 7 Easy

Watercolour Landscapes
These step-by-step tutorials
are perfect for beginners who
need help getting started with
watercolours. This e-book
teaches you the all the basic
skills that will set you up for
success with your paintings.

LEARN MORE

How to Paint 7 Beautiful

Watercolour Night Skies
These tutorials are perfect for
beginners who want to improve
their techniques and washes. To
accomplish this goal, you learn
the easy step-by-step process
that teaches you how to paint
lovely skies and celestial galaxies.

LEARN MORE

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM 13

Thank You
I hope you enjoyed this free watercolour guide!
And I wish you all the best on your watercolour journey.

May it be blessed with lots of joy,

boundless imagination, and unlimited creativity!

Miranda Balogh

© 2024 MIRANDA BALOGH • MIRANDABALOGH.COM 14