23 December, 2013 0 comments Leave a comment

It takes practice to learn how much paint it will take to complete a specific section of your painting. When starting out, mix more paint than you think you will need. Here are some tips to help you mix larger quantities of paint.

Use a palette with high sides in the mixing area.

You need to be able to wring the paint out of your brush by squeezing it against the sides of the mixing area (illustrated in the photo above). If your palette has a shallow mixing area, it is difficult to leave paint there, rather than losing it into your rinse bucket. Your palette also needs enough surface area to hold a variety of mixtures.

Use a small flat brush for mixing paint.

I use larger brushes for applying paint to paper, but I mix my colours using a half-inch flat brush (shown above). A round brush holds more paint in its core and is more difficult to wring out than a flat brush.

This excerpt from Watercolour Toolbox: Essentials for Painting Success is reprinted with permission of the publisher. For more details visit www.watercolourtoolbox.com.

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