These are the two basic ways to put watercolor on paper. Wet-on-wet means painting onto paper that's already wet, which gives soft, blurry edges. Wet-on-dry means painting onto dry paper, which gives crisp, clean edges.
How do I paint wet-on-wet?
- Wet the paper. Squeeze your water brush gently and brush clean water over the area you want to paint. It should look shiny, not puddly.
- Drop in color. Touch a brush loaded with paint to the wet area and watch the color spread.
- Add a second color. Drop another color next to the first and let them blend on their own.
- Leave it alone. Let it dry without going back in, so the blend stays smooth.
Best for: skies, sunsets, water, soft backgrounds and dreamy flower petals.
How do I paint wet-on-dry?
- Start with dry paper, or a layer that is completely dry.
- Paint your shape. The color stays exactly where you put it.
- Let it dry before painting next to it, so the edges stay sharp.
Best for: details, outlines, leaves, stems, lettering and anything you want to look crisp.
Which one should I use?
Most paintings use both. A common approach is to start with a soft wet-on-wet background, let it dry completely, then add details wet-on-dry on top.
Good to know
- In wet-on-wet, the paper and paint dry lighter, so use a little more paint than you think.
- If color spreads too far, the paper is too wet. Blot the extra with a tissue.
- Practice both on a scrap page before your painting.
Our free tutorials show both techniques step by step, including our lotus and iris paintings: https://tobioskits.com/pages/watercolor-tutorials