Beginner Level

Part 5-Beginner Watercolor Exercises: Dry Brush, Lifting, and Masking

Here are some less common but still important watercolor exercises: dry brush, lifting, and masking!

I also have a FREE online course, Watercolor Basics for the Absolute Beginner, if you want to learn more!

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Dry brush

Dry brush is a fun technique if you like to show texture. This is more effective if you use cold-pressed or rough watercolor paper rather than hot-pressed.

First, you want to make sure that your brush is very dry. Then pick up a little bit of paint, maybe of a medium value just so you can see it effectively on the paper. And do a couple of quick strokes. And you’ll start to see the broken edges and white spots of the paper showing through. You can do a few quick strokes on a scrap piece of paper to remove the excess paint before painting on your actual painting.

Example of the dry brush watercolor technique.

This technique is great for adding final details like grass, hair or fur, sand, etc.

If you have different brush shapes, try this technique with all your brushes! This is a form of mark making, and you’ll be surprised at what kinds of fun textures you can make with this simple technique and different brushes.

LIFTING

Lifting is a technique used to remove color that has been applied to paper. You can use basically anything that can absorb water: a dry brush, paper towel, sponge. You can lighten a dark value area. Or correct a mistake. The key is to do it when it’s still damp. If you waited until it’s dry, you have to reactivate it with water, and then try to lift it. But then at that point, you may end up getting some weird blooms.

Lifting can also be difficult if the paint quality is particularly staining. So when you do your swatch test, always do a lifting test to see how well it does.

MASKING

Masking – fluid, crayon, tape

Next, using a masking technique is great for preserving the paper’s white space. There are a few tools you can use for this: crayon (wax resist), masking fluid, or tape. I’m sure there are others, but in this demonstration I’ll cover just these three.

First, use a crayon to mask areas. This is a great option because you don’t have to wait for it to dry. And the wax will resist the paint. However, you can’t remove this like masking fluid. So you can’t paint in the white areas even if you wanted to. It will remain permanently white.

Next, masking fluid comes in all sorts of ways. Below, I’m using a cheap brush to “paint” with the masking fluid. Do not use your nice, watercolor brushes with masking fluid! It will ruin your brush. If you have to, you can coat it with some soap. And the layer of soap will help protect your brush and you can wash the fluid off later.

You apply the fluid anywhere you want to remain white. Wait for it to dry. And then you can paint over it. And then remove it with your finger or a rubber eraser. Now you have a white area.

You can still paint in this area to create shadows or other details.

Lastly, you can use tape to mark off areas. The most common use of tape is to create a white border on your paper or to create grid lines. But you can rip off a random piece and allow the jagged edges to create some interesting lines.

For this demonstration, I took a small strip of washi tape and painted above and below it to show the crisp, straight lines.

Watch the video on Dry Brush, Lifting, and Masking

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you learned something new. Remember to have fun with these techniques. Half the fun with watercolor is literally going with the flow and observing what happens. Happy accidents are most welcome here, and I hope it helps you fall in love with watercolor more and more.

There are more parts to this series, so stay tuned! I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment down below and share about your experience with these techniques.

If you try out these exercises, please tag me on social media @AudreyRaDesign and use the hashtag #PaintWithAudrey.

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