How to Avoid Muddy Colours When Painting With Watercolours

1. How to Avoid Muddy Colours When Painting With Watercolours? A painting has more to it than what captures the heart and meets the eye. As you switch to a watercolour medium, your art process becomes quite intimidating. Although the medium is quite tricky to master, it perfectly portrays the emotion of the artist in a most creative way. As a beginner, you will learn about the mixing of one or more watercolours to achieve the desired colour. One of the major challenges that beginner artists face while mixing watercolours is muddy colours. It is extremely frustrating when your paintings turn out to be muddy no matter how hard you try to avoid it. In watercolour painting, muddy colours are the least welcome problem. The muddy colours are not exactly the hues of some random colours. The term is used to define the paint pigments that appear dull, opaque, and flat as they have lost their transparency and vibrancy. These negative colours are the culprit if your painting looks dull and lifeless. They are the result of poor decision-making and lack of knowledge. To avoid forming muddy colours, one should have the knowledge of colour theory and have Escoda Joseph Zbukvic watercolour for perfect finishing.

2. As a beginner artist, mistakes are inevitable and it is no surprise if you have accidentally become victim to the muddy colours. In this article, we will explore some amazing and effective tips to avoid muddy colours and boost your painting skills. Learn About Colour Mixing As you level up your watercolour painting skills, you will get to learn about colour theory and colour mixing. Colour theory is one of the most important aspects to avoid muddy colours and bring life to your painting. Muddy colour is the result of unintentionally mixing grey, brown, or any other neutral colour. Understanding the basics of colour theory helps beginner artists to learn more about the relationship between the different colours. To get a deep understanding of colour theory and analyze how it works, beginner artists can mix different colours with Escoda Joseph Zbukvic watercolour brush and enhance their colour mixing knowledge. Clean Your Brush and Art Supplies Another reason for getting muddy colours while working with the watercolour is the use of dirty brush bristles and other art supplies. Never let your brush dry without being rinsed through clean water as the dry colour can reactivate when re-wet and result in mud in your

3. next artwork. Wash your brush thoroughly after every use. Also, don’t forget to change the water once in a while. Use Fewer Pigments The more pigments you work with, the more you are prone to forming muddy colours. Working with fewer pigments allows beginner artists to produce clean colour mixes. Some colours usually have more than 2 pigments and if you work with more than 3 colours with high pigment levels, it can result in the formation of muddy colours. That’s why it is advised to use an artistic range of watercolours as they have fewer pigments and use Dynasty Faux Kolinsky Series brushes for better finishing. Work with Clean Water As mentioned earlier, to avoid muddy colours it is important to work with 2 jars of water between washes. The first jar is used to wash the paint from the brushes and the second is to load the clean water to activate watercolours. Please make sure that the brush is thoroughly rinsed and washed in both jars before you switch the colours. In this way, the artists can avoid leftover pigments to mix with the new colours. Avoid Black and White While with the Escoda Joseph Zbukvic watercolour, try to avoid using black and white to adjust the saturation of the colour. White watercolour tends to be opaque and chalky in texture which can facilitate the formation of muddy colours. Instead of adding the white colour, try diluting the colour or using a lighter shade altogether. The same goes with the darker shades, use a more concentrated mixture or use darker colours when mixing. Use Colour Mixing Charts The best way to avoid the formation of muddy colours is to use the colour mixing chart. The chart helps beginner artists to familiarize themselves with the different colours and how to mix them. The more they familiarize themselves with the new colours and how they

4. perform together, the easier it will be for them to choose the right mixes for their artwork. So, next time you start working with watercolours, keep the above- mentioned points in mind to avoid muddy colours. Explore your creativity and make your brush the best tool to unleash your innovative side. Enrich your art toolkit with the amazing range of art supplies with King’s Framing and Art Gallery and take your artistic skills to the next level. Name- Kings Framing & Art Gallery Website-https://www.kingsframingandartgallery.com/ Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/kingsartstore/ Twitter- https://twitter.com/kingsframingart