Watercolour Basics: Your Friendly Guide to Getting Started

If you're dipping your toes into watercolour painting, you're in for a treat! Watercolour is one of the most forgiving and fun media types to play with colour. This guide is packed with beginner tips to help you master the basics, all while working in a great watercolour sketchbook.

If you want the perfect surface, check out the new A5 and A2 landscape Splashy Gecko sketchbooks from Artgecko! The Splashy's 300gsm paper is a game changer for wet media like watercolour.

What Makes Watercolour So Beginner Friendly

Watercolour has this dreamy, transparent quality that lets light bounce off the paper for a glowing effect. It's perfect for loose sketches or detailed pieces, and a landscape sketchbook gives you space for those wide, flowing compositions. The Splashy Gecko's wirebound design lies totally flat, so you can paint across pages without any hassle.

Your Must Have Supplies (Keep It Simple!)

You don't need fancy gear to start. Grab these basics and you're set:

• Watercolour paints (tubes or pans work great).
• Round brushes in sizes 2, 6, and 12.
• Two jars of water - one for clean, one for rinsing.
• Paper towels for dabbing excess moisture.
• A watercolour sketchbook 300gsm like the Splashy Gecko.

That 300gsm premium white cartridge paper has a lovely toothy texture for grabbing pigment, and it handles washes without buckling. Plus, the eco friendly paper is acid free and FSC certified meaning your art stays vibrant for years.

Watercolour Top Tips for Beginners

Here are the essentials to build your skills. Make sure to practice these one at a time!

• Test your mix first: Swatch colours on scrap paper to check the water to paint ratio. Aim for milky for light washes, thicker for bold areas.
• Try the wet on wet technique: Dampen your paper, then drop in colour for soft blooms. Tip: Tilt the page gently to guide the flow. This is perfect for skies!
• Try wet on dry: Paint on dry paper for sharp edges. Great for leaves or flower petals.
• Master the flat wash: Load your brush evenly and work quickly across the page. Keep rinsing to avoid streaks.
• Make gradients: Start dark at the top, dilute as you go down for sunsets or hills.
• Layer like a pro: Wait till dry between layers (a hairdryer will speed it up). Light to dark keeps things fresh.
• Lift mistakes:  A damp brush or tissue picks up wet paint easily on 300gsm paper.

Pro tip: Less water = more control. Also, always have a tissue handy!

Why Splashy Gecko is ideal for Beginners

The Splashy Gecko range is made for artists like you who love wet media. With 20 sheets of 300gsm paper, durable wipe clean covers, and that iconic green textured sheet to protect pages, it's thoughtful design at its best. The new A5 landscape slips in your bag for on the go sketching, while A2 landscape gives studio space for bigger ideas. It's wirebound, eco friendly, and ready for watercolour, gouache, or even alcohol markers.

First Project Idea: Paint a Simple Landscape

1. Wet the whole page lightly (A5 or A2 Splashy Gecko works beautifully).
2. Drop in a sky wash, fading a blue into pink.
3. Add distant hills with a mid tone green (let dry).
4. Foreground details: use the wet on dry technique to create grass and flowers.
5. Sign it and admire!

This builds confidence in washes, layers, and edges. The watercolour paper sketchbook texture helps paint grip just right.

Keep the Fun Going

Watercolour is all about happy accidents so make sure to embrace them! Start small in your artist sketchbook, build habits, and soon you'll be layering like a natural. The Splashy Gecko A5 watercolour sketchbook or A2 sketchbook makes it effortless. Grab one and let your creativity splash. Happy painting! 🦎