Paint In Watercolor

Watercolor technique – Painting light and shadows with color to accurately depict objects affected by light requires careful observation. It is important to notice the temperature of the light and how it changes the colors of objects illuminated by it. The temperature of natural light is warm at sunrise and sunset, and cool during midday. Also, artificial light is warm under incandescent lighting, and cool under fluorescent (or white) lighting.

Natural Light – Time of Day

Nita Leland, author of Exploring Color describes the effect of light at the time of day as follows:

“Every time of day has its own special light. Early morning light is luminous and clear with high-key color and gentle contrasts. Tints of scarlet, blue-green and violet express the awakening day. At midday a harsher light reveals intense contrasts of color and value, bleaching out highlights. Late afternoon light has a softer golden glow, with distant objects veiled with mist moving toward chromatic neutral tones. Twilight and early evening light are luminous, tending toward blue and violet, with the sunset a deep rich crimson. Atmospheric buildup throughout the day causes red rays to scatter widely and fill the sky and landscape with color.”

~ Nita Leland

Understanding Value Before Color

Before focusing on color, it is essential to establish a clear value structure. Light and shadow relationships depend more on value contrast than on the exact hue used. Even highly saturated colors must conform to the hierarchy of lightest lights and darkest darks.

In watercolor, preserving light values is especially important because whites and highlights are achieved by leaving the paper untouched. Shadows should be dark enough to describe form, but not so dark that they overpower the light. Maintaining a limited value range in shadow areas helps preserve luminosity and transparency throughout the painting.

Use a gray scale to help determine a color’s tonal value.

Suggested Watercolors and Glazing for Light Effects

Use the glazing technique with transparent and semi-transparent watercolors. For a warm, luminous glow, paint a very light yellow as the first layer. Use analogous colors in multiple layers for a bright, clear glaze. Use Primary colors to create Secondary colors. To tone down the intensity of a color, use its complementary color layered over or under it.

The purest transparent Primary colors to use are: Aureolin, Cobalt Blue and Permanent Rose.

A limited palette encourages color harmony and ensures that both light and shadow areas feel unified. Mixing shadow colors from the same pigments used in the light areas creates a more natural and cohesive painting than introducing unrelated dark colors.

Natural Light – Color in Shadows

In nature, shadows are not a flat gray or dark neutral color. Instead, the local color of objects are visible through the shadowed areas. Look closely and observe that there are more than one color within the shadows.

For warm shadows use analogous colors that are darker than the object’s local color. Use the wet-on-wet technique and drop in colors in the shadow area and let them mingle naturally to create more interesting shadows. For cool shadows use transparent blues, violets, and greens.

Reflected Light Within Shadows

Shadows are often influenced by reflected light from surrounding surfaces. Light bouncing off the ground, nearby objects, or walls can introduce subtle color shifts into shadowed areas. Grass may reflect green into a shadow, while warm earth or stone can reflect golden or reddish tones.

Reflected light often softens the darkest part of a shadow and prevents it from appearing flat or lifeless. Observing these subtle color variations adds depth and realism while maintaining the transparency that watercolor is known for.

Core Shadows vs. Cast Shadows

Understanding the difference between core shadows and cast shadows helps clarify how light describes form.

• Core shadows appear on the object itself, where the light source does not directly reach. These shadows are usually softer, more transparent, and influenced by reflected light.
• Cast shadows are projected onto another surface by the object blocking the light. They are typically darkest near the object and become softer and lighter as they move away.

Watercolor naturally supports these distinctions through controlled glazing and edge variation.

Hard and Soft Shadow Edges

The quality of a shadow edge is determined by the strength and distance of the light source.

• Strong, direct light creates hard-edged shadows with clear boundaries.
• Diffused or indirect light produces softer edges and gradual transitions.

In watercolor, edge control depends on timing and moisture. Shadows painted on damp paper will have soft, natural transitions, while shadows applied to dry paper will retain sharper edges. Varying edge softness within a single shadow helps convey realism and depth.

Atmospheric Perspective in Light and Shadows

As objects recede into the distance, both light and shadows become lighter, cooler, and less defined. This effect, known as atmospheric perspective, occurs because particles in the air scatter light and reduce contrast.

Foreground shadows tend to be darker, warmer, and more detailed, while distant shadows shift toward cooler, neutral tones. Applying this principle strengthens the sense of space and depth, especially in landscape painting.

Common Mistakes When Painting Light and Shadows in Watercolor

• Making shadows too dark or opaque
• Using black or gray straight from the tube
• Ignoring temperature differences between light and shadow
• Overworking shadow areas and losing transparency
• Forgetting that shadows still contain color and reflected light

Avoiding these issues helps preserve the freshness and luminosity that make watercolor such a compelling medium.

Watercolor Technique – Textural effects are elements that are added to a watercolor composition to give it detail and depth, simulating textures found in nature and man-made objects.

Why Texture Matters in Watercolor Painting

Texture in watercolor is more than surface decoration. It is a visual tool that adds realism, contrast, movement, and emphasis within a composition. Textural effects help describe surfaces such as stone, bark, foliage, fabric, or weathered structures, and they guide the viewer’s eye through the painting.

Used thoughtfully, texture can:

• Reinforce the illusion of form and depth
• Create contrast between soft and hard passages
• Add energy and interest to large washes
• Strengthen focal points while allowing other areas to remain calm

Balancing textured areas with smoother passages prevents a painting from feeling visually overcrowded.

Choosing the Right Watercolor Paper for Textural Effects

The surface of the paper plays a major role in how textural techniques appear.

• Rough paper enhances drybrush, granulation, salt, and sgraffito effects because of its deep surface texture.
• Cold press paper provides a balance of texture and control, making it suitable for most textural techniques.
• Hot press paper has a smooth surface that minimizes texture; effects such as lifting and controlled spattering work best here.

For techniques involving lifting, scratching, or repeated layering, 100% cotton watercolor paper is more durable and resists surface damage better than cellulose paper.

Understanding Watercolor Wetness Stages

Timing is critical when creating textural effects. The same technique will behave differently depending on how wet the paper is.

• Very wet (shiny surface): Paint spreads freely; ideal for blooms, dropped pigment, and soft transitions.
• Damp (matte sheen): Best for salt effects, gentle lifting, and controlled sgraffito.
• Nearly dry: Produces crisp drybrush marks, defined sponging, and sharp streaking patterns.

Learning to recognize these stages helps ensure consistent and predictable results.

Textural Effect Methods

Drybrush

Drybrushing is painting with an almost dry or slightly damp brush loaded with a small amount of paint. The side of the brush is applied lightly over the surface of the paper in quick strokes. Paint only touches the raised “bumps” of the paper texture, leaving a grained effect with white spaces between.

The drybrush textural effect is useful for depicting rough stones, wood grain of an old wooden building, the sparkle of sunlight on water, etc.

Drybrush Control Tips

• Use a stiff-bristled brush for stronger texture.
• Work on rough or cold press paper for maximum effect.
• Avoid overloading the brush with water to preserve broken marks.

Granulation

Granulation is painting with watercolor paints that have grainy pigment particles. Some watercolor pigments are naturally coarse. Their granular particles settle into the depressions of textured watercolor paper, leaving a mottled effect. Mixing granulated watercolor with non-granulated watercolor will produce interesting two-color textures.

Following are Winsor Newton watercolor paints that are classified as granulated colors:

• Aqua Green
• Brown Ochre
• Cadmium Red
• Cadmium Red Deep
• Cerulean Blue
• Cerulean Blue (Red Shade)
• Cobalt Blue
• Cobalt Blue Deep
• Cobalt Green
• Cobalt Green Deep
• Cobalt Turquoise
• Cobalt Turquoise Light
• Cobalt Violet
• French Ultramarine
• Manganese Blue Hue
• Potter’s Pink
• Raw Sienna
• Rose Madder Genuine
• Smalt
• Terre Verte
• Terre Verte (Yellow Shade)
• Ultramarine Violet
• Viridian

Granulation and Pigment Behavior
Granulation is most visible on textured paper and becomes more pronounced when paint is diluted and allowed to settle naturally. Combining granulating pigments with smooth, non-granulating pigments can create layered color variations that add visual complexity.

Lifting

Lifting is applying absorbent material to a damp painted area to lift off the color and show the white of the paper beneath. The shapes of soft clouds in the sky can be achieved using the lifting textural effect. This technique is also used to create highlights on a painted object. Tissue paper, paper towels, or Q-tips can be used for lifting.

Best Pigments for Lifting
Non-staining, transparent pigments lift more easily than heavily staining colors. The success of lifting also depends on the quality of the paper and how long the paint has dried.

Salt

The “Salt” technique involves applying salt to a damp painted area that is then left to dry before removing the salt. Each salt crystal absorbs the water from the wet watercolor paint on the paper surface it touches, leaving light star shapes. The paper should be left to dry completely before brushing off the salt.

Salt Technique Tips

• Apply salt when the paper is damp, not dripping wet.
• Different salt sizes produce different effects.
• Remove salt only after the paper has fully dried to avoid smearing pigment.

Sgraffito

Sgraffito is applying a palette knife’s edge to a wet painted area to scratch out the watercolor, leaving light marks on the paper. This technique is used to create highlights in a painting. The shapes of the highlights need to be simple, and they work best with transparent, non-staining watercolors.

Sgraffito Considerations
Use gentle pressure to avoid damaging the paper surface. Sgraffito is most effective when used sparingly and placed intentionally near focal areas.

Spattering or Dropping

Spattering is applying watercolor by flicking paint off of a brush to create random spatters of watercolor on the paper surface. Dropping is applying watercolor by allowing droplets of paint to fall from the tip of the brush onto the paper surface.

Spattering Control Tips

• Adjust brush size and paint consistency to control droplet size.
• Mask areas that should remain clean.
• Test spatter on scrap paper before applying it to a finished painting.

Sponging

Sponging is applying watercolor with a sponge instead of a brush. The texture of the sponge imprints patterns onto the surface of the paper. A variety of textural patterns can be achieved using one or more colors layered with a sponge. This textural effect can be used for depicting foliage, masonry on a building, rocky crags, etc.

Sponging for Layered Texture
Natural sponges create irregular patterns, while synthetic sponges offer more control. Allow each layer to dry before adding another for increased depth.

Streaking

Streaking is pressing aluminum foil or plastic wrap that has been crushed to form creases and wrinkles on top of the paper surface that is still damp with watercolor paint. The aluminum foil or plastic wrap is left on the paper surface until the watercolor paint has dried. When the foil or wrap is lifted off the paper, the creases and wrinkles will be imprinted on the dried watercolor paint, leaving a streaking textural effect with sharp lines and dark-and-light patches.

Best Uses for Streaking
This technique works well for abstract backgrounds, rock formations, and dramatic atmospheric effects.

Combining Textural Effects in One Painting

Using multiple textural techniques together can create richer and more realistic surfaces. For example:

• Granulation combined with drybrush for stone or weathered walls
• Sponging layered with drybrush for foliage
• Salt followed by selective lifting for complex sky textures
• Spattering over smooth washes to break up flat areas

Allow each layer to dry before adding the next to maintain clarity.

When to Use Texture—and When to Restrain It

Not every area of a painting needs texture. Overusing textural effects can overwhelm a composition. Smooth washes provide visual rest and help textured passages stand out. The strongest textures are most effective when placed near focal points.

Common Mistakes When Using Textural Effects

• Applying techniques at the wrong moisture stage
• Overworking lifted areas until the paper surface is damaged
• Using salt on paper that is too wet, resulting in muddy effects
• Scratching too deeply during sgraffito
• Applying spatter without protecting important areas

Awareness of these issues helps prevent frustration and improves results.

Practice Exercises for Textural Effects

A useful way to explore texture is through practice swatches:

• Create a drybrush texture sampler
• Test salt at different moisture stages
• Compare granulating and non-granulating pigments
• Label each experiment with notes on timing, pigment, and paper

Regular practice builds confidence and control when applying textural effects in finished paintings.

This blog post addresses the question “How to use color for shadowing and contrast?” asked by a student in my Watercolor Mini-Course.

Every object placed in daylight or artificial light will cast shadows and have shadows. The shadows vary according to the time of day or the direction of the light, and if the light is diffused by clouds in the sky or nearby objects. Contrasts between the object and its shadows are the differences between the tonal values dark and light, color temperatures warm and cool, and complementary colors.

Color In Shadows

There are three distinct shadows visible when objects are lit by direct light, they are:

• Core Shadow – the dark band visible where light and shadow meet at the point where light no longer reaches the object
• Reflected Light – the light that bounces off the surface of nearby objects and reflects back onto the object
• Cast Shadow – the shadow created by the object itself blocking the light on the surface the object rests on

The above image illustrates the core shadow, reflected light and shadow, and the cast shadow of the banana. The bright light source creates a strong contrast of light and dark tonal values, in color contrast of warm and cool colors, and in the contrast of two complementary colors – Yellow < > Purple < or > the split-complement Blue-Purple.

How the Light Source Affects Shadow Color

The color seen in a shadow is not created by the object alone—it is strongly influenced by the color temperature of the light source.

• Warm light (late afternoon sun, incandescent bulbs) produces cooler shadows
• Cool light (overcast skies, north-facing light, fluorescent lighting) produces warmer shadows
• Artificial indoor lighting can introduce unexpected shadow colors such as blue-violet, green, or muted reds

Understanding the light source explains why shadows naturally shift toward complementary or split-complementary colors rather than appearing gray or black.

Contrasting Colors

Think opposites:

• warm < > cool color temperature
• dark < > light tonal value
• color < > complementary color

The color Yellow in the banana has a warm temperature, a light tonal value, and is the complementary color opposite the Purple visible in the shadow.

The color Purple in the cast shadow of the Yellow banana has a cool temperature, a dark tonal value, and is the complementary color opposite of Yellow.

Local Color vs. Perceived Color in Shadows

Local color is the true color of an object under neutral light.

Perceived color is how that color changes due to light direction, shadow, reflected light, and surrounding colors.

In watercolor painting, shadows rarely contain black or gray. Instead, they contain:

• Modified versions of the object’s local color
• Reflected colors from nearby surfaces
• Cooler or warmer shifts based on the light source

This is why shadows feel more believable when they are painted with color rather than neutral mixes.

Reflected Color Inside Shadows

Shadows are not flat or uniform. The reflected light within a shadow often contains color from surrounding objects.

For example:

• A yellow object near a red surface may reflect red into its shadow
• A white object near grass may reflect green into its shadow
• Reflected light is usually lighter and warmer than the core shadow

Careful observation of reflected color adds realism and depth to watercolor paintings.

Hard and Soft Shadow Edges

Hard and soft edges tell the viewer how strong or diffused the light source is.

• Hard edges indicate strong, direct light and higher contrast
• Soft or lost edges indicate diffused light or atmospheric conditions
• Cast shadows often have a sharp edge closest to the object and soften as they move away

In watercolor, controlling edge softness depends on timing, paper moisture, and brush control.

How to Create Shadows

Observation and understanding of color is key.

Use this Color Wheel page as a resource to find my blog posts about the 12 colors on the color wheel and their color schemes.

Look closely at the object to be painted, and determine its dominant local color.

Look closely at the object’s cast shadow, and determine what complementary color it is.

• Yellow < > Purple
• Yellow-Green < > Red-Purple
• Green < > Red
• Blue-Green < > Red-Orange
• Blue < > Orange
• Yellow-Orange < > Blue-Purple

For corresponding watercolor paint names for the above see What Watercolors To Buy.

NOTE: The hue PURPLE is labeled as the color VIOLET by most watercolor paint brands.

Chromatic Shadows vs. Neutral Shadows

There is more than one correct approach to painting shadows.

• Chromatic shadows (using complements or split-complements) appear luminous and expressive
• Neutralized shadows (mixing complements to gray) feel subtle and realistic

Your choice depends on the subject, lighting conditions, and mood you wish to convey.

Value Does More Work Than Color

While color enhances realism, value establishes form.

• A shadow must always be darker than the local color to read as a shadow
• Even if the hue varies, correct value relationships create believable depth
• When in doubt, check value first, color second

Watercolor Techniques for Painting Shadows

Use transparent watercolors and/or semi-transparent watercolors, never opaque or semi-opaque watercolors. Why? Because shadows are transparent. You can see the color of the surface beneath the shadow.

For the best results when painting shadows:

• Build shadows gradually using glazing and layering
• Allow each layer to dry before applying the next
• Preserve lighter reflected light areas inside the shadow

Common Mistakes When Painting Shadows

• Using black or gray straight from the tube
• Making all shadows the same color
• Ignoring reflected light
• Painting shadows too dark too early, leaving no room to glaze

Avoiding these habits leads to more convincing and luminous watercolor paintings.

Practice Exercise: Understanding Shadow Color

Try this simple exercise:

1. Paint one object under warm light with cool shadows
2. Paint the same object under cool light with warm shadows
3. Change the background color and observe how reflected light alters the shadow

This exercise strengthens observation skills and reinforces how light, color, and value work together.