01 · Watercolor questions
What should I buy for my first watercolor kit?
Start with your budget, the size you expect to paint, and the subjects you want to explore. Prepare watercolor paper, a basic paint set, and three brushes: large, medium, and small. You do not need every tool at the beginning. The large brush lays down water and washes, the medium one handles most of the painting, and the small one takes care of fine lines and details. Start using them, then add tools when a specific need appears.
02 · Watercolor questions
Do I need expensive supplies before I can begin?
Good materials cannot make a good painting for you, but unsuitable materials can make you wrongly think you cannot paint. Choose a reliable, comfortable set within your budget, use it for a while, then upgrade according to the problems you encounter. That is more useful than buying a lot at once.
03 · Watercolor questions
Can I teach myself watercolor with no experience?
Yes. First consider whether you want a relaxed time painting, steady improvement, or a more professional direction. Different goals call for different practice. Learning alone means choosing tutorials, reviewing your work, and organizing your time yourself. Company, a regular time, and a little feedback when you get stuck can make it easier to keep going.
04 · Watercolor questions
I have my supplies. Where should I begin with the first painting?
You can begin by copying a watercolor you like, borrowing someone else's method to see how colors, brushwork, and composition are handled. Practice one thing at a time, such as a wash or a group of light and dark shapes. There is no need to begin with a large, complicated scene. Copying is about more than resemblance. Notice why each step is handled that way.
05 · Watercolor questions
What should I clarify before choosing a teacher?
Explain why you want to paint, where you are now, and what help you hope to receive. Wanting a relaxed time painting calls for different feedback from wanting to improve a specific technique. Notice whether the teacher first tries to understand your purpose and can explain a concrete next step to try, rather than only pointing out where the painting does not look accurate.
06 · Watercolor questions
I worry I will not keep going. How can I make the start easier?
Use a smaller sheet, keep to one main subject and two or three color groups, and allow thirty to sixty minutes for a session. Finishing does not mean including everything in the reference. It means the thing you intended to practice has taken shape. First experience deliberately bringing a painting to a close, then increase the difficulty gradually.
07 · Watercolor questions
With a limited budget, where should I spend first?
Make watercolor paper the priority. Paper directly affects absorption, layering, and water marks, and suitable paper can remove some handling difficulties. For paints, begin with a reliable basic set whose colors you like and that fits your budget. Choose large, medium, and small brushes for your usual picture size. Expensive does not always mean suitable, and getting to know the tools you have matters too.
08 · Watercolor questions
How do I choose between pan and tube watercolors?
If you mainly practice systematically at home and need large washes, consider tubes first: they make it easier to take out enough concentrated paint. If you want something portable for journal sketches with light washes or a simple first try, pans are more convenient. Begin with how you will use them; you do not need to buy both types in full.
09 · Watercolor questions
Should I buy 12 colors or 24?
Look beyond the number to whether the selection is balanced. If your budget allows, a basic 24-color set from a Chinese brand can be a starting point. With a smaller budget, 12 or 18 colors can work, but check that the basic hues are covered. Themed sets, such as floral selections, may favor particular subjects and may not suit a first kit. Add an individual color later if you repeatedly find it missing.
10 · Watercolor questions
Can I learn properly with student-grade paint?
Yes. Student- and artist-grade paints can differ in concentration, formulation, or pigment characteristics, but that does not mean student-grade paint cannot make good watercolors. If you like the colors and how they look dry, you can certainly practice with them. Do not sacrifice paper or the amount of practice you can do just to upgrade an entire set. Upgrade frequently used colors when a specific problem appears.
11 · Watercolor questions
Do I have to buy the exact brush numbers specified?
Do not memorize brush numbers rigidly; sizes do not correspond exactly across brands. For your usual picture size, choose large, medium, and small brushes to handle washes, the main subject, and details, checking the actual dimensions of the brush heads. Two brushes marked size 6 may differ in size and water capacity. Small journal paintings and large landscapes also need different brushes.
12 · Watercolor questions
Can I use the Chinese painting or calligraphy brush I already have?
Yes. Traditional Chinese brushes are among Tee Sang's regular choices too. The key is getting to know their softness or firmness, spring, water capacity, and response to lifting and pressing. A soft brush can make gentle, varied marks, but may be harder to control at first. Try whether your brush suits your picture size and approach, rather than judging by material or price alone.
13 · Watercolor questions
How wet should the paper be for wet-on-wet painting?
A surface with an even sheen and no obvious puddles is a useful starting reference, but it is not the only correct level of moisture. If the brush is noticeably wetter than the paper, it can push the color away. A drier brush with more concentrated color spreads less. Observe the paper first, then adjust the water in the brush for the effect you want. There is no need to memorize a fixed number of seconds to wait.
14 · Watercolor questions
When should I add the next brushstroke of color?
There is no fixed time. It depends on how much water remains in the first layer. A wetter second stroke can push the existing color away; less water and more concentrated color make the edge more distinct. On the same type of practice paper, lay down several patches at different moisture levels, then try adding a second stroke. Compare how they merge, spread, and leave water marks to gradually develop a feel for it.
15 · Watercolor questions
How can I leave fewer bands and joins when painting a sky?
Mix enough color first, use a large brush suited to the picture size, tilt the board moderately, and join the wet edge of the previous stroke at a steady pace. Try not to stop halfway to mix more color, or repeatedly brush an area that has begun drying. A relatively dry, soft brush can gently lift excess water from the lower edge. Slight changes in tone can also be left as they are.
16 · Watercolor questions
What should I do about a puddle on the paper?
While the water is still flowing, touch the edge of the puddle with a clean, soft, relatively dry brush, wiping the brush dry after each lift. Tissue absorbs faster, but also takes up color and leaves texture. If you want a soft transition, try the soft brush first. Once the paper is partly dry, avoid wiping a large area.
17 · Watercolor questions
Besides color swatches, what can I paint to practice water control?
Try more small landscape studies. Skies, groups of trees, and water let you observe how moisture moves without requiring every shape to be perfectly precise. Focus on one or two questions in each study, such as joining wet edges or the water content of the second stroke, and keep the dried results for comparison. More practice should not mean mechanical repetition. Know what you are testing this time.
18 · Watercolor questions
A dark ring appeared as it dried. Have I ruined the painting?
Not necessarily. Water marks are part of watercolor's material character and can become interesting textures. If you do not want a pronounced dark edge, mix enough color beforehand, apply a continuous wash with a large brush, and lift excess water from the lower edge promptly. First ask whether the mark actually interferes with the picture. Every water mark is not automatically a mistake.
19 · Watercolor questions
My colors get grayer the more I mix. Is the paint bad?
First distinguish a low-saturation gray you need from muddiness that loses relationships of light and dark, warm and cool, and emphasis. Mixing too many colors, dirty rinse water, or repeatedly working color on partly dry paper can all make colors muddy. Try a small sample with two colors and judge it in relation to the whole painting. Do not rush to replace the paints just because you see gray.
20 · Watercolor questions
Why does the color look lighter after drying?
This is common in watercolor, but there is no universal amount by which to make the wet color darker. Paint concentration, paper, and water quantity all affect the result. Test a stroke on the same paper as your painting and judge it once dry; that is more useful than memorizing a percentage. If it is still too light, wait until it is completely dry and add a layer. There is no need to make the first wash blindly heavy.
21 · Watercolor questions
The first wash looks bad. Should I fix it immediately?
Do not panic. The first wash usually establishes the overall colors and basic light and dark; it is not the finished painting. Avoid repeatedly adding water and making corrections on partly dry paper because one area disappoints you. Finish this pass, let it dry, and look from a distance at the larger relationships before adjusting the one or two most important areas. However, light areas covered with heavy color are usually hard to recover, so not everything can be left for a later rescue.
22 · Watercolor questions
Do I need to erase every pencil line?
Not necessarily. Pencil lines can support the structure and preserve a hand-drawn quality. For a clean, light effect, gently reduce them with a soft eraser before painting until they do not compete with the image. Avoid repeated hard rubbing that damages the paper. Decide which lines are useful first; there is no need to remove every pencil mark.
23 · Watercolor questions
Must I include every detail from the reference?
No. First ask what you most want to learn this time: a tree, a color combination, a type of brushstroke, or the complete sequence? Paint the parts relevant to that goal in detail; combine or leave out the rest. Copying is purposeful learning, rather than reproducing all information equally. If you publicly show a study that closely reproduces another work, identify the learning source.
24 · Watercolor questions
When can I stop working on a painting?
When the subject, the main relationships, and the feeling you want to express are in place, and the next stroke would not clearly improve a problem, you can stop. Finishing does not mean filling every corner. If unsure, look from a distance, view a thumbnail on your phone, or come back after a while. Before making another change, say clearly what that stroke is meant to solve.