Beginner guide – How to get darker values (Watercolor tutorial)

In this watercolor tutorial I want to share with you several tips for getting darker values and tones using different techniques. I wanted to share this with you, as this is something I’m having some trouble with as well.

Here are the tips for creating darker watercolor values:

1. Watercolor dries much lighter than it initially appears to be on paper. Take that into consideration when painting.

2. Using watercolor tubes can be easier than watercolor pans, especially if you want to create large washes of darker tones.

3. Make studies to help you better understand your watercolor palette. Try different mixtures and see which ones produce darker values.

4. Use more pigment and less water. Duh! (: This is so simple, yet is often overlooked.

5. Mix complementary colors to get darker values (and I haven’t mentioned in the video, but to also get more interesting color combinations, browns and greys).

6. Layering. Watercolors are translucent. The more layers you add, the darker, more opaque the result will be.

And that’s it! Experiment with it and win (:

Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed, please subscribe to my channel for more awesome videos. Also, feel free to leave a comment with a video request, or any follow-up questions you may have.

Have an awesome rest of the day,

– Liron

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