Do you want to become a great artist and learn how to use watercolor brush pens? Then you are in the right place.
You have probably tried painting using your watercolor brush pens before, but never achieved the results you truly wanted.
Luckily, learning how to properly use them is surprisingly easy.
But before you go ahead and skip to the practice part, you must read throughout the entire article to get a deep understanding of brush pens.
In this guide, we will be going through a couple of methods to help you step up your painting game. So, make sure to read from top to bottom!
Methods to Use Watercolor Brush Pens Easily
To truly master watercolor brushes, you must learn a few tricks to help you grasp the basic idea behind them.
Doing so will help you tremendously before you get the hang of it. So, here are the methods that will take you from a noobie to a professional in no time:
Set Up the Palette
Take a moment to appreciate just how beautiful they are. From there, take the time to organize your palette, so it doesn’t get messy.
We highly recommend putting similar colors next to each other. This will help you have an easier time blending.
Look for Watercolor Paper
Before you get started, you should know that you can’t just use any ordinary paper. Water-based ink will break through any average paper. This could be a massive waste of time and money if not prevented.
So, a great way to prevent that from happening is to get a smooth and thick paper. With thick paper, you can safely use watercolor on it.
It’s resistant enough. So, don’t worry about watercolor destroying your paper.
Dip the Brush
When working with water-based ink, you want to keep a glass of water next to you. This way, you can clean the brush whenever needed, with ease.
When you first dip the brush tip in water, you are going to notice that the ink will begin to dilute. This is going to cause lighter shades.
On the other hand, if you dip it to the bottom, you are going to end up with even lighter results. The same happens with the amount of time you dip it on. So, the deeper and longer you dip the brush, the lighter the outcome is.
Blend the Brushes
The main goal here is to combine two different colors to get a different outcome. And the best way to accomplish this is to blend two different colors on top of one another. As you mix them, work from light to dark.
You can also play with them until you get your desired result.
Understand Your Brush Tip
There is just so much you can do with your brush tips. You can create a wide variety of different strokes if you apply enough pressure to it.
Depending on how much pressure you apply, you might get different results. So, the best way to find out is to try this out a couple of times until you get your desired outcome.
You can also create thin lines by not applying so much pressure on the pen. This is great if you are working on rather intricate designs and need to be careful with the details.
If you want to cover larger areas, you need thicker strokes. To achieve such results, you want to hold the pen at 30-degrees. From there, apply some pressure until you see those thicker strokes.
Mastering these techniques is super important. You will be using them a lot in the future. So, it is a great idea to learn them early on so you can move on to complicated techniques.
Upstrokes and Downstrokes
What is the best way to learn how to use watercolor brush pens?
One of the best ways to improve using watercolor brush pens is to work on your downstrokes and upstrokes.
Getting the hang of it takes a lot of time and can be frustrating. However, the best way to begin is to always make sure you apply little to no pressure when going up, and apply not so much pressure when going down.
Avoid Shakiness
One of the most significant issues you might face when using watercolor brush pens is shaky hands. Many people struggle with shakiness, and it can be quite frustrating.
Luckily for us, there are some tricks to prevent shaky hands: when using your pen, you should rest your elbow on the table. You might be surprised by how simple that sounds, but it is a powerful technique.
If you hold your pen too lightly, you might experience shakiness every so often. It’s not like the pen is going to fall off your hands or anything. So, if you find yourself doing that, you should stop gripping your pen too hard.
That is going to help you tremendously. Many people make such mistakes every so often—even professionals. So, don’t feel bad and keep going.
Clean Up the Brushes
And finally, don’t forget to clean your brushes after you are done using them. You simply have to dip them in water and hold it against the bottom as you move it.
What this is going to do is that all the paint that it has sucked up will slowly begin to come off. If you don’t do this, your brushes could lose their shape.
Frequently Asked Questions
After reading through our general advice, let’s go a bit deeper with an array of common question most people make about them:
Can you dip brush pens in water?
Yes, you can dip your brush pens in water. But you have to keep in mind that the deeper you go, the lighter the result is. So, if you want light results, then the best way is to barely dip the brush in water.
What can I draw with watercolor brush pens?
You can pretty much draw anything you want using watercolor brush pens: flowers, trees, and even your favorite cartoon character.
How do you store watercolor brush pens?
Watercolor brush pens can be easily stored horizontally or vertically. However, it is best to store them horizontally. The reason behind that is to conserve the ink in the long run.
How can I make my pens last longer?
To make your pens last longer, you must always clean them right after you use them. If you don’t clean them, they could dry up over time.
How do you refill watercolor brush pens?
One of the coolest things about watercolor pens is that they are refillable. If it ever dries out, you could simply refill them. So, to refill watercolor brush pens, make sure that your refill and brush pen match.
Open your brush pen, and then drop some ink into the pen. Once you are done, make sure to close the pen.
Final Words
Learning how to use watercolor brush pens takes some practice, but it is totally possible if you put in the time and effort.
One of the best ways to do is to practice whatever you read. Simply reading won’t do much for you. So, we highly recommend putting whatever you learn into practice.
That is the best way to get better at using watercolor brush pens. You must also practice consistently if you want to see great results. Quitting and then coming back months later won’t help you at all and will only decrease your skills. So, make sure to always practice.
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