The Biggest Lie Artists are Told About Watercolour
What's the first thing new artists are told about watercolour?
"Watercolour is the hardest medium." or maybe, "You can't fix mistakes in watercolour."
Maybe it's because instructors want to help new painters manage expectations as they learn watercolour technique. Or maybe the objective is to encourage a more thoughtful pace during the painting process. But I don't think those two "facts" are helpful, and in fact, they might speak to a fundamental lack of understanding about watercolour.
You can't fix mistakes in watercolour is especially problematic. What this statement does is tell artists
If you make even one mistake, you've instantly failed your painting.
What can you do with this mindset but approach watercolour with fear and tension?
Add to that watercolour is the hardest medium, and you might come away thinking,
You might never be good enough to paint successfully.
Watercolour is only for the gifted/talented/natural artist.
To start painting in watercolour with the mindset that it's probably not going to work for you is such an oppressive way to think! No wonder artists are making timid, anxious paintings, fearful that their next stroke will ruin what they're working so hard to create! No wonder artists create something that felt "too easy" and immediately think "there must be something wrong with it that I'm not seeing."
Let's repackage these two phrases:
You can't fix mistakes in watercolour.
The biggest problem with this statement is that it assumes that mistakes are a problem and that undo is your best option. Here's a better truth to carry with you into your next painting:
Watercolour thrives on the unexpected.
Let watercolour do what it wants and you will see beauty emerge from even (and maybe especially) your greatest disasters.
Watercolour is the hardest medium. This statement also makes an assumption; that the goal is control or domination of the medium. I even tease this a little in my flagship course title "Watercolour Mastery." I want to push students to ask the question, Does mastery mean control?
What if we were told this instead:
Watercolour rewards trust and welcomes emotional connection.
Can you imagine how your earliest watercolour experience would have shifted if you had been taught those two truths about watercolour instead of the other?
Could it even be possible that a shift in how you think about control in watercolour could change your paintings almost overnight?
I want to give you a taste of that in my new free 5-day workshop, Keep Your Colour Alive. Starting March 9, 2026, I want to start you off on a foundation of greater trust and freedom in watercolour. What if it wasn’t technique that you needed, as much as trust? It’s time to get unstuck!
