Tutorial by Charlotte Hird

A tutorial for beginner to intermediate watercolourists In this exercise we will make a painting of the night sky using the wet in wet technique.

Why use wet-in-wet?

A good painting needs a balance of soft and hard edges.

Too many soft areas and the painting will have no focus. Too many hard edges and the painting will be too busy with everything in focus.

Use the wet-in-wet technique for soft shapes, reflections, transitions, distant items and background items that you want out of focus.


Levels of paper wetness: the variables we work to control are
water - pigment - timing gravity

The stages of paper wetness are
wet moist damp dry

Wet: when the paper is very wet, pigment will flow uncontrollably and the colours will be diffused and faint.

Moist: this is the best time to apply pigment to the paper as it is wet and can be controlled by gravity .

Damp: is when the paper is starting to dry and is a dangerous time, as you might disturb the pigment or form cauliflowers.

Dry: you need to wait unl the paint and paper are bone dry. Then you can re-wet and paint another layer of detail.

Repeated practice will help you to recognise each wetness level and to know when to pick up the brush.

Studying the paper surface from an oblique angle helps you to ascertain the wetness more accurately.

How to paint wet-in-wet

• Firstly, decide on the shapes or areas which will remain white and leave them dry. A good painting includes some white paper
• Before wetting the paper, mix the thick pigment ready to be applied. If you leave the paint preparation until after applying water, areas are likely to dry while you mix
• Brush clean water on the back of the paper with a hake brush. Take your time to wet thoroughly so the paper absorbs the water
• Turn over sheet and it will stick to your board
• Brush clean water in the area to paint and remove the excess water around the edges by dabbing with a tissue
• Timing is critical. Apply the pigment into the moist area at just the right time. Too wet - the pigment will dilute and merge; too dry - brush work will unsettle the pigment. When the wetness level is just right the pigments will blend with each other in a pleasing way
• Use gravity by tilting your board to assist pigment to flow and blend in controlled and uncontrolled ways.

Once you can recognise that optimum moment, Mistress Watercolour will work with you to create a beautiful painting. Watercolour will create transparency and beauty that no other medium can match.

We will create a painng of the rising of Matariki in the night sky with the old Ahiaruhe Ghost House, Wairarapa on the skyline. This house sat on the skyline across the road from Stonehenge Aotearoa until it burnt to the ground 4am February 2022.

The step by step method (see images below)

• Draw the horizon line low on the page and outline the house
• Prepare your pigment wake it up with water or squeeze fresh Yellow, Red and Blue and the darker pigments like Indigo, Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna, Alizarin and Viridian
• Wet the back of the paper thoroughly with a clean brush and clean water. Turn it over and sck to your board, then wet the entire front side
• You will need to work quickly to get the whole sky filled with colour before the shine goes off
• Paint the yellow first, then red across the horizon to indicate the dawn colour
• Leave some light in the Milky Way
• Add the blues and tilt the board on to each corner for a few seconds to get the colour to flow into each other and blend
• Next add purple and indigo pigments to extend the range of light and dark
• Drop in dark pigment around the edges of the Milky Way and a into the centre, while its still wet
• Keep the edges soft so the colours blend together gradually
• Paint the sky right down to below the horizon
• When the shine has gone off and the paint has stopped moving, leave the work to dry flat
• When its all completely dry and you can get a hard edge, paint in the foreground, mix a grey and paint the house in silhouette
• Then paint the shadows on the house to show its features
• 24 hours later, when the sky is bone dry, mask the house and the ground. Use an old stiff brush and pure white pigment out of the tube to flick in the stars, far away galaxies and the Planets. You could attempt to define the Matariki constellation in a dark area near the horizon.

Good luck and keep on painting.