Flat Wash

• A flat wash helps to form the foundations of tone in a painting. It is the most widely known and basic of watercolor painting techniques. Start by filing up a small bowl of paint mixed with water, making sure that you will have enough mixture for the area you are covering with the wash. Dip a wide, flat brush into the bowl and drag the mixture over the page, starting at the edge. Repeat this action, making sure that the new section you paint just touches the bottom of the previous stroke. Keep repeating this action until you reach the bottom of the page. If you are painting a controlled wash, use this technique but use a smaller brush to paint round the edges of the area first before painting each section. Make sure to let the watercolor soak into the edges before sweeping your paintbrush flat across the area.
  
  

Dry Brush

• Using a dry, stiff brush is an excellent way of creating texture when painting in watercolor. The effect gives the appearance of a rough surface. When you are painting, hold the brush parallel to the paper so that the bristles only touch the "hills" of the paper and not the "valleys"; this will emphasize the rough texture. The rougher the paper, the more texture can be attained, so choose the right paper for the effect you want to create.
  
  

Softening Edges

• Softening the edges of an area you have just painted helps to give a variety of texture and tone. It is ideal for maximizing accuracy when you are painting soft subjects, such as smooth fabric or animal fur. Using clean water, rinse your brush, blot it with a tissue until it is moist and then smooth down the edge you want softened. You can either do this in one swoop or in several strokes of the brush, depending on how soft you want your edge to be. The more water you keep in your brush, the softer the edge will be.
  
  

Charging Watercolors

• Charging is when you blend two colors together on the paper, creating a smooth and gradual transition with no hard edges. It is perfect for painting the illusion of shadows and three-dimensional forms. Start by fully loading your paintbrush with the first color and painting a third of the area on your paper, making the bottom line of the third irregular and not straight across. Then, after you have thoroughly rinsed and blotted your brush, fully load your paintbrush with the second color. Lightly touch along the wet bottom edge of the first color, then lift your paintbrush and let the watercolor release. Continue to gently release more of this color using a light, bouncing motion with your brush until you have painted about another third. Rinse your brush and blot well again. Finish off by loading your brush once more with your second color and charging into the line of the second third as you did before, then painting the rest of the area.