The content of these tips and demos pages are copyrighted. However, please feel free to print them out for personal use only . Most watercolor paintings are comprised of washes , which are large areas of paint put on wet, damp or dry paper usually with a large mop or wide wash brush, and linear or drybrush marks, which are more like drawing or sketching, and are made with the point, edge or body of round or flat watercolor brushes.
Some painters do work primarily with washes, and some artists choose to use a more linear approach.
Brushwork is almost like writing. Once you have developed a mastery of your brush, your linear marks will be as individual, effortless and unique as your handwriting. Let's take a look at some various kinds of brush marks that you can make using a pointed round watercolor brush . I did all these samples with a No.8 brush. The strokes at the left are dragged strokes, with the wrist kept stationary and the arm moving from left to right.