Have you ever come across the term “Mark making”, and wondered about it? Well, this post and the next will give you a simple breakdown about mark making in watercolors. You’ll be able to understand your brushes and look at it differently.
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In the previous posts of my “Learn watercolors” series, I talked about blending and creating textures. This post will talk about mark making in watercolors which are a way to understand the full potential of your brushes.
What is mark making?
Mark making is the process of creating different strokes with your brush to create patterns. You can make these patterns by experimenting with the different sides of your brush. The more you mark make with your brushes, the better you’ll understand them.
1. The brush tip
The tip of your watercolor brush can be manipulated to create the thinnest of strokes. Even for a brush that is big such as size 16 round, the tip can be used to create this. The key here is to be very gentle and light handed with your brush.
You can use the tip of your brush to paint blades of grass, tree branches and more. The graphic below shows four different brush shapes and how painting with the tip of those look like.
2. The brush width
The width of your brush can be used to create broad strokes. This can be regulated by the amount of pressure you put on your brush. The more pressure you give to your brushes, the thicker your strokes will be. This can be used for creating leaves, small buds etc. The possibilities are endless.
Down below are some examples you can try and practice with. Remember that you don’t need to have the exact same brush to create what I’ve created. Feel free to use that one brush that you have in hand to create the examples.
I hope you love this post and stay tuned for the next one that will help you understand a bit more about this technique.
Thank you!
Most welcome . x
As always, your tips and techniques are helpful and easy to follow. Thank you for generously sharing your talent and skills! ?
Thank you for the information and ideas. I look forward to learning to paint via your sharing.
Most welcome ! Glad you’re enjoying the posts ?
I’m so happy to find your tutorial’s. This looks to be a fun way to get used to using a brush. I have neuropathy and hand and joint problems in my hands and arms and have trouble with fine hand coordination so this method looks like it will be just perfect for me. Thanks so much!
Cheryl Mills