Watercolour Mediums

If you are looking to improve the flow of your paint, experiment with new techniques or achieve professional results in your watercolour paintings, you have come to the right place. Our carefully selected range of watercolour mediums helps artists create beautiful artwork with confidence.

What Are Watercolour Mediums?

Watercolour mediums are specially formulated products that change how your paint behaves without replacing it. By adding a small amount of liquid medium to your mixing water or directly to your colour, you can enhance the way your paints perform on paper. Doing this helps you to achieve a wider range of creative effects.

Some mediums enhance flow by reducing surface tension, which allows colour to spread more evenly across wet paper. Others increase transparency. Extend drying time. Or produce interesting textural effects that would be difficult to achieve with painting water alone.

Which Watercolour Medium Should You Choose?

The right medium for your needs really depends on the style of painting you enjoy and the effect you want to achieve. For instance, if you prefer smooth, even washes, an ox gall medium or synthetic ox gall can improve your paint's wetting properties. Usually, a few drops are all that is needed to encourage increased flow and help the brush glide more easily across both cold-pressed and hot-pressed paper.

However, if you're interested in creating dramatic landscapes or expressive backgrounds, then a granulation medium is ideal because it encourages certain colours and pigments to separate naturally. This adds extra texture, depth and visual interest to your paintings.

For those who enjoy making soft transitions between colours, a watercolour blending medium slows the movement of moisture just enough to give you greater control as colours are mixed. This makes it easier to blend skies, water and other large areas where smooth colour changes are required.

Exploring Creative Techniques

Watercolour mediums are also useful when you want to try something different. Art Masking fluid protects selected areas of the surface while you paint around them. Once everything is completely dry, you can gently remove the masking fluid with an eraser or a cotton bud. This will reveal clean white highlights underneath.

Many artists also use gum arabic, which is a natural binder that increases the richness of colour. It adds a subtle gloss and improves transparency. Products, such as Daler Rowney's Art Mediums, include specialised solutions for painters who want to explore a wider range of watercolour techniques.

Some painters even combine watercolours with gouache, ink or pen work to create mixed-media artwork. Choosing the desired level of medium allows you to experiment with different forms. They include everything from delicate botanical drawing to bold contemporary illustrations.

Tips for Using Watercolour Mediums

Most watercolour mediums are highly concentrated. So, it is advisable to use them sparingly. Start with a few drops from the bottle and test the results before adding more. This should give you better control over the final appearance of your painting.

When introducing a new medium, always use a clean, wet brush and a fresh solution. Some products are colourless. However, others may slightly influence the behaviour of your paints. It is worth testing on scrap paper first to best understand how each medium performs.

At ArtStore Online, you'll find a carefully selected range of watercolour mediums that are suitable for both beginners and experienced painters. If you want better coverage with a fast-drying medium, improved flow, and subtle staining effects. Or to create new possibilities using gum, salt, alcohol or specialist mediums. We've got you covered.