Grahame Booth shows you how to master watercolour painting with a limited palette

In this watercolour painting demo, Grahame Booth demonstrates how to use a limited palette to capture the serene beauty of Rathlin Island, located off the north coast of Northern Ireland. Known for its quiet beaches and vibrant birdwatching opportunities, Rathlin Island serves as the perfect subject for this watercolour tutorial.
Setting Up the Palette
Grahame begins by setting up his six-colour palette, which combines traditional and modern primary colours. He includes red, blue and yellow, along with Quinacridone Magenta and Phthalo Blue because these choices provide a diverse range of mixes for the painting. The colours are selected to replace the usual Cobalt Blue, offering a cooler blue ideal for depicting the sky in the watercolour painting. Creating the First Wash
The demo starts with a wet-on-wet technique. Grahame applies paint while the surface is still wet, allowing the colours to blend and flow naturally. Tilting the easel at about 50 degrees, he works quickly, creating a dynamic and fluid effect. The goal is to avoid hard edges and maintain a smooth transition between colours, which is crucial in this early stage of the watercolour painting.
Building Up Layers
Once the initial wash dries, Grahame moves on to the second wash. This stage involves strengthening and refining areas from the first layer. Hence, he darkens the building?s walls and enhances contrasts to better define the...