A light wash of color tints the paper and unifies the elements of a painting. Many artists start by wetting the paper with an even coat of water. The paint is often applied with a thick brush starting from the top. Paper, which is usually taped to a board, is kept at an angle to keep the water and color flowing. Painters use water to spread color evenly or to create a graded effect. Different colors can be blended into a wash.
While washes work well for subjects such as landscapes, they also affect the clarity of watercolor paint. For portraits, wet blending colors directly on paper is an option. You can apply a light coat of water to the paper in the shape of the face. Then use a medium-sized rounded brush to apply small amounts of flesh-tone colors that will blend within the wet space. Brush on clear water to help blend and distribute color.
Some watercolor artists include small and intricate details in their work. Others use clear lines to define space. Dry paint, or paint mixed with very little water, applied to dry sections of a painting accomplishes both of those tasks. Dry applications also allow you to maintain more control over the paint. Artists also use stippling, a process of using a dry brush to add dots or dabs of color to a dry field, to add definition to a painting.
Lines painted with a dry brush on a damp surface will have a soft, slightly feathered edge characteristic of watercolor painting.
Blooms are circular shapes in a painting created by a backwash of water. Bleeding paint is color that feathers out on a damp surface. Many painters consider both to be mistakes, but they don't have to be. Blooms and bleeding can create dramatic color effects that can work in subjects such as flowers, landscapes with foliage and grasses and almost any abstract work. You can gain some control over blooms and bleeds by gently blotting them with a clean sponge or paper towel.
Many artists experiment with different textures in their watercolors. Salt creates unusual shapes and patterns when sprinkled onto a wet section of a watercolor. The salt moves the color to absorb the water. Sprinkling rubbing alcohol onto a wet surface will also push aside the color and create a texture. Crumpled pieces of wax paper, plastic wrap and tissue paper applied to a damp surface will reshape color according to the folds, creating a random set of lines and textures.