What Is Line and Wash? A Beginner's Guide to Ink and Watercolour
Line and wash is one of the friendliest ways to start mixing drawing and painting. You draw with a waterproof ink line, then add soft watercolour over the top. It looks lovely, and it is far easier than it sounds.
The short answer: line and wash combines a waterproof ink drawing, the line, with watercolour layered over the top, the wash. It gives you the structure of a drawing alongside the softness and movement of paint.
What you need for Line and Wash:
A waterproof fineliner (I use Staedtler waterproof fineliners, but any waterproof pen works)
A small watercolour set and a round brush
Paper that can handle water, such as a mixed media or watercolour sketchbook
A jar of water and a cloth or paper towel
Not sure what to buy? I have listed a simple starter kit in my guide to mixed media sketchbook materials. If you are choosing paints, Shall I use watercolour or gouache? may help.
How to do it, step by step
Draw your subject lightly in pencil if you like, then go over it with your waterproof pen.
Let the ink dry completely, so it cannot smudge.
Wet your brush and add a pale wash of colour, working from light to dark.
Let the colour spill a little outside the lines. That looseness is part of the charm.
Add a second layer for shadows once the first is dry.
A simple first exercise
Draw a single leaf with your waterproof pen. Let it dry, then paint a pale green wash over it, adding a little darker colour near the stem while the paint is still wet. Do not worry if it looks rough. You are learning how the water behaves.
Common beginner mistakes
Starting the wash before the ink is dry
Using too much water, which can make the paper buckle
Colouring inside the lines too carefully, which makes the painting look stiff
Where to go next
When you are ready to go deeper, Line and Wash Painting is my dedicated course in this technique. We also explore ink and wash in the live classes of the Sketchbook Circle.
