Why Spray Your Dry Watercolor Paints Before You Start Painting

Spraying dry watercolor paints in the pans of a palette gives them time to soften, so your brush picks up far more pigment. That extra pigment is one reason many painters struggle with mixes that always look too watery.

Why This Matters

Watercolor paints are activated by water. A dry brush pressed into dried paint in a palette pan picks up almost no pigment. Dip the brush in water first and it captures a little, because the water activates the surface of the paint. Spray the pans before you start painting, give the water a few moments to settle in, and the brush can pick up noticeably more pigment.

Spraying dry paints and giving them a few moments to soak means more pigment on your brush, and less watery mixes. If your colors always seem too watery, this is one of the likely reasons. This step is for dried paints. Paint that is already wet has already been activated.

Try This

Before you start painting, spray the dry paints in your palette pans with a little water and give them a few moments to settle in. Then load your brush as usual and notice how much more pigment it picks up.

Want to Go Deeper?

If you paint from pans, or are deciding between pans and tubes, you may find this related article helpful. It compares the two, which helps explain what to expect when you start painting from each:

Watercolor Tubes vs Pans: Which Is Better?

Ready to Keep Building Your Mixing Skills?

If getting the right balance of water and paint is something you're still working on, the Free Color Mixing Workshop is a good place to keep building your mixing skills.

👉 Join the Free Color Mixing Workshop

If you're curious about my overall approach to teaching watercolor, you can find that on my about page.