Advice for someone starting watercolor painting?

Question:

Advice for someone starting watercolor painting?

tools, techniques, etc

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Let the water do the work for you when you add paint to the paper: do not meddle with the paint too often with a brush, the natural effects add to the beauty of a painting. Be aware of which are staining and non-staining colors. Staining colors are quite impossible to be removed if you make a mistake in your painting. Always do an underwash of a lighter color and then add brighter colors as you progress. A transparent color over another color will change the total color perspective. Make sure that you do not use too many watercolor techniques in the same painting as too many of them will take away from the overall effect of your painting. Most commonly used techniques are: adding salt to a wet wash get a marbled effect on drying, using candle wax or a crayon to mask off areas which need not be painted, using a masking tape to cordon off areas or masking fluid which you don't want to be painted with a particular color, etc. The techniques are easy to follow and can be a lot of fun once you know when to use them to create different effects.