💧Watercolor Lifting & Charging Techniques for Beginners

Learn how to remove or add color to create contrast, movement, and light

✅ Quick Overview

• Discover two opposite watercolor techniques that beautifully balance each other.
• Learn how to lift color to restore highlights and glow.
• Try “charging in” color for rich shadows and energy.
• Understand how moisture level affects both success and control.
• Visualize both techniques through a simple acorn example — where lifting reveals light and charging adds depth. 

1. Introduction — Two Opposite Techniques, One Beautiful Balance

If you’ve been exploring layering and glazing, you’ve already seen how watercolor builds depth through patience and transparency. Now, it’s time to look at the other side of that same watercolor magic — what happens when we remove color or add it while it’s still wet.

That’s where lifting and charging come in.
These two techniques may seem opposite, but together they teach you how to shape watercolor’s light and flow — without ever losing that airy transparency.

Lifting and charging are watercolor opposites in harmony — one removes paint to reveal light, the other adds pigment to deepen it. Together, they create watercolor’s natural rhythm of give and take, balancing control with creative flow.

When I first discovered lifting, I felt like I’d found a watercolor “undo” button. And when I learned how to charge in pigment, it completely changed how I saw movement and blending. You'll find both give watercolor that spontaneous, living quality we love!

All you need to explore lifting and charging is your watercolor gear and a curious spirit. Ready? Let’s paint! ✨

2. What Is Lifting in Watercolor? 🎨

Definition & Purpose

Lifting is the act of removing paint from the paper — either to correct a small mistake or to bring back areas of light. It’s essentially the opposite of layering and can be a real lifesaver for beginners.

You can lift pigment while it’s still damp (for soft blends) or after it dries (for brighter highlights). Either way, it’s a gentle subtractive technique that helps you recover or brighten parts of your painting.

How to Do It

1. Rinse your brush and blot most of the water out so it’s just damp.

2. Lightly touch or sweep the brush over the area you want to lighten.

3. Wipe the pigment from your brush, rinse, and repeat until you reach the desired effect.

4. For broader lifting, gently press a tissue or paper towel onto damp paint to absorb color.

Tips for Beginners

• Work gently — scrubbing can damage paper fibers.
• 100% cotton paper handles lifting best; student-grade paper may tear more easily.
• Lifting while damp gives a soft, blended look; lifting when dry creates crisp highlights.
• Use a clean, damp synthetic brush for the most control.
• Always test lifting strength on scrap paper first. Some paints (like staining colors) are harder to lift than others.

Artist Insight

Even after years of painting, I still find lifting to be one of watercolor’s most enjoyable surprises — like rediscovering light hiding beneath the paint.

3. What Is Charging Color in Watercolor? 🎨

Definition & Purpose

Charging is the act of dropping stronger pigment into a wet or damp wash to let colors mingle and flow naturally.
Instead of removing paint (as in lifting), you’re adding energy — encouraging pigment movement to create natural variations in tone and texture.

It’s perfect for adding depth to petals, shadows, leaves, and skies — anywhere you want soft transitions or organic color blends.

How to Do It

1. Lay down your first wash while the paper is still wet and shiny.

2. Mix a slightly stronger version of your color (more pigment, less water).

3. Touch the tip of your loaded brush to the damp wash and watch the pigment bloom.

4.  Let it flow naturally — resist brushing it around.

Tips for Beginners

• Timing matters: if it’s too wet, the color spreads too far; if too dry, you’ll get a hard edge. Aim for the glistening damp stage (not glossy wet).
• Try charging with complementary or analogous colors for subtle blends and dimension.
• Clean your brush between charges to prevent muddy color.
• Use soft touches — gravity and water will do most of the work.

Artist Insight

Charging is watercolor’s joyful reminder that you don’t have to control everything — sometimes the paint knows exactly where to go.

4. Comparing the Two Techniques

Together, they give you control and spontaneity — one refines, the other energizes.

To visualize how lifting and charging work together, imagine painting a small acorn: you could charge in deeper color at the base to create depth, then lift a gentle highlight near the top once it dries. You don’t need to complete a full painting — even a quick test shape will help you see how the techniques balance light and pigment.

5. Troubleshooting & Tips

• Paper pilling when lifting? Use lighter pressure or softer brush.
• Color spread too much when charging? Wait 10–15 seconds longer before dropping pigment.
• Highlights too sharp? Glaze a thin transparent wash over them to soften.
• Colors look dull? Use transparent pigments and fresh water to maintain clarity.

🖌️ Tip: Watercolor control comes from observation, not force. Watch how moisture behaves — that’s your real guide.

6. Wrap-Up — Finding the Light and Flow

You’ve just learned two of watercolor’s most expressive skills — one that restores light, and one that adds motion.

Lifting and charging are watercolor opposites in harmony — one removes paint to reveal light, the other adds pigment to deepen it. Together, they create watercolor’s natural rhythm of give and take, balancing control with creative flow.

Every time you lift or charge, you’re learning the rhythm of the medium and your own creative flow. So take your time, experiment, and enjoy the process — watercolor rewards curiosity as much as precision.

Start a page in your sketchbook labeled Lifting & Charging Practice and note what happens when you vary timing or pigment strength. 

Over time, these discoveries become your own watercolor wisdom.

7. Next Steps — See It in Action

Now that you understand how lifting and charging work together — one removes paint to reveal light, the other adds pigment to deepen it — let’s take it a step further! In my next post, we’ll paint a simple winterberry branch that puts both techniques into practice in a fresh, seasonal way. 🌿

8. References

• Hello, Watercolor!, by Jeannie Dickson

• 101 Watercolor Secrets, by Anna Bucciarelli

• The Flower Painter's Essential Handbook, by Jill Bays

• The Ultimate Watercolor Course, by Reader's Digest Association

9. Recommended for You 🔗 

• Beginner's Guide to Student vs. Artist Grade Watercolor Supplies

• Layering and Glazing Techniques for Watercolor Beginners

• Easy Fall Leaf Watercolor Project

What's Next?

 🎨 Coming soon: my Easy Watercolor First Steps guide and Step-by-Step Brushstroke Warm-Ups Workbook — beginner resources designed to help you grow your watercolor skills with joy and confidence.