From gently sponging out a small area to rinsing under running water, there are many ways to lift watercolour. To achieve the best results, keep in mind three key factors: your choice of paper, the use of mediums, and the type of colours you select.
Choose the right paper
Your choice of paper plays a crucial role in how effectively you can lift colour. Our Winsor & Newton watercolour papers are developed with specific techniques in mind and are ideal for lifting.
Each sheet is 100% acid-free to preserve the longevity of your artwork and to ensure your colours remain vibrant. Paper not designed for watercolour may not respond as well to lifting, as pigments can become absorbed too deeply into the fibres.
By choosing a paper designed for watercolour, you’ll have better control and achieve cleaner, more precise results when lifting colour.
Use mediums for assistance
Lifting Preparation Medium
To make lifting easier, prepare your surface with Winsor & Newton Lifting Preparation before painting. Once dry, this coating allows you to remove even dry colour washes—including staining pigments—using just a damp brush or cloth.
This means you can lift colour without disturbing surrounding areas, perfect for correcting details or adding highlights. Simply paint your artwork as usual after applying the medium and let it fully dry before beginning.
A simple demonstration shows how effective this can be:
After coating half a sheet with Lifting Preparation and painting both treated and untreated areas with colours such as Permanent Alizarin Crimson and Winsor Violet, only the treated section allows pigment to be lifted easily with a wet brush. The colour dissolves and can be gently blotted away, without muddying the layers beneath.
You can repeat this process until you achieve the desired level of removal.
Gum Arabic
If you’d like more control over colour flow and staining, try Winsor & Newton Gum Arabic. This medium reduces the spread of wet washes, slows drying time, and enhances gloss and transparency. It can also make lifting easier by reducing the degree of staining.
Choose colours that are prime for lifting
Not all watercolours behave the same way. Non-staining colours remain on the paper’s surface as the water evaporates, making them easier to lift once dry. Staining colours, on the other hand, absorb into the paper and are more resistant to removal.
If you’re new to lifting or experimenting with colour, start with non-staining pigments. These will give you more flexibility for corrections and subtle effects before you progress to stronger staining colours.
Non-staining colours include:
Cadmium-Free Colours, Turner’s Yellow, New Gamboge, Winsor Yellow Deep, Indian Yellow, Cadmium Orange, Winsor Orange, Quinacridone Red, Opera Rose, Quinacridone Magenta, Indanthrene Blue, Ultramarine Green Shade, Antwerp Blue, Cobalt Turquoise, Green Gold, Naples Yellow, Naples Yellow Deep, Yellow Ochre Light, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Light Red, Burnt Umber, Sepia, Smalt, Quinacridone Violet, Transparent Orange, Titanium White, Chinese White, Davy’s Grey, and Lamp Black.
Final Tips
Whether you’re making corrections or creating a specific visual effect, lifting is an art form in itself. Experiment with different papers, mediums, and colours to see how they interact.
For best results:
- Prepare your paper with Lifting Preparation before painting.
- Use a soft, damp brush or cloth to gently remove colour.
- Repeat lifting gradually rather than trying to remove too much at once.
- Try using sponges for larger lifted areas or fine brushes for details.
Explore Winsor & Newton Lifting Preparation to discover how this versatile medium can help you adjust, refine, and enhance your watercolour work with confidence.