watercolor paintbrush sitting on a paper towel with two jars of water nearby

Can you REALLY erase watercolor?

We have all done this at some point during our watercolor practice. We are completely immersed in the “flow state.” The colors are looking amazing. All the elements and composition are on point. And then it happens.

We fumble with our brush and it falls onto a part of the page. Or we forget that part of our painting is still drying and we move our hand smearing some watercolor where it doesn’t belong.

An explicit may exit our lips (and if not, you are WAY BETTER than me) in frustration and you may feel that all is lost.

Have no fear! I got you!

The easiest way to erase watercolor mistakes from your page is to quickly rinse off the pigment from your paintbrush and then pick up CLEAN water and apply it to the mistake in circular motions. Almost like you are scrubbing the paint up from your paper. Grab a clean sheet of paper towel (or dry cloth) and lift up the paint from your paper. For smaller mistakes, you can use a clean, dry Q-tip to lift off the paint. Repeat these steps if you find that there is still color left on your paper.

The key to having this work well is making sure to always work with good, quality watercolor paper (100% cotton), having a small jar of clean water nearby, and working quickly. You don’t want the paint to stay too long on your paper as the longer it sits, the easier it will be to stain it.

And for my visual learners, here is a video demonstration for ya!

What do you think? Did you find this useful? Let me know in the comments below!