Wet-into-Wet technique

Ah Ah. Now I know what I've been doing wrong all these years!

• First, I always stretched my paper, let it dry, then just wet it but not soak it through. I tried Wes Waugh's method of wetting the paper on the board without stretching, and it's true, if you wet it enough, it won't buckle
• Second, although my paper wasn't soaked, there was a lot of water on the surface, so paint would get too diluted and it would run all over the place. Using a cotton towel to mop up the excess water definitely worked
• Third, I tend to use a brush that's too full of water, so the colour goes in all directions. Taking the excess water from the brush (and making sure that it's fully loaded with pigment) definitely gave me stronger colour.
• And fourth, because I had water flowing everywhere, I always rushed. Taking it slow gave me more control over my painting.

Now all I need to do is find a suitable subject to apply these new skills!