How to Stop Muddy Watercolor | Pomm's Watercolor Institute

How to stop muddy watercolor

Most people try to fix mud by adding another color. That is how the mud got there.

Pomm's room does not hand you a 20-tube recipe. Students who stopped making mud used fewer colors, then put the painting up so someone could see what the water was doing.

Sue said it in her own words. That is the whole method on this page. Not a wash tutorial. Not brush size. The next step is a look at your page.

Before joining the Institute, my biggest struggle was with muddy colors. I was painting with approximately 20 colors, and I could create mud from all 20. Now I paint with seven colors.

Sue, Institute student

All you need are three colors, not four dozen different tubes of paint, just those three primaries.

Kathleen, Institute student

More student voices on the Institute reviews page.

Questions people ask

Why does watercolor turn muddy?

Students in this room usually had too many tubes in the mix. Sue could make mud from about 20 colors. She now paints with seven. Kathleen uses three primaries. That is the mechanism. We do not publish a mix chart here.

Can I fix a painting that is already muddy?

Sometimes. The useful move is a trained eye on that page, not another YouTube layer. Book a call and bring the painting or a photo of it.

Is this a free muddy-color class?

No. This page is how Institute students stopped making mud. The front door is a call. No payment to book.

How do I start?

Book a call. No payment to book. The team looks at whether the year-long room is the right fit.

If that is the stall, talk to the team.

Book a call. No payment to book. They look at whether the room is the right fit.

Book my call