Why is watercolor the most difficult painting technique?
Creating with Watercolors requires a certain level of skill and finesse. Some corrections are nearly impossible when working with watercolor, but pastel can help to adjust and refine the work.
- Gostev Jr.
Reflections Through Color and the Shape of Water
Working with watercolor can be a great starting point for expressing thoughts through color and the shape of water. Just look at children—they draw circles, lines, their mom and dad without concern for recognition or technical quality. Translate an image or emotion onto paper, and you create a unique, one-of-a-kind painting — a visual interpretation of your inner thought or feeling.
The Wall
Paper, Watercolor
Height 56 cm, Width 40 cm
Anatoli Gostev Jr. | 2006
Musiciants
Paper, Watercolor
Height 25 cm, Width 25 cm
Anatoli Gostev Jr. | 2006
Razanji
Paper, Watercolor
Height 40 cm, Width 56 cm
Anatoli Gostev Jr. | 2015
Eva
Paper, Watercolor
Height 40 cm, Width 56 cm
Anatoli Gostev Jr. | 2015
Ghost Again
Paper, Watercolor
Height 40 cm, Width 56 cm
Anatoli Gostev | 1999
Landscape with an angel
Paper, Watercolor
Height 44 cm, Width 50 cm
Anatoli Gostev | 2009
Houses
Paper, Watercolor
Height 35 cm, Width 40 cm
Anatoli Gostev | 2000
Self portrait
Paper, Watercolor
Height 60 cm, Width 40 cm
Anatoli Gostev | 1980
Water Infused with Thought
The key advantage of watercolor lies in its transparency and lightness. The fluid nature of watercolor paint allows the artist to create rich, vibrant hues and delicate transitions. But the true essence goes deeper. A watercolor painting absorbs the artist’s emotions — the old church whispers the prayer of a lonely woman, and it holds a story. A wall conveys the majestic chill of Catholic dogma. The musicians echo the harmony of friendship. The park — simply a sketch of a wife. And Eve — a boy’s first love at the age of seven.
No digital photo, let alone an AI neural network, will ever bring back even a single genuine emotion to the viewer — all of it is just a modern exercise around EMPTINESS. The world is made of more than numbers.
Watercolor painting also requires a certain degree of skill and dexterity. Managing water and pigment, creating texture and wet-on-wet effects, and controlling brightness and transparency — these are skills the artist develops over time. But don't focus on the result right away. All you need is the desire, water, and paint — everything else will come naturally.
Watercolor Painting Materials
In practice, watercolor paint diluted with water is applied to special paper. Watercolor paper has unique properties related to even water absorption and drying time. For high-quality results, a solid foundation is essential — good paper and paints. The watercolors you see in this collection were created using paper priced from $20 to $150 per sheet: Magnani 1404, Canson XL, Arches, Fabriano, along with paints from brands like Van Gogh, Neva, Rembrandt, Kuretake Gansai Tambi.
Mixed Media Techniques — Watercolor with Pastel
Watercolor invites experimentation with various techniques and materials. Since it is one of the most demanding mediums — where corrections are barely allowed — precision and speed are crucial. Minor errors can ruin the entire impression. That’s where the combination of watercolor and pastel comes in, creating a new, unique style. Unlike watercolor, pastel gives the artist TIME — though at the expense of watercolor’s delicate transparency. What should you do? Keep the beautiful watercolor flows, and refine areas that didn’t turn out using pastel, or enhance where needed. Below are examples of watercolor and pastel combinations.
Rovinji
Paper, Watercolor, Pastel
Height 60 cm, Width 45 cm
Anatoli Gostev | 2019
Pine
Paper, Watercolor, Pastel
Height 40 cm, Width 46 cm
Liliana Gostev | 2023
Paklenica
Paper, Watercolor, Pastel
Height 40 cm, Width 55 cm
Anatoli Gostev Jr. | 2015
Lake
Paper, Watercolor, Pastel
Height 54 cm, Width 75 cm
Anatoli Gostev | 2021
Houses Group
Paper, Watercolor, Pastel
Height 43 cm, Width 52 cm
Anatoli Gostev | 2007
Night Violinist
Paper, Watercolor, Pastel
Height 41 cm, Width 47 cm
Anatoli Gostev | 2011
Still Life by Freud
Paper, Watercolor, Pastel
Height 30 cm, Width 30 cm
Anatoli Gostev | 2009
Cafe
Paper, Watercolor, Pastel
Height 35 cm, Width 26 cm
Anatoli Gostev | 2021
Landscape
Paper, Watercolor, Pastel
Height 40 cm, Width 55 cm
Anatoli Gostev | 2021
Trees of Croatia
Paper, Watercolor, Pastel
Height 60 cm, Width 45 cm
Anatoli Gostev | 2012
Angel and Cat
Paper, Watercolor, Pastel
Height 30 cm, Width 30 cm
Anatoli Gostev | 2019
Meeting
Paper, Watercolor, Pastel
Height 20 cm, Width 30 cm
Anatoli Gostev | 2021
Some Tips for Working with Watercolor:
- Don’t build overly complex compositions and avoid excessive detail — that’s what cameras are for.
- Don’t be afraid — first clearly envision what you want to create, choose your colors and area, and paint with speed and fluidity.
- Start light — preserve the white of the paper where the lightest parts of your image will be. You can always darken later, but not the reverse.
- Don’t overwork the piece — going back repeatedly usually makes it worse. Let the paint flow — without corrections.
- Try not to mix more than two colors — otherwise, it might turn muddy.
- If something turns out poorly, use pastel to adjust and refine. Still doesn’t work? Use it as a sketch and start again with a new version.
- Don’t focus on photorealism — think about pouring emotion into your watercolor and about its beauty. That’s your best chance of creating something remarkable.
An Example of a Watercolor Masterpiece
In 1995, Anatoli Gostev wet a sheet of watercolor paper, preparing it for a new painting, then glanced at the clock. The nearby store was closing in 20 minutes — he needed groceries. Working quickly, he couldn’t have known that his watercolor "Seeufer" (25 x 28 cm), completed in a rush in just 15 minutes, would be sold in Germany five minutes after the gallery opened — for 3,000 Deutsche Marks. Today, that’s equivalent to 30,000 euros.
Anatoli Gostev – Seeufer
1995 Watercolor 25 × 28 cm
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