When should I paint my watercolor background? 

This is a question I get often from artists new to watercolor. The answer is, it depends. I know, not the answer you wanted to hear. 

The truth is your background plays an important role in your finished painting and shouldn't be left as an afterthought. It should be as well planned as the subject of your painting. 

What is the role of your background?

What do you want your background to do? This is what you need to figure before you ever begin painting. Here are some ways a background works within a painting:

• Give the subject context
• Anchor the subject
• Add emphasis or focus to the subject 
• Helps tell the story of your painting
• Can give the painting a formal feel or a whimsical feel

Different types of backgrounds

• No background-clean white paper. Often a clean white background is used for more formal paintings where you want the focus on the subject.  Some examples would be botanical art, illustrations, portraits
• Simple background- Usually a flat or graduated wash of one or two colors meant to emphasize a very detailed subject. 
• Full Background- Used to tell a story or add context to your subject. Some examples would be a landscape, seascape, still life, painting depicting everyday life
• Drop Shadows- This would be a slight shadow on a single subject or object. This is used to ground a subject in an all-white background.
• Vignette Background- Color applied just around certain edges of a subject to bring definition to that area and create a sense of atmosphere. 
• Splashes or Drips- Used to give a whimsical or more playful feel to a subject. 

How to plan the background

• Decide on your subject

• Decide on the mood or feeling you want your overall painting to convey. Do you want it to be whimsical and playful, formal, or do you want it to tell a story?
• Decide how you want the subject emphasized. Do you want a more formal feel focusing just on the subject? (all white background) Do you want a playful feel (splatters or vignette)? Do you want to emphasize a subject with the context or tell a story (full background)?
• Do some simple thumbnail paintings to try different styles of backgrounds with your subject

Practice and experimenting is the best way to learn about backgrounds and how they work with your subjects. Where you paint the background first or last, they should be well planned and complement the subject. Always mask or protect your subjects no matter whether you paint your background first or last.