Watercolor Painting

1. Watercolor Painting Watercolor is a painting method using paint made of colorants suspended or dissolved in water. Although the grounds used in watercolor painting vary, the most common is paper.

2. Layering-Superimposed Wash This is one of the more important techniques in watercolor painting and it takes some practice to master the technique. You will be painting values of color by layering the same color over an already painted surface. You MUST allow the proceeding layer to be completely dry before applying the second, third, fourth, layers.

3. Wax Draw an image or design using both a light and dark crayon. When the area has dried, apply a watercolor wash and note how the two hues are affected by the watercolor.

4. Sponging Mix a water color and dip a course sponge into the paint. Create texture by sponging the color in the desired area.

5. Flat Wash The technique is used when a surface is to have an even (same) color over the surface of the paper. Wet the paper with water and load brush with water and pigment (color) and flood wet surface with one flat color.

6. Acrylic over Watercolor Lay down a wash of light colored watercolor paint. When completely dried, paint an image or design over the wash with acrylic paint. Water color is transparent and acrylic paint is opaque.

7. Maskoid A technique when you want to preserve white or an area or color as you apply new and more areas of color. The product used is called maskoid. Add some soap to a brush. Paint maskoid over the areas you want to stay white. Clean the brush!! When maskoid has dried, paint a watercolor wash over the maskoid. When paint has dried, remove maskoid by rubbing it with your finger.

8. Texture with Gesso Apply gesso to paper, allow it to dry, then paint a colored wash over the top.

9. Scratching After watercolor paint is dry, use a scratch tool to scratch away the surface creating texture.

10. Collage Collage materials can be anything that can be adhered to the painting surface to create an effect. Examples: tissue paper, fibers or fabrics, buttons, etc. Glue down the material using Elmer’s glue.

11. Wet on Wet This technique is one of the most used and unique types of water color painting. To do this technique, paint your paper surface with water or a very light color, when the surface is still very wet drop in a brush-full of darker color, the surface must be quite wet to get a successful blending of the two. Leave it alone or manipulate lightly. You can add several colors for an even better effect.

12. Dry Brush This technique is used to suggest textural detail. Add pigment to a dry brush and wipe it across paper toweling. Rapidly skimming the surface of the paper with the brush putting traces of color that creates the effect of texture.

13. Splatter Load your brush with paint and a little water and tap the handle on the handle of another brush, allowing a series of spots to appear on the paper. This also can be done with a toothbrush.

14. Lifting out with Blotter Paper Paint the surface of the paper with a strong dark color then take a clean, dry brush and remove an area of color. Blotting paper can also be used. If you are using good quality paper this can be repeated.

15. Watercolor Pencil Draw or shade with watercolor pencils then add water with a brush. Or dip the pencil in water and create color. Great for detail and texturing.

16. Pen and Ink After applying watercolor paint, use a black pen or permanent marker to enhance or outline the colors after the paint has dried.

17. Graded Wash This is most often used when painting a sky from dark to light. Load your largest brush with water and pigment and without lifting the brush paint from top to bottom of paint area with out lifting the brush. You can add some clean water towards the bottom to lighten the color.

18. Tapeline Apply making tape to the watercolor paper and burnish the edge. Apply paint next to the tape. As soon as it is dry, carefully remove the tape.

19. Enhanced Apply paints using the wet on wet technique. After it is dried, enhance the color with ink, colored pencil, pastel, or any type of drawing tool.

20. Corn Starch To achieve a cloudy texture, paint a darker color and sprinkle corn starch onto paint while it is wet. Brush off when dry.

21. Rock Salt To achieve a course texture, paint a darker color and sprinkle rock salt directly onto paint while it is wet. Brush off when dry.