Watercolor Painting

1. Watercolor Painting Materials

2. Paints Watercolors come in both tubes and in pans. The paint is made from a selection of pigments that are suspended in a gum arabic solution as well as other elements that stabilize the color. The paint that comes from tubes can be dispensed into a palette with wells and used either wet or dry. Watercolor paints are effective in that they are low-maintenance and don’t require a lot of clean up. Paint can be left in palettes for months and still be used, just add water!

3. Paints Proper care of paints requires that the tubes be properly sealed after use. If air is present in the tubes, it may dry out the paints and render the tube useless. Be careful when handling the pan watercolors, because they can chip or shatter if dropped (although they are still useable, it is less efficient).

4. Brushes A variety of brushes can be used to create different effects with watecolors. Sable or synthetic brushes work best with watercolors, as they retain moisture well. They also come in a variety of shapes and create very dynamic brushstrokes. Bristle brushes work well for scrubbing out previously dry pigments from a composition.

5. Brushes Round – the hairs of the brush are different lengths, and are gathered in a rounded fashion to give movement to the brush. Some round brushes come to a point, making them very versatile and useful for a variety of techniques. They can produce fine lines, washes, and textures. Flat – the length of the hairs are the same, making the end of the brush straight, and the bristles are flattened to give more surface to work with (good for washes and sharp edges)

6. Brushes Fan – like in the name, the hairs are fanned out. This brush is useful for blending colours and various dry-brushing techniques. Filbert – a combination of flat and round, these are useful for a variety of techniques

7. Brushes Proper care of brushes requires that the artist never allows acrylic paint to dry on them. The paint will turn into a plastic that cannot be removed once hardened. To prevent this, while the artist is working on a painting, store any used paintbrushes in a container with luke-warm water. To clean the brushes, take them to a sink, add a small amount of dish soap and work into a lather in the palm of your hand. Don’t use hot water, as it will harden the paint faster. Also, be sure to get the paint at the base of the hairs to help the brush maintain its shape. Dry brushes in an upright position, being sure to reshape the hairs into their natural position.

8. Other tools Salt is useful for absorbing excess water and creating interesting textures in a composition. Sponges are useful for blotting effects as well as wiping away excess paint. Masking fluid is useful for covering and protecting sections of a composition from paint. Plastic wrap can be applied to a painting as it’s drying to create interesting sections of fragmented color.

9. Supports Supports are the surfaces on which the paint is applied. Depending on the characteristics of the paint and desired texture, it is up to the artist to decide which surface is appropriate to paint on. Watercolors have specific papers that are best suited for accepted large amounts of moisture. They come in different weights and textures, it is up to the artist’s preference to choose an appropriate kind. The papers range from rough, which is as the name describes, to hot press or HP which is a medium smoothness, to cold press or NOT, which is fairly smooth. The weight of a sheet of paper describes the thickness.

10. Supports Watercolor paper requires that is be stretched before painted on. Stretching is the process in which the paper is soaked before hand, then taped down to a stable support such as a sheet of hardboard or a drafting table and left to dry. This helps reduce wrinkles and buckles in the sheet when it is painted.

11. Palettes Palettes are the surfaces on which the paint is initially placed for mixing. An appropriate watercolor palette has wells in the tray to keep the water contained in one area. There are usually larger wells used for mixing paints, as well as creating large amounts of paint for washes or large compositions. The pan watercolors are already in a palette but may require a separate surface to mix on. Other surfaces that are sometime more practical in school classrooms are wax paper sheets or the lids to ice cream pails.

12. Easels Easels are the stands on which a support can be placed while the artist is painting. They come in a variety of sizes and some have attachments and accessories to provide room for the artist to store and place supplies and painting materials. It is a common practice to draw and paint on a support that is in an upright position in order to avoid distortion or drips from paint.