Watercolor

Begin by buying watercolor paint in tubes. Squeeze some of each color into the pans in the palette box. Leave the lid open and let them dry for a week. When you are ready to paint, dip a brush in water and then into the dried paint. Mix the water and paint in the mixing area of the palette box. Add more water and additional colors till you get the exact shade you want. A metal palette box is a good investment. It has room for holding and mixing paints, and it travels well. Artists sometimes complain of mold on their paints. I have never had that problem, probably because I let the paints dry out well, and possibly because I use distilled water for painting.

Work on a flat surface. Brush a little water on a small section of the drawing. After the shine of the water has flashed off, dip a wet, round watercolor brush in watercolor paint, touch it to a piece of scrap watercolor paper to get rid of excess water, and paint. Be careful not to paint with a bead of water on the ferule of the brush. It could run down the brush and put too much water on the paper. Change the water often so it is always clean. Dirty water will adversely affect the painting. It might not ruin it, but it will take the crispness out of the lighter, brighter colors. Try adding a second or third color to the wet area of the paper and let the paint move freely. If you paint on paper that has a very wet spot on it, before the shine has flashed off, something called a bloom can appear. Its a wet spot with paint that dries with a hard edge around it. On furniture its a coffee ring. On clothing, its a spot you would have dry cleaned. On a watercolor painting the best way to prevent bloom, while it is wet, is to squeeze water from a large round brush, splay the bristles, and let them absorb the excess water. Rinse the brush and repeat the process. If the paper has dried with a bloom on it, brush a small amount of water on the hard edge, dampen a wedge brush and carefully scrub it out. Blot it with a paper towel and repeat the process till the hard edge is no longer noticeable.

Most watercolor painters use round brushes. Buy sizes 4,6, and 10 or 12 to start, and trust me on this, you will never need a fan brush as long as you live. When a wider brush is required for applying a wash over a large area, choose a brush, about one inch across, made of soft sable or squirrel hair. I used a two inch brush from a paint store once, thinking that it would work just as well, and be cheaper than a same size artists brush. It was a big mistake. The edge of the house painters brush made nasty scratches on my paper. Its bristles were designed for use with house paint that is thicker and requires a stronger brush. The scratches could not be repaired.

Some watercolor painters fail to brush clear water on each object or section they are painting before applying color. Watercolor paint, when laid down without a moist layer of clear water underneath, produces a dry, harsh looking, result. The luminosity of the paper does not come through. Always paint over a moist layer of clear water after the shine has flashed off unless you are painting very small, fine details or applying a glaze. You will notice that I often mention brushing clear water on a segment of a drawing, and letting it flash off before applying watercolor paint. Flashing off is a term that means letting it dry just until the shine of the water disappears. This is a very important technique. I cannot emphasize it enough in watercolor painting. I have seen artists who put forth great effort, enthusiasm and heart into their paintings, but who fail to do this. They might as well use full strength oil or acrylic instead of watercolor. Watercolor painted directly on dry paper produces a dull, overworked appearance. If the artist uses watercolor paint right out of the tube, it becomes even worse. Someday all that dried, thick, watercolor will end up as dust at the bottom of the frame, leaving the painting ready for the trash bin.

There are many techniques for enhancing watercolor paintings. Sometimes a little planned chaos works well. Sprinkle kosher salt on wet watercolor paint or lay wrinkled plastic wrap over it. Let it dry. Some artists begin by lightly spraying water on watercolor paper with a small beauticians size spray bottle for its finer mist. They splatter medium to dark colored watercolor paint on the paper randomly with a toothbrush dipped in diluted watercolor. Do this by holding the brush with bristles up and pulling back across it with your thumb or forefinger. Move the paper and let the color run. Use paper towels, not Kleenex?, to pick up the excess water.

You may hear the terms wash and glaze pertaining to watercolor. Heres how to do a wash for a sky. Apply clean water to the sky area with a wide brush. When the shine flashes off, and the paper is still moist, add horizontal streaks of sky colors such as blue, purple, and orange, etc. Tilt the paper sideways so streaks of color run horizontally. Tilting the paper vertically will make it look like it is raining. A glaze is a very sheer color, mixed with lots of water so the color is very light. It is applied without putting clear water on the previously painted area in order to avoid disturbing the paint.