WCAFixItGuide.pdf

8/11/2019 WCAFixItGuide.pdf

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Watercolor Fix-it GuideA do-it-yourself guide to taking control of this fluid medium

035-07P-WCFIG


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G

reat expectations. Thatswhat we all feel as we stare atour blank paper, anticipatingthe beautiful painting thatsabout to be created. We start

with great enthusiasm by throwing paint ontothe paper and delighting in the process as thecolors move and meld together in a shiny bathof pigment. Were off to a fine start.

Then slowly the paint begins to dry andlose its luster, and we dont feel quite asexcited anymore. We begin to lose ourconfidence and paint with less assertiveness.

We brush over areas that dont feel rightand forget to consider carefully our pigmentchoices. Suddenly that beautiful painting weenvisioned seems to have nothing to do withthis one.

But take heart. This situation is a commonone, and its easily surmounted because theproblems that cause it are really very simpleones. And simple problems have simplesolutions. Lets look at some of the mostcommon technical mistakes made in water-color and the best ways to correct them. Yourgreat expectations deserve that much.

THEWATERCOLORREPAIRMANUALWarning: You may encounter problems on your way tocompleting a successful watercolor painting. Dont bealarmed. Here are some helpful guidelines from Jean Pederson.

A simple mediumWatercolor looks best

when fresh paint is used,

its not overworked and

its applied with as few

brushstrokes as pos-

sible, as in Transfixed

(watercolor, 1114x15).

2


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Theres a big difference between fresh water-color paint and paint thats been left to dryout. First, some pigments just dont recoverwell after being dried out. Cobalt blue, forexample, can dry into small, gritty, granular bitsthat are difficult to dissolve fully again. Whenyou dip your brush into the well, youll pickup a few of these small pieces and end up witha streak in the middle of your brushstroke.

Second, old paint causes you to throw offyour water-to-pigment ratio. Its difficult towork up a paint color of any intensity with

dried-out paint, so youre likely to add toomuch water to the well in an effort to scrubthe pigment back to life. Too much water inthe mixture subsequently results in areas ofthe painting that are pale and insipid wherethey should be colorful and bold. Fresh paintand a better water-to-pigment ratio offer youa wider range of color intensity.

Third, watercolor paint always drieslighter than it initially appears on wet paperor on your palette. To prevent your paintingsfrom looking pale and washed-out, you needto compensate for this drying factor by rais-ing your color intensity with more pigment

in your mixtures. But with too much waterin your mixture from trying to reactivatethe dried paint, or with pigments that havebecome gritty and hard to dissolve, achievingthis high intensity becomes nearly impossible.

Finally, fear is often the artists biggestobstacle, and its often simply a lack of con-fidence that makes us hesitant to waste ourtime, materials and money on lots of freshpaint. Still others, afraid of making mistakes,feel that its best to start out painting very lightbecause you can always go darker later on tocover up the errors. Both of these fears can

lead to palettes full of old paint that doesntget removed soon enough. The paint on yourpalette shouldnt be too precious, and paintcan always be removed from the paper byscrubbing or erasing, so theres nothing to fearin using bold color.

Heres a good habit to get into: Prepare foreach new painting with the ritual of cleaningall the old paint off the open surface of yourpalette, and then misting any dry paint in thewells and topping them with fresh, new paint.

A Fountain of Youth

Younger is better

Control your water.Working with old, dried-out paintcauses you to use too much water in your mixtures, andbecause watercolor dries lighter, this leads to a washed-out look (left). A better paint-to-water ratio gives you moreintense colors (right).

Avoid grit. When some paints dry out, they becomegritty and granular, making them difficult to dissolveand causing unwanted streaks in your strokes, as in theexamples above.

PROBLEM:

SOLUTION:

Weak colors, streaks and grit

Use fresh paint

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Paint looks its luminous best when laid downon the paper and left alone. The more we playwith it, the more it becomes agitated and dull.

When things arent going well we tend touse more brushstrokes, but that usually makesthe situation worse. If this happens, try lettingthe area get bone dry, then dampen it withclear water and add pure paint to the area

with as few strokes as possible. With thismethod, the last color applied will be thedominant one, providing a distinct color andtemperature to the area and recovering somelost luminosity.

Another possible way to deal with an over-worked area is to gently spray off the paint.You wont get back to the pristine white of thepaper fresh from the factory, but you canusually get light enough to salvage someluminosity with the next application of paint.

The best solution of all, however, is to avoidthe overworking problem by putting yourpaint down with as few strokes as possibleand letting it be.

Also, it helps a lot to know the proper-ties of your paints. Which of your paints aretransparent, opaque or sedimentary? Whichare warm or cool?

Transparent paints are always a safe choicewhen trying to avoid dull areas, but even theycan become dull if you use too many brush-strokes. For the opaques and the sedimentarycolors, remember that transparent colors dontmix well with the other two unless you applythe paint and leave it alone. Mixing them onyour palette and layering them several times onyour paper is a recipe for the dull, overworkedlook. Opaque paint works very well in yourlast layers, on top of your transparent colors.

A Principle to Live By

Keep it simple

Be bold.Watercolor can always be removed,so dont be afraid to paint with intensemixtures. Even after progressively heavylayering, as you see here, you can recoversome white by spraying (see the streak in thecenter of the example), lifting with a brush(on the left) or scrubbing or erasing.

Dont overwork.Mixing paint on the palette, as I did with threeprimary colors in the example on the left, creates dullness. Layeringtoo many strokes on the palette, as in the example on the right, ismore luminous and appealing but still overworked.

Transparency matters.Layering opaque colors can create some-what flat color (left), while transparent layers allow more luminosity(center). Layering either one over previously dried layers (right),however, kills your color.

PROBLEM:

SOLUTION: Overworked, dull areasPaint with as few brushstrokesas possible, and get to know your pigments

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Every color family has pigments that driftwarm or cool. The red family can be used as anexample. Many people assume that if its red itmust be warm, but if we look at a pigment likepermanent alizarin crimson we see a bluishtinge, whereas Winsor red swings towardyellow. Alizarin, being cool, mixes beautifullywith blues that contain some red (French ul-tramarine, for example) to create lovely violethues. If you mix a yellowish blue with youralizarin, however, youll get a neutral purple.

Finally, areas of your painting with lots oflayers or very dense amounts of paint aredifficult to paint over without dulling the area.If you attempt to glaze over these areas,especially if there are opaque and sedimentarycolors in there, youre likely to be overworking.Again, if you must do something, try brushingclear water over the area and then go in withpure color and as few strokes as possible, orspray off the paint and then reapply the colorwith clean pigment.

A small brush can hold only a small amountof paint. If youre painting on dry paper, youllapply a brushstroke, go back to the palette toreload the brush, and by the time you get back

to the paper youre left withannoying lines and streaks. Use alarger brush and youll avoid thisproblem. Painting on wet or damppaper helps you avoid unwantedlines, as well.

Painting vertically helps, too.When painting at an easel, try tomake a bead of paint on the downside of your stroke and, when youapply the next stroke, touch thebead with your brush and let itrun into the new stroke. Continuethis process until you reach thebottom of the area youre painting.When youre at the bottom,simply take a dry brush andremove the bead to avoid anyunwanted drips.

As with using a brush thats too

small, painting around an already-painted object can cause unwantedstreaks and lines. By the timeyouve painted around your shape,

paint will have dried in some areas, resulting ina dry edge before you can connect an adjoiningbrushstroke. Instead, try painting the largerarea across the paper while creating the spaceof the shape within it, which consistentlyprovides you with a wet edge to work with.

For Better Shapes

Control your linesUse the right brush.Using a brush thatstoo small createsunwanted lines, asin the pear on theleft. A bigger brush

leaves you withfewer edges, as onthe right.

Watch for outlines.Painting around ashape can createlines, especially if

the brush is toosmall (in theexample on the left)or when paintingon dry paper (on theright). Wetting thepaper helps tosoften those lines(on the bottom).

PROBLEM:

SOLUTION:

Unwanted linesUse a larger brush, paint

vertically and remember the other tips

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As I stated before, you should watch out forgritty, granular paint. These granules can catchin your brush and cause unwanted streaks thatare difficult to remove. Use fresh paint toavoid these little gremlins. And again, watchyour water-to-paint ratio. When paintinginto wet, already-painted areas, you can getunwanted lines and blossoms when you haveexcess water in your brush, as the new load ofliquid pushes the previously applied pigmentoutward. When the paint dries, lines andblossoms occur. Some artists use these

blossoms to their advantage, however, andknowing how theyre created will help youuse them strategically.

Understanding your materials and whatthey can do for you can take you a long way

toward avoiding the common problems dis-cussed here. You may want to deliberately usethese irregularities sometimes, but you musthave the knowledge and the ability to controlthem. And, most importantly, a good watercol-orist must know how to avoid and overcomethe unwanted problems they create.

, a frequent contributor to

Watercolor Magicand to The Artists Magazine, has

work in the Royal Collection in London, as well as in

important corporate and private collections through-

out Canada. She has won the Gold Medal of Honor atthe New York Adirondacks International Exhibition

(2002) and the Silver Medal of Honor of the American

Watercolor Society (2001). She lives in Calgary, Alberta.

The Results

Putting it togetherThese two paintings of grapes, Fruitful Reflections(left; watercolor,14 x 17) andA Whole Bowl of Fruit(right; watercolor, 16 x 20), show howall these principles can be integrated to create a strong painting.

A

A

B

C

C

D

D

D

E

G

F

H

EDark values not overworkedF Washes painted vertically to

avoid linesGLarge brush used to paint

around shapesHLast layer has some opaques

over transparent color

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APaint lifted off and repainted with goldBStrong pigment-to-water ratio so that the

color didnt dry too lightCNo unwanted lines inside or outside

the shapesDPaint lifted off without repainting


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PROBLEM:

SOLUTION:

Paper that buckles

Stretch the paper before

painting on it

Stretching paper on a

board using staples

If youre working on 140-lb. or thinner paper, youll need to stretch the paperbefore painting to avoid buckling. Catherine Anderson suggests three waysto go about it:

, a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, also serves on its board of directors. Shes the author

of the Basic Watercolor Answer Book(North Light Books, 1999) and teaches classes around the world. An award-winning artist, Catherine

offers a one-on-one intensive workshop in her studio in Houston, Texas, and her first video, Creating Multiple Glazes in Your Watercolors, is

now available. For more information on classes and her work, or to order her video, visit her Web site at www.catherineanderson.net.

On a board using tape: First wet your paper, frontand back, with a big wash brush or soak it in a bathtubuntil its limp. Let the excess water drip off, then place thepaper on a board (I use a lightweight watercolor board)and tape or staple around all of the edges. Its best to use

the watercolor tape thats made for this. Drafting tape isOK, but dont use masking tape or brown shipping tapebecause theyll pull up some of your paper when you peelit off your painting.

On a board using staples: Wet your paper as ex-plained above, then place it on your watercolor board andstaple about a half inch from the edge of the paper all theway around the edges (while the paper is still wet). Boardmade out of basswood is soft enough to take the staples.After drying naturally for a couple of hours, the paper willbe tight and ready to use.

Over stretcher bars: Another good way to stretchwatercolor paper is to place the wet paper over stretcherbars and staple the sides as if youre stretching a canvas.After drying naturally, itll be tight as a drum. Inexpensivecanvas stretcher bars come in many sizes. Be sure your

paper is big enough to go over the sides, with enoughoverlap for the staples on the side of the bars. You can trimthe paper when finished if need be.

Watercolor blocks are another option. They comepre-stretched and are handy to use outdoors. And if youwant to avoid all of this work and struggle with yourpaper, then Id suggest you buy 300-lb. paper. It costs morethan the 140-lb. paper, but not that much. You never haveto stretch this paper and it never bucklesonce you tryit, you wont want to go back to using 140-lb. paper everagain. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.Lets face it: Watercolor is hard enough. Why struggle withyour paper?

Stretching paper over

stretcher bars

Stretching paper on a

board using tape


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PROBLEM:

SOLUTION:

Uninteresting passages of colorUse the right wash for the job

A flat wash should be even in color and value, withno gradation from top to bottom or side to side. Itsused either to inject color in specific areas of a painting

or to cover the entire area of paper (i.e. to tone thepaper before painting or to unify the painting afterother colors have been applied.) To make a flat wash,use the largest brush possible and try to keep the satura-tion of the wash (the ratio of paint to water) consistent.A very wet surface is the key. After youve applied thewash, pick up your wet paper and tilt it up and downand side to side, letting gravity correct the uneven areas.

A graded wash is one that gets progressively lighterin value. Its perfect for landscapes where mountainsfade into the mist or dark, rich skies fade into thehorizon. Graded washes are also used for creating alook of volume in an object (as in the tree shown here).To make a graded wash, you can start with wet or drypaper. Your first stroke should have the strongest satu-ration of color you want to use. Before each additionalstroke, dip your brush into clean water. This will dilutethe paint in your brush. Continue the process all theway to the bottom of the paper. The last stroke shouldbe clear water. After youve learned to control this firstwash, try a second color going in the opposite direction.

A variegated wash is like a graded wash, but usesmore than one color. This kind of wash is often used inlandscapes to create a horizon where land and sky meet.To make a variegated wash, first do a graded wash with

the most saturated color at the top. Allow this color todry, then do a graded wash with the second color at thebottom, glazing over the first wash where the two meet.

Thin, fluid coats of paint, washes are the very essence of watercolor painting.One of the most exciting and unique qualities of the medium is the way inwhich atmosphere and light can be conveyed by a few brushstrokes sweptover white paper. The effects you get with your washes depend on how youapply them. A wash can cover the entire paper or just a small area. CathyJohnson demonstrates three basic washes: flat, graded and variegated.

, artist and writer, is the author of 22 books including Watercolor Pencil Magic(North Light Books, 2002) and a

contributing editor to Watercolor Magic, The Artists Magazineand Country Living. For more information or to see examples of her

work, visit http://cathyjohnson.info.

Demonstrations by Cathy Johnson

Graded Wash (Volume) Variegated Wash

Flat Wash Graded Wash


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I use an HK Holbein hake brush made out of pure goathair. There are many inexpensive imitations of this brushthat wont give you a clean, smooth wash, so be careful. Ifyou try to cut corners in your brushes, you may pay for itin the long run.

Heres another tip to keep in mind when selecting abrush for your washes: Choose a size that corresponds to

the size of your paper. The larger the paper, the larger thebrush should be. The larger brush will allow you to applya wash in several clean sweeps. For a full 22 x 30-inchsheet of watercolor paper, I use either a 434-inch or a6-inch hake brush. Unfortunately, these larger brushes canbe hard to findmost stores only carry 3-inch hake brushes.I order mine from John Bates at the Black Horse Fine ArtSupply store in Burlington, Vermont (800/790-2552,[email protected]). You can also call Holbein forinformation on stores and catalogs that carry their hakebrushes (800/682-6686).

Otherwise, the water from the washes can remove thesizing and your paper will react like an ink blotter whenyou go in to paint details. Because I do so many washes, Iuse a heavy 300-lb. paper.

Generally, I mix my paint on a white plastic plate usinga brush I dont intend to paint with. If you use your washbrush to mix the paint, little globs of undiluted color mayget trapped in the hairs as you mix your wash, and trans-

fer to your paper as specks of color. Unfortunately, youcant see these globs until theyre already on your paper.

Too much paint, not enough water, could be the reasonyour washes are streaky. My rule of thumb is: The thinnerthe washes, the better.

Blending in a rapid, crisscross fashion is best. To makesure you can move quickly, and not have to slow down orstop, be sure to have everything at your fingertips beforeyou begin applying the wash. If you have to stop, even fora moment, your last stroke will almost certainly dry andleave a streak.

This is the best way I know to prevent streaks. I alwayswet the entire back of my watercolor paper first with aclean wash brush. The wet paper sticks easily to my Plexi-glas work surface, keeping it from buckling or movingaround when I apply washes. If a bubble appears, I justpick up the corner of the paper closest to the bubble andrewet the area underneath. Then I gently roll the paperback down, being careful not to touch the middle of thepaper, as the oil from my fingers will stay on the paper andmy fingerprints will begin to show after many washes.

Once this is done, I flip the paper over and wet thefront. I dont want a sopping wet surface, however. So ifthis happens, I simply keep washing the water off with mybrush until I get a nice glaze of water.

After Ive applied my washes, Im careful to wipeunderneath the edges of the paper frequently to preventexcess water and paint from seeping back into the paper.After I finish each wash, I pick up the painting by its cor-ners and lay it down on another piece of Plexiglas. Then Ikeep an eye on it while its drying, continuing to wipe theedges of the paper as necessary.

Another easy way to prevent streaks is to make sureyour painting is dry before applying additional washes. I

put my papers on drying racks with a fan blowing directlyon them. Depending on your climate, and the time of year,you may not have to go to such lengths to get your paperto dry.

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PROBLEM:

SOLUTION:

Streaky washes

Follow this checklist

Trouble-shoot your streak problems with these six tips fromCatherine Anderson:


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One way to remove it is to peel it off with your cleanlittle fingers. Another is to use a rubber cement pickup. Ijust discovered a great product that helps me do the jobon small areas I cant get to easily with a regular rub-ber cement pickup. Its a rubber cement pickup in a rollform called Mitsuwa Rubber Cleaner (by HK Holbein,800/682-6686).

The lifespan of a masking brush is short. You may beable to prolong its life by dipping it in a soapy watersolution and wiping the excess water before you dip it inyour masking fluid. Be sure to rinse your brush thoroughlywith soap and water, as it will be greasy after taking

masking out. If you don't you'll ruin your painting.Masking brushes will eventually become useless. Sodont use your good brushes for masking.

Step 2 Paint your background right over themasked area.

Step 4 Finish by working on the details ofyour masked areas.

Step 3 When your background is dry, gentlyremove the masking by peeling it off withyour fingers.

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PROBLEM:

SOLUTION:

Creating areas of white

Using masking fluid

In transparent watercolor, there is no white paint. You can preserve the whiteof your paper with masking fluid. Catherine Anderson shows you how inthese four steps:

Step 1 Paint the areas you want to save withmasking fluid. Be precise. Let the maskingfluid dry thoroughly so its no longer tacky tothe touch.

Masking Tip:Shaking a bottle of masking fluid puts air bubblesinto the emulsion that will break on the surfaceof your paper, producing pinholes where paintcan leak through. If you must, stir your maskingfluiddont shake.


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PROBLEM:

SOLUTION:

Color mistakes

Lifting and correcting

To lift color from a wet surface, the lifting instrument(a tissue, a towel or a brush) must be drier than the surfacebut not completely dry. You can also lift with kitchen ornatural sponges, lace or fabrics for a variety of effects. Tolift from dry areas, gently scrub the paint free with a stiff,damp brush, such as a synthetic or bristle brush. Just besure to clean the brush frequently so you wont grind the

loosened paint deep into the papers fibers.

ALifting with a sponge

BLifting by scraping with a knife

CLifting with a tissue

DLifting with a brush

The probability of correcting a mistake relies agreat deal on the type of paper (smooth or rough)and medium (staining or non-staining paints).

When it comes to paper, some types allow youto lift more easily than others. Generally, the lessabsorbent a paper is, the easier it is to lift off paint. Apapers absorbency depends largely on the amountof sizing it has. Its usually easier to lift paint offsmoother papers because the paint sits on the surfacea little longer before its absorbed. Youll need to

consider the kind of work you do, then experimentwith different paper types to find out which worksbest for you.

Paints are tricky. Some (such as alizarin crimson,Winsor blue and green, and phthalo blue and green)can stain the paperand no degree of scrubbing canrestore whiteness to the paper.

Demonstration by Cathy Johnson

Lifting Tip:

Rather than send your old brushes to the dump,save them for such chores as lifting paint.Shorten the bristles on a couple of old brushes (tomake them stiffer) and keep them for scrubbing.

In varying degrees, you can remove or lift paint from areas of paper youaccidentally painted over or sections you want to repaint either while the paintis still wet or after it has dried. Cathy Johnson demonstrates the different waysyou can lift color off your paper below.

A

A

B

B

B

C

C

D

D


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To darken a red, for example, you could keep paintingthe same red over red or try glazing over the original colorwith a darker red. But glazing over the original color withits complement (green) will not only darken the originalcolor, but also make the color more interesting. Just be

sure that the first color is absolutely dry before the nextlayer is applied, or you might disturb or lift the existingpaint. To avoid this, work with the largest brush possibleand brush on the new layer quickly, with a minimum ofbrushstrokes. When glazing, its also important to workon a paper that wont let the paint lift too easily, such asrough or cold-pressed.

In Can You Feel the Magic?(watercolor on cold-pressed paper, 2112x 2912, at right), notice that all thepurples and warm reds in the mist are also in the ground,and all the colors in the earth below are also in the mistabove. Yes, the mist has many thin layers of yellow, purple

and other washes. In other words, as above, so below.

The roof of the barn is a mixture of the colors used inthe mountains, trees and mist, with a little red and burntsienna which are right next to the green trees, the comple-ment of red! There is also a bit of green in the barn, whichties in nicely with the red roof and pink blossoms on thecherry trees. By glazing complementary colors, you justcant miss!

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PROBLEM:

SOLUTION:

Dull, lifeless darksCreate interesting, lively darks

by glazing complementary colors

This process involves the application of thin layers oftransparent color, one layer over another. Glazing allowsthe white of the paper to glow through the transparentlayers, producing luminous color.

Demonstration by Cathy Johnson

When Catherine Anderson wants tomake something darker, she simplyglazes over it with a thin layer of acomplementary color.

AGlazed purple

BGlazed orange

A

B

A

B

Glazing for Luminous Color


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PROBLEM:

SOLUTION:

Creating texture with watercolor

Use these 10 simple techniques

Texture Up CloseYou can create all kinds of interesting textures

and effectsthose that imitate natural or man-made surfaces, and those that are purely aesthetic.But, if you set out to paint a painting full of texture

too real to believe, you may falter with self-con-sciousness. If you set out to try a new tool andhave fun, you may step higher than you dreamed.So enjoy yourself and try spattering, lifting paint,pouring, impressing the surface, and more.

2. Load a toothbrushwith paint, then rubalong the bristles tospatter color.

1. Sprinkle or flingKosher salt on wet oralmost dry paint.

6. Pour paint, then tiltthe paper and allowgravity to do its thing.

5. Lift paint by gougingthe surface with a razorblade or an X-Acto knife.

4. Abrade sectionsof dry paint with anemery board.

3. Spatter masking fluidto save pinpointsof white.

10. Dab wet paint with apaper towel or the tip ofa dry brush.

9. Spray paint,medium or gessoonto your surface.

8. Drizzle thinstreams of alcoholonto wet paint.

7. Impress the paintedsurface with an imagecarved into a softlinoleum block.

There are more ways to create texture in watermedia than you can shakesalt at. Here Leslie Russell, Betsy Dillard Stroud and Nancy Livesay sharetheir techniques.


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is a Cincinnati-based illustrator and instructor and the author of Watercolor for the Absolute Beginner(North

Light Books, 2003). To order a copy of his book, call 800/448-0915 or visit www.artistsnetwork.com/nlbooks.

PROBLEM CAUSE

1. Pale colors:colors that look drab and washed out.

2. Overdoing opaque:paint thats too thick and heavy.

3. Smears: paint that lifts off when you apply your

next brushstroke.

4. Backruns:unwanted watermarks.

5. Unnatural colors:colors that look foreign or as if they

dont belong.

6. Wrinkles:hills and valleys that form on the paper.

7. Spots: unwanted lines and blemishes

8. Uneven washes:inconsistent color coverage.

9. Good start, but . . . when the results arent what you

hoped for.

10. Overworked:when you dont know when to stop.

1.Being timid; not having a well-defined subject; working

with a small brush; not mixing up enough color; using hard

paints that have dried out on the palette.

2.Not mixing enough water with your paints.

3.Applying a second wash while the first one is still damp.

4.Letting wet paint puddle at the edge of a wash or run back

into an area that s starting to dry.

5.Painting with raw colors, straight from the tube.

6.Using paper thats too thin or unmounted.

7.Not protecting tools or paper from dust, lint, hairs or

grease.

8.Applying an uneven wash of water to your paper before

applying a wash of wet paint.

9.Giving up too soonthe painting may not be completeor

not having a clear end in sight.

10.Expecting perfectioneven when youre not sure what

that is.

Contrary to popular belief, you can correct mistakes in watercolor. Keepthis handy fix-it guide from Mark Willenbrink close by to help you out ofyour next fix.

10 COMMONWATERCOLORPROBLEMS10 GREAT, MUST-KNOWSOLUTIONS


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The Solution

to Pale Colors

What a differencematerials make. Byusing a larger brushand fresh paintsfor the second

painting (B), I wasable to get moredramatic color, andthus a betterpainting.

SOLUTION

1.Plan ahead; use reference materials; use the right size brush for the job; mix up

generous amounts of paint; squeeze out fresh paint from the tube.

2.Take advantage of the transparent qualities of watercolors. Dont paint as if

youre using oils.

3.Make sure the previous wash is completely dry before applying another wash

over it.

4.Mop up any extra paint and water at the edges of a wash with a dry brush or

rag before any of it runs back into paint that s in the process of drying.

5.Introduce colors from elsewhere in the painting into each new color you use;

this is a sure way to achieve color harmony. Another solution is to mix the color

straight from the tube with a small amount of its complementary color.

6.Try a paper with a thicker weight than you usually use; use paper that s in block

form, or stretch and mount the paper on a board before painting; try paper that s

partly or completely synthetic, such as Strathmore Aquarius and YUPO, which

are less likely to wrinkle.

7.Make sure your materials and work area are clean. Wash your hands and dont

handle the watercolor paper any more than necessary.

8.Make sure the preliminary coating of water is evenly dispersedit should

leave a smooth, even sheen on the paperbefore painting wet-on-wet. Using

a big, wide, flat brush to coat the paper with water can help. Also, use paper

that s not prone to wrinkling (see solution #6).

9.Plan your painting with color and thumbnail sketches; have good reference

material; press on to the end even if youre discouraged half way through.

10.Set the painting aside for awhile. Looking at it later, with a fresh eye, may

give you a new perspective. Also, go ahead and mat and frame the painting.

The finished look may give you a new respect for your work.

From Good Start to Great Finish

I started with a black-and-white thumbnail sketch(C) to plan values and composition. Then I addedcolor to the sketch (D) to work out a color scheme.Because Id resolved all the color, value and compo-sition problems beforehand, finishing the paintingwas smooth sailing (E).

C

A B

D

E

NOTE: All articles and excerpts in this booklet are reprinted from Watercolor Magic

and The Artist's Magazine, divisions of F+W Publications, Inc.

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