Watercolor has a fussy reputation. But the fact is, when shown a little disrespect it can be a gorgeous, friendly, flowing, and spontaneous medium. When used in unconventional ways it becomes very much like oil paint, only it is less toxic and more portable.
Using watercolor unconventionally means that we don’t have to stretch paper, because we are not loading the surface with copious washes. Not stretching (soaking) the paper means that the sizing remains on the surface of the paper, so the paint can’t absorb fully into the fibers. This makes the paint easier to move around, lift, and erase.
My favorite way to use watercolor is fresh from the tube. Tube paints are fat and juicy and can be mixed on a palette just like oil paints. Once they harden on your palette, they are still good. A little water brings them back to form and they make beautiful transparent glazes, or can be mixed into white for a sensual, thick texture.
Whites
- In traditional watercolor painting we have to map out and mask our white areas in advance because it depends upon the white of the paper for the highlights. But we aren’t doing the formal thing. We are breaking the rules and getting our whites from the tube. It’s much more spontaneous and fun this way.
- For a more transparent white, use china white watercolor. If the element calls for a thicker, more opaque effect, use titanium white gouache.
- White can be used pure for highlights or used to make a tint.
- A tint is a color added to white to make a softer, lighter variation of the original color. For example, red is added to white to make pink. Tints are opaque and will cover over thin, transparent layers of paint.
- It is best to add a color to the white, rather than adding the white to a color. Doing so uses less pigment and it’s easier to gauge when you’ve reached the saturation you desire.
- White paint can be glazed over with layers of transparent paints to tone down the brightness.
Pigments/paints
Watercolor comes in a wide range of colors and grades. Professional grade is the purest and, in my experience, yields the best results.
- Colors. Color choices are up to us, but there are a few that are indispensable to the watercolor painter. They are: sap green, ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, cadmium red, cadmium yellow, ochre, burnt sienna, raw umber, and alizarin crimson. While you can use this core palette to mix anything you want, there are also many other premixed colors available that will capture your heart.
- Black. I don’t recommend using black watercolor. There are plenty of dark colors that mix together to form interesting tones that simulate black. It keeps the painting richer and more vibrant to stay away from black. If mixing your own dark shades makes you cringe, use Payne’s Gray; it’s richer than black.
Paper
Watercolor paper, like pigment, comes in a range of textures, weights, and grades. It, too, is a matter of choice.
Texture
- Hot-press paper is smooth. The brush moves quickly across it and the pigment stays close to the surface.
- Cold-press paper has some texture. The brush deposits pigment into it beautifully. (This is my choice if I am not coating the surface with a ground.)
- Rough paper. Just like the name suggests it has a very rough texture. The brush skips across it and leaves a sort of uneven, textured line.
Weight
The best weight for watercolor paper is 150-lb. or 300-lb. Paper lighter than this will curl, and papers heavier than this are very stiff. (Nice for mixed media, however.)
Grade
Grade means quality. Even when I am journaling on watercolor paper I use higher grade paper. This isn’t necessary if you don’t want your work to last. The higher the grade, the more expensive the paper. Two good (and easily obtained) papers are Arches and Fabriano®.
Brushes
Watercolor brushes are soft and short-handled. They come in various qualities, shapes, and sizes. Buy what you like, but I recommend some large, medium, and small, rounds, filberts, and flats. You can also use oil brushes. The soft “sables” are fine for watercolor, and the hard bristled brushes are perfect for rubbing away areas of paint.
Read Alex’s article in the September/October 2008 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors.