Basic watercolour techniques You will need
• Watercolour paints: ultramarine, lemon yellow and burnt sienna in a tube or half pan • Watercolour paper: 140lb Cold Pressed (A4 or similar) • Brush: No. 8 round nylon or sable • Water pot • Kitchen roll
All of the art supplies can be purchased at The Artery in Church Lane. Banbury
Flat wash - This is the basic part to watercolour painting. It is achieved by adding the paint to an already wet brush. Spread the paint onto the paper, adding enough water to move it around. You should end up with a uniform colour that is light enough for the white of the paper to shine through.
Graded wash - This is similar in technique to a flat wash, but here more water is added as you move the colour down the paper so that it turns the colour lighter or paler. The more water you add, the lighter the colour gets.
Graded multi-colour wash - The same principle as a graded wash, but more than one colour is used. Ideal for sunsets for example. It works best if you wet the paper first and leave a small 1/2cm gap between each colour. Before the colours dry, use a damp brush and push the lighter colour into the darker colour. This will help the two colours blend seamlessly. This may take a little practise!
Dry brush work This is wonderful for adding texture to walls, grass or rocks. You will need to mix up a dilute colour first. Make sure your paper and brush are dry, then dip the brush into your paint and move it across the paper. The drier paint is not as easily absorbed so it only colours the top surface of the paper, leaving the fine dimples still white.
Wet-in-wet A great technique for skies! Wet the paper thoroughly first, then wet your brush and mix up some runny paint. As you touch it to the
paper, the colour dances and spreads beautifully. If you squiggle your brush and leave spaces white, it gives you soft, fluffy clouds. You have much less control of what happens, but that makes the effect more exciting!
Lifting out This is a useful technique to get rid of runs, create clouds or lighten other colours. While the paint is still wet or damp, use a piece of tissue or a dry paintbrush and dab the surface. The colour comes away as the moisture is sucked up by the dry brush/tissue and leaves you with lighter, whiter areas.
Putting it all together Tape down a separate sheet of paper. Paint on just half of the sheet if you are feeling nervous! Wet the paper thoroughly
first and mix up some runny Ultramarine paint. As you add the paint to the paper twist and turn your brush, letting the colour spread. Make a few large cloud shapes and let the paint do the rest. Try not to think too much about it. Paint your sky so that it fills the top two thirds of your paper (as shown in the wet-in-wet picture earlier). Once your sky is dry, wet the bottom third of paper. Mix
together a lot of lemon yellow and a little ultramarine to make a light green colour. Start by adding the paint at the very bottom of the picture. As you move up towards the sky, it will mix with the water on the paper and get lighter. Colours are always paler or hazier as they reach the horizon, and they are stronger at the foreground. Add more ultramarine to the green mix in your palette so it goes darker. Paint this dark green right at the bottom. You now have a simple little landscape! You can add more detail, like trees when you feel brave enough!
If you are struggling, a free ten minute tutorial I have created is available on YouTube. Search for TheArteryOnline. Good luck, and let me know how you get on!
Helpful tips!
Watercolours dry up to 30% lighter than the colour you first put on the paper. They are a transparent paint so you need to paint your lightest colours first and gradually build up with darker colours on top. Your paper needs to be either stretched first or heavy enough to take water without buckling.
August 2011 15
Art Class Four Shires
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84