Watercolor
Carty Visual Art I 2013
Terms
• Transparent: can be seen through- allows the
penetration of light
• Opaque: cannot be seen through- prohibits
the penetration of light
Terms continued
• Charged Brush: brush is holding full capacity
of paint- strokes look juicy
• Dry Brush: brush has been wiped repeatedly
leaving only small amount of paint- strokes
look streaked and dry
Techniques
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Wet-on-wet: wet paper, charged brush
Wet-on-dry: dry paper, charged brush
Dry-on-wet: wet paper, dry brush
Dry-on-dry: dry paper, dry brush
Resists
• Resists are used to preserve the white of the
paper- they are substances which resist the
paint and cause it to not adhere to the
painting surface
Types of Resists
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Wax paper
Parafin
White wax crayon or candle
Masking tape
Rubber cement
Maskoid or other commercial resist product
Parts of a brush
Types and Shapes of Brushes
• Flat: bristle, hair, or
nylon
– Flat end (chisel point)
– Long belly
– Flay ferrule
Types and Shapes of Brushes
• Bright
– Flat end
– Short belly
– Flat ferrule
Types and Shapes of Brushes
• Filberts: bristle
– Oval point
– Flat ferrule
Types and Shapes of Brushes
• Oval wash (mop): hair
– Oval point
– Flattened ferrule
Types and Shapes of Brushes
• Rounds: bristle, hair,
nylon
– Pointed tip
– Round ferrule
Types and Shapes of Brushes
• Fan blenders: bristle
(and hair)
– Fan shaped
– Rounded, flattened heel
on ferrule
Types and Shapes of Brushes
• Hake: Japanese wash
brush, soft hair
– Slightly fanned
– Stitching to hold hair
– No ferrule
Types and Shapes of Brushes
• Lettering brush
– Flat point
– Very long hair
Types and Shapes of Brushes
• Dagger: (bristle), hair
– Dagger or sword type
point
– Very long hair
– Round ferrule
Types and Shapes of Brushes
• Hardware utility brush:
bristle or nylon (large
washes)
– Flat
– Short handle
Composition of Brushes
• Bristle: stiff, hog’s hair, “boar”
• Nylon: plastic, synthetic
• Hair
– Red sable: the best, actually made from hair of the
Kolinsky or Tartar Martin from Siberia
– Sabeline: dyed ox hair
– Camel: squirrel hair
Sizes of Brushes
• Round Brushes- “0000” smallest, 12 is usually
largest available
• Flats and Brights- ¼ smallest, 1 usually largest
(occasionally up to 2)
Paper
• Basic Composition
– Rag: ph balanced, long lasting, highest quality,
often hand made
– Sulfite: wood pulp, non ph balance leading to
decomposition, yellowing, brittleness, much less
expensive, machine made
Parts of Paper
Weight of Paper
• Determined by “ream weight” or weight of
500 sheets of that paper in standard size
– Ex. 350 lb. paper means that 500 sheets of that
paper weigh 350 lbs
– Standard weighs run 80 to 400 pounds
– In watercolor, it is considered best to stretch all
but heaviest papers of the aquarium papers
– Paper is sized with glue which is usually removed
by moistening when watercolor painting. Blotters
are made from unsized paper
Special Effects
• Salt- sprinkled into wet paint causing
granulated, textured, starburst effect
Special Effects
• Sponges (natural are preferable)- can be used
to lift or add color, create textured effects
Special Effects
• Tissue paper- used to lift color
Special Effects
• Razors, knife blades- used to pick out of lift
small areas of color, or scratch out white lines
Special Effects
• Sticks, pallete knives etc.- used to apply paint
of texture
Special Effects
• Splatter effects- using stiff tooth brush or
atomizer
Watercolor Paints
• Types
– Pan colors: pigments are often inferior, less
intense (just dyes)
– Tube colors: preferable, more versatile, more
intense, more permanent
Watercolor Paints
• Composition: pigment + gum arabic +
(glycerin) + water
– Gum arabic is the binder
– Pigment is the colorant
Watercolor Paints
• Pigment Sources
– Inorganic
• Synthetic mineral- chemical
• Natural mineral- “earth colors”
– Organic
• Animal
• Vegetable
• Synthetic organic colors
Watercolor Paints
• Pigment Types
– Opaque
– Transparent
– Staining (light)
– Non-staining (heavy)
Granulation Theory of Watercolor
• Stain: fine particles, sink slowly because they
are light enough to stay suspended or floatthey spread or diffuse- they will penetrate into
pores of paper- create permanent stain
– Ex. Thalo Colors
Granulation Theory of Watercolor
• Semi-Staining: go down less slowly- particles
are less fine so they do not penetrate as
rapidly into pores of paper
Granulation Theory of Watercolor
• Non-Staining: particles are heavy and sink
faster because they are larger they do not
penetrate pores of paper
Granulation Theory of Watercolor
• Granulation is created by a combination of
thick (heavy) with a thin (light) Pigment
– Light pigment will diffuse on the damp paper
creating a “halo” stain around the heavier
pigment
– Pigments separate on the paper and to not stay
well-blended
• Ex. Thalo Blue and Burnt Sienna, or Thalo
Green and Vermillion
Transparent Pigments
• Stains Light Pigments
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Sap green
Brown madder
Rose madder
Alizarin crimson
New gamboge yellow
Sepia
• Semi-Stains Heavy Pigments
– Hooker’s green(light and dark
values)
– Anthwerp blue
– Payne’s Gray
– Aureolin yellow
– Lemon yellow
– Yellow ochre
– Burnt Sienna
Opaque Pigments
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Semi-Staining Light Pigments
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Cadmium red
Cadmium orange
Cadmium yellow
Raw sienna
Naples yellow
Indian red
Windsor emerald
Cadmium scarlet
Non-staining Heavy Pigments
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Vermillion
Manganese blue
Ultramarine blue
Cobalt blue
Cerulin blue
Chromium oxide green
Chinese white
Ivory black
What not to do…
• Muddy colors- created by mixing or overlayering heavy opaque colors
• Balloons- hard edges created by uneven
drying (use a hairdryer!)
• Overworking
Additional Information
• Glazing- applying a wash over dry paint
• Different meanings of “pallette”
– Surface used for mixing paint
– The selection of colors used in a painting
– The selection of colors generally used by an artist
in his or her work
• Paint the essential, paint broadly, paint details
last
Sequences of Painting
• Three approaches to establishing a
composition
– Paint center of interest first, progress to least
important last (difficult to do in watercolor)
– Dark to Light: lay in darks first to achieve unity
quickly, dangerous but effective
– Light to Dark: lay in light values first, progress to
darkest last, a safe conventional approach