- INTRODUCTION:

- HISTORY OF TECHNIQUES:

Sketching Page:

During the 17 th -18 th centuries watercolor was predominately used as a simple technique of coloring in a drawing. It all began with the "stained" drawing styles of artists like Rembrandt, Thomas Rowlandson and Wenceslaus Hollar. Ink drawings or etchings were overlaid with watercolor washes to create atmospheric effects, mood, and depth. Small ready made watercolor boxes were invented and used widely by artists to document   merchant, scientific and military expeditions.

A small portable paint box, a few paintbrushes, and a little water are all the artist needs to paint (unlike cumbersome oil set-ups.) Difficulties do present themselves, however, in the inability to easily cover up or erase mistakes as in other media. The trick with watercolor sketching is to have a strong sense of the drawing or structure. It's helpful to practice working over a series of etchings with light overlays of washes to gradually tint the surface. A soft absorbent blotting cloth to quickly dab out over-painted areas, water splotches, or mistakes is also helpful. See Tools and Materials.

 

 

1.The first step, as mentioned above is to create a good drawing. A permanent drawing ink such as India ink or a hard pencil is recommended. Traditionally, the ink is left to dry before painting.

2.Watercolor is meant to perform best on watercolor paper. However, ink can be difficult to draw on a pebbly surface, and also to prevent from running on this super absorbent paper. The example used below is created with   Bristol. However, keep in mind that some artists prefer the spontaneity of working with runs and alternative surfaces.

3. It is always advisable to start high in the picture surface and work down to develop the surface so one doesn't smear paint what has not dried.

4. It is also advisable to lay in a series of light washes to establish color balance and harmony before making the jump to more solid or opaque mixes, which, when down, can not be fully lifted or erased.

5. Next, an aesthetic style choice needs to be made between filling in blocks of color as in a coloring book or laying in looser washes which don't make any attempt to appear solid or conform to line boundaries.

6. Watercolor can be applied periodically, letting washes dry between layers to achieve more control, or they can be worked quickly on top of each other to blend together.

7. Drawing lines can be thickened or modified after the surface is dry to enhance composition.

- WASHES:

By the 19 th century English Masters such as Richard Parkes Bonington, J.M.W. Turner and John Constable had established England's claim to being the center of watercolor.   Before Turner, watercolors were seen as sketches, and not included in major Fine Art exhibitions. Largely due to him, watercolor became accepted by the British Royal Academy as a fully developed style of landscape painting. Watercolor became an ideal medium for book illustration after the invention of half-tone reproduction in the 19 th century, blurring the lines between illustration and fine art. The Romantics of the time appreciated watercolors ability to create atmospheric affects, and to capture natural lighting as did the Impressionists (with their Pein Air interests) in the later part of the century.

In the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries, Americans such as Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, and John Marin carried on the English tradition of watercolor. Although watercolor has been widely used in the 20 th century, traditional watercolor became eclipsed by new trends in modern art.

As traditional watercolor continued on quietly in the background, new artists took up the call of modern art and applied the new ideas to watercolor. "Paul Klee (1879-1940), a founder member of the Bauhaus, used watercolor for some of his most significant work." (Smith and Ten Holt, 69). Rodin and Klimt used watercolor in their erotic figure studies. Raul Dufy explored bright Fauvist goals in watercolor, and Kandinsky frequently used watercolor to sketch out abstractions. Emile Nolde created intensely emotional and vivid expressionistic watercolors during WW II as he was "forbidden to paint by the Nazis" (Grove Art, 20 th Century Watercolor History), and they couldn't detect any fumes from the watercolor. At the same time artists such as George Grosz used watercolor as a means for social commentary. Later, watercolor was embraced by Pop artists such as R.B. Kitaj, David Hockney, and Tom Wesselmann.

- WET WASHES:

Wet on Wet:

1.  Work on a flat surface (unless paint runs are desired.)

2.  Tape or adhere the paper to the board or table surface.

3.  Dampen the surface of the paper with a sponge or brush. Some artists like puddles, while others prefer the control that only a slightly dampened surface can give. The less water added, the more control; but, also, the quicker one needs to work to avoid unwanted edges forming

4.  Mix the watercolor and apply to the wet surface. If doing a sky try and leave open white spaces for clouds and gradually lighten strokes as they move closer to the horizon.

5.  Continue adding in more and varied color strokes.

•  For more control to create sharp boundaries around the edges of shapes, begin with a dry paper. Remember that quicker working methods will be required in this case to prevent unwanted lines from forming.

- DRY BRUSH TECHNIQUE:

Dry brush techniques can be used to add minute detail and texture. Very little water is added to pigment which is then collected on the tip of a very small brush, and applied to the paper. The brush can be used to create the likeness of very fine textures such as hair (see Andrew Wyeth painting, "Chambered Nautilus"), feathers (see James Audubon painting "Douglas Squirrel") and wood grain (see Jack Bevier painting ("Gold Country") on this page. The same technique can be used with a larger brush to lay in a texture which hits only the top of the watercolor paper surface, creating a scratch like mark that resembles the texture of asphalt (see still.)

Other variations of brushwork include:

1.  Scumbling (using a fairly dry stiff brush to apply a rough surface texture)

2.  Splattering (using a toothbrush laden with paint and rubbed to splatter little specks of paint across the surface)

3.  Stippling (using a small brush to dot in color)

4.  Blotting (using a cloth or sponge instead of the brush to either blot in color in a unique texture or using a clean sponge, cloth, or paper to press against wet watercolor and lift color out)

5.  Line (using variations in pressure and angle on the brush to create line or stroke)

 

- MISCELLANEOUS TECHNIQUES :

Additional watercolor painting techniques include:

1. Masking fluid, tape and rubber cement can be used to protect color from reaching unwanted areas. The use of these materials comes in handy to preserve whites of the paper for highlights and strong contrast.

2. A sharpened end of the brush or stick is used to carve out damp paint and score into lighter color. This effect works particularly well in grass and tree branches. Sandpaper, or a razor blade are also used to scratch a dry painting to lift off color and create a lighter texture. This effect works particularly well on rock, asphalt, metal, and glass surfaces.

3. The edge of a knife or razor blade is loaded with paint and then lightly dragged across rough textured watercolor paper to give an effect that looks like glare on a lake surface.

4.  Wax crayon and oil pastel are used as resists. Watercolor is painted over an initial drawing, filling in gaps in negative space.

 

NASH Paul Battle of Britain . 1941. British |Illustration. England. London Imperial War Museum.   ©Kathleen Cohen	SHAHN Ben Ohio Magie. 1945. American, Social Realist. Tempera on Wood. United States. San Francisco. Fine Arts Museums. ©Kathleen Cohen

* Watercolor tends to combine of all of the above techniques.

- HISTORY OF TOOLS AND MATERIALS SECTIONS:

Still photos will show materials and tools in each part of this section. Materials may be synthetic or lighter, but the basic attributes of all the tools and materials are unchanged over the last few centuries since the beginning of watercolor. - BRUSHES:

Watercolor artists need brushes which offer great versatility. Large flats are necessary for even washes and their ability to hold a quantity of color. Rounds that go to a single hair point when wet are preferred for detail work. Fan brushes are shaped for soft blending. More specifics on brush shapes can be found by clicking brushes .

The brushes need to be both durable so as not to leave hairs on the ground which causes color to puddle, and flexible so as not to mar sensitive damp paper. Natural hair brushes have always been preferred over synthetics (which have only been around since the 1960's). Early Chinese painters used brushes made of animals such as deer, fox, rabbit and rat. Currently, the best quality natural brushes are made from red and Kolinsky sable. Less expensive natural brushes are made with so called camel (which is actually squirrel, pony, badger and ox hair, or a blend of some or all.)   More specifics on brush hair types can be found by clicking on brushes .

- GROUNDS:

The most widely accepted ground for watercolor painting has always been paper. Three types of specialty paper are made for watercolorists: 1. hot-pressed which has a very smooth surface, 2. cold-pressed which has a semi-rough surface with a slightly raised pebbly texture, and 3. rough which has a heavily textured pebbly surface.

Today's watercolorists can choose between handmade and synthetic varieties of paper. The origin of handmade paper dates back to 260B.C in China.   From then up until the 1820's, and the invention of a papermaking machine, paper was handmade with100% natural rag or pulp fiber and screens. Today, handmade rag papers are the most expensive watercolor paper. Single sheets are only sized on one side. The watermark of the maker can be read only from the top side. Handmade watercolor paper is bleached white without chemicals. Synthetic papers, which are less expensive, come in single sheets, blocks and pads and are usually not as organic as their handmade counterparts.

Other variables in paper choice include the surface color, the base material, and the weight. Japanese rice paper is fragile and absorbent, while linen is the most traditional; and modern artists have taken to using recycled papers made from a variety of materials with a variety of textures. Paper weights typically range from 70 -300lb. Lower weight (70 -120 lb.) may require stretching to prevent buckling of the paper, and therefore unwanted puddeling of color, when water is added. Heavier papers (140 - 300 lb.) and watercolor boards are fairly warp free, but also more expensive.

Stretching lighter weight watercolor paper before use tends to prevent buckling.

Steps in Stretching paper:

1, dampen the paper by submersing the paper in water, or by evenly dampening it with a sponge or large brush

2. use tape (acid free masking tape recommended, gummed brown packing tape will do) to secure the paper on all four sides.

3. let dry

 

- PAINTS:

NASH John. 1916-1918. Paint Box & Medals for war artist. London Imperial War Museum.   ©Kathleen Cohen

'Watercolor paint consists of finely ground pigment mixed with gun Arabic or gum Senegal (binding agents which also leave the colors, when dry, with a bright sheen.) Other additives might include diluted sugar to act as a plasticizer and make the paint smoother, or glycerin to add extra brilliance and to prevent quick drying. Watercolor purists argue that white isn't a part of the pallet of a true watercolorist because it modifies the paint quality to opaque (gauche).' (Hogarth, 68) Originally paints were meticulously ground by hand and mixed by the artist; but since the invention of inexpensive cake watercolor and the portable watercolor box in 1780 by the Reeves Company, most artists purchase their color instead of making their own (Grove Art, Watercolor Materials and Techniques.) Some colors soak into the paper and leave an indelible mark, while others float on the surface and are much more easily blended and lightened.

Watercolor paints are currently found in dry cakes, semi-moist pans and half-pans, semi-liquid tubes and in liquid bottles. Paints labeled as professional artist quality provide the brilliance and permanence by which good watercolor is known, A suggested beginner's pallet would include: "ivory black, Paynes grey, burnt umber, cadmium red, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, Hooker's green, viridian, cobalt blue, Monastarl blue, and Alizarin crimson." (Hogarth, 72) Prussian and Ultramarine blues can also come in handy.

- MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS AND MATERIALS:

Watercolor Easels:

'Easels date back to 2575 BC Egypt: however, they did not appear to be common tools for artists until the Renaissance with the increasing use of the canvass as a ground" (Grove Art, Easel.) A drawing board and paper are all that is needed to support a watercolorist; however, there are many easels available in both natural wood and lightweight space-age metal. Spikes on the feet with retractable rubber covers allow for painting outdoors in soft dirt as well as indoors without scratching flooring. Watercolor easels are made light to allow for travel outdoors. They have adjustable height mechanisms to allow for the artist to sit or stand, and angle mechanisms to prevent paint from running.

 Watercolor Palettes:

'Palettes date back to 5000 BC Egypt when stone bowels were used to grind paints for make-up. Wood, shell, and ceramic became the materials for later palettes (Grove Art, Palette) Watercolor paint demands a non-porus surface with recessed wells so that liquid paints will not run. Separate small pots or cups are used to liquefy large amounts of color. Today's pallets are made of plastic, ceramic, and metal with no one material or style being more favorable than another.