Watercolor Painting III

OTHER TECHNIQUES COMMONLY USED

GLAZING TECHNIQUE:   This technique is an application of a transparent color (more of water than paint mixture) over a completely dry layer of color that gives an interesting blend of new color. This is done with a soft brush and not much pressure on the surface.

WET IN WET TECHNIQUE:- This technique is an application of wet (water) wash over a surface. This is done by evenly apply a wet brush with water by using the flat wash technique over the surface. Any excess water must be absorbed by a clean sponge or tissue paper. The trick here is just to have the surface evenly saturated before applying watercolor.

DRY BRUSH TECHNIQUE This technique is an application that uses a fairly dry pigment and little water mixture. This is usually used for adding the essential details on your subject. It focuses on the outlines of an object e.g. hair, eyes, grains and probably textures  for a more realistic approach on your subject.  Most artists would use a variety of watercolor brush techniques in a single painting for a much more interesting effect.

Do not limit yourself on the techniques that are cited here. You can use other techniques you would want to try - be creative as you can be!

CORRECTING MISTAKES

• Wet the area that needs to be removed with a clean sponge and absorb the color with a tissue.
• If the color does not come off, apply water carefully with a brush and let it soak a bit longer to soften the paint before attempting to clean it with a sponge.
• If you are still unable to remove the color, damp the area with a bristled-brush and gently scrub it. You have to do this with utmost care to prevent the risk of damaging the surface of the paper.

As a note, watercolors can give gorgeous translucent effects on your subject. However, this medium is a lot more difficult to manage that other types of media such as acrylic and oil paint. It is quite difficult to hide a mistake with another layer of paint mixture. Therefore, a little planning is needed before you start doing painting.

TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

As an initial step, use a sketch pad for your preliminary composition. Draw your subject with its basic shape that will serve as your guideline. Your center of interest or what we call the focal point must not placed in the center of the painting to give it a more interesting piece. Some areas should be more detailed than the others. After the preliminaries, the following must be taken into consideration:

• Check the light source.
• Decide and mark areas for highlights, medium tones and where shadows should fall.
• Consider wash technique to use.
• What wash to be applied first, second and so on.
• Areas to leave blank.

Do not despair if you feel disappointed with your first piece. That can happen to anyone and even with professionals for that matter! Always move on to the next masterpiece and look forward to another exciting experience. Always take your time and enjoy each and every stroke. Put your heart into it. Do not rush. Keep every piece you have accomplished for comparison. You will surely notice your progress. Remember, every stroke you make is time well spent!