When purchasing watercolour paint varieties, it is important to have some knowledge of what you are looking for. This will allow you to tell the difference between excellent and terrible products, allowing you to save money while still producing a high-quality piece of artwork.
Watercolour paint is a simple and enjoyable medium to work with since it is made up of a water-soluble binder that has been tinted with colour pigments before being applied to a surface. This causes the paint to liquefy, allowing you to utilize the pigment to paint with it afterwards. Watercolours need two elements, both of which may be found at any art supply store: pigment and water.
Colour Pigments: You may purchase pigments that are crushed down to a fine powder that is either synthetic or natural in nature. There are hundreds of different colour pigments available for use in watercolour paints, some of which may be quite costly, especially some rare natural pigments, and others of which are readily accessible at little cost.
Binders are available in two forms: Natural gum Arabic and synthetic glycol (glycol). The binder permits the pigment to remain in suspension while also assisting the pigment in adhering to the surfaces on which it is painted.
Aquarelle paints may additionally include additives, specific solvents, or fillers in addition to the colour pigments and binders that are used in the painting. These additives alter the composition of the paint, which might result in it being brighter, having a different viscosity, or being more durable than it was before.
We hope you’re in the mood to learn some new watercolour paint techniques today since we’ll be adding some new tricks to your toolbox today. Following these fundamental dos and don’ts of watercolour painting will help you take your watercolour painting talents to the next level and achieve greater success.
First and foremost, stay away from printer paper.
The first piece of advice is very straightforward: don’t print on printer paper!
The printer paper is very thin and weak, which implies that it does not stand up to water very well when submerged. When you add even a single sheet of paper to it, it will buckle and generate unattractive wrinkles across the page. Yuck!
Instead of using printer paper to draw and design your picture, you might use plain white paper. When it comes time to paint, choose thicker watercolour paint paper brands that are made specifically for watercolour painting rather than lighter watercolour paint paper.
Famous watercolourists choose these papers because they are able to contain a large amount of water and paint with little bending, pilling, or wrinkling after they have been painted. A good watercolour paint paper is a significant investment, but your artwork will undoubtedly benefit from it in the long run.
The second suggestion is to use watercolour paint techniques to lift paint.
There are a variety of watercolour paint methods for lifting paint from your paper that you may try. Prior to trying doing it yourself, bear the following two considerations in mind:
First and foremost, avoid using toilet paper or thin tissue paper! Tissue paper that is too thin might easily break off and adhere to your watercolour painting, causing it to get ruined. Paper towels, which are composed of a more durable substance, should be used instead. You can read about How to follow the rules in watercolour painting by visiting http://ascianofiberartstools.com/how-to-follow-the-rules-in-watercolour-painting/
Second, don’t put too much pressure on yourself! Excessive pressure may cause damage to the fibres of your paper, as well as the creation of harsh-looking markings. Instead, dab paints onto the canvas with a gentle dabbing motion. This produces a more subtle effect that may be used to create fascinating textures for an abstract painting or even as a background for a photograph!
How to Avoid Buckling
The next technique is to avoid wetting the whole sheet of paper without first taping it down!
Paper that has been drenched with water has a tendency to bend and curl up around the edges. Because the paper is no longer sitting flat, any paint that is applied to it will pool at the borders rather than spread across the whole sheet. This makes experimenting with watercolour paint methods, such as a flat wash, practically difficult!
Artist’s tape (or masking tape) should be used around the edge of the watercolour paint paper to prevent this from happening. Due to the fact that this form of tape is less adhesive than ordinary tape, you may easily pull it off without harming the paper below.
As a bonus, it helps to guarantee that the paper stays somewhat flat even after you’ve wet it with water. As a consequence, paint layers are able to spread uniformly throughout the surface. A great plus is that the tape leaves a neat edge around the perimeter of your watercolour painting when it has been removed. Just be sure you carefully remove the tape away from the wall when the paint is dry.
Including Water
If you want to experiment with various watercolour paint methods, you’ll need plenty of water. When working with the wet-in-wet method (i.e., applying wet paint to a wet surface), the first step is to wet your watercolour paint paper with a layer of water before beginning your painting. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t use too much water in this situation!
If the water begins to pool around the sides of the container, as if it’s about to pour out, you’ve gone overboard with the amount you’ve added. In the case of over-saturated puddles, when you add paint to them, the pigment tends to pool in unattractive patterns rather than spread uniformly.
Using just a little amount of water to give the paper a slight sheen of wetness can help to prevent this. Next, while applying paint, begin at the bottom and work your way up. Look at how much easy it is to maintain control. You can read more about a slight sheen paper by clicking here.
Drawing in Outlines
The fourth suggestion has less to do with watercolour paint techniques and more to do with the process of sketching out your painting.
When sketching in the details of the artwork, avoid using lines that are excessively black or harsh! Heavy lines will still be apparent even after multiple coats of watercolour paint have been applied to them. Furthermore, you’ll be required to apply extra pressure while erasing, which may cause damage to the paper’s fibres.
Instead, draw quickly and sparingly, attempting to utilize the fewest number of lines feasible. With careful erasure, you may make your lines seem even lighter (pro tip: if you have a kneaded eraser, you can roll it over your pencil lines while applying a little pressure). As you paint, these lines will almost completely dissolve into your artwork, allowing the colours to stand out!
You did a fantastic job! You’ve just learned five new watercolour paint techniques that you can put to use right away. Now, go out there and create some artwork!