Learn watercolor painting

get ‘em out and get ‘em on the paper

I don’t really care for the inktense pencils: colors don’t blend well. They’re mostly useful for graphics with solid blocks of intense colors—like logos, icons, and symbols. I still haven’t decided on whether I like watercolor pencils or not. They are definitely convenient, in conjunction with a water brush: handy if you’re on a plane or train and want to paint.

I found that washes are even MORE dilute than I thought. They are basically colored water. Placing a wash of two slightly different colors makes it even more interesting.

I was having trouble getting my watercolor washes over pen-and-ink to be the right transparency. My instructor’s tips were to 1. Wash pen out in water thoroughly, and remove excess water from brush. You need a nice clean brush for clear colors, but too much water in the brush dilutes the paint too much. 2. Load the brush fully with paint. Control the amount of paint on the paper by pressure, not with how much or how little paint is in the brush. 3. Mix the paint to the consistency of skim milk or thinner. One or two additions of water should be the minimum for a wash…more for very transparent painting. A little paint goes a long way. 4. Don’t mix more than two colors, or else you will get a muddy color that can’t be corrected. 5. For transparent glazes wait till paint dries before applying second layer. The paper will no longer feel cool when it is dry. 6. Apply paint lightly, using the side, not tip of the brush. Don’t overwork the paint. Lay it down quickly and lightly, then move to another area. Overworking the paint, begins to lift it from the paper. 7. Use a tissue to blot the paint if it is too heavy or saturated in color. 8. Sometimes the problem isn’t really transparency, but saturation. Try mixing in, or glazing over with, the color’s compliment. 9. If there is too much paint on the brush, dab brush on paper towel or test paper lightly. But mainly, rely on pressure or touch to get the right amount of paint on the paper. 10. Sometimes the problem is just that you have too large a block of color. In nature, a single object (like a lemon) is many colors (bright yellow in parts, pale yellow to white on highlights, greenish, bluish or purplis in shadowed areas, brown details for texture, blemishes, even a touch of orange or red from a “sun-kissed” area. 11. Use at least 3 different greens for foliage.

switching to learn to draw/paint. I’d like to do a combination of both while regularly adding to my sketchbook. No goal yet on creating large scale paintings/drawings, but just idea formulation and colors.

So I started a painting using the techniques I learned. Even though I couldn’t stretch the paper and I was in my cramped space, I still did it, and in spite of the circumstances too!

I’m almost done with the watercolor section of my “Art Course” book and I’m sadly realizing that I should really be practicing these techiniques AS I’m reading them…but alas, I don’t have a set up yet. I can’t wait to be home for the summer. So many things to look forward to.

I realized that I need a set up so I can mount and strecth my paper and something for my desk that keeps it at a 30 degree angle. I’m not sure an upright easel is such a good idea because I would get tired of standing…and I don’t want to occupy my desk all the time with a small set-up. Any ideas?

Reading a book titled “Art School: A complete painters course” so I’m reading about watercolors, oils and acrylics all at once! :)