Return to Home

There are 4 basic techniques - dry on dry, dry on wet, wet on wet and wet on dry.
Each will give you totally different effects as those of you who are experimenting with this have found out.

Timing can be very critical, especially when working on wet paper. Just when do you put brush to wet paper? How wet should it be? You will find that different pigments react differently to wet paper - some spread more than others. Learning exactly how wet the paper should be is very important. It called timing.

As you watch the wet paper dry, you must learn just when to apply your paint, salt, alcohol, or whatever. When you get an effect you really like, try to make notes. Is the paper so wet it's shiny? Is it drying to the point where it's dull? Is it just damp? Barely damp?

Paint applied to shiny wet paper will have very little control. On the other hand, if the paper dries out too much, then the paint may not beer hand, if the paper dries out too much, then the paint may not behave as you hoped or planned.

If you want sharp edges, let the paper dry almost completely, or use the wet on dry technique. If you want really soft edges, use wet on wet. If you want an element to "bleed" into another, (for example - in making water reflections look realistic} then paint the original element and let it almost dry. Then sneak up on it with a wet brush and just barely touch the first element. You will see element 1 bleed and flow into the area you just painted (that is, your "sneaking up on it" area).

It's a good idea to practice on scraps of paper when trying new things. You can use the back-sides of those watercolors you find less than satisfactory.

Something New to Work On:

Ever seen a watercolor where the sky just seemed to glow? Or where the sun seemed to be actually warming the fog? The secret is in the GLAZE.

When you mix blue and yellow on your palette - you physically mix them to get green. When you first paint a yellow wash and then put a blue wash over it, you optically mix the two colors to get green. There is a difference in the result. Optical mixing gives a more transparent effect - kinda like looking through stained glass.

Those of you who paint with oilh stained glass.

Those of you who paint with oils and acrylics are no doubt already familiar with the glazing process. Of course, you MUST use transparent colors. And in watercolor, you MUST lay down the yellow layer FIRST. This is very important. It just doesn't work well otherwise.

You need to make sure you have enough wash premixed to complete the job. I put a little pigment in a cup and add water. Mix it up good and apply the wash with a large flat brush.

The secret of success is that you NEVER go back over an area and try to fix it! Going back over will add more water which has to go somewhere. It will flow into other areas and make the wash uneven and blotchy when it dries. Also, you shouldn't overlap strokes as this will make little dark lines later.

After the yellow wash has dried, you can add another if it is too light, or use a plain water wash to sop up color if it's too dark. It is important to adjust the yellow wash now - you can't fix it later.

After the yellow is dry you can add subsequent glazes. Again, do not go over them more than once. If you try to correct anything, it will just make a muddy mess. Red is usually next, followed by blue. The red and blue layers can be very light or very dark depending on the end result you desire. (Click here to see this technique in action)

The end result of these three layers shouldhe end result of these three layers should be a sky that glows. It takes practice. Don't be discouraged. Also, DO NOT leave a layer out. The glaze just won't glow right. You need the three colors. If you want to make green, then make the red layer very, very, very light, but put it in there!

You alter the three layers to accent any color you want. DO NOT MAKE THE THREE LAYERS EQUAL as that creates a really dull neutral mud. Your aiming for a soft glow! Experiment making one or two layers strong and the other weak. Let them dry, step back, and see what you get. Always use three primary colors and control the final outcome by strength of the washes.

Glazes require careful execution, are time consuming, and require lots of practice. If you think it isn't worth it, try mixing yellow, red, and blue on your palette and doing a wash, then try the same wash by glazing the three colors separately. There is a difference!!

Good luck!
Windspinner
©1998 John Beckwith

Word of Wisdom:
Remember, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO COVER THE WHOLE SHEET WITH PAINT! Many watercolorists do not, preferring to leave an irregular white space around their subject. Try it!! You may have a better picture, and you'll save paint!!