In this course I will begin by teaching
you the essential knowledge for watercolor, followed by an in depth
explanation of various techniques to try out, and will conclude with
discussing how to develop a body of work.
In each lesson I will assign
you an exercise to complete. In addition, I will also given you an
optional exercise for each lesson. Please
note that I will not need to see the optional exercises, and
you are not being required to do them. However, I have suggested
them to you as options to follow along with and try out, so that you
may
gain a more extensive understanding of the medium as the class progresses.
The medium watercolor is defined as paints that are water
soluble with a complex carbohydrate binder. These paints are up of
a finely ground pigment with a natural gum Arabic binder. They also
have honey or glycerin added to them to improve the plasticity of the
paint.
Watercolor greatly differs from Oil and Acrylic painting
because the medium is primarily translucent. Because there is limited
opacity with watercolor, it is necessary to be deliberate in your mark
making as it is not quite possible to paint over mistakes the same
way you can with other mediums.
In addition, with watercolor, your
paper or board can be very absorbent. This absorbency makes it a
bit harder to make changes and it can affect
the way your paint dries so that sometimes the mark you make will
look different in the end then when you initially lay it down.
As you
become more familiar with this medium you will learn how to anticipate
your results and control your process. Until then, expect
the unexpected and enjoy the happy accidents, as these will teach
you some of your best lessons and give depth to your experimentations.
As this is a new medium to you, you will
need to purchase some new materials in order to complete this course.
The materials I recommend
to you will be the highest-grade materials. I believe it is extremely
important to work with the best as it greatly facilitates your ability
to paint your best.
However, I understand that as artists, sometimes
our budgets are limited. So if price is an issue for you, then you
can ask at the
store for
a student grade version of the supplies I suggest.
Regardless of budgets,
you may choose to begin with all student grade paints while you experiment.
This is perfectly understandable, but
I do suggest once you feel that you have moved on from testing to the
realm of creating, I then urge you to upgrade your materials as soon
as you can, as you will notice vast differences in the color and power
of your paints if you purchase the best pigments possible.
As far as
places to purchase your materials, your local art supply store should
have everything you need. I live in New York City and
if I want to go into a store to shop then I go to Pearl Paint on Canal
Street, but mostly I buy my paints online at:
https://www.jerrysartarama.com/ I purchase from Jerry's because
they've got great prices,
and I like the convenience of being able to shop 24 hours when I can't
sleep, also I like having everything delivered to me.
However, if you've
never purchased watercolor materials before you may want to go into
your local store and talk to the sales person
about your selections and the items I've suggested.
Please remember
that what I suggest is just a material guide. Feel free to adjust it
if you fall in love with a different brush or find
you're self-drawn to an alternate color or paper selection.
Paints:
Pigment Quality, Selecting the Right Quality, & What
to buy:
Ok so you're ready to purchase your paints but you don't
know what to look for. With watercolor there are a variety of options,
but like other paints the your essential palette is necessary.
An artist's
palette is a very personal choice, and everyone will discover different
colors that are essential to him or her. Therefore
feel free to choose outside of the colors I suggest, but keep in mind
that it is best to have a cool and warm version of each of the primary
colors, red, yellow, and blue, at the very least.
Since all of you
have gone through your basic painting courses already you may have
already established a palette you like in another medium.
If you have colors you love in oil or acrylic paints, then I urge you
to use those colors as a guide for what to purchase now. This way you
can see directly how one color you are already familiar with responds
in a different medium.
When purchasing watercolor pigments you are
given the choice between purchasing bricks or tubes. If you plan on
painting regularly, at least
every other day, and view your painting on a professional level, then
I suggest you go with tubes and a metal palette.
However, if you are
viewing your watercolors as a hobby and will probably not paint so
often, then purchasing a pre-established palette with bricks
is a good cost efficient option.
If you decided to go with bricks Winsor
and Newton have some nice kits, as does Schmincke. For tubes I recommend
purchasing Old Holland or
Schmincke watercolors. However if you choose to go with a student grade
option then I have heard that Grumbacher is a good cost effective option.
Should you go with either choice, here are some of the colors I suggest
you begin with:
For your Blues, I recommend getting a selection: I cannot
paint with out at least a good Cerulean Blue and a nice purple-based
blue like an Ultramarine Blue or French Ultramarine.
If you are getting
additional blues I like to have an Indigo and a Cobalt blue in my palette
as well.
Some people also like to have a green blue like a Phthalo
blue, but I recommend avoiding this color as it seems to make everything
look
very unnatural and it is also possible to mix a nice green blue your
self and thus you need not purchase one.
Below is one of my paintings, Veil of Time, which is a good example
of using a range of blues. While my colors are mixed slightly (I never
recommend using your colors straight out to the tube) you will be able
to identify here where and how I used a range of Cerulean Blue, Cobalt
Blue, Ultramarine Blue, and Indigo.
 |
Veil of
Time - Annika Connor |
Your selection of Yellows: With yellow it is very important
to have your warm and your cool colors as well. For a cool I use a
Lemon Yellow and for the warm I use a Cadmium
Yellow Medium though you could alternatively get the Hansa Yellow Medium
if you like that better.
I also find having a warm transparent yellow
essential for glazing and for that I use and Indian Yellow.
If you
wish to also purchase an additional earth tone Yellow Ochre is a great
one to have on hand as well, though this color can sometime
make things as bit muddy so it is best not mix it with more then one
other color unless you want a duller look.
For Reds: A warm Cadmium Red Medium is essential as is
Alizarin Crimson for your cool shade.
I also find it essential to a
have Magenta, and some people like having Rose Madder in their palette.
Should
you choose to expand your palette some other optional colors like greens,
browns, grays and blacks are great to have. What I recommend
for those are as follows:
For Greens: A Viridian Green, a Green Earth, or a Hooker's
Green are nice options.
Browns: Though you can of course mix your browns, I find
it very helpful to have a range of browns in my palette as it speeds
me up and I use them
often.
I find a good Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, and a Raw Sienna
to be among my most used colors, so if you can afford these additional
it is a
splurge you will benefit from.
Grays: Only get a grey if you are going all out as it
is probably your least essential color. That having been said, if you
did want a gray go for
a Payne's Gray.
Blacks: I really prefer mixing my own blacks as they
then have a color weight and complexity that adds richness to my shadows.
Therefore, I personally
don't often use black.
However. If you are getting a black go with
either a Mars Black or an Ivory Black
White: In watercolor you use the white of the page mostly.
It is very rare that I will actually ever use a white at all so you
really don't
need to buy one. White in watercolor will dull your colors and make
the paint more opaque which is not great.
However you may want one
for a scumble sometime, and if so, then go with a Chinese
White.
When purchasing your paints, you should also note that
it is important to make sure you buy Lightfast paints. Some brands
and colors are not
completely lightfast
so beware of buying very inexpensive brands just to save money.
Brush Types
When selecting the
brushes to purchase, you will find that it is nice to have
as wide a selection of types as you can afford.
This statement may sound decadent,
but your brushes are your best tools. Paintings that are visual rich
and engaging to look at often have a variety of marks with
in them. In order to achieve a divers range of marks, you need a diverse selection
of brushes.
For watercolor it is also extremely important to purchase
brushes of the best
quality. This is true for two main reasons:
First off a bad quality brush will
loose hairs when you are working with it. This can be disastrous in
watercolor as it may mess up the effects you are trying
to achieve if you remove it while the paints wet, but will leave a permanent
mark on the page if you don't notice it and allow it to dry on the surface
of your piece.
Secondly, a good quality natural hairbrush will hold
a larger amount of paint, which can be essential if you want to create
a continuous
flowing line.
If you can afford it the best brushes to buy are 100%
natural sable hairbrushes. The most luxurious brush in my opinion is
the Kolinsky
Sable brush. They are
a dream to paint with, but are very expensive.
Another excellent option is the
Raphael Brushes. While both of these brushes are expensive, you can
often get a good deal if you buy a brush set which is
a great way to start your brush collection.
If you opt to buy your brushes individually
then you will want to purchase a variety of sizes. To start with I
would get 1liner, a 2,4,6,and 8 round, a small
fan brush, and 1 inch flat. I personally use many teeny tiny brushes, 0 and 00,
as I do lots of detail in my paintings. If you anticipate working this way then
go ahead and purchase a few very small brushes for the detail work.
As I explained above, with watercolor it is best to
go with natural hairbrushes
and best to use 100% sable brushes.
However, that said, you may like to also
purchase one or two small flat synthetic brushes as well. These you
will not use for actually laying down the paint with,
but rather for pulling up the paint with when you are attempting to move a mark
or employ staining techniques (staining will be explained in more length later).
Brush Shapes and Care
In time you will discover what brushes work best for
you for specific marks. However, in general you will find that flat
brushes are most
often used for laying
down large expanses of color, your round brushes are often used like a pencil
for drawing lines and creating detail, fan brushes are used to blend color and
create scattered marks, and your very small brushes are best used for precision
and fine lines.
Because watercolor is a gentler medium then say oil paints,
if you take good care and give your brushes proper storage, a nice
brush
can last you for a very
long time. In part this can help to justify the expense of purchasing good quality
to work with.
In order to give your brushes the longest life span be
sure to clean them in with water through out your time in the studio
and with
a gentle soap at the
end of your workday. Never, leave your brushes sitting in a jar of water, as
this will not only ruin the tip, but also destroy the glue inside.
To store your
brushes either buy a plastic round holder where your brushes can stand
upright from the base of the brush with the tip in the air, or store
them
in a canvas brush holder where they can lay flat with each brush in it's
own private slot
Papers and Boards
When selecting the surface on which
to work you can choose to paint on either paper or a board. Watercolor
on paper is the most traditional
way to work with
the medium, but many companies now make watercolor boards, which you can work
on too.
While less traditionally then paper, working on watercolor
board can wonderful as well as it provides a very rigid surface to
use. The unfortunate
aspect
of working on board though is that they are usually rather delicate surfaces
and
paper can sometime be much easier to store and protect.
Working on paper
is most traditionally done. In fact, Arches watercolor paper is a
brand that originated in France in the mid 1500s. Of course, some elements
have changed since then, and now a days it is important that whatever brand
you buy you make sure you purchase acid free paper.
Paper Weights and Work
Surfaces
When purchasing watercolor paper
there are several aspects to keep in mind. The first aspect to consider
is the weight of your paper.
The weight of
the paper
determines the thickness of the page. This number, called the paperweight,
is determined by the overall weight of a 500-sheet ream of paper.
The
most widely used paper weights are 600lb, 300lb, 140 lb, or 90lb.
Personally I would urge you to stay away from 90lb for sure as it
is really to flimsy to do much with.
Generally it is best to have
the heaviest weight you can afford to buy, as the heavier paperweights
are stiffer and less likely to buck
when
wet. They
also
will be more absorbent as they have the ability to hold more water.
As I mentioned earlier Arches is a great brand to buy
and you will be quite happy working on their 300 lb or 140lb paper.
If you want
to spend
money
and buy the
best, Lana Watercolor 600 lb paper is one of the top of the line
buys.
When buying paper you also should consider that you could
purchase loose sheets of paper that you will need to tape down or
stretch, you can purchase
rolls
of paper if you are planning to work very large, or you can
purchase watercolor blocks, which are pads of paper.
The advantage of
the watercolor blocks is that they eliminate the need for taping
your sheets down, and are convenient to
use on
site or out
of the
studio.
Stretching your Paper
If you choose to work with loose
sheets you will need to prepare your paper by taping it down or stretching
it.
If you are to
do this be
sure to look
at the
side of your pages.
It is ok to work on either side of
the paper but the rule of thumb is to look for the side with the
watermark and
that this
is the
preferred side
to work
on.
To prepare your paper you will want to find a hard
board to tape your paper down on to. I recommend
going to Home
Depot
or your
local lumber
yard and
having a
piece of Masonite cut to a size that feels comfortable
for you to maneuver.
It is important that this surface
is rigid and won't be affected by the water you use on the page.
Other surfaces that work
well are Plexiglas,
glass, or foam core.
Avoid using cardboard as the
corrugated ripples could interfere with your painting by appearing
on your
page.
Once you have selected your board, cut
your paper to the desired size and then tape it firmly down
using
a Safe
Release Painter's
Masking
Tape to
adhere it to your board. Make sure as you do
this that there are no air bubbles
or
buckles under the page.
Some artists like to
soak their paper for 5 to 10 minutes in a cool clean tub before adhering
it down
with staples
instead.
This
is done
so that
the paper
will become very taunt and stretched when
it dries and you will have the smoothes surface
possible
to work on.
Cold Press vs. Hot Press
The other aspect of your paper
to consider is if you want to purchase cold pressed
or hot pressed
paper.
Traditional watercolorists often
use cold pressed paper, which has a rough
surface.
However if
you intend to
do highly detailed
paintings
then you
may prefer the
smooth slick surface that a hot pressed
paper offers you.
Palette
If you have painted with other mediums
and have a pad of disposable palette
paper, you
can use
this for your
watercolors
when you
are just getting
started.
However if you are serious
about working with watercolors, and especially
if
you have purchased
your paints
in a tube, you will
want to purchase
a metal
or plastic palette specifically
designed for watercolor. This
will save you
loads of money because watercolor
once dry
can just be rewetted and used
again so your
paints
will
last
for an indefinite
amount
of time.
My palette, which you
can see here, is a metal palette that
folds up
on it self:
(Later I will insert
a photo of my palette here)
I like this because it allows
me to travel quite easily
with my
paints but still
has a surface
for mixing on.
How to best
set up your Palette
When setting up your palette
is important to create
a formula for your
self that you can
easily remember.
For
example
cool colors
on one side
warm
on another. This is
less important if you already
have extensive
knowledge of
your colors
and don't need to be
reminded of which color is which,
but as you
are learning
to identify
your
colors,
having a system
to
your grouping
can very helpful.
If
you purchase a plastic palette and have space
to write on
the edges, I
recommend taking
a permanent marker and
writing in your
color names
next to each color.
This will help you
in learning to identify
your colors
and know where each
one
is located.
Additional
Materials
With watercolor
there are lots
of little
additional materials
you can
purchase
for tools to
aid you in your studio.
Among these are:
Mixing
Cups: While you can
purchase
these art
any art
supply store
for relatively
little cost,
I just got
in the habit
of purchasing
shallow cans
of yogurts
and cottage
cheese
and after eating
the yogurt
cleaning
them out and
recycling them
to use for
my mixing cups.
(Insert photo
here of all
my yogurt
containers)
Paper
Towels: good paper
towels are
essential
for me. I buy
the Viva
paper towels
as they are
all white
and extremely
absorbent,
but
any good
sturdy one will do.
Brush Storage:
I mentioned
this above
when talking
about your
brushes.
A good
plastic storage
case
or flat
canvas holder
will go
along way in preserving
the life
of
your brushes.
Light
Bulbs: Essential
to any
good
studio is good
lighting.
The best
light
to work with
is a
North facing
window
and a
room filled
with
natural daylight.
However,
few
of us have
that
luxury
of
choice in the
small
little
areas
we
set up to
work
in
so thus
the
importance of
good
artificial
lighting.
I use
all
daylight-balanced
light
bulbs
in
my
house.
These
help
me
see
the
whole
color
spectrum
as
they
mimic
daylight,
and
they
have
been
advertised
to
help
ward
off
depression
as
they
mimic
sunlight.
Moreover,
what
artist
couldn't
use
a little
extra
positive
encouragement
in
the
studio
even
if
it
is
just
coming
from
your
light
bulb?
Other
helpful
bits
included,
scissors,
Masking
tape,
X-Acto
knife,
Eraser,
Pencil,
Sponge,
a
spray bottle,
watercolor
pencils,
and
Masking
Fluid.
TK
