Water color artists have a long history, from the time man first painted on the walls of a cave with his finger. This medium has developed a great deal since then and has attracted many admirers for its luminosity and versatility. If you are just beginning your journey, here are some suggestions to help you along the way.
A limited palette of colors is suggested for those who are just beginning. Rather use limited colors and learn how to mix them than confuse the issue with too many. A good brush or two is important. Cheap brushes are not advised as they shed hairs and do not retain their shape. A good brush will hold enough paint and will not have to be constantly reloaded. Other useful items are sponges and paper towels. Preparation is vital as water colors dry quickly and sections of the same tones need to be done at the same time.
When starting out, do not be too cautious. Sometimes you have to surrender control to discover the qualities of the paint. Use a big brush and make broad sweeps. There are many techniques which have to be learned, such as working wet on dry or wet in wet. You need to find out all about using washes and how different ratios produce different light effects. You need to observe for yourself how colors flow and blend together. The only way to learn all the different techniques is to go step by step and try it all out for yourself.
Remember that colors look more intense when wet and lighter and paler when dry. Even when colors are dry, they are still soluble. This means that you can dried paint can be re-wet. This allows you to lighten a color by removing some of it. Paint can even be lifted off the paper to fix a mistake but this can damage the paper.
When choosing a subject to paint, it is better to choose something fairly uncomplicated to start with. As you complete this successfully, you will gain confidence to move on to one which is a little more complex. The learning process often consists of taking baby steps until you learn to walk.
When looking at your subject, you need to ignore all the finer details initially and group similar values together. It is often hard as a beginner to see values as color gets in the way. When making a value study, using the white of the paper as the lightest value and then reducing all the other values to a light, a middle and a dark helps to create a good composition. Colors and details come later.
Once you have decided exactly which areas need to be left white, masking fluid can be used to paint these areas. It is rubbed off once the other darker areas have been painted. An example of this would be a mountain covered with snow. The snow is painted with masking fluid, the darker colors painted in and then the fluid removed to reveal pristine white.
Water color artists are attracted by the light effects and versatility of their medium. Some of them, such as botanical artists, have a precise, controlled style while others have a looser and more impressionistic style. Whatever style you think suits you best, the only way to achieve it is to practice until you grow into it.
A limited palette of colors is suggested for those who are just beginning. Rather use limited colors and learn how to mix them than confuse the issue with too many. A good brush or two is important. Cheap brushes are not advised as they shed hairs and do not retain their shape. A good brush will hold enough paint and will not have to be constantly reloaded. Other useful items are sponges and paper towels. Preparation is vital as water colors dry quickly and sections of the same tones need to be done at the same time.
When starting out, do not be too cautious. Sometimes you have to surrender control to discover the qualities of the paint. Use a big brush and make broad sweeps. There are many techniques which have to be learned, such as working wet on dry or wet in wet. You need to find out all about using washes and how different ratios produce different light effects. You need to observe for yourself how colors flow and blend together. The only way to learn all the different techniques is to go step by step and try it all out for yourself.
Remember that colors look more intense when wet and lighter and paler when dry. Even when colors are dry, they are still soluble. This means that you can dried paint can be re-wet. This allows you to lighten a color by removing some of it. Paint can even be lifted off the paper to fix a mistake but this can damage the paper.
When choosing a subject to paint, it is better to choose something fairly uncomplicated to start with. As you complete this successfully, you will gain confidence to move on to one which is a little more complex. The learning process often consists of taking baby steps until you learn to walk.
When looking at your subject, you need to ignore all the finer details initially and group similar values together. It is often hard as a beginner to see values as color gets in the way. When making a value study, using the white of the paper as the lightest value and then reducing all the other values to a light, a middle and a dark helps to create a good composition. Colors and details come later.
Once you have decided exactly which areas need to be left white, masking fluid can be used to paint these areas. It is rubbed off once the other darker areas have been painted. An example of this would be a mountain covered with snow. The snow is painted with masking fluid, the darker colors painted in and then the fluid removed to reveal pristine white.
Water color artists are attracted by the light effects and versatility of their medium. Some of them, such as botanical artists, have a precise, controlled style while others have a looser and more impressionistic style. Whatever style you think suits you best, the only way to achieve it is to practice until you grow into it.
