|
There
is a huge choice of watercolor materials available. It can seem
overwhelming to a beginner, but you can begin slowly and add to your
collection of watercolor materials as you develop your talent.
As with most things, you get what you pay for. If you can afford it,
buy the best quality. Rather buy fewer items than a lot of items of
inferior quality. Artist's Quality watercolor paint goes a long way and
good brushes can last a lifetime.
Student quality materials have their place, but you will soon see the
superior quality of Artist's Quality materials.
Take yourself seriously enough to begin with and you will soon be
producing masterpieces! Keep your initial investment simple.
Don't be tempted to buy every paint color, brush and gizmo available.
Paint:
The magic and distinguishing feature of watercolour is its
transparency. The "traditional" watercolor technique is achieved by
using layers upon layers of paint to achieve a luminosity and depth
seldom seen in other mediums.
When purchasing watercolor paint for the first time, you really don't
need many colous. In fact, you could get by with just 3!
Before you spend a huge amount of money, buy just 3 colous and play. I
would pick:
* Ultramarine blue
* Winsor yellow
* Magenta
These 3 primary colours, mixed in varying ratios and with varying
amounts of water, can produce pretty respectable paintings. All those
lovely colours in the art shops seduce many beginners.
Rather wait until you have practised a bit!
Watercolour paint comes in two different forms:
* pans (or cakes)
* tubes
Even if you are painting for the first time, buy the best paint you can
afford. The Student's ranges are not as good and don't go as far as the
Artist's ranges.
Once you have experimented with these colors, you can buy more colors,
depending upon what you will be painting.
Brushes:
I always thought that top quality expensive brushes
were over-rated ... until I tried one! Now I'm hooked!
Nonetheless, I do think that these deluxe brushes are a bit wasted on a
total beginner. Rather ease into watercolour gradually. By the time
your inexpensive brush is ready for only doing trees, you'll be ready
for a good brush or two.
Begin by trying out a few different sizes, from small to large.
000 the smallest size which I had to have for my postage
stamp paintings. One 0 for each hair of the brush!
Biggest size super for doing big areas of washes
In practice, you will probably seldom use these extreme sizes, so begin
with an in-between size, such as a 5, 6, 7
In addition to different sizes, watercolour brushes also have different
shapes.
Rounds and Flats are the most popular. Round brushes are described from
000 to ---, whilst Flats come in sizes measured in inches (e.g. 1/2
inch, 1/4 inch, etc). To begin with, try both. You will soon find your
comfort level.
Brushes are also available for several "specialist" tasks. Examples
include
* a fan shape (used for painting foliage),
* a rigger (so named because it paints thin lines, like yacht's
rigging, very well great for branches too),
Don't be tempted to buy every shape
when you are starting out. You'll know when you're ready for
these brushes.
A good indication of a brush's quality is its price. You pay a premium
for a red sable or kolinsky brush. They are good for several reasons
* They carry more liquid, so you can take your brush for a walk on your
paper for longer without having to re-charge with more paint
* They come to an excellent point, so details are easier
* They have a characteristic springiness to them, which gives
individual brush strokes more calligraphic interest.
Paper:
Volumes have been written about paper! It's a huge and fascinating
subject.
The choice of watercolour paper is pretty huge. I can tell you what I
like, but it may not work for you. As is the case with brushes, you
need to find your own favorite paper.
Saunders Waterford 300 gm rough surface. It's a medium weight (300 gm -
or 140 lb refers to the weight). I wouldn't recommend using a
lighter paper because it tends to do weird and not-so-wonderful things
when it's wet. And I ALWAYS stretch my paper. See stretching paper
below.
Even if you're trying watercolour for the first time, use a good paper.
It makes a world of difference:
* The paper absorbs the water-based paint easier
* The paint reflects its true color
* When the paper dries again, it dries flat
Several paper manufacturers offer watercolor paper in block form. Now
and then, I use these, usually in the field when big boards can be a
hindrance. The blocks are gummed along the edges, so you can use the
topmost sheet as though it were stretched to a board. Despite this, the
paper does tend to buckle while wet. You should wait until the paper is
completely dry before removing it from the block.
TIP: To remove paper from a block, insert a dinner knife under the
paper and detach it as though using a letter-opener. Most manufacturers
leave a few centimetres unglued for this purpose.
Good watercolor paper has a neutral pH or is acid-free. Acid is
commonly used to manufacture paper and it is this acid that turns
ordinary paper yellow with time. Put a newspaper and a piece of
watercolor paper in a dark cupboard for a year and you'll see the
difference! In the past, paintings on paper were notoriously fragile,
but modern paper-making technology has solved that problem.
Paper is available in different surfaces. I get totally confused by all
the terminology hot-press, NOT, cold-press it is probably all
a bit more technical than it needs to be. I use mainly a rough surface.
I find it takes the paint well and is suitable for a loose approach.
Smooth paper usually allows for more details. If you're into detail,
try the smooth paper first.
As with most art materials, paper's quality depends upon its price.
Test them until you find the right one for you. When you've been
painting for a few years, you will understand the quasi-religious
devotion afforded to paper!
HOW TO stretch watercolor paper
You'll need:
A sheet of good quality watercolor paper... 300gsm rough surface
A thick board, bigger than your paper size
Gummed paper brown tape, about 10cm (±3 inches) wide
* Run a bath to a few cm/inches full.
* Rest your board horizontally across the top of the bath.
* Tear your gummed tape to the size needed (must be placed along all 4
edges
of the paper). Keep it close by.
* Immerse a sheet of paper in the water for a few minutes, until it
loses its
surface sheen.
* Gentlly lift the paper out and place it flat on the board. Work as
quickly as
possible now, especially if you live in a dry climate like I do. Do not
worry
about air bubbles.
* Dip the strips of tape into the bath, take off excess moisture and
smooth
down on all 4 sides of the paper. Allow about half the width of the
tape to
cover the edges of the paper.
* Use a damp sponge to gently mop up excess moisture.
* Leave alone!!!
Buckling
is normal. Do not move the board or the paper until the paper is dry.
Never put the board upright.
(If the paper is buckled when dry, cut it off the board with a sharp
knife and re-stretch.)
Do not remove the paper from the board until your painting is completed
Cut your painting off the board using a sharp utility cutter
Trim the gummed tape off your paper
TIP:
Don't try to hurry the drying process - if you put your board in the
sun or use a blow-dryer, the paper is more likely to ripple. Leave your
board flat until the paper is completely dry.
INFO:
When wet, watercolor paper initially has a surface sheen. This is due
to the paper's "sizing", a sort of seal from the paper-making process
that resists water. Stretching the paper "breaks" this seal, allowing
watercolour paint to penetrate the paper more effectively. Without
stretching, the watercolor paint tends to glide off the surface of the
paper and also to form puddles.
:
When stretching watercolour paper, don't try to hurry the drying
process - if you put your board in the sun or use a blow-dryer, the
paper is more likely to ripple or buckle.
Leave your board flat until the paper is completely dry.
About Us | E-Mail |Sitemap |
Retailers Join Now ||
Retail Meat Manual |
Meat Spreadsheets |
STORE
Privacy
Policy
Meatnplace Disclaimer
Terms Of Use
|