Perhaps the best challenge that a watercolor painter overcomes is not the controlling and dominating of the pigment on water as it is applied on paper but in anticipating and working with it. Not very many artists have done this to perfection but those who have, came out with the most elegant watercolor art pieces ever seen. In the US the most preeminent watercolorist who gained a masterful control of watercolor techniques includes Winslow Homer, Fidela Bridges, William Trost Richards, Thomas Moran, Henry Roderick Newman, Thomas Earkins and John La Farge.
Unlike mediums like oil and acrylic, watercolor does not essentially stay where they are placed. Aside from that, the hiding power of watercolor is not high. Unlike other mediums, when mistakes are done the errors could not be painted over, it could be blotted out but even with the best of efforts it could only be hidden partially. For this, watercolor fair or not gained a reputation for being a very demanding medium. When control is achieved though, it could be a very excellent medium to work on. Some of the watercolor techniques developed over the years includes the following examples.
Wet in Wet
There are several variations to this like back runs, paint diffusion, salt texture, cling film technique, dropping in color and pouring in color but the basic idea is to paint on a paper that is already wet either with water or paint. Depending on how wet the paper is, the wet in wet technique are applied to existing washes and are good for subtle backgrounds. The technique is to use a wide brush and wet the paper before applying watercolor into it. This will result into undefined marks depending on the absorbency of the paper used and the dampness of the paper.
Washes
The flat wash is the basic technique. To differentiate it from the wet in wet, the flat wash is wetting only the area where the pigment is to be painted. It is achieved by painting on a sloping surface in overlapping strokes working from the top downwards. To achieve a fading effect, the pigment is diluted with more water with every stroke. The common mistake to guard against is not waiting for the paper and the paint to dry out. When that is done pigments will flow to each other and the work could be ruined.
Glazing
This technique is to adjust the tone or color of an existing wash. To do this, water with very little pigment is commonly used. When the glazing technique is applied, be sure that the surface that is being glazed over is completely dry if you do not want the paint underneath to mix with the glazing. To get the best result, get a trial patch and glaze gradually. Glazing will change the value of the paint underneath but will not actually alter the pigment. Paint only one layer at a time to achieve the right color temperature that you want to achieve.
Dry Brush
Dry brush is a watercolor technique is the opposite application to the wet in wet. Here the paint is dragged across the paper without diluting it with paper. The Effect are crisp and sharp. Dry brush is applied usually to achieve the most and sharpest contrast.
Some people are by nature, creative some are not so but want to. Either caused by genes, early childhood exposure, natural inclination, precocity, sudden inspiration, there are people who could create art better. It always will be. Whatever the cause though whether born into it or not, we learn from practice. The fact is, the best artists devoted more time to the discipline of practice. Inspiration is then sparked more because as the practice continues, the better the artist becomes. It is often said that we are not fully human until we learn to create. For the creative spark that is within each of us, here are the following drawing tips.
Practice – No matter what subject you have in mind, the important thing is to keep on practicing first. Doing so will help you to start judging proportions and translating it into paper. There is no shortcut to this. Practicing makes the hand pressure more sensitive to the paper and the hand movements more attuned to the subject that you have in mind. Only spiders are born that could immediately build a house, we alas has to keep on trudging. The more pencil shavings you have, the more you convert the ideas into the art. It does not matter what you draw because as with everything else no effort really goes to waste.
Having said that, fine artists start their composition by imagining. Look at the big picture, get the general idea, and start sketching. You can add the details later on. Often while working, the picture that we have in mind does not translate accurately on the paper. That is often the case; In fact it is good that it has to be because by then improvisation takes place which is really the beginnings of the mark of true art and individuality. Many masters agonized over that but worked through it and came up with unique pieces of art. If you work at it long enough, you will discover that not over thinking but letting yourself go with the flow of the work does it better. But of course that would come later.
In the meantime, start by drawing thumbnail sketches. When you have a good idea of the composition of the picture, start drawing. It is good though when starting to reduce the picture that you have in mind into smaller shapes. Reducing the figure into smaller simple pieces makes the canvass more manageable. Start your sketches with light strokes but keep it as detailed as you want. Always start near the center of the page.
If the main interest of the subject if not exactly at the center, it must be on a location that will immediately catch the eye but never start from a corner working your way in. The same principle applies when applying the strongest tonal contrast. This is what you call the center of interest. It is here that most details are made. Start with large and bold movements using soft pencils when starting a sketch and then proceed to drawing the fine details using finer point pencils. For finishing touches, apply small and tight strokes.
Another drawing tip that you would want to apply is to work first on large sheets of inexpensive paper. Working on inexpensive paper is a good way to gain confidence with practicing hand strokes.
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