EN
Translate:
~ Watercolor Techniques~
Wash
There are many watercolor techniques and watercolor terms. First, learning to paint a wash is fundamental to watercolor painting. Start by painting clean water onto the area to be painted. Dilute your paint with water until it is "juicy." Paint your area with long strokes. The less you pick up your brush, the smoother the wash will be.
These are the 3 types of washes I utilize:
1. The flat wash: This wash is one color and is useful for any area requiring smooth color with no visible brush strokes.
2. The graduated or gradient wash: This is a one color wash that provides soft transitions of light to dark or vice versa. As you go from dark to light, let your paint run out of the brush, so there is less paint applied to the paper as you progress to the lighter area of the wash.
3. The variegated wash: This wash is used when you need a smooth transition of one color to another. Follow the instructions for a flat wash until you are ready to change colors. Rinse your brush out and change color (making sure your brush isn't too wet or dry) and complete the wash with the second color.
Wet Into Wet Technique
Painting wet into wet is a technique used to make the paint flow onto the paper. Paint water on your area first. Next, apply your paint, letting the paint flow into the water. This technique will result in soft edges where the brush touched the paper.
Wet Onto Dry Technique
The wet onto dry technique controls the paint. Place your wash onto the dry paper. This technique will result in hard edges where the brush touched the paper.
Glazing
Glazing is a technique accomplished by painting a layer of color and letting it completely dry. Next, layer another transparent color on top of the first layer. This will give your painting a luminous look. You should be able to see the first color through your second color. You can glaze several layers of paint; as long as they are transparent and not opaque, the colors will remain luminous. Until you really experiment with glazing colors, it is safer to glaze colors adjacent to the color wheel. Using adjacent colors will help you avoid muddy glazes.
~Examples Of Techniques~
Hard Edges
Hard Edges
Hard Edges
Hard edges are accomplished by painting the shape to the edge to define the shape. These edges are clearly defined with no sense of being out of focus.
Soft Edges
Hard Edges
Hard Edges
Soft Edges are accomplished by wetting the paper first and then letting the paint flow onto the paper without being restricted by a shape. You are suggesting shapes.
Another way to accomplish a soft edge is to paint a shape and then rinse your brush and blot it on a towel to remove the excess water. Immediately, in one stroke, run the brush along the damp edge of the shape. The color will flow into the newly wetted area. Rinse your brush again, blot, and soften the new edge.
Lost Edges
Hard Edges
Lost Edges
Lost edges are accomplished by letting the shape dry. Once dry, take a clean, slightly damp brush and gently scrub the edge, scrubbing until the edge is lost to your satisfaction. Be sure to keep rinsing and drying your brush to avoid laying paint back onto the paper as you scrub.
Shapes can become completely lost, leaving little or no definition. Sometimes, two shapes can become one.
~Watercolor Terms~
Value
Value is the lightness or darkness of tones or colors. White is the lightest value; black is the darkest.
The ferrule is the metal band connecting the bristles to the handle.
A Thirsty Brush is a term I use to describe how wet your brush is while painting. Have a thirsty brush, rinse your brush with clean water and dry the excess water off on a pad or a towel. A thirsty brush will allow you to pick up excess paint on your paper or blend your edges.