All About Techniques in Watercolor

152 Pages·2010·26.01 MB·English

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All aboutthe medium
All aboutthe equipment
All abouttechnique
ALL
All about color
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All about paintinc
METHODS
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All about pointers
and practical advice,- ABOUT
All about specific '
subjects
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techniques
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An
indispensable manualfor artists
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BARRON'S
BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Copley Square
GOvi

ALL
About
Techniques in
WATERCI
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ALL
About
Techniques in
WATERCOLOR
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BARRON'S
Contents
Preface 5
Materials and tools 6
Paint 6
Paper 10
Brushes 18
Boards, Easels, and Cases 26
Containers, Cups, and Palettes 30
Other Materials and Accessories 32
Techniques in watercolor 36
Stretching Paper 36
Using the Brush 38
One Color 42
Two Colors 48
Three Colors 50
Wet and Dry 58
White 62
Tricks ofthe Trade 72
The Sponge 88
Line Drawing 90
Shadows 92
Light 96
Atmosphere 100
Watercolor subjects 102
Skies 102
Water 108
Vegetation 114
Flesh Tones 124
Animal Textures 130
Glass 138
Metal 140
Topic Finder 142
Although it ispossible tofind examples dating reader wi—llfind everything about the watercolor
back toancienttimes, watercolorpainting, assuch, medium that is, answers to questions, tricks
started in thefifteenth century. Despite its rela- needed to achieve a certain effect, and exact
tivelyrecentdevelopment, however, itissecondonly information on every aspect ofthe technique.
to oils inpopularity. Thistechnique is based on the This book has been designed for the fine arts
interplay ofwater, pigments, and the brilliancy of teacher, who will find abundant information
whitepaper to create effects oflight, transparency for his or her classes; the art student,for whom it
(watercolor}s main quality), andsubtlety oftone. will be an unrivalled reference work; and the
Today, watercolor is one ofthe basic painting professional, who will benefit not only from its
techniques, as well as one ofthe best known and thoroughness but also from the way it classifies
appreciated. It is fascinating to work with a the graphic materials, and the wealth of new
medium that allows the artist topaintsuchfresh, information itcontains. All About Techniques in
spontaneous, andflowing works. Although it is a Watercolor will be an essential companion for
naturally fragile medium and requires little beginners and more advanced amateurs, who are
equipment, it can produce works ofgreat beauty unlikely to find such a far-reaching technical
and elegance. andpracticalguide asthisone elsewhere.
As with any other technique (probably more To anyone who paints in watercolor, we offer
so, given the difficulty of correction), mastering this work as aguide to entering the world ofthis
watercolor requires the artist to paint constantly, exciting technique.
to practice time and again, to experiment a
thousand times over. In time, practice makesper-
fect and arouses the imagination. Much will
depend on the individual'sefforts, willpower, and
constancy: Ifthe artist can combine afirm atti-
tude with sound knowledge ofthe technique itself,
the resultwill be theperfectartist.
All About Techniques in Watercolor is an
attempt to deal exhaustively with the knowledge
necessary for mastering watercolor painting. It
seeks to provide a solid basis that is well
documentedand up to date. In addition
to thepaints,paper, and the otherneces-
sary materials, the artist will find
tricks ofthe trade, advice, basic exer-
cises, anddemonstrationssetoutclearly
in the form of detailed step-by-step
procedures.
The practical format of this book
makes each subject and detail easy
to understand so that anyone who
paints can put the information into
practice effortlessly. It is, therefore,
a true handbook in which the
CHARACTERISTICS
COMPONENTS
The main characteris-
tic of watercolor paint is
Watercolorpaintsare
< the transparency of its
GO obtained bymixingpig- colors. This is because
—<I Watercolor,oraquarelle,is awater-basedpaintthat hasasits ments,binders,<\ndmcis- gum arabic is the binder
principal characteristic the transparency ofits color. (The cure-retainingagentscalled and water is the only
humectants. solvent used to dilute
opaque water-based paints, including gouache and casein, will Qualityinwatercolor thepaint.
not be covered in this book.) paintisdeterminedbydie Transparency affects
qualityofthepigments the entire procedure of
Thisquick-dryingmediummakesuseofglazesthatareapplied andothercomponentsit watercolor painting. To
from light to dark. Light tones are introduced before the dark contains.Twobasicfea- begin, white is a color
ones because, being transparent, a lightcolorwill not conceal a turesrevealthequalityoi that is rarely applied;
apaint: stabilityandper- instead, the artist uses
dark one. Whites are obtained by reserving certain areas ofthe manence. thewhiteofthepaper—
papWearteitrscelofl.orisboththesimplestandthe mostdifficultoftech- tbhianStdtearbdsie.lpiAtefyntdiessraitofsneuastetu,hreea avwiantmgeertchoorolodrmcaasplakliienndtg.rdesoeAerss-
niques. Simple, because all the paints can be carried in small stablepaintwillnotcrack not entirely conceal any
bpaoixnets'satnrdantshpearpeanicnytimngeasnusrfatcheatisyopauprerw.orDikffmicuusltt bbeecacuarseefutlhley ct>arnpPceeeertlmooalfnifge.hnt,cere,feorrstroestihse- uidnamdrpekorslscyioiblnlogertcwooiltcohorvse,ariultipghiats
planned as it is a rather unpredictable medium that is virtually colorandisdirecdyasso- ownhee.nFopraitnthiensgeirneawsaotnesr,-
ciatedwiththepigments
impTohsesiebflfeecttoocforwraetcetr.color glazes resembles a dye more than a unsoetdc.haTnhgeecoovleorrtismheoualndd cpsotllaaornrt,intgihteainsdwoetsroskepnatibineatlfotrhteeo
continuous layer ofpaint. The colors can be combined on the alter the overall tonal lighttonesfirst.
palette orthe paper, aswell as bysuperimposing one glaze over balanceofthepicture.
another.
These colors can be applied thick and hardly PIGMENTS
diluted—as they come out of the tube. In this extremelyfinepowderis
case, the paintwill not adhere well to the paper, Watercolorpaintsare obtained.Thesmallerthe
and the color will re- I pqurailcietdyaacncdodrednisnitgytooftthhee geraasiinesroitftishetopisgpmreenatd,tthhee
semble an opaque pigments in the paint. paintevenly.
brushstroke. Water Paintofgoodqualitycan Each pigment reacts
bedilutedwith a lotof differently when it is
color applied this waterwithoutlosingits mixedwithwaterandis
way may crack if colorbecauseitconsists incontactwiththepaper.
of50percentpigment.
the paper is not Theraw materialsfrom
keptperfectlyflat. whichpigmentsarepro-
ducedaregrounduntilan Pigmentisthecomponent
thatgivespaintitscolor.