How-to Magazine Article

How To Paint In Watercolor

Painting has been a celebrated form of art throughout mankind’s history.  From cave paintings to Fresco murals, painting has been a major art form throughout history.  One of the most celebrated and simplest mediums has been watercolor painting.

What is watercolor?
Watercolor is a form of painting that utilizes diluting paint pigment in water.  This method of painting is useful for many reasons.  By diluting the paint, colors can spread evenly over a surface to create softer images and smoother color gradients.  Because the pigments are suspended in the water solution, they are translucent and allow for more realistic lighting effects.

Paper
As with any painting style, paper is the starting point for any project.  There are various types of papers to choose from, from vellum to Bristol and many others.  However, according to Doug Hansen, who is a professor of art at California State University, Fresno, standard watercolor paper is the best starting point for beginners.

“For a person getting started there is something called a watercolor block, which is a stack of watercolor paper that has been glued together on all four edges, and the mass of the block keeps the paper from wrinkling and warping when you paint,” said Hansen.

Warping is a problem when working with watercolor due to water’s effect on the paper.  According to Hansen, “Professionals do all kinds of things to address this issue, from stapling the paper down to a board, to soaking the paper beforehand.”

Paints
When preparing for a project, the painter has to consider which paints to buy and use.  There are various producers of watercolor paints, and there are both opaque (solid-color) and transparent paints.  More expensive brands offer pigments that are richer in value, which means that the intensity of a color remains without muddying too easily.

Hansen recommends Pelikan brand watercolor paints because they are “student grade” and are generally cheap and of decent quality.  He also mentions that Windsor & Newton brand watercolors are high quality and are generally really expensive, and aren’t typically used by casual painters.

When beginning a painting, it is important to choose which colors to work with.  Hansen explains, “you can make pretty much any color from red, blue and yellow, but many painters like to have more options.”  When approaching a project, it is important to consider color choices.

Barbara Simmons, an elected member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolor said, “When I first started painting, I learned to mix my colors on the palette. Soon, I was using more colors and the mixing became more and more relaxed. As I became familiar with the colors, the actual mixing moved onto the paper.”  Learning how to mix colors effectively will come with time and experience.

Preparing a Workstation
Having a well-prepared workstation benefits an artist when beginning a painting project.  Professor Hansen states that he keeps “a water bowl, a jar full of paint brushes, my mixing tray, and the tubes or pans of watercolor sitting off to the side.”  He also keeps a rag for cleaning brushes on the table and a piece of paper, the same as the kind he is working on, for testing paints and colors before applying them to the paper.  By having a well-organized workstation, workflow will improve and the painter will be able to produce a better piece of work.

If the artist is painting small objects, it is helpful to have a place to set the object within the studio to paint directly.  It is important to choose a location with good lighting and that is close enough to see, yet will be stable enough to remain still.  In these situations, it is more likely that the painter will be working with fixed lighting instead of relying on natural lighting, so working only during the day isn’t a problem.

Lighting
Professor Hansen suggests having a desktop with plenty of light sources.  “You just can’t see what you’re doing if you don’t have good lighting,” said Hansen. “You can’t assess the quality.”

It is important to have light coming in from everywhere so that there are no shadows cast over the painting.  Natural light is preferred, but if none is available it is still possible to work using artificial lighting.

When working in artificial lighting, it is important to have “balanced lighting.”  Fluorescent bulbs are usually tinted to be either ‘warmer’ or ‘cooler,’ and if a painter wishes to work with such lighting, it is important to adjust the colors they work with accordingly.  This is important because lighting affects how the colors appear.

“The ideal is to create the artwork under the visual conditions that it’s going to be viewed under,” said Hansen.

Brushes
Choosing the right brush can affect the quality of a watercolor painting.  Round-tip brushes are generally the best to use, and there are many sizes to choose from.  Maintaining a brush requires reshaping the tip after each use. “You want a brush that springs back,” said Hansen.

There are also ‘flat brushes’ which are used to apply a wash of pigment over a large area quickly and evenly.  Brushes are made from various animal hairs, and there are even synthetic brush tips.  The more rare the animal hair, the more expensive the brush will be.

It is important to keep your brushes clean, as well as your water.  Whenever you change colors you should thoroughly clean the brush so as not to tinge the color of the paint you wish to use.  By changing water frequently and properly cleaning your brushes, your colors will look vibrant instead of looking muddied.

“You should never leave your brushes in the water container,” said Hansen.  “That will ruin them for sure.”  By drying your brushes with a paper towel and reshaping the tip, they will be ready for use the next time and will be in excellent working order.

Beginning The Painting
“I start by sketching,” said Hansen.  “It’s much more authentic.”  By starting a painting from a sketching, the painting takes on a more natural and organic feel than from working with a photo.  Having an underlying sketch allows the painter to have a template to work from and direct the flow of the paint.  Working with a softer pencil is preferable so that markings are not so dark and noticeable afterwards.  It is because of this that Professor Hansen does not like to use mechanical pencils when rendering an object to be painted.  Hansen said, “The underlying sketching is acceptable in a watercolor painting.  It is very common and typical in watercolor paintings.”

When applying paint, it is important to work quickly.  The reason that it is important to work quickly is because the water in the paint dries and sets the paint down onto the paper quickly.  As a result, most painters prefer to work in one sitting so as not to disturb layers of pigment that have already been set down.

When painting objects as opposed to landscapes it is usual to paint in sections.  This is because there is no need to worry about the paint drying too quickly, which would leave a noticeable edge between pigments.  Sometimes leaving an edge is what the painter wants, but “if you work on pieces bit by bit, it can look fragmented and piecemeal,” said Hansen.  A solution to this problem is to paint an undertone, which gives a whole section a default color to work from.

Finishing and Presenting Your Work
Allowing ample time for your painting to dry is very important.  You don’t want your colors to smear.  While drying, it is beneficial to have your paper stretched tight so that it will not warp and distort.

“Most watercolor art is going to be sandwiched between a mat board and a backing board,” said Hansen. This creates a little window to see the artwork through.  The reason for cropping the image through a window is because watercolor paintings don’t have clean edges around the image.

Professional artists also frame their work as well.  “Most watercolor art, when it’s framed, is behind glass because it’s delicate,” said Hansen.

The process of painting in watercolor can be fun, and it can also be difficult.  Finding time to paint uninterrupted is important, as well as finding a location with good lighting.  Choosing your tools and paints ahead of time will help speed the process along.  Overall, planning is the key to a successful painting.  As Professor Hansen notes, “It’s important to have a mental plan.”