Art and Design 2200Watercolour Techniques

Watercolour TechniquesIn your sketchbook you will paint a sample

of each of the following watercolour techniques.

Draw a rectangle for each sample technique (2-4 per sketchbook page).

Your project must have a title and each sample must be labeled correctly.

Remember to be neat and creative!

WashThis is the most basic

watercolour technique. It is produced by first wetting the paper which is to be covered by the wash, then mix paint with the entire area. Paint should be applied by making horizontal brush strokes across the paper which overlap slightly.

Wash

Gradiant/Graded WashThis wash goes from dark to light

down (or up) the page. This technique requires the paint to be diluted with more water for each horizontal stroke. This wash should fade out gradually and evenly.

Gradiant/Graded Wash

Wet-in-WetThe process of applying paint to

wet paper. Wet the paper with a large brush and paint onto the dampness. The soft marks and colours made by painting wet on wet are great for backgrounds.

Wet-in-Wet

Dry BrushThis technique is almost opposite

of Wet-in-wet. The brush is full of paint with very little water and is dragged over completely dry paper. These marks will be crisp and hard edged. They will tend to come forward in the painting so use them to attract attention.

Dry Brush

LiftingMost watercolour pigment can be

dissolved and lifted off after it is dried. Wet the area to be removed with a brush and clean water, then blot the pigment away with a tissue.

Lifting

SplatterThis is a simple technique which

involves dipping the brush in paint and using a finger to flick the bristles so that the paint splatters on the paper.

Do not throw the paint everywhere!

Splatter

SaltThis is a technique of sprinkling

salt onto a wet wash which causes the wash to spread.

Salt

Wax ResistClear wax (or crayons or oil

pastels) drawn on white paper or dry painted paper acts as a resist to new washes.

Wax Resist

ErasingThis technique involves erasing

pigment with an eraser. You could also use a damp sponge over a stencil to lift colour.

Erasing

SgrafittoSgrafitto is an Italian term for

scratching techniques. This technique is excellent for adding details to landscape paintings in the form of naked trees and branches. You can use cardboard, cut to shape, to scrape larger areas of paint around.

The smooth flat edge will act as a squeegee and push the paint off the area you are scraping.

ErasingThis technique involves erasing

pigment with an eraser. You could also use a damp sponge over a stencil to lift colour.

TexturesDropping - This is the simple

process of introducing a colour to a wet region of the painting and allowing it to blend, bleed, and feather.

Plastic Wrap Texture – This texture is created by laying plastic wrap over a wet wash and allowing to dry before removing the wrap.

TexturesTissue Paper Texture – This texture is

created by laying tissue paper over a wet wash and allowing to dry before removing the wrap.

Stamping – This is made by putting paint on something and pressing that something onto your painting. The stamping material you choose could be anything organic or synthetic. Try the classic potato, pencil eraser, or leather, lace, burlap, leaves, grasses or your fingers. Use your imagination, possibilities abound.

Textures

Textures