Preparation paper for watercolor painting

This film describes how to prepar paper for watercolor painting. You can watch the video and description of the various stages below.

For a few days I had trouble starting the presentation. Here I give some explanations in traditional form.

Sometimes I do the drawing first - before I stick paper to the board. when I don't have the mood and make mistakes I just take a new card and do not have to detach it. It is hard to wipe off pencil if its overdrawed end watercolor go dirty. It is better that the picture was as delicate. This order is not necessary but possible, and who will.

Next I tear off pieces of the tape. Touching tape with wet hands is gluing the reel.

I am filling the bath with water and dip my sheet for 5 - 10 minutes. Paper has to get wet and soft but dissolves the glue which is a component of paper, so it is not advisable to soak it too long.

I gently remove paper from water. It is soft now so I let water drip for a moment.

I put paper on a towel and gently let the water soak in it After a while the paper is damp but not wet, it is not shinnig.

Now, I'm moisturizing previously prepared pieces with the wet sponge and tape the paper, clamp it firmly. If the tape is badly affixed to the paper it will bend.

Now I leave the paper for the night to dry. On the next day I start to paint. This is my method that I like to work that way. I often prepar few sheets of clean paper or with sketches and I have a spare ready to paint. I use plywood as a drawing board. In some areas, tape did not want to keep.
When my painting is done and dry it must be cutted off so the size of paper that I prepared at the beginning declines. I soak the tape which is left on the board and scrape it off with spatula.

Basic watercolor techniques

Today I introduce the basic watercolor techniques and show how to paint simple, pretty picture. The best topics at the beginning are flowers, landscapes or fruits because they do not require proficiency in the use of perspective. The best way to start is the single color paint to focus on the technique.

First I carried out a pencil sketch on paper 15x20cm (6"x9"). If I need a precise drawing I usie 2B pencil , if the sketch is to be less precise I usually use 3B. Harder pencils are more difficult to wipe. If I intend to soak the paper and stretch it to the board in spite of everything I can to draw everything in pencil first, the water does not harm him.

Now, I covered the paper with the clean water which has rapidly soaked in so I dumped it again. It is a "wet in wet" technique. Paper must be still shiny from the water. On the wet surface of the stain of paint can be corrected, lighten, darken etc. If I use paint with a high use of water iit will be clear and giddy. The more dry brush is and lesspaints on it stain becomes darker and more accurate but still foggy. Excellent technique for painting the background, sky, far-off plans.

When the paper dried up completely I painted a second layer. I paint here "normally" on a dry surface using a large amount of water. Used here is "negative painting". The shape was created by the dimness of flowers around the area and not painted by the same color. The second effect which is applied here is called "found and lost". The stems have sharp edges, but they flow away in some places. This is done for example by washing wet spots with clean water in some often accidenital places or by using two brushes at once - one with paint and a second with clear of water or other methods of ypur own. Very nice effect, my favorite.

Here I present two another techniques. The first one is to obtain the white. I use wet brush to lift the paint off, rinse the brush, wipe in dry paper towel and remove the paint again. I don't obtain a perfect white this way but rather strongly lighten it. I use the flat edge of brush to get thin lines. This way I lightened some stalks and lines on leaves . There are also presented next flayer here- "calligraphy". It recalls and a drawing so it is different from previous techniques. I use a thin "rigger" and paint lines with more detail and less amount of water to paint darker line.

Here I use technique known as "dry brush". Paint comes mostly out of the tube. I get through this very dark and thin line and needed to details. In other places a dry brush lets to get interesting rough surface so the stems and leaves look as more extended to the first plan.

Finally, I put yellow paint here and there. It sometimes stays yellow and sometimes give me igreen in combination with indigo blue. The rule in watercolor is painting bright spots first and then darker so theoretically I should not do this ... but who shall prohibit me? : D: D: D

Barwy dopełniające

Po dłuższej przerwie znów będę pisał o kolorach, tym razem o kolorach dopełniających.
Kolory żółty i fioletowy są kolorami dopełniającymi, gdyż leżą po przeciwnych stronach koła barw. Jeżeli znajdują się obok siebie tworzą silne kontrasty. Musi być jednak zachowana duża różnica walorów - jeden kolor musi być bardzo jasny drugi ciemny.




Dobór odpowiedniego koloru dopełniającego jest czasem pewnym problemem. Teoretycznie po zmieszaniu powinna powstać czerń. Pigmenty nie są jednak czystki barwami, jest kilka niebieskich, a w dodatku różnią się w zależności od producenta.




Drugim celem użycia barw dopełniających jest uzyskanie kolorów złamanych. Tu w niektórych partiach obrazka kolory się mieszają i uzyskując złamany odcień. Dodatkowo przykład posypania solą mokrej farby - powstaje ciekawy efekt.




Niebieski i pomarańczowy to kolory dopełniające, tu namalowane dla uzyskania kontrastu.








Tu kolory się mieszają w środkowej partii obrazka stając się bardziej szare lub brązowawe. Jest to metoda uzyskania głębi w pejzażu. Pierwszy plan prawie czystymi kolorami, a im dalej tym bardziej złamane i niewyraźne.





Ten obrazek został namalowany wyłącznie złamanym niebieskim i pomarańczowym. Tu łatwo przesadzić i wpaść w pułapkę szarości.







Zieleń i czerwień czyli maki na łące. W tym wypadku należy pamiętać aby zróżnicować walor jednej z barw. Zieleń i czerwień często mają ten sam walor.







Złamana zieleń wygląda bardziej naturalnie, zawsze maluję ją dodając nieco czerwieni.