Watercolor Painting for Dummies by Colette Pitcher Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Colette Pitcher
corner edges down.
5.Staple the rest of the edges about every inch.
4. Lay the Gator board flat, paper side up, so the paper can dry.
If the board is placed on its edge to dry, the paper will tear as it dries.
Wet paper expands. As the paper dries, it shrinks and pulls against the staples and stretches, becoming super-flat.
You now can paint on the paper while it’s still on the board. The board gives the paper rigidity, keeps it from wrinkling, and is lightweight for easy portability. After you’re finished painting, you can remove the staples.
Stretching after you paint
You can stretch paper after it’s painted as well:
1. Turn the painting over onto a clean surface.
2. Dampen the back side of the paper with a damp sponge.
Don’t make any puddles that may run over the edge and accidentally ruin the painting.
3. Cover the painting with a piece of glass and place some weights — books are good — on top of the glass.
4. Leave overnight or until dry.
Your painting is now flattened.
A framer can flatten your watercolors before framing them, too.
Preparing Your Painting Area
You need certain things in your painting area: a table and comfortable chair for starters. Most watercolorists paint flat on a table, though you can place a small box or a deck of cards under your paper to give it a slight incline so that the water flows down and doesn’t create puddles. Even a card table you can leave up lets you have a place to paint without having to put everything away after each painting session.
Lighting is a consideration. Daylight is best but not always available, so take advantage of the excellent daylight lamps on the market that help you evaluate color correctly. Place the light above your work space so it won’t cast shadows that interfere with your painting.
Place your palette of paint, water container, and sponge together in a triangular arrangement on the table within easy reach of your dominant hand. Put your paper in a clean area next to your palette.
Don’t put water on the left side of your paper and paint on the right because you’ll drip in the middle — on your painting. Keep all the dripping in one area and then you’ll only drip where you want to drip. Of course, you can fix accidents, but the easiest thing is to avoid them in the first place. Chapter 3 takes you through getting familiar with using your paints.
You may be a messy painter. If so, wear a painting shirt, which can just be a shirt you don’t mind getting dirty, to protect your clothes. Watercolor doesn’t stain as badly as other paints, but it still may remain on a white shirt. Save your best clothes for a different day than paint day. If you get paint on the table, just wipe it up with water and a sponge.
Breaking In and Maintaining Your Brushes
If you take care of your brushes, they should last your lifetime. I still have my first serious brush I bought in college some 20, ahem, 30 years ago. Usually the only reason I buy a new brush is because I have scrubbed and worn the tip out on an old one so it doesn’t hold tiny detail any more. I try not to scrub with my good brush to prolong its life.
When you use your good pointed brush constantly to soften hard, dry paint, you wear out the tip on the brush. Some watercolorists only use fresh soft paint, but they have more money to spend on paint. Moistening the paint makes it more pliable and less destructive to your brushes (I talk more about this in Chapter 3).
Don’t use other mediums with your good watercolor brushes. Oil and acrylic paint aren’t as gentle on brushes as watercolor pigments and will ruin watercolor brushes immediately. Likewise, keep your fingers off the hairs of your brushes. Your hands are full of oil, and your face is even worse. I actually see uninformed customers fondle new brushes and touch them to their face like a makeup brush. It takes all the finesse, patience, and diplomacy I have to not scream. Good brushes are expensive and should
5.Staple the rest of the edges about every inch.
4. Lay the Gator board flat, paper side up, so the paper can dry.
If the board is placed on its edge to dry, the paper will tear as it dries.
Wet paper expands. As the paper dries, it shrinks and pulls against the staples and stretches, becoming super-flat.
You now can paint on the paper while it’s still on the board. The board gives the paper rigidity, keeps it from wrinkling, and is lightweight for easy portability. After you’re finished painting, you can remove the staples.
Stretching after you paint
You can stretch paper after it’s painted as well:
1. Turn the painting over onto a clean surface.
2. Dampen the back side of the paper with a damp sponge.
Don’t make any puddles that may run over the edge and accidentally ruin the painting.
3. Cover the painting with a piece of glass and place some weights — books are good — on top of the glass.
4. Leave overnight or until dry.
Your painting is now flattened.
A framer can flatten your watercolors before framing them, too.
Preparing Your Painting Area
You need certain things in your painting area: a table and comfortable chair for starters. Most watercolorists paint flat on a table, though you can place a small box or a deck of cards under your paper to give it a slight incline so that the water flows down and doesn’t create puddles. Even a card table you can leave up lets you have a place to paint without having to put everything away after each painting session.
Lighting is a consideration. Daylight is best but not always available, so take advantage of the excellent daylight lamps on the market that help you evaluate color correctly. Place the light above your work space so it won’t cast shadows that interfere with your painting.
Place your palette of paint, water container, and sponge together in a triangular arrangement on the table within easy reach of your dominant hand. Put your paper in a clean area next to your palette.
Don’t put water on the left side of your paper and paint on the right because you’ll drip in the middle — on your painting. Keep all the dripping in one area and then you’ll only drip where you want to drip. Of course, you can fix accidents, but the easiest thing is to avoid them in the first place. Chapter 3 takes you through getting familiar with using your paints.
You may be a messy painter. If so, wear a painting shirt, which can just be a shirt you don’t mind getting dirty, to protect your clothes. Watercolor doesn’t stain as badly as other paints, but it still may remain on a white shirt. Save your best clothes for a different day than paint day. If you get paint on the table, just wipe it up with water and a sponge.
Breaking In and Maintaining Your Brushes
If you take care of your brushes, they should last your lifetime. I still have my first serious brush I bought in college some 20, ahem, 30 years ago. Usually the only reason I buy a new brush is because I have scrubbed and worn the tip out on an old one so it doesn’t hold tiny detail any more. I try not to scrub with my good brush to prolong its life.
When you use your good pointed brush constantly to soften hard, dry paint, you wear out the tip on the brush. Some watercolorists only use fresh soft paint, but they have more money to spend on paint. Moistening the paint makes it more pliable and less destructive to your brushes (I talk more about this in Chapter 3).
Don’t use other mediums with your good watercolor brushes. Oil and acrylic paint aren’t as gentle on brushes as watercolor pigments and will ruin watercolor brushes immediately. Likewise, keep your fingers off the hairs of your brushes. Your hands are full of oil, and your face is even worse. I actually see uninformed customers fondle new brushes and touch them to their face like a makeup brush. It takes all the finesse, patience, and diplomacy I have to not scream. Good brushes are expensive and should
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