Article 1: Watercolour Hints and Tips - Parts 1 and 2.

WATERCOLOUR WORDS

Part One.

Basic stuff.

INTRODUCTION.

Just about the last thing that the art world needs today is another treatise on painting with watercolours. There are some excellent works on the bookshelves nowadays, usually by artists who have demonstrated their prowess beyond question. Most of us scribblers and scrubbers have our own favourites, generally in the styles that we appreciate most. I certainly have mine, that have been collected over the years. In addition to a few "how to" works, I have acquired a good number of gallery-style books of contemporary artistry, the pages of which display inspirational masterpieces. The medium they represent may not necessarily be watercolour, but the subjects could just as well be painted that way. A couple of interesting books on the present topic are listed below. Some may be out of print but are probably available from public library shelves.

Texture Techniques for Winning Watercolours. Currently, my favourite book on the subject of finishing
watercolours with a professional touch. The author, Ray Hendershot, is an acknowledged master in his field.
and the examples that he presents are particularly impressive, for amateurs and fellow professionals alike.

Painting Landscapes in Watercolor. A "how to" book by Rowland Hilder, 1982. Watson-Guptill Publications.
This artist's work is quite stylized, but his results are quick, chunky and interesting. There is no subtlety to his
application of colour, and to some extent, I have used the same technique in "Hanna Street" in the Gallery
section of this Web site.

Of the many other books that I have, and from which there is always something to be learned, some warrant mention here. They are useful in demonstrating traditional styles of painting, wherein the subjects portray construction and balances of colour and tone in a most pleasing and skilful manner. To mention jus a few, whether or not they are representing watercolour art:

Landscape Illusion, by Daniel Chard, 1987, published by Watson-Guptil Publications. The broad expanses
of Daniel Chard's works could very well have been painted in watercolour, instead of the acrylics that he
actually used. (Although acrylics are classified as water-based, they are non-transparent body paints, and
do not fit into the general scheme of "watercolour painting".) Some of his pictures are high contrast works,
but nevertheless, such contrast can be obtained with watercolours if required.

Billy morrow Jackson, by Howard E. Wooden, 1990, published by the Board of Trustees, University of Illinois.
The most interesting works portrayed in this book, date from the 1970s and 1980s. The vastness of the
landscapes, and the unexpected use of colour give us views of the world that we may not have appreciated
before. The medium used for these paintings is annoyingly omitted from the reproductions. Nevertheless,
we may assume that oils were used, although watercolours could quite well produce similar results. Some of
the details in these works are not unlike those of Andrew Wyeth, with equally satisfying impressions.

Christopher Pratt - Personal Reflections on a Life in Art, published by Key Porter Books Limited. Nothing
new needs to be said about this artist's impeccable use of colour and draughtsmanship in his paintings.
Although he uses oils for his paintings, others may possibly use watercolours to achieve comparable effects.

No matter how accomplished a watercolourist, or aspiring artist maybe, there is always something to be learned by looking at the work of others. Some may be well known, and others may not. The URLs of some that I know with Web sites are given in the "Links" section of this Showcase.
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GETTING STARTED.

Getting started is always the hardest part of producing a painting. And where is the beginning? Is it in the sudden flash of inspiration that just has to be put on paper and shared with others? Is it in an unrealised ambition to produce a masterpiece because you just know you can do it? Perhaps it is an economy-driven obligation to meet a commitment to a client. Whatever the reason, a basic amount of tools and materials will be required, and perhaps a few words about them will not be out of place here.
Paper: For a watercolour to last a hundred years, the choice of paper (sometimes called the "support"), can be quite important. Also, as watercolours are essentially transparent, the colour of the paper needs to be considered, as "white" paper is not necessarily as white as one may think. The better quality, acid free, rag papers tend to have a creamy tint, which is going to affect the brightness of the final work. On the other hand, whiteness of the paper is sometimes achieved at the expense of permanence, so a compromise is usually necessary. A great deal can be learned about watercolour papers by searching the Web. At present, one site that offers useful, if somewhat cursory information, may be found by visiting http://painting.about.com/cs/watercolours/ht and selecting "How to choose a watercolor paper". The same site also has other useful related information.  Another site presenting a comprehensive article entitled "how watercolor papers are made", may be found at http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/paper1.html.

There are enough manufacturers of watercolour paper around to provide the artist with a fair choice of products. For serious work, the better quality materials come at equally serious prices. The lighter weights will need to be wetted and stretched before use, or they will buckle badly while being worked on, which can be a nuisance. Anything weighing in at 200 pounds or more (that's the weight per ream) will ordinarily be stiff enough to use without stretching. The lighter papers on prepared blocks can be used without stretching, but the convenience has a price. For sketching and other casual work, less expensive products, (student quality) can often provide adequate results.

The quality of paper can be quite variable, even from the most reputable manufacturers. I have had paper that would not hold the gummed tape used in the stretch-and-mount process, with the result that the dampened paper could only be held in place by stapling to the mounting board. The manufacturer replaced the product without question, but never explained the cause. Also, I have had good quality paper where a colour wash actually penetrated the paper and appeared on the back side! That may have been aggravated by use of too much ox gall (wetting agent) on my part, but it shouldn't have happened, and never has since.

The most common full sheet size for watercolour paper is 22" by 30". The professional types of paper will usually have deckled edges on all four sides. The range of weights, (pounds per ream) is normally from 90 pounds up to 400 pounds. The heavier sheets are naturally thicker, with prices to match. For paper sizes less than a full sheet, some artists choose to cut whole sheets down to the sizes they require, and stretch the lighter weights onto mounting boards for painting. Others like to work on prepared blocks, which are available in a wide range of sizes and surface finishes. (The blocks are very convenient to use, but size for size, more expensive than paper cut from full sheets. However, like all art supplies, they are occasionally available from the larger supply houses at reduced sale prices. One needs to be opportunistic about purchasing all art materials, and stock up when the going is good.)

The choice of surface finish for watercolour paper will usually be governed by the type of picture involved. The rough surfaced papers will usually be chosen for larger works, probably executed in flamboyant style. The texture of the paper will be emphasised by the application of paint, providing the appearance typically associated with watercolour painting. Fine detail is not normally practical with this type of surface. At the other extreme, hot pressed paper has a smooth surface that is ideal for finer-detailed renditions. As its name implies, it has been pressed while hot in the manufacturing process, and the surface is consequently not textured. In between the extremes is cold pressed paper, sometimes called "not hot pressed", or even just "not". The surface does have some texture that will be quite apparent in the finished work, but will not interfere with rendition of a reasonable amount of detail. Personally, I prefer this type of paper for most of my landscapes.

Paints: For finished work, compromising the quality of the paints can be false economy. I have always used only artist's quality paints. They are more expensive, but the cheaper grades contain fillers, extenders or impermanent pigments that not only require specific techniques for application, but are naturally going to produce inferior results. My current choice is either Winsor and Newton, Daler-Rowney or Yarka "St. Petersburg" brand Artist's pans. Until a few years ago, the latter were not well known outside of Russia, where they are made. They retain their moisture in the pans and mix well. Their one big drawback is that they are only available as boxed sets. When individual pans are exhausted while others remain largely full, which invariably happens, replacement can only be made by purchasing another complete set. This is not very practical, and the replacements usually come from another manufacturer. So far, I have not encountered any problems mixing the makes, although the same colour from different manufacturers will undoubtedly be slightly different.

Once again, a great deal of information about watercolour paints can be obtained from the Web. A very comprehensive article can be found at http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/ by scrolling down the HP/WCL index to pigmt1.html. (Adding the indexed item to the URL doesn't work. You'll have to get there in 2 steps.)

Brushes: This is where the subject gets personal. The choice of brushes depends to a large extent upon the style of the painter and the type of subjects. Being a ponderous painter myself, I tend to use the best quality brushes in sizes from 0 up to number 6. They have to retain their points when loaded, and have the right amount of "spring". For large washes, the synthetics are quite adequate, either round or flat. For very large washes, usually wet-in-wet operations, a large domestic paint brush may very well get pressed into service for the occasion. If it works, use it!

There is a dazzling array of brushes to choose from, with little difference functionally between comparable grades. When Escoda products were introduced from Spain to the Canadian market several years ago, they arrived at very favourable prices. The quality was excellent, and I stocked up while the going was good. But I still hang on to some of the old faithfuls that have been with me for a long time.

Brushes wear out in time, but the worn ones can often be adapted for use in special applications. For example, I have modified some of my "pensioners" by flattening the ferules in a vice, and trimming the tips of the hairs irregularly to make "dapplers", which are useful for putting irregular texture into foliage. An art teacher that I once knew, adapted the word "scrofulous" to describe a condition that the brushes of some of her pupils achieved. The dictionary definition of the word as "morally degenerate" would make it seem inappropriate, but nevertheless, it is highly descriptive of the state into which some brushes are allowed to fall. In that condition, they should either be retired, or adapted for special purposes.

There are plenty of books around explaining the types and application of various watercolour materials. One that I find quite interesting is "WATER MEDIA TECHNIQUES", by Stephen Quiller and Barbara Whipple. This book deals with all types of water-based painting materials, not just the transparent watercolours being talked about in this article.

Everything else: The obvious things, such as water pots, pencils, erasers, paper towels and other paraphernalia hardly need to be mentioned here. However, one thing that may be overlooked is a small sponge for texturing skies and generally blobbing about among the shrubs. It will also be useful for wetting down the paper during the stretching process if that's what is to be done. The little domestic sponges from the supermarket work quite well; they are cheap and can be trimmed with scissors into fancy shapes if necessary.

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Part Two.

Some Preliminaries.

GETTING TO KNOW THE PAINTS.

Understanding how the paints behave in various situations, can help avoid some of the problems that will inevitably be encountered as a painting progresses. A long time ago, I learned that although we normally consider watercolours to be permanent once applied to paper, they can sometimes be removed, either to achieve a particular effect, or, Heaven forbid, to correct an error. Consequently, I make "scrub-out" tests of the colours, to see how they behave when it is necessary to wash them out of a picture.

In the panel above, the left hand sample is a "scrub-out" test of my usual range of Winsor and Newton colours on Arches cold pressed paper. Although I seldom use some of these colours, they are included in the test because I have them. The two columns on the right are all of the colours in the Yarka "St. Petersburg" set, on a hot pressed paper, make unknown. Notice the difference in the tint of the papers.

The test procedure is to make a stripe of each colour on a scrap piece of the type of paper most likely to be used. Half of the piece is then covered with masking tape, to protect it from the forthcoming onslaught. The unmasked side is then wetted thoroughly and scrubbed with a sponge, or something equally suitable, and then left to dry.

In the samples above, there is a considerable difference in results between the Winsor and Newton, and Yarka paints. Part of the difference is undoubtedly due to the papers. Nevertheless, most of the W & N colours are far more staining than their Yarka equivalents. It is interesting to note that whereas greens are normally considered to be intensely staining colours, and frequently difficult to handle, the Yarka greens seem quite docile.

Different colours, and different makes of the same colour, do not always perform the same in washes. Also, there can be variations due to paper differences. Generally speaking, a wetting agent (usually Ox Gall in one of its commercial varieties) is necessary to ensure that a wash spreads properly, even in a wet-in-wet application. As mentioned in "Getting Started" above, use of a wetting agent should be minimized in order to avoid reaction with the sizing in the paper. The classic use of a wet-in-wet wash is of course the sky in a landscape. More about that later.

The only way to evaluate paints properly is to work with them. Until the painter becomes fully familiar with the tools of the trade, a lot of mistakes will be made, which is where the paper for the "scrub-out" tests comes from.

PREPARING THE PAPER.

There are two common methods for stretching and mounting lighter papers. Both require a mounting board of suitable size and stiffness. The working surface of the board needs to be primed with a light coloured paint, or otherwise rendered reasonably waterproof. If the wetted paper is to be stapled to the board, then the board must obviously be able to receive the staples. Plywood, up to about 3/8" thick is good enough, or an equally suitable alternative. If the paper is to be attached with gummed tape, the board can be lighter, say 1/4" hardboard, or even thinner for small sizes. It's usually a matter of what's available in the scrap pile. If the painting is going to be done outdoors, then the mounted paper and board will need to be carried around, and thicker is heavier.

Stretching and Mounting the Paper with Gummed Tape: In this process, the gummed paper tape obviously overlaps part of the paper's edge. The covered part will be lost when the finished picture is cut out if the paper. Although some authorities recommend soaking the paper for stretching, I do not support that method. Saturation can affect the sizing in the paper, and it can cause the paper to stretch excessively, leaving it in a highly stressed condition when it dries. It must of course be taut when dry, but if it is overstressed, it may pull away from the tape, buckle the mounting board if the latter is not too strong, or even rupture the paper itself. The best method for wetting is to use a spray bottle with filtered water, and a small sponge to spread the water evenly over the surface. The paper will expand quite quickly when wet, and no time should be lost in taping it to the mounting board. In order to hold things together, the tape will need to overlap the edge of the paper by about 1½cm, or ½"-¾" all around. The gummed paper is best cut into the four required lengths before the paper is wetted, and the strips activated by wetting as the attachment to the board is carried out. The whole dampened assembly needs to be left to dry in its own time, when it will be ready for the creation of a masterpiece.

Stretching and Mounting the Paper with Staples: For mounting with staples, the paper will be wetted in the same manner as above with gummed tape. Plenty of staples will be needed to hold the paper in place once it has dried. It is best to staple about ½" inside the edges of the wetted paper, starting at the middle of each side, and working out toward the corners with a spacing of about 2" - 3". Put a few staples in each side first, rather than finishing one side at a time, and then go back over each side to add staples until they are finally spaced at about 1" - 1½". Heavy papers will require closer stapling than light papers, to allow for stress due to shrinkage. A domestic stapler will be adequate for smaller, lighter papers. For larger, heavier papers, the workshop staple gun may be required, with short staples.

Before we get to the actual painting, a word of caution! When the picture is complete, it will need to be cut out of mounted paper when finally dry. There will be internal stresses remaining in the paper, and when it is cut free, it will contract to a smaller size. The larger the piece of paper, the greater the contraction will be. This must be taken into account when preparing for the final matting and framing.

Using Heavier Papers Unstretched: If papers over about 200 pounds are being used without stretching, they can be mounted onto a board with masking tape. In this way, a white border can be retained for use in the final matting and framing process. Personally, I prefer to keep a white border of about 2cm or ¾" around the outside edges when the work is finished. If masking tape is used in this way, it needs to be about 1½" wide in order to retain the paper on the board as well. As shown in the illustration on the right, it can be narrower for use on blocks of paper, as its only purpose is to mask the edges of the paper. When peeled off at the end of the job, a nice white frame remains to separate the picture from the inner mat.

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