Peinture à l’aquarelle – Grand guide plus instructions
Because watercolor paintings can be painted relatively quickly compared to many other art forms, watercolor is particularly suitable for impatient people. After all, it is usually extremely motivating to see impressive results appear after a relatively short period of time. With watercolor painting for beginners you can start directly with artistic work without extensive prior knowledge with few materials and accessories. In addition, the finished images dry pleasantly quickly when painting watercolors.
What exactly do we mean by watercolor painting?
The term watercolor is derived from the Latin word « Aqua », meaning « water ». However, when painting with watercolor, you are of course not just painting with pure water. In addition to water, you need special watercolor paint. This window paint consists of fine pigments and a suitable binder. For watercolor painting, watercolor paint is diluted with water to varying degrees. It can then be applied with a brush to the corresponding paint surface. For this, special watercolor paper is generally used. While in oil or acrylic painting the background of the painting is usually completely covered, in watercolor painting it remains visible. If you want to learn how to paint with watercolors, you will soon discover that interesting effects can be achieved by playing with the contrasts between the background of the painting and the different shades of color next to and above one and the ‘other. Other common names for suitable watercolors are Aquarelle or Aquarelle.
Special characteristics and properties of watercolors
Watercolors are composed of color pigments that are mixed with one or sometimes several different binders. Gum arabic is very often used as a binder, because this material is soluble in water and is itself almost transparent. Since the watercolors are not stretched, but essentially used in their pure form, they unfold on the painting surface the special luminosity that is considered typical of watercolor painting. Since watercolors can be mixed together easily, you can in principle mix any imaginable color, even from the three basic colors red, yellow and blue. But of course, a lot of time and effort is saved if you buy a larger can of paint with a certain range of colors already mixed.
Unlike other painting techniques, there is no white color in watercolor painting. You therefore need a special painting technique if you want to create white areas in your paintings. With the so-called « negative » technique, it will be increasingly easier, with a little practice, to create white areas by cutting out certain spots on the white paper.
Particularly advantageous properties of watercolors are their special color intensity and luminosity. Additionally, many artists also appreciate the fact that watercolor paints have a relatively short drying time. As the necessary painting technique can be learned relatively easily, watercolor painting is well suited for beginners. You’ll probably already have learned the basics anyway if you’ve painted with watercolors at any point in your schooling. However, it is important to know that after applying watercolors, corrections are almost impossible. It is therefore all the more important that each brush stroke is done carefully and in the right place.
Watercolor Painting: You Need These Materials
If you want to make a watercolor, you don’t need a lot of materials. However, it makes sense to use the highest quality products possible when choosing accessories. This is especially true for the brushes used. You can save yourself a lot of frustration and ensure that your creativity can flow undisturbed during the painting process.
How to choose the right watercolor
In the specialist art supply trade there is today an almost unmanageable selection of different watercolors. We recommend the use of a watercolor paint box, in which the colors can be stored together and which is therefore very suitable for clear storage and use. For beginners, you can also use relatively inexpensive watercolors for now, as they usually offer good color density. However, if you are already a little further along in learning watercolor painting, you should also use high-quality watercolors if possible. Only these colors can make your watercolors shine with truly bright colors and intense expressiveness.
Of course, it’s up to you whether you prefer to work with a watercolor box or rather with colors from a tube. In principle, you can choose any color spectrum you want based on your own preferences. The colors offered in the tubes as well as the so-called cup colors for the watercolor box are offered by most manufacturers not only as a set but also individually.
Typically, many watercolor boxes and paint tubes can be purchased in different qualities. As with acrylic paint, we can distinguish the watercolors offered, less expensive for beginners, from more expensive colors for experienced artists.
Artist colors recommended for artists who are already somewhat advanced in their craft generally not only have a slightly higher pigmentation, but are also usually available in a broader color spectrum. On the other hand, beginner colors, which are also frequently used by students, have a higher binder content, because the binder is cheaper for the manufacturer than the corresponding pigment content.
If the colors are advertised specifically for use by beginners or students, they can also be used without problems in watercolor painting for beginners. Finally, they are generally available at a much lower price than watercolors offered to advanced students. But if you are a beginner and want to dig a little deeper into your pocket to get quality colors, there is no harm in that. You will immediately benefit from stronger, longer lasting colors. Sometimes it even happens that higher quality watercolor is processed more easily and exactly beyond the quality of pure color.
Watercolors from the Schmincke Akademie – proven and traditional products
If you want to believe the statements of many experienced users, Schmincke Academy watercolors are probably one of the best watercolors produced in Germany. These very high quality paints have been produced « made in Germany » for many years and over the years have been able to achieve an undisputed status as an absolute high-end product.
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The excellent reputation of watercolors is based in particular on the impressive quality of execution and pigmentation, as well as on the luminosity which is ultimately possible on the background of the painting. In Schmincke sets, whole cups and half-filled cups are placed on special rails. This unique selling point allows you to keep two half cups instead of just one in your watercolor box. This allows you to adapt the paint box to your individual needs over time. If you use certain colors very often, you should put a whole cup of them in the box. Less frequently used colors can be added to your personal selection in the reduced quantity of half a bowl. In total, more different colors will fit into a single watercolor box. Schmincke Academy watercolors allow you to fill your paint box with the optimal amount of colors.
To start, it might be a good idea to use a can of Schmincke paint with a half cup for watercolor paint. So you can choose from a wide range of different colors. Later, with increasing experience, you will be able to fill the cups individually according to your respective paint consumption. To allow you to take a more individual approach, Schmincke also offers paint cans with an empty bar next to the full bar. You can fill the empty bar directly with the colors you have personally chosen and thus express your creative preferences when choosing colors.
Since Schmincke Academy watercolors meet high quality standards, their price is also rather in the higher segment. However, we still recommend these German-produced watercolors if you have been painting watercolors for a while. You will then quickly discover that you can exploit the creative and artistic possibilities of watercolor even better with colors of this level of quality.
What are watercolor pencils used for?
Watercolor pencils are very practical if you want to combine the artistic result of fine brushstrokes with the precision of the line and the artisanal comfort of a traditional colored pencil. The special thing about watercolor colored pencils is that you can use them to paint extremely fine lines and thus achieve even more detailed accents in a watercolor painting. In our section « Instructions for watercolor pencils » you will find many useful tips, in a clear and concise form, on how to use watercolor pencils using special techniques.
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What is behind « Brush Pen » or « Watercolor Brush Pen »?
If your watercolor painting utensils include brush pens, this can be a good addition to your basic equipment. With a so-called « watercolor » brush pen you can apply colors directly to the respective painting surface with great precision. The principle can best be described as if a felt-tip pen had a brush at the end. With a brush pen you can draw special lines and color accents on the paper very quickly. Then you can modify the drawn contours to a certain extent with water.
How to choose the right brushes for watercolor
Since brushes are the main tool for painting your watercolors, you need to use the best quality brushes possible when painting high-quality watercolors. Choosing the right brushes is not only crucial for the quality of the end result, but also for the pleasure and motivation of painting. Red sable brushes have proven themselves for this purpose, because their fineness allows very precise painting. In addition, these high-quality brushes can also absorb a lot of paint and water.
Of course, high-quality brushes should also last a long time. But for this, your brushes must also be well maintained. In order to keep the brushes as clean as possible, they are first rinsed quickly with lukewarm water after each use. Typically, this can lead to foaming. Then the brushes are rinsed again with clean, clear water, which should not be too hot. For drying, high-quality brushes are ideally placed upside down in a cup or glass. This helps prevent the fine bristles of the brush from breaking
For professional watercolor painting we recommend the following basic equipment, with suitable brushes:
- with a small round brush you can highlight small details
- a medium round brush is suitable for drawing sharp lines, dots and contours and for drawing broader strokes
- with a medium-sized flat brush you can draw strong lines and apply even washes
- With a wash brush (sometimes also called a flat brush), color areas can be washed out and corrections made due to the high absorbency of the brush bristles
Tips for Choosing a Suitable Watercolor Paper
This can have a pretty big impact on the outcome of your watercolor painting, depending on the paper you use to paint the watercolors. Since thin paper unfortunately warps very quickly due to the water content of the colors, sturdy paper should be used for watercolor paintings. Waves of thin paper can be partially smoothed out later, but they initially cause a puddle of color and therefore uneven color intensity. We recommend paper with a thickness of at least 200 to 300 grams per square meter if you want to paint a watercolor. There are also specially glued all-around watercolor blocks in specialist stores, in which the following sheets are protected against accidental application of paint. The advantage of these pads is also that the paper does not slip easily when painting demanding watercolors.
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If you are a beginner in watercolor painting, you can also use relatively inexpensive types of paper of acceptable quality. It would be a waste if you used the most expensive brands of paper for your first attempts. But once you have had your first experiences with watercolor, it can be exciting to experiment with different backgrounds and finally with quality paper.
If you are planning to create a particularly long piece of art, you should definitely use exceptional quality paper for your project. To meet this special category, the paper used must have a net weight of approximately 300 g/m², be acid-free and be made from cotton. The surface of the paper used depends on the style of painting and the pattern you want to create. For particularly large watercolors, you should not use paint blocks, as the individual sheets are sometimes relatively difficult to remove afterwards.
You can improve your technique for painting professional watercolors especially by experimenting with different painting surfaces and gaining hands-on experience. Slowly you can develop a better and better feeling for your individual painting style and its demands on the paper you use. This way, you can buy the perfect watercolor paper for your watercolors.
Our product recommendation for you: Willingood watercolor paper
Willingood watercolor paper is a relatively good quality study paper, available at a reasonable price. For example, a pad of 30 A3 sheets of this type of paper with a paper thickness of 300 g/m² in medium grain costs around €17.50.
You can get this watercolor paper with a rough or smooth surface. The surface texture of these sheets of paper follows a fixed basic rule: the front always presents itself with a medium-grain texture, which is suitable in principle for all watercolor techniques. The reverse side of the sheets of paper, on the other hand, is always smooth, so that the best conditions are created for brush lettering or hand writing. Willingood watercolor paper is absolutely free of chlorine and acids, it is cold pressed and has good resistance to aging. In addition, it is made from 100% pure cotton, has a neutral pH and is produced without optical brighteners.
Willingood Watercolor Paper should definitely be on your shortlist if you’re looking for a paper that’s well-suited for beginner watercolor painting, with solid product features and a relatively low price.
Useful accessories and tools for watercolor painting
The benefits of a color palette
On a color palette, prepared watercolor can be mixed with water. However, it is also possible to mix different color shades on the same color palette. It does not necessarily have to be a specialist trade painter’s palette. You can also use a ceramic tile, a white plate or a small plastic plate. However, a professional color palette has the advantage of usually already being equipped with six or eight depressions for flowing colors. Additionally, there is usually a flat area for color mixing. It should be large enough to allow multiple color mixes next to each other.
When painting with oil and acrylic, a strip of cardboard can also replace a high-quality color palette. However, this is somewhat problematic in watercolor painting, as water-based paint can quickly penetrate the cardboard material. If in doubt, you should therefore invest a few euros in purchasing a professional color palette so that you can work with it professionally.
Create fascinating effects with a toothbrush or natural sponge
With a little creative inspiration, many household items can easily be transformed into a creative tool for painting effective watercolors. For example, an old toothbrush can be used to apply fine splatters of paint to the paint surface. A natural sponge, on the other hand, allows the foliage of bushes and tree crowns to be quickly and impressively evoked on the paint surface in a natural way.
Several glasses of water should be available in the workplace
For watercolor painting, there should always be several filled glasses of water at your workplace. One of them serves as a reservoir of clean, clear water, which is used to wet the paint surface and mix the colors. But you need at least one more glass to clean your different brushes in it.
Stamping materials: paper and rags
It is always good to have a soft cotton cloth nearby, with which you can remove excess paint or water from a brush. Paper towels also have impressive absorbency. After all, even large amounts of liquid can be dabbed onto a watercolor painting relatively quickly and easily with paper towels if necessary. You can use paper or cloth towels not only for corrections but also to create conscious effects.
Instructions: Step by step, start by painting your own watercolors
Preparing the necessary materials
First of all, you need to mix different shades of colors that you use, for example, the usual basic colors and additionally pink. Remember, the more you dilute the color with water, the more translucent and pale it becomes.
Before you begin, however, you should test the consistency of your colors in terms of lightening and brushing on the paper you are using for the project. You will need two glasses of clean water and an absorbent cloth, such as a kitchen rolling pin, to clean the brush and wet the paint surface.
Prepare the surface to be painted and apply the first coat of paint
It will be much easier to make beautiful watercolors if you first sketch the planned pattern on the watercolor paper. You need to discreetly mark the exact location of certain colored areas as well as recesses.
Then you take a flat brush to wet the paper as evenly as possible with clean water. The next step is to apply the three main colors of the image to the wet surface with a relatively large brush in very liquid mixtures. This step is also called applying lavender paint. It ensures relatively smooth transitions between different colors. This first coat of paint usually dries quite quickly.
Mix different shades of colors by overlapping them
After the first coat of paint has dried, slightly darker, more opaque coats of paint (with a lower water content) can be applied directly to the existing paint areas in spots, in accordance with the pattern of the paint. intended image. You will notice that colors appear particularly strong in areas where different colors overlap or are concentrated in a very small space.
Theoretically, you can repeat this step as often as you like, for example to paint detailed petals. You will get particularly smooth transitions if you apply the new paint while the previously applied paint is still slightly wet. But you can also let the paint dry in between to get clean edges between different paint areas.
Accentuate watercolor images with additional color outlines and effects
To complete a watercolor painting, the color pigment can be removed with a little water. You can simply dab off excess paint with an absorbent paper towel. When the paper has dried sufficiently, you can use the appropriate tools to insert deliberate lines into the design and use the edges of leaves or flower hearts to create accents that stand out from the whole.
The different watercolor painting techniques
Here we would like to introduce you to the two main painting techniques that are used when making professional watercolor paintings: This is called washing and glazing. In a way, both techniques are also interested in using the special properties of water to create images. The watercolor technique is called « washing », in which colors are applied « wet in wet » despite the relatively short drying time. On the other hand, in the case of « glazing », the next layer of paint is only applied when the previous layer has already dried relatively well. A third possible painting technique for watercolor would be granulation, but we would like to introduce it later.
This is how glaze works in watercolor painting
As we have already described, you must wait until a layer of paint has dried on the surface to be painted. In most cases this happens after a few minutes anyway. With just one coat of paint, it is possible to create vibrant colors. However, by glazing, you add another layer of paint to your painting and therefore also another dimension of design. This technique allows you to very effectively create different gradients of light and dark colors. But care must be taken to apply the additional color layer as quickly as possible when glazing. Otherwise, the bottom layer of paint may peel off again due to moisture in the new paint layer. Glazing is one of the basic and formative techniques of any watercolor painting.
The washing technique
If the respective drying time must be expected for the glazing, this time is actively used for the subsequent painting during washing. Once a layer of water-diluted watercolor paint has been applied to the paper, a drying time of only a few minutes usually begins. But while the paint is still wet, you can simply paint in the still wet paint on the paint surface using the wash technique. The particular meaning and objective of this approach is that the different applications of paint can mix and intersect. The mixture of the different colors is all the more homogeneous as the colors are liquid when applied. But it is also essential to always stay in the area of the paper that has already been painted and therefore already moistened with the second coat of paint. This painting technique is used to create flowing, intersecting areas and structures of color. The direction of flow of still-wet paint can be influenced during washing, not only with a brush, but also with creatively used tools like a hole blower or a straw.
Washing can also be used as a painting technique for watercolors to create a color gradient from opaque to transparent in a single shade. However, the so-called gradient technique is quite demanding and requires some practice. The selected area is wetted with water before applying watercolor paint to one side. Then the painting is drawn with a fan brush from one side to the other over the moistened area of the painting surface. If excess paint is produced, it can be easily absorbed with a piece of kitchen paper.
Special watercolor painting technique: « granulation
The so-called granulation painting technique is a special technique in watercolor painting, which is only used to achieve very specific effects and accentuations. The special thing about this painting technique is that the surface structure of the paper used is used for color design. The color must not penetrate into depressions in the structured surface of the paper during granulation. As a result, all depressions remain as little colored as possible during granulation, while raised areas of the paper surface are painted in color.
The optical effect of granulation is particularly interesting when used to highlight walls. You therefore use the structure of the paper to aesthetically accentuate the appearance of the wall. But granulation is also suitable for designing water surfaces with light reflections.
For successful granulation, you must use paper with a sufficiently structured surface. To granulate, soak a round brush with paint and trace it very flat on the paper. Make sure you use very little pressure. With a little practice, you should be able to keep the deeper areas of the paper’s surface white, while the higher areas are soaked in paint.
Challenge for creative minds: painting wet in wet
Probably the most commonly used technique for watercolor painting is wet-on-wet painting. Controlling the color gradient is a very big challenge, because colors can cross quickly unintentionally. But it is precisely this creative uncontrollability that makes watercolor painting such an interesting and creative activity. The spontaneously developing color gradients pleasantly stimulate the creative imagination of many artists. With a little practice, you can take unplanned shapes and work them from the overall color structure and shapes as accentuated perceptible picture elements. Through your experience in watercolor painting, you will also learn how to influence and control the color gradient in the most predictable way possible. However, the path that leads to this mastery of the watercolor technique is long and fraught with pitfalls.
If you want to paint watercolors using the « wet on wet » method, you must first moisten the surface intended for this purpose with a brush or sponge. But the surface should not be too wet, so there should be no puddles. It is enough for the surface to be so wet throughout that it shines in the light. If you have too much water, you can simply dab the excess water with a piece of kitchen paper.
The degree to which you use colors depends, among other things, on how long you wait to apply the paint in each case. Also, the wetter the paper, the more the ink flows. You can influence the direction of the flow to some extent by swinging the paper back and forth at certain angles and in certain directions. You can either dilute your inks with water or take them directly from the tube or bowl in their original state. Diluted colors have a naturally softer and less intense effect than undiluted colors. With a large brush, the colors are dabbed or spread onto the moistened surface. But it is also possible to mix the colors in a small bowl and then pour them directly onto the watercolor paper. It’s quite interesting to see what strange and relatively unpredictable shapes can be created when different colors meet. The colors intermingle in a very fluid and unstructured way, especially if the surface has been heavily moistened before.
Another design method is to add a layer of wet paint to dry paper and drip additional color onto it as a color contrast. However, with this method you should be aware that some pigments have a certain physical dominance and therefore can sometimes displace other colors surprisingly strongly. With increasing experience in watercolor practice, you will be able to estimate in advance the relationships between the colors you will use.
To practice this watercolor technique for beginners, simply let the color flow onto different wet surfaces in a relaxed manner. This way you will usually quickly get a good idea of how weak or strong you need to dampen the paper for certain effects.
Prepare a sheet of clean watercolor paper and moisten it a little. Then let it dry for about half a minute. You can then let a few drops of your paint drip directly onto the wet surface and paint a few lines with a brush. Now pay close attention to how the paint flows down your sheet and flows in certain directions. By experimenting, you can now vary the length of time the paint is applied to the wet paper. In this way, you will gradually find the optimal method for your working method with ever greater predictability.
Designing watercolors with the spot technique
If you want to paint a watercolor depicting natural landscapes with trees or bushes, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the correct procedure for the so-called dabbing technique. To do this, you first need to mix some light green onto your color palette. It’s best to use a little more paint and relatively little water to get a relatively viscous color mixture. Now take a dry sponge, a natural sponge with a rather coarse pore structure is particularly suitable for this purpose. With this you first dab into the paint and then with great sensitivity onto the previously prepared watercolor paper. So you can quickly and easily create the typical treetop structures with a realistic appearance. Once you have dabbed the light green color onto your watercolor, you use the drying time to change the light green color from the palette to a darker green by adding blue color. Then you take that color with your sponge and dab it onto the paper in certain spots in the treetops you designed. You can repeat this color gradient as often as you like. Gradually, a treetop structure is created which, due to the different brightness levels, is particularly vivid and realistic to represent shaded areas and areas illuminated by light. With each additional color gradation, your tree can visually gain perceptible depth on paper.
Only when the tree tops themselves are completed are the branches and trunks painted into their structures. We can achieve this by being particularly close to nature if we do not paint the trunk in an absolutely continuous way like in a child’s painting. After all, a tree trunk is rarely completely visible in nature, but rather partially covered with branches with green leaves. In order to find the best way to do this, a walk in nature or in the garden is recommended. If you carefully observe trees in nature and be aware of their structure, the arrangement of the trunk, branches and shadow areas will be much easier for you when painting with watercolors. Of course, the problem of hidden parts of the trunk only applies to trees with summer foliage. If, on the other hand, you want to learn how to paint winter designs, all areas of the trunk, branches and twigs can be visible.
As an alternative to a natural sponge, you can also try the dabbing technique with a brush with relatively stiff bristles, perhaps already very worn and whose bristles are not as tightly packed together. In any case, be sure to mix the paint for the dabbing technique as thick as possible with only a little water or use it in its pure form.
The ingenious effects of the negative technique
Behind the concept of the so-called negative technique lies the procedure of leaving certain areas of the basic white watercolor paper free as light image areas. Usually this is done in such a way that the light areas serve as outlines for an object drawn in pencil or even simply imagined. Most watercolorists first create a surface of color using the wet-on-wet technique in relatively delicate colors. When dry, a selected design can be highlighted separately using the wet-on-dry technique. It is called negative technique if an object is perceived as lighter because the color areas around the object are designed in darker tones. Sometimes it happens quite by chance, when painting with watercolors, that negative objects are created and give an extraordinary optical effect. As your watercolor skills increase, you can also create multiple negative layers on top of each other, creating a visual effect in the sense of a 3D effect. But since you always have to think « inside out », the technique requires a certain skill and practice on the part of a watercolorist.
Designing watercolors using the wash technique
If you want to use the so-called « wash out » technique for your own watercolors, you must first create a surface in a color of your choice. Then you take a clean, dry brush to remove the paint from the paper in certain areas. If the paint is still very wet now, it is likely that it will sometimes flow from adjacent areas of the image into the areas you are working on. Then you have to repeat the process of lifting the paint with the brush several times.
You can also let the paint dry on the paper before washing it. However, this procedure requires much more skill than lifting the paint while it is still wet. You will need a damp brush with which the paint comes off in the desired places. While some types of watercolor paper, such as cold-pressed, fairly fine-grained paper, lend themselves well to the wash technique, their application on other types of paper (e.g. those with a satin finish or handmade paper without surface sizing) is almost impossible.
In any case, you should know that the original white tone of the paper used can only be restored approximately to its original brightness by removing the ink with the washing technique, and never to its original brightness . Also, some pigments are easier to remove and others more difficult to remove, you should find out through your own experiences.
Create three-dimensional objects on your painting surface with structure paste
Structure paste is a perfectly suitable aid if you want to give your watercolors particularly effective three-dimensional structure elevations. Generally, structured dough is commercially available in both coarse and fine grain types. Relatively smooth structures, such as plastically formed petals, can easily be created from fine grains. Coarse grain is ideal for depicting beach scenes. But you can also use it to make the tree bark you’ve painted look much more realistic. The application is relatively uncomplicated: Simply apply the structure paste with a suitable artist’s spatula to the chosen location on the watercolor paper or canvas. Then you have to let it dry first. In some cases, however, the three-dimensional appearance can be further enhanced by sprinkling materials such as small shells or grains of sand onto the surface of the structural paste before it dries. Small glass beads in assorted colors are also well suited for this purpose.
Once the structural paste is completely dry, it can be covered with watercolor paint. With a relatively thick application, drying may take an entire night. One of the difficulties in painting structural paste is that the paint on it does not hold perfectly and can be partially removed simply by touching it with wet hands. You should therefore cover your finished watercolor with a « watercolor fixative spray », especially if you are using a structure paste. Framing watercolors with structural paste behind glass is also very problematic. Therefore, watercolor paper is not necessarily suitable as a painting support for images with a structural paste proportion. Instead, we recommend priming a canvas with a special water-based primer. But you can also use watercolors or wooden palettes for your watercolors with structure paste. Another option would be to glue the watercolor paper you are using to a canvas to hang it. This is also called lamination. However, watercolors that are not stored behind glass should always be treated with a fixer, so that their colors are permanently protected.
Fast and effective: the spray technique
For the spray technique, you need to mix larger quantities of a paint of your choice with a relatively high water content. Then you take an old toothbrush and dip it in that color. Stroking the bristles with your thumb lets the paint splatter onto the paper. Instead of an old toothbrush, you can also use a brush with relatively thick bristles. If you don’t want your thumb to come into contact with the paint, you can also dip a paintbrush in the paint and then tap its handle with your fingers. The latter technique produces somewhat more irregular and coarser paint splashes, but these are in any case visually very effective.
A lot depends on the consistency of the paint you’re using, exactly what the splatter looks like on the surface of the paint. The use of certain bristle brushes, other brushes or a toothbrush also influences the size and shape of the splashes. You should be especially careful in choosing colors if you want to apply the paint splatters to an area of the painting that has already been colored. To be able to distinguish splashes from the background, their color must be either darker than the surrounding color or at least opaque.
The enraged variant: watercolor images with the scratching technique
For the application of the so-called « scraping » technique, you need pointed or sharp objects as aids. They are used to insert certain details into painted and dried watercolors. Razors or scalpels, for example, can be used to sculpt the outlines of branches into a colorful image. But with this technique you always have to be very careful, because if you press too hard, certain areas of the image can be cut or small pieces of paper torn off. With the scraping technique, the scraping is always only started after the painting itself has been painted and dried. Once scratched, it is not possible to glaze the areas normally without creating unattractive effects.
Create special color structures with salt
When designing a structure with salt, a certain area is first painted wet on wet. For this you can use one or more different colors. Then you sprinkle coarse sea salt or fine rock salt on part of this painted surface and wait a few minutes. The rest of the area, where the paint has already dried a little, is now also covered in salt. Then you let the image dry well. When the paper is finally completely dry, the salt grains can be carefully removed by hand or simply with a bristle brush.
This will reveal particular color structures. These differ depending on whether the paper was wetter at one time when the salt was applied than at other times. This effect is based on the fact that salt can fix humidity and therefore attract water contained in the paint. Around each grain of salt, interesting frayed colored structures therefore develop, the size of which depends on the degree of humidity of the paper and the size of the salt grains used. If you work with the salt on a relatively dry paint surface, small structures will form due to the low water content.
Painting impressive landscapes with watercolor
With watercolor painting you can create absolutely impressive landscapes. However, it can be very helpful to first make a rough sketch of the landscape you are planning. So you can creatively develop the plan of your pictorial composition and, if necessary, erase it and correct possible errors. However, watercolor paper with its rough surface structure is not very well suited for creating a pencil sketch. In addition, unsightly traces of the sketch may remain visible later. So it’s best to create the sketch first on a normal sheet of drawing paper. When you’re finally happy with your sketch, you can use a grid to reproduce its basic structure on your watercolor paper.
e-books and manuals on watercolor painting and its techniques
Books and e-books can be a great help for getting started with watercolor painting or for extensive continuing education. After all, unlike a face-to-face painting class, you decide for yourself when and how much time you want to devote to watercolor painting. In many cases, you can obtain literature with lots of tips and tricks for relatively little money and consult certain painting techniques at any time afterwards if necessary. We can recommend the following watercolor painting learning books to you:
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Frequently asked questions and answers about watercolor painting
How did watercolor painting develop as an art form in its own right?
According to historical research, watercolor painting dates back to painters like Albrecht Dürer, who first experimented with this type of technique around 1500. But at that time, watercolors began as simpler drawings and faster, on the basis of which important oil paintings were then to be created. In the 18th century, recognition of watercolor painting increased significantly and important artists such as Emil Nolde, Christian Modersohn, William Turner and Paul Cézanne created important works of art with the watercolor technique. ‘watercolor. Since that time, watercolor painting has been an integral part of the art world.
How to learn to paint with watercolors?
More than with other painting techniques, it is important with watercolor painting to have a fairly good eye for shapes and proportions. Therefore, there is absolutely no harm in practicing drawing before you start. Comparable to many other painting techniques, the principle also applies to watercolor painting, that this art form can only be perfected with a certain discipline and patience. The more you practice, the sooner you will develop your own watercolor style and make significant progress. On the Internet you will find not only various learning books about watercolor painting for beginners, but also various online courses and e-books, which can be very useful both for introduction to this hobby and for training continues advanced students.
What watercolors should be used for watercolor painting for beginners?
If you want to try watercolor painting first, you can also use inexpensive watercolors. They are usually sufficient for the beginning, as they offer good color density anyway. However, if you have already had some initial success with watercolor painting for beginners and have gained some experience, the investment in higher quality watercolors may be worth it. These give your works of art a special shine and can significantly improve the aesthetic expression of the motifs.
Derrière acrylgiessen.com se trouvent Martina et Thomas Faessler, un couple créatif de Zurich en Suisse. Ils sont tous deux artistes depuis un certain temps déjà : Martina a découvert sa fibre créative dès l’enfance et a toujours été passionnée par la peinture et l’illustration. Aujourd’hui, elle travaille comme designer graphique et l’art joue toujours un rôle important dans son temps libre. Avant de se lancer dans la peinture, Thomas a été sculpteur/tourneur d’art pendant des années, créant de superbes sculptures et récipients creux en bois veiné sur un tour à bois.
Ils sont arrivés à l’art fluide par hasard, lorsqu’il s’est agi d’améliorer une des sculptures de Thomas avec de la peinture acrylique liquide. Une fois qu’ils ont essayé l’Acrylic Pouring, ils n’ont plus pu s’en passer et ont peu à peu acquis un grand savoir-faire sur la technique de l’Acrylic Pouring en réalisant d’innombrables Pourings.
En plus des techniques originales de peinture fluide, ils ont ajouté d’autres thèmes créatifs importants comme la théorie des couleurs et la création de tutoriels de dessin.
Pour en savoir plus sur acrylgiessen, consultez notre page « A propos de nous« .
