Painting with Carol

This is a big subject to tackle. I could write pages and pages about it. But if you are anything like me, you can only take in a little information at a time. If I am faced with pages of information I don’t read it properly. I wonder if this means I only use the artistic side of my brain?

Anyway I have decided that I will write a little at a time as required for the projects we do together. There is a basic vocabulary used when talking about colour and when I first started to paint, I found it difficult to know one from the other. Every colour has three characteristics:

• Hue
• Value
• Intensity

If you attend a class or a workshop you will hear your teacher speak of “hue” - this simply means it is the name of the colour. It allows us to distinguish one colour from another.

“Value” is the most important of the three. It simply means the lightness or darkness of a colour - however, if the value of the colour is wrong then the colour is wrong.

“Intensity” just means the brightness of the colour as it comes freshly from the tube; mix any other colour with it and you change it’s intensity. Brilliant Red has a high intensity value, for example, but if you were to add a touch of green to the red it would make it less intense. You can lighten the hue of watercolours by just adding water. I have tried to simplify it as much as I can but if at any stage you are unable to understand what I write, please don’t hesitate in asking me. If you’re wondering about something, it’s a safe bet others are too - and it will also be a help to me.

Colour may seem to be a difficult subject but I have found the more you paint and mix your own colours the more fun it can be. You will find the best thing about painting is playing and learning about it. I have reached the stage now after so many years of painting where I can look across a field and I feel confident enough to know I can mix any colour to suit the colours in the grasses, trees, or anything else needed for a painting. Of course, that only comes with experience and practice. I will go more in to colour as it is required.

I’m working on uploading a pattern packet of this design so that you can try it out for yourself. Stay tuned.

If you take up a hobby of any description you will need extra “stuff”. I just love that word “stuff” - I have so much of it much to the disgust of my family. Here’s a quick list of some of the stuff you’ll need for watercolours:

• Razor blades for scratching highlights which of course we will go in to when we paint together.
• A fine mist water spray. Chroma has the best one I have found so far. You’ll need it to quickly wet the paper down.
• Don’t through away your old toothbrush as you can use that for splattering.
• A synthetic sponge and a natural sea sponge. I often use sponges for different effects.
• Paper towels and tissues are very much apart of a watercolour artists list of things to have, I couldn’t live without tissues for different effects and blotting up mistakes.
• A ruling pen. I use this all the time and often I am asked what it is. It can be bought at The Art Scene. My camera has died but I will take a photo of the “Ruling Pen” for all to see when I get it back; I think you will find it self explanatory.
• An eye dropper for measuring out water when I mix my paints.
• A soft and hard pencil for quick sketching.
• Along with a pencil of course goes a pencil sharpener.

I am sure there is so much more. I will enter them in as I think of them.

I like to think that everyone can be successful when they start to paint with watercolours, so I introduce art masking fluid with the first painting. There is a school of thought that one should never use masking fluid - that you should be able to introduce light in to a painting with out it.

But you know what? If you are successful with your first painting you are likely to want to continue.

Art masking fluid is a rubber latex solution. It is used to mask out an area you do not wish to paint. For instance, if you would like to paint a rose you would either trace or sketch the rose, then you would carefully block it in with the masking fluid, making sure the paper is covered well. If you can see the paper through the masking fluid, then you will need to add another coat.

Allow it to dry before you apply the required washes over the paper for the background. Masking fluid can be used before any painting has been done - this will ensure that any highlights can be kept white. Masking Fluid is available in a clear or slightly yellow tint and I have even seen it in a blue colour. It can also be introduced at any stage of the painting - providing the surface is thoroughly dry before it is applied.

I like to use the brand Art Spectrum which has a yellow tint to it this makes it easier to see when applying it. Of course, you can buy other good brands of masking fluid at your favourite supplier.

TIPS:

• Don’t use your good brushes when applying the masking fluid, but use a brush with a good point.
• Continually condition your brush with liquid detergent before you dip it in the fluid as it is inclined to clog the brush.
• Leave a small amount of liquid detergent in the brush before applying
• Wash your brush frequently.

I like to paint over the sketch lines as I find the masking fluid will remove them. It is important that the masking fluid is dry before you remove it - even when it’s dry it will have a wet sticky look so touch it with the tip of your finger to check. Gently rub away the masking fluid with a clean fingertip or an eraser.

Masking fluid can also be used for textured effects and splattering - the list goes on and on there is just so much for you to learn, it is so exciting. I think I will leave that for when we are actually painting a project together.

I always use a backing board when I am painting. A backing board is a board to which you will tape the watercolour paper so it will need to be larger all the way round than the paper.

The size of the board will depend on the size of your painting - it can be made from hardboard, masonite, plywood or any such wood. When I paint I tend to use quite a lot of water, for my washes, which is a technique called wet-into-wet. Watercolour paper tends to buckle, especially if you use a light weight paper and this is why I recommend using 300 gsm (the grammage or weight of the paper is now universally measured in grams per square metre).

If you are using a light weight paper, however, you will need stretch the paper. The best way to do this is to soak the paper overnight in a bath of water, hold the paper upright to let most of the water run off, then tape or even staple to the board. The paper will shrink; but when dries it will pull tight, which will make it durable and workable.

Caring for your brushes is so important. I am still using brushes that I bought ten years ago simply because I look after them.

It is important that you only ever use your watercolour brushes for watercolours. Make sure that your brushes are cleaned properly after you have finished painting. Rinse them in clean water, preferably under a running tap. If you are washing them in a container of clean water, make sure that you are gentle and don’t hit the ferrule (the metal ring at the end of the brush) or you are likely to break off the hairs. Squeeze the water from the brush, making sure you shape the hairs back into a point. If you find the paint is difficult to remove, try using Jo Sonja’s Brush Soap and Conditioner. I find it the best but you could also use a cake of soap. When carrying brushes from place to place, roll them carefully in a tea towel or something similar. I have a paint brush roll that I bought from The Art Scene but you can buy similar products from other art supply stores.

Whether you subscribe to the thinking “you are only as good as your tools” or “a good workman never blames his tools” one thing is certain: a good quality brush will make your life sooo much easier.

Unfortunately, good brushes cost a lot. I mostly use Raphael, a large round sable brush that can cost hundreds of dollars. When I teach at workshops, as I have done for many years, I am asked for a list of requirements for the students to buy, and I often don’t include it in the list as I know, for first time painters, the cost of brushes would be just too expensive. But cheap brushes just won’t hold the paint and you will also find it is difficult for a cheap brush to also hold its ‘point’. So why not ask a loved one for a brush for a birthday present?

The brushes I most often use are:

• Raphael round brushes - No.7, No.4, No.3
• I also use a squirrel mix oval wash brush for my washes

…all of which I buy from Art Basics.

If you are on a budget as most of us are, you could try Rekab - a specially designed blend of pure sable hair and synthetic. The blend ensures a strong tip which is ideal for detail work. There are also many other cheaper watercolour brushes around, choices include brushes that are made from other animal hair or synthetic. Most art suppliers will recommend watercolour brushes for you to use.

When painting with watercolours it is so important to use clean water at all times. I think the reason is obvious, as any colour at all in the water will stain the paper or even change the intended colour.

I mostly use a double sided container that I bought in the days when I was painting Folk Art. I use one side for washing out my brush and the other side for painting. But you don’t even need a special container. Two containers will do - one for washing your brushes, the other to dip clean brushes into as you paint.

It is important to choose the right sort of palette - the paints should be separated from each other this will then stop the contamination of the colours mixing together in that grey-brown goop that’s often (quite rightly) called “mud”.

Nobody wants a muddy mess so a well-designed palette is a must - one with a series of wells and a flat area for mixing the paint. There are many available these days and you don’t have to spend a fortune - they can often be bought in two dollar shops! I suggest that you have more than one palette, though, as watercolours can be used over and over by just adding water. It seems a shame to me, to wash expensive paint away.

Watercolour papers are offered in a perplexing variety of sizes, weights, textures and prices. There are a number of good quality brands available. I mostly use Arches, however Whatman, Fabriano, Saunders Waterford and so on are all very good papers. I think you should experiment yourself, as it depends on what you are going to paint. You will find that professional-quality watercolour paper is expensive, but I think it is certainly worth it. Watercolour paper comes in a variety of surfaces so you should choose the right surface.

There are three textures available:

• rough
• hot-pressed
• cold-pressed.

Rough paper has the most ‘tooth’ - ridges on the paper - and if I am painting landscapes, this is the paper I use. For instance, if I am painting water I will use the side of my brush. The paint then adheres to the elevations and will leave sparkles on the surface of the water. However, like everything it takes practice to achieve this effect.

I use hot-pressed paper if I am painting fine detailed work as it has a smooth surface.

Cold-pressed is ideal for beginners as it has enough tooth for repeated washes but it’s texture will still allow you to create sparkle in your painting. I mostly use cold-pressed paper.

Then there’s the weight of the paper. I mostly use 300 gsm; professional watercolour paper can come in different weights, as little as 70 or 90 gsm. I have found, though, that the lighter the paper the more you are likely to have trouble with it warping if you are new to painting. The weight is determined by a ream which is usually 500 sheets. A standard size sheet of paper is 22 x 30 inches.

I could write pages about paper! I haven’t even got into stretching the paper or anything like that. Sometimes the best way to learn is to try it out and if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment here.

Happy brush strokes!