Projects 5 & 6 - Watercolor Skills

Skills 5 - Watercolor

Download file: skills5.pdf (237k)

Skills 6 - Watercolor

Download file: skills6.pdf (1.5mb)

Watercolor

Watercolor is a popular medium with illustrators. It offers a unique look and feel that cannot be duplicated with other mediums. Its freeflowing, loose quality has made it a favorite of fine artist and illustrators for centuries.

Watercolor Supplies Needed for Class

These supplies come with the graphic design art kit for sale in the bookstore. They are also available individually in the bookstore, or at Hobby Lobby or Michaels.

I will supply the watercolor paper (140 lb.) for your skills and projects

Advantages

• Watercolor can fill large areas quickly. This quality makes it work well for backgrounds and underpainting large areas
  
• A little pigment goes a long way! Mix a small amount of paint with water to start. Don't squeeze too much out to start.
• Accidents and the unknown outcome of watercolor adds to its uniqueness. Don't be afraid to let your watercolor go a little and see what you get when it dries. The unexpected results may surprise you.

Disadvantages

• Watercolor can be difficult to control and hard to blend. It gets easier the more you practice and work with it.
• Mixing colors can be time consuming and messy. Again, the more experience you gain, the easier it becomes.

Helpful hints using watercolors

1. Make sure your watercolor has enough water when mixed. Too little water and you will see brush strokes in your work--instead of smooth, even color coverage.
   
2. It is best to layer light colors and slowly build up to full strength.
   
3. Try to mix most of your colors from the same three primary colors so your colors will look like they go together (they will have similar intensities)
   
4. Instead of black, try darkening colors with its complement. Darken red with green or blue, and orange with blue. Also try darkening colors with payne's gray. It gives you a darker value of your color, not just a blackened value.
   
5. Try overlapping light colors to create other colors (red over yellow = orange, blue over yellow = Green)

Mixing Watercolor Paint

  1. Mix a pea-size drop of paint with a nickel-size pool of water

  2. Mix two primary colors in separate cups

  3. Mix two primary colors to make a secondary or tertiary color

 

Basic Watercolor Blending

1. "Underpaint" a basic shape with a solid color and let it dry
   
2. Apply a darker color to the area you want darker
   
3. Clean the brush, and with a very small amount of clear water in your brush, grab and pull the dark color over the light color to blend them together

Watercolor Blending with Multiple Colors and Layers

 

Websites with More Watercolor Samples & Techniques

• http://www.wetcanvas.com/
  
• http://www.watercolorpainting.com/watercolor-tutorials.htm
  
• http://www.watercolor-online.com/Articles/Articles.html
  
• http://www.worldofwatercolor.com/lssnindx.htm
  
• http://www.johnlovett.com/class.htm
  
• http://www.bigcityart.com/tutorial/index.html