Watercolor paper

The paper used for watercolor painting is a specialty heavy paper at least 90lb. (To give you an idea of the thickness, standard card stock is 60 or 80lb.) Heavier, thicker, paper, such as 140lb, will buckle less from the moisture used during the painting process.

Watercolor paper ranges from inexpensive (thick paper with texture) to expensive watercolor paper (cotton paper). It comes in two varieties: hot press (smooth) and cold press (bumpy).

Watercolor paper is sold in single sheets, in a pad or a block. Single large sheets are sold for artists to cut their own smaller sheets. A block of watercolor paper is sealed on all sides, which keeps the paper rigid. Read more!

More watercolor technique

Layering is a technique used in watercolor as well as in other types of paintings. A wash has to completely dry before more can be done such as adding details on top. Or a glaze may be put over a wash. Similar to a wash, a glaze uses a thin transparent pigment. It could be used to adjust color and tone of the underlying wash. Multiple glazes can be used as long as each layer is allowed to dry thoroughly.

Another technique is “dropping in color.” A color is introduced to a wet region of a painting and allowed to bleed and feather without being touched by the artist. The results are unpredictable, but interesting.

Watercolor can be dissolved and removed or “lifted off” after it has dried, although not all colors allow this technique. The way it is done is by using a brush with clean water on the area, then blotting with a tissue. Sometimes an area will be masked before this is attempted. Read more!

Watercolor Painting

Watercolor painting has its own challenges. If you look at watercolor paper, you’ll see it is very thick so it can stand the amounts of water used without warping (at least warping too much).

Some painting styles require the watercolor paper to be dampened before any paint is applied. This technique is used for a “flat wash.” In this case a single pigment is spread in horizontal bands. The paper is laid on a sloping surface so that the paint will even itself out as it dries.
“Wet in wet” uses paint applied to a wet surface. This allows for easy blending of colors on the artwork, including intentional blurring.

Other times, paint is applied to dry paper. Paint may be applied with a dry brush followed up with a wet brush to give what is called Lost and Found edges (lost is soft, found is hard) or applied with a dry brush either to give sharp focused lines or the brush used at an angle so that the pits of the watercolor paper stay unpainted.

More next week. Read more!

Pastels

Pastels are powdered pigment and a binder in stick form. There are soft, hard, pencil, oil and water-soluble pastels.

Soft pastels can be readily smudged and blended, which is great while working on a piece, but means they need a fixative afterwards.

Hard pastels aren’t as brilliant as soft pastels, but smudge less. Pencil pastels are great for adding fine detail. Oil pastels don’t require a fixative, but are slightly less easy to blend. Water-soluble pastels can be thinned using a water wash.

Artists on our site who use pastels include:
Ardith Starostka
Daggi Wallace
Miles Mathis

Read more!

Varnish

Varnish is used on top of oil or acrylic paintings, in the former case to help prevent the oils yellowing, and in both cases to a different sheen (matte or glossy) to the finished painting. Varnish on a painting that will not be under glass also protects it from damage by dirt, dust, and pollution.

Putting varnish on a painting is not something that can be rushed. The paint must be completely dry. For an oil painting that can take several to six months depending on the paint. Read more!

More on Acrylics

Acrylic paints can basically go on any surface. Traditionally, wood, canvas, and masonite are used. Some artists might use illustration board or paper, however if too lightweight of paper is used it can buckle from the liquid in the paint.

Acrylic mediums can alter the appearance, hardness, flexibility, texture, and other characteristics of acrylic paint. If an artist wants texture in acrylic paintings, he adds texturing mediums which thicken the paint and allow it to dry in different ways such as crinkly surfaces, rough sandy edges, or stiff peaks.

Acrylics are useful in mixed media as when once dry, artists can use pastels, charcoal, or pen on top of the dry surface.

Acrylic paints were invented about 50 years ago, so they have not had the test of longevity that oil paints have had, but so far they seem to yellow less. Read more!

Acrylics

Unlike oils, acrylic paints dry really fast. There are advantages and disadvantages to this quality. Quick drying can obviously speed up the painting process. Yet, too quick drying might make it difficult to achieve some effects, such as blending of two colors on the painting itself.

Acrylics can be thinned with water and acrylic medium. Acrylic clean up is easier – no solvents needed. There is also less odor when painting with acrylics.

More on this topic next week.

Meanwhile here are some of our artists that work in acrylics: Ursula Brenner, Cathy Kline, Gloria Coker, Ashley Dietrich, Alexandra Kruglyak, R.F. Tapnio, Christina Cena, & Yvonne Mora. Read more!

Painting techniques

In an earlier entry I talked about blocking in. Of course, there are other painting techniques.

Some artists paint over a detailed drawing they’ve done. Others prefer to paint one section at a time. They might complete individual objects before moving on to another item. One might paint the background first, then add the details on top. Another artist might paint the details and add the background afterwards.

When the painting is done, can you tell how it was done? Doubtful for the untrained eye, though it depends on what type of paint was used. Since acrylics and oils have texture to the paint, if one paint is painted on top of another that obviously will be more visible. Read more!

Art basics – Color: Transparent or not?

Color pigments are transparent, semi-transparent, or opaque. Opaque paint will cover up another color. Transparent barely shows on top of another color. Semi-transparent is in between. When an artist wants light an airy, they may use transparent paint. To make an object look solid more opaque paint may be used. Paint isn’t divided up so simply into these categories, but this gives you an idea of the range. Read more!

Art basics – Color: Categories and Harmonies

Categories of Color

I remember in grade school learning about primary colors (red, yellow, blue), secondary colors (orange, violet, green) and complementary colors (colors opposite each other on a color wheel). I don’t remember these details however:

Intermediate colors (red orange, yellow green, blue violet, etc.) are made by mixing a primary color with a secondary color.

Complementary colors look bright next to each other, but when mixed together neutralize each other.

Analogous colors are next to each other on a color wheel, such as red, red orange, orange.
Monochromatic color is one color used in different values and intensities.

Color Harmonies

Color Harmonies is combinations of colors to create different looks or feelings.

When 3 equally spaced colors on the color wheel are used it is called a Triadic Harmony.

Warm colors give the feeling of warmth. Cool colors give the feeling of coolness or cold. Read more!

Art basics - Color

Color has hue, intensity and value.

Hue is the color name, i.e. red or blue.

Intensity refers to the purity of color. Intensity is reduced by the amount of black or white mixed in – this quality of intensity is often referred to as tint or shade.

Value refers to the amount of black or white mixed into the pure color.

Color Transitions – i.e. from dark to lighter – are called blends. It’s a gradual transition from one color to another—a blending of one color to another. Read more!

Art basics - Texture and Light

Texture is the surface quality of the object. In two dimensional art it is implied texture—how objects look like they would feel if you could touch them.

Textured items reflect light differently. The more texture the less reflection of light.

Light in a painting can be dramatic, mysterious, cold, hot, dappled, rainy, and can make patterns, shapes, etc. The direction of light, where the light source is coming from, influences how the shadows in picture will be formed. There are 3 categories of shadow: the shadow side of the object, the shadow cast by the object, and proximity shadows caused when objects touch or nearly touch each other.

The contrast between dark and light not only defines space and form, but it also conveys feelings and drama. Light can express good while dark can express evil. Read more!

Art basics – Space

Space is the distance or area around, between, above, below or within places. It can be two dimensional or three dimensional.

In two dimensional work artists often use techniques that create the illusion of depth or distance. Some of these techniques are:

Linear perspective – distant objects are proportionally smaller than close objects

Atmospheric perspective – distant objects and spaces are less detailed and less intense

Placement of objects – distant shapes are placed higher on the picture plane and closer shapes are placed lower. Overlapping objects on the plane can also suggest space. Read more!

A few art basics

There are 7 formal elements of art design: line, shape, form, space, texture, light, and color.

The two basic line types are straight and curved.

Shape is two dimensional. Shapes may be organic, geometric, symmetrical, or non-symmetrical or a combination.

Form is three dimensional. Five basic forms—the cone, cylinder, sphere, cube and torus (donut shape)—are the foundation of objects.

We’ll discuss the rest of the elements in future entries. Read more!

impasto

The term, impasto, is borrowed from the Italian. It commonly refers to the oil painting technique where paint is thickly laid on the canvas. Brush strokes or painting knife strokes are often visible when this technique is used.

Impasto painting provides texture. Impasto gives the artist more control over the way light will reflect on the painting. Some say the paint is coming “out” of the canvas since it is almost a 3 dimensional sculpture.

Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers (pictured) used this technique.

Read more!

Drying Oils or Mediums

Drying oils or mediums are added to oil paint to modify the way the paint handles or to change the characteristics of the paint—make it glossy or matt, transparent or opaque.

Linseed oil is used to add gloss and transparency to paint, although it has a tendency to yellow. A thicker processed form of linseed oil is called “stand oil.” It’s often used for glazing. Linseed oil can also be sun-thickened or sun-bleached. These three forms yellow less.

Poppyseed oil and safflower oil are pale oils that are more transparent and less likely to yellow than linseed oil. They dry more slowly.

Walnut oil is used to make oil paint more fluid. It also yellows less than linseed oil, but is expensive.

Boiled oils are faster drying and give a glossy finish, but tend to yellow and darken with age. Read more!

Oil Painting: Solvents and Resins

Solvents are used to dilute oil paints or to dissolve resins. Solvents in oil paint will evaporate totally when the oil paint dries. Common solvents are: turpentine and minerals spirits. Both must be used in a well ventilated room and are flammable so precautions should be used.

Resins are used to increase the gloss of oil paint. They can also reduce the color and add body. A common resin is Damar. Damar is also used as a varnish. Read more!

Glazes

A technique some artists use is glazing. It can be done with oil, acrylic, or watercolor paints.

The basic of glazing is painting a very thin layer of paint on top of a dry painting, letting the glaze dry, then painting another layer, adding as many layers until the desired result is reached. Glazing can provide deepness, luminosity, and richness to a painting. It can be done over all of a painting or only on points of focus.

Others of our artists who do oil painting:
Penelope Moore
Jon Smith
Diana Dean Read more!