Watercolor

What is Watercolor?

A lot of beginner artists explore different mediums to expand their knowledge of creativity and flexibility by using different mediums. Watercolor is a common medium among artists, whether just starting out or has mastered the craft.

Watercolor is a water-soluble paint. It is mainly made up of pigment mixed with a binder, called Gum Arabic.

"Après les Vérpres" (After Vespers) by Henri Joseph Harpignies

Watercolor on Paper

How is Watercolor Used?

Watercolors are traditionally used with a soft paintbrush that can hold amounts of water and paint, and watercolor paper, a thick kind of paper that has a rough and smooth side. Watercolors can be used in many techniques, like:

    1. Dry brushing. This technique is when a paintbrush isn't fully soaked with the diluted paint, but enough for the paint to show up on the paper. Dry brushing can create rough and unexpected textures throughout your painting.

    2. Wash. A simple watercolor wash is done by taking a good amount of paint with your brush and smoothing it on a large area or the whole surface. Washes can be used as backgrounds for the subject of the painting.

    3. Blotting. This is a technique used to lift the already-laid-down pigment on paper using an absorbent material like paper towels or a dry paintbrush. It can also be very useful when you make accidents and mistakes, such as dropping paint in unwanted areas.

You can paint with watercolors with no rules whatsoever. Doing art with no rules is the best kind of way to pass time and cure boredom. Having fun is what matters, but I hope that this bit of information helps. 

Au revoir!