f i Q<r if h It All aboutthe medium All aboutthe equipment All abouttechnique ALL All about color % All about paintinc METHODS I All about pointers and practical advice,- ABOUT All about specific ' subjects wmm techniques in An indispensable manualfor artists IIMMtlf BARRON'S BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY Copley Square GOvi ALL About Techniques in WATERCI IR ALL About Techniques in WATERCOLOR % i h M BARRON'S Contents Preface 5 Materials and tools 6 Paint 6 Paper 10 Brushes 18 Boards, Easels, and Cases 26 Containers, Cups, and Palettes 30 Other Materials and Accessories 32 Techniques in watercolor 36 Stretching Paper 36 Using the Brush 38 One Color 42 Two Colors 48 Three Colors 50 Wet and Dry 58 White 62 Tricks ofthe Trade 72 The Sponge 88 Line Drawing 90 Shadows 92 Light 96 Atmosphere 100 Watercolor subjects 102 Skies 102 Water 108 Vegetation 114 Flesh Tones 124 Animal Textures 130 Glass 138 Metal 140 Topic Finder 142 Although it ispossible tofind examples dating reader wi—llfind everything about the watercolor back toancienttimes, watercolorpainting, assuch, medium that is, answers to questions, tricks started in thefifteenth century. Despite its rela- needed to achieve a certain effect, and exact tivelyrecentdevelopment, however, itissecondonly information on every aspect ofthe technique. to oils inpopularity. Thistechnique is based on the This book has been designed for the fine arts interplay ofwater, pigments, and the brilliancy of teacher, who will find abundant information whitepaper to create effects oflight, transparency for his or her classes; the art student,for whom it (watercolor}s main quality), andsubtlety oftone. will be an unrivalled reference work; and the Today, watercolor is one ofthe basic painting professional, who will benefit not only from its techniques, as well as one ofthe best known and thoroughness but also from the way it classifies appreciated. It is fascinating to work with a the graphic materials, and the wealth of new medium that allows the artist topaintsuchfresh, information itcontains. All About Techniques in spontaneous, andflowing works. Although it is a Watercolor will be an essential companion for naturally fragile medium and requires little beginners and more advanced amateurs, who are equipment, it can produce works ofgreat beauty unlikely to find such a far-reaching technical and elegance. andpracticalguide asthisone elsewhere. As with any other technique (probably more To anyone who paints in watercolor, we offer so, given the difficulty of correction), mastering this work as aguide to entering the world ofthis watercolor requires the artist to paint constantly, exciting technique. to practice time and again, to experiment a thousand times over. In time, practice makesper- fect and arouses the imagination. Much will depend on the individual'sefforts, willpower, and constancy: Ifthe artist can combine afirm atti- tude with sound knowledge ofthe technique itself, the resultwill be theperfectartist. All About Techniques in Watercolor is an attempt to deal exhaustively with the knowledge necessary for mastering watercolor painting. It seeks to provide a solid basis that is well documentedand up to date. In addition to thepaints,paper, and the otherneces- sary materials, the artist will find tricks ofthe trade, advice, basic exer- cises, anddemonstrationssetoutclearly in the form of detailed step-by-step procedures. The practical format of this book makes each subject and detail easy to understand so that anyone who paints can put the information into practice effortlessly. It is, therefore, a true handbook in which the CHARACTERISTICS COMPONENTS The main characteris- tic of watercolor paint is Watercolorpaintsare < the transparency of its GO obtained bymixingpig- colors. This is because —<I Watercolor,oraquarelle,is awater-basedpaintthat hasasits ments,binders,<\ndmcis- gum arabic is the binder principal characteristic the transparency ofits color. (The cure-retainingagentscalled and water is the only humectants. solvent used to dilute opaque water-based paints, including gouache and casein, will Qualityinwatercolor thepaint. not be covered in this book.) paintisdeterminedbydie Transparency affects qualityofthepigments the entire procedure of Thisquick-dryingmediummakesuseofglazesthatareapplied andothercomponentsit watercolor painting. To from light to dark. Light tones are introduced before the dark contains.Twobasicfea- begin, white is a color ones because, being transparent, a lightcolorwill not conceal a turesrevealthequalityoi that is rarely applied; apaint: stabilityandper- instead, the artist uses dark one. Whites are obtained by reserving certain areas ofthe manence. thewhiteofthepaper— papWearteitrscelofl.orisboththesimplestandthe mostdifficultoftech- tbhianStdtearbdsie.lpiAtefyntdiessraitofsneuastetu,hreea avwiantmgeertchoorolodrmcaasplakliienndtg.rdesoeAerss- niques. Simple, because all the paints can be carried in small stablepaintwillnotcrack not entirely conceal any bpaoixnets'satnrdantshpearpeanicnytimngeasnusrfatcheatisyopauprerw.orDikffmicuusltt bbeecacuarseefutlhley ct>arnpPceeeertlmooalfnifge.hnt,cere,feorrstroestihse- uidnamdrpekorslscyioiblnlogertcwooiltcohorvse,ariultipghiats planned as it is a rather unpredictable medium that is virtually colorandisdirecdyasso- ownhee.nFopraitnthiensgeirneawsaotnesr,- ciatedwiththepigments impTohsesiebflfeecttoocforwraetcetr.color glazes resembles a dye more than a unsoetdc.haTnhgeecoovleorrtismheoualndd cpsotllaaornrt,intgihteainsdwoetsroskepnatibineatlfotrhteeo continuous layer ofpaint. The colors can be combined on the alter the overall tonal lighttonesfirst. palette orthe paper, aswell as bysuperimposing one glaze over balanceofthepicture. another. These colors can be applied thick and hardly PIGMENTS diluted—as they come out of the tube. In this extremelyfinepowderis case, the paintwill not adhere well to the paper, Watercolorpaintsare obtained.Thesmallerthe and the color will re- I pqurailcietdyaacncdodrednisnitgytooftthhee geraasiinesroitftishetopisgpmreenatd,tthhee semble an opaque pigments in the paint. paintevenly. brushstroke. Water Paintofgoodqualitycan Each pigment reacts bedilutedwith a lotof differently when it is color applied this waterwithoutlosingits mixedwithwaterandis way may crack if colorbecauseitconsists incontactwiththepaper. of50percentpigment. the paper is not Theraw materialsfrom keptperfectlyflat. whichpigmentsarepro- ducedaregrounduntilan Pigmentisthecomponent thatgivespaintitscolor.