What are the rules for watercolour painting? – London Art Exchange, Art Gallery London

Watercolor painting is a captivating and versatile medium that requires a certain set of techniques, principles, and rules to master. While creativity knows no bounds, understanding the basic rules can help a painter create harmonious and successful works. The following discussion will delve into the essential rules for watercolor painting, structured as key principles, techniques, and strategies that guide artists in the process of painting with watercolors.

1. Understand the Nature of Watercolors

Watercolors are unique in their ability to create delicate washes and subtle gradations of color. Unlike oil paints or acrylics, watercolors are applied with water, making them more fluid and transparent. This transparency is one of the most defining characteristics of the medium, as it allows the underlying white of the paper or previous layers to show through, creating a luminous effect. Therefore, understanding the behavior of water and pigments is crucial. Watercolors are often unforgiving in terms of mistakes because they are challenging to cover up once applied to the paper.

2. Choosing the Right Materials

Selecting the appropriate materials is fundamental to achieving good results in watercolor painting. The main materials needed include:

• Watercolor Paper: Watercolor paper should have a high cotton content to handle the amount of water used in the painting process without warping or losing its texture. There are different textures such as hot-pressed (smooth), cold-pressed (grainy), and rough, each of which offers different effects in the final artwork.
• Watercolors: Artists can use tube paints or pan colors. Tube paints are usually more intense, while pan colors are more portable and are ideal for traveling artists. It’s important to invest in high-quality paints because they tend to be more pigmented and produce vibrant results.
• Brushes: The size and type of brush used can greatly affect the outcome of the painting. A large round brush is ideal for washes and broad strokes, while smaller brushes are better for detailing. Brushes should be soft and able to hold a good amount of water.
• Water: The consistency of the water used is vital. Clean, fresh water helps maintain the clarity and purity of the paints. It’s common practice to use two water containers—one for rinsing the brush and another for clean water for mixing.

3. The Importance of Paper Quality

The quality of the paper is one of the most important factors in watercolor painting. Watercolor paper comes in different weights and textures, with the most common weights ranging from 190gsm to 800gsm. Heavier papers, such as 600gsm, can hold more water and are less likely to buckle or warp, making them ideal for wet-on-wet techniques. Lighter papers are more prone to warping but can still be used for dry techniques or smaller works.

Cold-pressed paper has a textured surface that allows for rich, spontaneous effects, while hot-pressed paper offers a smooth surface that’s great for detail work. Artists should experiment with different types of paper to determine what works best for their style.

4. The Principles of Watercolor Techniques

Watercolor painting requires an understanding of specific techniques that can be employed to create different effects. Some key techniques include:

• Wet-on-Wet: In this technique, the paper is first wet, and then pigment is applied. The paint spreads out, creating soft edges and blending colors naturally. This technique is ideal for skies, backgrounds, and abstract works.
• Wet-on-Dry: This involves applying wet paint to dry paper. The result is sharper, more defined edges. This technique is often used for adding details, such as outlines and textures.
• Dry Brush: When the brush is dry and slightly loaded with paint, this technique can be used to create rough textures or more defined strokes, ideal for creating intricate details.
• Glazing: Glazing is a technique where a transparent layer of paint is applied over dry layers. Each layer must be allowed to dry before applying the next one. This can help build depth and richness in the painting.
• Lifting: This involves using a damp brush or sponge to remove pigment from the paper, creating highlights or correcting mistakes. Lifting is an important technique for creating light effects, such as clouds or glimmers of light.
• Salt Technique: When salt is sprinkled onto wet watercolor, it absorbs the pigment and creates unique, granular textures. This technique is great for creating random, abstract textures.
• Masking: Masking fluid or tape can be used to block out areas of the paper that the artist wants to remain white. This is useful when painting complex subjects with highlights that need to remain untouched by color.

5. Mastering Color Mixing

Watercolor painting is known for its transparency, which means that the underlying white of the paper or the colors beneath can shine through. Color mixing plays an essential role in achieving the desired hue, shade, and tone. Here are some tips for effective color mixing:

• Primary Colors: The three primary colors—red, yellow, and blue—can be mixed to create a wide range of other colors. Understanding how to blend primary colors to create secondary (orange, green, purple) and tertiary colors is fundamental to working in watercolor.
• Use of the Color Wheel: The color wheel is a great tool to help mix colors harmoniously. Artists should aim to use complementary colors (those opposite each other on the color wheel) for vibrant contrasts, and analogous colors (those next to each other) for harmonious blends.
• Value and Intensity: Watercolors can be mixed with varying amounts of water to create lighter (tints) or darker (shades) colors. The intensity of a color can be adjusted by adding more pigment for deeper saturation or more water for softer, muted tones.
• Avoid Muddy Colors: One common pitfall in watercolor painting is mixing too many colors together, which can lead to a muddy or dull outcome. To avoid this, keep color mixing controlled and try to maintain the vibrancy of individual hues.

6. Layering and Transparency

Watercolors are known for their translucent quality, which allows artists to layer colors to build depth and complexity. When layering, it’s crucial to let each layer dry before applying the next. This allows for clear, defined edges between colors and ensures the layers maintain their transparency. Layering also enables artists to create more nuanced gradients, shadows, and textures.

7. Control Over Water and Pigment

One of the most critical aspects of watercolor painting is controlling the amount of water applied to the paint and the paper. Too much water can cause the colors to wash away or bleed uncontrollably, while too little water can make the colors dry too quickly, leading to uneven strokes. Achieving the right balance between water and pigment takes practice, as too much or too little water can drastically affect the outcome.

8. Composition and Design

Good composition is key to any successful painting, and watercolor is no exception. Artists should consider the following elements when designing their work:

• Focal Point: The focal point of the painting should be the area that draws the viewer’s attention. This can be achieved through color contrast, detail, or light and shadow.
• Balance: A well-balanced composition ensures that the viewer’s eye flows comfortably across the painting. It involves distributing visual weight across the canvas.
• Rule of Thirds: This rule suggests dividing the canvas into thirds horizontally and vertically, with key elements of the painting positioned at the intersections. This helps create a dynamic and pleasing composition.
• Negative Space: Negative space, or the empty space around the subject, can help frame the main subject and enhance its impact. In watercolor painting, negative space is often left white or lightly tinted.

9. Drying Time and Layering Process

Patience is essential when working with watercolors. Unlike oils, which dry slowly and allow for modifications, watercolors dry relatively quickly, and layers must be allowed to dry completely before applying the next one. This drying time is crucial for building up layers of color or for allowing the pigment to settle into the paper. Speed and timing are critical to creating the right effects.

10. Understanding Mistakes and Experimentation

Watercolor painting is known for its unpredictability, as the flow of water and pigment can sometimes lead to unexpected outcomes. Embracing these serendipitous effects is part of the charm of watercolor art. Mistakes should not be feared but rather seen as opportunities to experiment and learn.

Watercolor artists are encouraged to explore new techniques, experiment with different paper types, and allow themselves the freedom to make mistakes. Over time, this leads to a deeper understanding of how watercolors behave, allowing the artist to gain more control over the medium.

Conclusion

Watercolor painting is both an art and a science, requiring an understanding of the medium’s unique properties, the tools and materials, and the techniques that bring out its full potential. By following the principles of watercolor painting, artists can navigate the challenges of the medium while expressing their creativity and building technical skills. As with any art form, practice and patience are key to mastering watercolor and developing a personal, distinctive style.