MIXING WATERCOLOR
Hi John, I would like to suggest a lesson that seems to be missing in all of your materials (so far as I have read). Perhaps it is so basic in your mind, you feel it's not worth the time to demonstrate? A lesson on the physical act of mixing paints would be very helpful (and I suspect an important component of overall technique). Do you actually blend the pure colors before adding water ... or do you squeeze out small amounts of color next to one another on a pallet, then pull the amount of color you want toward a common area with a brush? Is the brush itself wet or dry when you are blending colors .... or, do you blend the colors with a tool other than a brush? Are their in fact many ways of mixing complex colors? etc., etc., etc. |
This is part of a letter I received from a student just starting to paint with watercolor. It is easy to overlook such basic, fundamental skills, so this month we will focus on expanding on the process and subtlety of mixing colors and applying them to your paper.
So lets start right from the beginning -
putting paint into the palette.
SQUEEZING OUT PAINT
During the course of a painting the
colors become slightly contaminated with one another. On the rare
occasion when a pure unpolluted color is required, a wipe over with a
clean damp brush usually exposes fresh paint. This process of mixing the colour usually
requires much dipping and adjusting until the correct combination
appears on the palette. The secret is to gradually add small amounts
until you arrive at the correct color.
Be very cautious with strong
staining colors like Phthalo Blue, Windsor Red, Prussian Blue etc. A
big brush full of any of these will completely overpower any mixture. Once you are happy with the color, the
tone or value of that color can then be considered. The tone is simply
the lightness or darkness of the color. I always tend to mix a darker,
more concentrated tone than I need. Lightening the tone is done by
adding a little water. This can be done on the palette, but I will often
put a slightly darker mixture than required onto the paper then quickly
spread it out with a clean, damp brush, lightening the tone in the
process.
Some people like to paint with
crystal clear water and even keep a separate container to rinse
out brushes. I find a container of moderately dirty water does
just as good a job as clean water. Water has to be pretty dirty to
have a noticeable influence on the colors you mix. Since most of
the time we are using compound colors (containing all three
primaries) dirty water is not a problem. If you are doing a wash
of pure rose madder or auroline for instance, then clean water is
more important, but for general painting, if you can't see the
bottom it's probably time to change it.
Most
painting incorporate a combination of these paint application
techniques. A painting done completely wet in wet would look all soft
and fluffy and need some hard edges to give it interest. A painting
using only dry brush or hard edges would be busy and difficult to look
at without the relief of a few soft edges. In your next painting,
keep in mind these techniques, and stop and think occasionally,
"What is the best way to achieve the effect I am after?"
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I like to use fresh paint, so I squeeze
out what I think will be enough for the painting I am working on. Using
a palette with sloping sides on the wells allows you to squeeze the
paint out at the top of the slope. All the mud and debris caused by
mixing and dipping runs into the bottom of the well, leaving your paint
reasonably clean. This sludge that accumulates at the bottom of the
wells can be used to mix all those interesting browns greys and earth
colours.
Don't be frugal with your paint, always
have plenty in your palette. There is nothing more difficult and
frustrating than trying to mix colours from tiny little specks of paint.
Don't worry if you squeeze out too much, it can always be used later.
FROM WELL TO PALETTE
Always use a wet brush to transfer your
paint from the well to the mixing area of the palette. If the paint has
just been squeezed out your brush need only be damp. If the paint has
dried out you will need a fair amount of water and quiet a bit of
friction to dissolve enough to mix strong colours. If you have old left over paint on your
palette it is a good idea to give it a light spray with water ten
minutes before you start painting. This will soften the pigment and make
mixing much easier.
Squeeze the paint onto the top of the slope in your palette well
Use a damp brush to move fresh paint from the well to the mixing
area of your palette
Use a fairly wet brush to dissolve and
to move older, dry paint to the mixing area of your palette
MIXING ON THE PALETTE
Wetting an area on the palette before
mixing helps the paint dissolve with out sticking to the palette. I
usually transfer the first color to the mixing area and stir it around
until it has completely and evenly dissolved. I then dip directly into
what ever other color has to be added, then stir that in. I rarely wash
my brush out between colours. It only dilutes the mixture and tends to
make the painting pale and insipid.
WATER
Transfer paint from the well to the palette
and stir until it is thoroughly dissolved.
For color intensity mixing one color into another is best done without
rinsing the brush between paint wells.
PALETTE TO PAPER
Colour is transferred from the palette to
the paper in different ways depending on the desired effect. For a broad wash the paper is wet first,
then a large pool of paint and water is mixed and evenly applied to the
wet surface. As this dries the wash will tend to lighten and even itself
out.
Dropping in
Colours are often adjusted or mixed
directly on the paper. This is done by the process of dropping in. A
color is applied to the painting and, while it is still very wet, another
color is mixed on the palette and "dropped into" the first
color. It is a great way to add some life to a dull, uninteresting
area.
Wet in wet
Similar to dropping in is the wet in wet
technique. Here, a wash is applied, and while it is still very wet,
another colour is painted into it. The resulting edges are soft and
blurred. It is an excellent technique for painting distant trees or mountains.
Softening edges
Similar in appearance to wet in wet are
softened or feathered edges. This is a technique applied to the edge of
any flat area of wet paint. Use a clean, damp brush and run it along the
wet edge allowing the paint to bleed out into this damp area.
Dry brush
Almost the opposite to wet in wet is the
process known as dry brush. The technique is applied to dry paper with a
damp brush loaded with pigment. The process is simple, color is mixed
on the palette in the usual way, then before transferring the brush to
the paper, excess moisture is removed. Wiping the brush lightly on an
old towel is ideal for this. The brush is held flat, almost parallel to
the paper and the paint is applied with the side of the bristles rather
than the tip. This technique will produce a random, fractured mark,
picking up the texture of the paper. It is a good technique for painting
foliage or applying texture to your painting.
Splashing
Splashing paint onto the paper will give
you interesting random marks impossible to consciously apply. You will
need a big brush saturated with a fairly dilute mixture of the desired
color. The best way to apply the paint and maintain control is with a
quick downward movement, stopping suddenly without flicking. If you are
nervous about splattering paint all over your painting, tear a suitable
sized hole in a piece of scrap paper and place it on the painting,
exposing only the area you wish to splatter.
Wet in wet produces interesting soft edges
and is a great technique for pushing things back into the distance.
Dropping in color produces interesting
variations and gradations that can't be made by mixing the colors on
the palette.
Dry brush gives interesting random shapes
and textures.
To keep this painting interesting, most of the techniques described here
are employed to varying degrees. The soft marks under
the figures and the Ultramarine Blue beside the bottom awning were
painted wet in wet. The shift in color in the awnings and in the green
sign are the result of dropping in colors. The underlying dirty yellow
washes and the mauve patch under the upstairs window have all had their
edges softened with a damp brush. There are patches of dry brush in
amongst the figures and in the striped green upstairs blind
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