MA(Arch)_Basic Watercolour Painting Techniques and Artworks by Clinton Tham

Page 1

Watercolour Techniques CLINTON THAM VUN KHEE MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE SEM 2 YEAR 17/18


General Understanding Watercolour is a painting method in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a waterbased solution. The term watercolour refers to both the medium and the resulting artwork. Traditionally used in a light to dark manner, using the white of the paper to determine values.




Light weight

Paper Smooth, hard surface. Some artists like hot-pressed paper for detailed work, but some find it too slippery, making it difficult to control the paint

Most versatile and popular texture, suitable for beginners and experienced painters, because it's semi-rough surface is suitable for both detailed work and smooth washes.

Heavy weight

Features pronounced tooth that's good for washes because it gives them a kind of luminosity

Heavy paper are more expensive than light paper Heavy paper absorb more water and durable while light paper are easily wrinkle and buckle. Light paper is anything less than 140 lb/300 gsm and heavy is 300-400 lb/600-850 gsm.


Wash A transparent layer of diluted color that is brushed on.



Flat Wash Any area of a painting where a wash of single color and value is painted in a series of multiple, overlapping stokes following the flow of the paint. A slightly tilted surface aids the flow of your washes. Paper can be dry or damp.


Graded Wash A wash that smoothly changes in value from dark to light. Most noted in landscape painting for open sky work, but an essential skill for watercolor painting in general.





Blended Wash Fusing two or more color together so no sharp divisions are apparent.


Blended Wash


“Wet on wet” means that wet paint is applied to wet paper, or added to a wash of fresh wet paint. “Wet on dry” simply means that you’re applying wet paint onto dry paper, or wet paint onto an area of dry paint.



Ways to maintain the wetness




Dry Brush Brush loaded with paint onto dry paper. brush is fairly dry (thin or thick paint) and you rely of the brush, the angle of brush stroke, and the paper's surface texture to create broken areas of paint. Used for rendering a variety of textured surfaces: stone, weathered wood, foliage, lakes and rivers, bark, clouds.


Lifting Removing paint from the paper using a sponge ,a soft paper towel or brush. .


Alcohol Drops of alcohol added to wet paint dries quicker than the surrounding paint to create a unique texture.


Glazing let each wash dry completely before applying the next transparent layer of pigment.


Masking Covering areas on the painting to preserve the white of the paper. You can use tape or masking fluid.


Salt Apply salt to wet paint areas of painting to create a speckled texture.


Scratching Scratch into wet paper to create texture or dry paper before applying paint.


Splattering Paint patterns are created from the act of flicking paint onto the paper by means of brush or a toothbrush. Size of droplets can be control by adjusting the amount of water , the angle of flickering and the distance of brush and paper.


Stamping Dabbing the paint onto the paper with a sponge.


My Watercolour Artwork














References https://slideplayer.com/slide/5779652/ https://slideplayer.com/slide/5779655/ The Watercolorist's Essential Notebook Paperback – June 12, 2014 by Gordon MacKenzie https://www.art-is-fun.com/watercolor-paper https://www.scratchmadejournal.com/blog/five-thing-you-need-to-know-about-watercolor-paper https://watercoloraffair.com/complete-guide-to-watercolor-wash-techniques/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watercolor_painting My Own Watercolour Artwork Collection


Thank You


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.