Training manual: watercolor

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Introduction

This guide is to teach anyone who wants to start using water color where to start. It will explain some basic knowledge of the medium. The different types of paints, brushes and paper that can be used. Along with basic information needed when it comes to choosing the right materials. As well as explain different techniques that could be used and how to do them.

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Chapter 1:

Introduction to Watercolor

A brief history about watercolors:

Watercolors are paints made from pigments made from ground minerals and dyed inert powder, held together with gum Arabic. It is known as one of the oldest art mediums. It has been used for many hundred years by many cultures and civilizations

Ancient Egyptians used it to decorate the walls of temples and tombs and create some first works on paper(papyrus)

prehistorically pigments were mixed with water to create cave paintings

In Asia, traditional Chinese painting with watercolors developed as a decorative medium. It was used to painting religious murals, and landscape watercolor painting

In Europe, Watercolor paints were used for mapmaking as it was considered especially effective for rendering the topography of an area. Also used to decorate illuminated manuscripts, color in maps in the middle ages,studies of nature, etc

Benefits of using watercolor:

Watercolor Painting has few benefits for one’s mental and emotional health. Some of the benefits

Discover our creativity: As we get older, our creativity is lost because of practicality and life-stuff that has piled up over the years. When we paint, you need to use both the right and left side of the brain.

Watercolor painting involves thinking logically and visualizing an idea on the paper.

Sharpen fine motor skills: Like other types of painting, Pieces often require painting fine details. Overtime, this can improve hand-eye coordination and boosts motor skills.

Therapeutic and contraction experience: Painting can be therapeutic because it allows the mind to focus on the images at hand and on nothing else. It also helps people visualize their feelings, which makes it easier to deal with.

Relieves stress:It is a form of self-care, as it allows people to relieve stress. Painting distracts our mind from our struggles and allows it to focus on something else.

Improves memory and concentration: painting can boost memory function and sharpens the mind. This can decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Build problem-solving skills: It teaches you to think outside the box in order to come up with solutions your painting may present. Outside factors can result in a painting not turning out as originally planned, meaning solutions will have to be thought to solve them.

Advantages and disadvantages to using

watercolor:

Watercolor has many advantages and disadvantages when it comes to using it. Knowing these advantages and disadvantages, can help understand how to use the medium and avoid any problems that may arise.

Advantages:

•Easier and cleaner to work with compared to other paint mediums

•No unpleasant odor

•Beginner friendly medium: it is an easy medium to learn to use

•portable medium: Not many materials are required to use the medium

•Quick and easy to clean: paint can be easily cleaned up with water and a little soap

•Dried paints can be reused: it can be reactivate it with water

•can achieve transparent effects: this makes it a good medium for painting water, liquids, atmospheres, and gaseous effects

•Affordable compared to other mediums: good quality sets can be purchased for an affordable price

•Can be used with other mediums

•Can achieve vibrant colors

Disadvantages:

•Specific paper is needed:If used on the wrong type of paper, the desired effects may not be achieved or problems may arise.

•Light sensitive medium: paints can crack and lighten if left in the sun

•Some watercolor techniques can be difficult an master: understanding on how water flows is important to learning techniques

•Mistakes can not always be fixed:

•Time consuming medium: to add new layers to a painting, the paint will have to dry first before adding more layers

Chapter 2: The Materials

The Essential materials

Essential materials need when it comes to starting a water watercolor painting is:

Any type of watercolor Paper Brushes

Watercolor paints

Palette (to mix or dilute paint)

Masking tape (to prevent the paper from warping and to mask off areas)

A jar or a container of water (permeable 2 so your don’t contaminate colors)

Types of paints

Watercolor paints can come in many different forms.

watercolor tubes

•Come in small squabble containers

•If you don’t tightly seal the cap onto the tube, the paint will dry out.

•Paints can run out a lot faster than if you were using any of the other types of watercolour.

•Alternatively, it can be used to make pans (you can be fill or refill empty containers with the paint and let dry)

Watercolor pans

•Come in small containers that are also called cakes.

•It can be bought in half pans and full pan sizes.

•Small, compact, and portable

•Can customize your own palate

•Long lasting Pigments, which makes them a great long-term investment.

•Don’t dry as vibrantly as tube pigment

Liquid watercolor

•Come in bottles filled with very concentrated pigment in liquid form

•Colors are vibrant

•Do not have the best lightfastness.

•Some kinds are prone to fading and losing their luminous qualities over time

Watercolor pencils

•Combine the best qualities of watercolor painting and drawing.

•Colored pencils that contain water-soluble pigment (Can be used both a dry and wet)

•Light and portable

•Dries less vibrant

How to use it like paint?

1.lay down pigment on paper, as if you were using coloured pencils.

2.use a damp paint brush to the pigment

Watercolor markers

•Markers that contain water-soluble ink.

•Pigment can be applied dry format or water can be added to dilute the pigment

•Brush tips glide smoothly over the paper in a way that mimics a paintbrush

•The tips are pliable, which makes them great for artists who desire the versatility to easily switch between drawing and painting.

•Less vibrant and less longest-lasting lightfastness

How to use it like paint?

1.lay down pigment on paper, as if you were using coloured pencils.

2.use a damp paint brush to the pigment

Tip: when you first get your watercolor paints you should make swatches of them. Many times the color in the pallet won’t be the same as the color on the paper. It is also helpful to help visualize the range of hues a color can achieve

Types of brushes

Brushes come in a variety of different bristle shapes. Each of the different shapes has their own purposes. Additionally to the shapes they come in different sizes. The sizes are numbered from 0 to 10, the bigger the number the wider the brush. Numbers larger than 10 increase in intervals of two or more, all the way to 24 or even larger.

Types of brush shapes: Round: most commonly used, used for: outlining, detailed work, controlled washes, filling in small areas

Pointed round:Round brush that tapers into a fine point often Narrower

Used for: fine details and lines, delicate areas, spotting and retouching.

Flat: short square bristles, used for: lines, geometric shapes, and washes

Angled flat:Flat with angled bristles

Used for:curved strokes and filling corners

Mop: A large round wash brush, hold more water. Come in unshaped, round or filbert

Used for: cover large areas in colour, loose painting style

Liner/rigger: long bristle

used to: create smooth long lines

Detail: Round short bristles

Used for:details and short strokes

Bright: Similar to the plat brush, it is a flat brush with edges that curve inward at tip. The bristles are short

Used for: short controlled strokes. thick, heavy color.

Filbert:Flat and oval-shaped brush. Combination of round and flat brushes

Used for:blending, creating soft rounded edges

Fan: Flat spread bristles

Used for: smoothing, blending, and feathering also to add textural effects: clouds, and leaves on trees

Tip: If you are starting off with no materials to purchase a brush set as it includes include a variety of brush shapes and sizes

Types of Paper

There are a variety of different types of paper and forms of paper thay can be used with the medium. Paper can be purchased as pads, either bound together by a spiral ring or glued at one end. Including, blocks of sheets that are glued together at the edges, either on the two long sides, or on all four sides. This stops the paper warping and helps ensure your work dries flat, but it is more expensive to buy this way.In terms of types of paper, there are two different kinds.

Cold-pressed paper

•Less vibrancy and less longest-lasting lightfastness.

•Used in many different styles of watercolor painting ranging from realism to abstract

•Especially ideal for landscapes and florals.

•Ideal for beginners to start out with, just learning to use the medium

Hot-press paper

•Less absorbent than cold-pressed paper, but the

•More vibrant colors due to the way light reflects off of this type of paper.

•A smooth surface that makes it easier for you to lift paint off the paper.

•Used in portraits, that require precise brushstrokes and attention to detail

Chapter 3: Technique

Common Techniques

There are many different ways to apply colors and layer them on paper. Depending on the way it is applied, it can be used to achieve different effects. These are a few of the techniques used:

Flat Wash:

•The application of diluted paint to produce a unified area of color

•This technique can be tricky if you don’t know how to balance control water. In the worst cases, you might accidentally create blooms or textures

How to?

1.mix some pigment with water on a mixing pallet

2.Apply the diluted pigment in the desired area

Glaze:

•Involves appling a diluted paint color over a precious paint colour allowing the previous layer to show through

•Used to mix two of more colors, adjust a color (darken or change its hue), smooth color surface, controlled but delicate color transition

How to?

1.Apply a layer of color onto the are using any method

2.let the paper fully dry

3.Apply your next color on top of your previous color

Wet on Wet:

•Diluted pigment is added to the wet paper.

•The pigment will disperse in a random and uncontrollable manner, which creates a loose and flowy appearance.

•Can be used to create galaxy skies, fluffy clouds, and hazy backgrounds.

•Colors will turn out lighter then what was first applied because the pigment has been heavily diluted.

How to?

1.Apply a wash of water onto the surface of the paper in the desired area you want to add the color

2.Add the color onto to the paper, color disperse out

Wet on dry:

•Gives more control over where color is distributed on the paper

•The pigment retains its vibrancy because it is not too diluted.

How to?

1.mix pigment with water on a palette

2.apply the paint directly onto the paper

Dry brush:

•Used to create texture

•Use only a slight bit of water when activating the paint pigment. Then, load up your paintbrush and drag the pigment across the paper. It will create a rough and patchy appearance.

•Creating rocky or jagged texture on rocks and mountains. As well, it can be used to create animal fur, fine blades of grass, or reflections on water.

How to?

1.A a bit of water onto a paint brush, enough to activate the pigment

2. Apply the color onto the paper

Graded wash:

•Can be used to transition from light to dark or dark to light

•Gradual blending of two or more colours together in a single, seamless wash.

•Creates a smooth gradient that flows naturally from one colour into the next colour.

•Used to create sunsets and skies, backgrounds and landscapes, etc.

How to?

1.Apply water onto the paper

2.Add color to the edge of where the water is applied

3.Blend the color across the area

4.If adding another color, repeat step 2 and 3

Variegated wash:

•Blending multiple colors seamlessly into a single wash

•The transitions look smooth and complimentary in appearance.

•Used to create Galaxies, sunrises and sunsets, backgrounds, and special effects.

How to?

1.Apply water onto the paper

2.Apply pigment onto the paper

3.Continue to apply colors till the desired effect is achieved

Tip: Other mediums can also be used to achieve other textures or effects such as plastic wrap, salt, a white crayon, sponge, etc

Index

A

Angled flat 15

B blocks 17 Bright 16 bristle 15 Brush 15 C Cold-pressed 18 D Detail 16 Dry brush 23 F Fan 16 Filbert 16 Flat 15 Flat Wash 21 full pan 13 G Glaze 21 Graded wash 23 H half pans 13 Hot-press 18 L lightfastness 13 Liner 16 Liquid 13 M Masking tape 12 Mop 16 P pads, 17

Glossary

Watercolor: Paints made from pigments made from ground minerals and dyed inert powder, held together with gum Arabic

Brush: An implement consisting of bristles, hair, or the like, set in or attached to a handle, used for painting

Bristles: Short,stiff, Coarse hairs from certain animals used to make brushes

Palette: A surface with individual section used to mix colors

Masking tape: An adhesive tape used to mask and protect surfaces surrounding an area to be painted

Pigment: A dry insoluble substance, usually pulverized, which when suspended in a liquid vehicle becomes a paint, ink, etc.

Lightfastness: Not affected or faded by light, especially sunlight

Vibrant: stimulating; exciting; vivid