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WATERCOLOR PAINTING 04-07
GOUACHE 08-11
ACRYLIC PAINT
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WATERCOLOR PAINTING 4
Watercolor painting is the process of painting with pigments that are mixed with water. Of all the painting processes, watercolor painting is known for its inherent delicacy and subtlety because watercolor art is all about thin washes and transparent color (though watercolors can be made opaque with the addition of Chinese white). Traditionally, watercolor artists work on paper, though the tooth of the surface can vary greatly. Oftentimes the white of the painting surface will gleam through and lend itself to the luminosity of the painting.
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A watercolorist uses watercolor painting techniques like washes, working wet in wet and wet on dry, lifting out and masking out for highlights, and dozens of other techniques to achieve textural effects. But most of all, watercolor painting comes back to the premise that the watercolor lessons and methods matter-but what matters most to a watercolor artist is letting go and finding a balance between controlling and freeing this painting medium.
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When artists first learn how to paint watercolor art, the fluidity of the medium is often a stumbling block because it makes the paint less predictable. Successful watercolor artists know how to balance control and freedom in their work, using watercolor painting techniques that create effects that often occur almost by accident rather than on purpose.
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GOUACHE Gouache
paint
is
similar
to
watercolor,
howev-
propylene glycol is often added. Gouache differs
er modified to make it opaque. Just as in watercol-
from watercolor in that the particles are typically
or, the binding agent has traditionally been gum
larger, the ratio of pigment to binder is much higher,
arabic but since the late nineteenth century cheap-
and an additional white filler such as chalk, a “body�,
er varieties use yellow dextrin. When the paint is
may be part of the paint. This makes gouache heavier
sold as a paste, e.g. in tubes, the dextrin has usu-
and more opaque, with greater reflective qualities.
ally been mixed with an equal volume of water.
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Gouache has a considerable history going back over 600 years. It is similar to watercolor in that it can be re-wetted, it dries to a matte finish, and the paint can become infused with its paper support.
It is similar to acrylic or oil paints in that it is normally used in an opaque painting style and it can form a superficial layer. Many manufacturers of watercolor paints also
produce
gouache
and
the
two can easily be used together
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Gouache is used most consistently by commercial artists for works such as posters, illustrations, comics, and for other design work. Most 20th-century animations used it to create an opaque color on a cel with watercolor paint used for the backgrounds.
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ACRYLIC PAINT
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Acrylic paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints are water-soluble, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted with water, or modified with acrylic gels, mediums, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor, a gouache or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable with other media. Acrylic paint is typically used for crafting, or in art classes in schools because it does not require any chemicals, and rinses away with just water. It also is less likely to leave a stain on clothes than oil paint.
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Before the 19th century, artists mixed their own paints, which allowed them to achieve the desired color and thickness, and to control the use of fillers, if any.
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Acrylic painters can modify the appearance, hardness, flexibility, texture, and other characteristics of the paint surface by using acrylic mediums or simply by adding water. Watercolor and oil painters also use various mediums, but the range of acrylic mediums is much greater. Acrylics have the ability to bond to many different surfaces, and mediums can be used to modify their binding characteristics.
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