Watercolor
Introduction
Watercolor is a painting medium that when mixed with water produces a highly transparent medium to work with. The key to watercolor is layering the colors on top of one another to create the colors and tones that one wants.
Watercolour compares in range and variety with any other painting method. Transparent watercolor allows for freshness and luminosity in its washes and for a deft calligraphic brushwork that makes it a most alluring medium.
There is one basic difference between transparent watercolor and all other heavy painting mediums—its transparency. The oil painter can paint one opaque color over another until he has achieved his desired result. The whites are created with opaque white. The watercolorist’s approach is the opposite.
In essence, instead of building up he leaves out. The white paper creates the whites. The darkest accents may be placed on the paper with the pigment as it comes out of the tube or with very little water mixed with it. Otherwise the colors are diluted with water.
The more water in the wash, the more the paper affects the colors; for example, vermilion, a warm red, will gradually turn into a cool pink as it is thinned with more water.
Paper
Paper is the most common canvas for watercolor. It is easy to produce and comes in many different textures and weights. Paper weight has a huge effect on the workability of a project using water-soluble material.
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Paper comes in 2 different kinds. Hot-pressed and cold-pressed. This is relating to the process of how that particular paper was made.
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Hot-press paper has a smooth finish and can be glossy or uncoated. This is typically what printer paper is made of. This kind of paper works great for solid mediums like chalk or graphite leaving a smoother finish with little to no texture visible from the paper.
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Cold-press paper has a rough finish and is typically in heavier weights. This is going to be your art papers for things like sketchbooks for wet mediums. There is a prominent texture to the paper allowing it to grab onto and hold more medium. making it ideal for wet mediums as it can hold up to more punishment. This is the kind of paper I go to when doing charcoal drawings because it allows me more work time with the medium.
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The difference in paper is going to matter more, the more medium you plan on using. More use breaks down the fibers of the paper and different mediums have different rates. Watercolor is going to be harsher on hot-press than on cold-press because it's thinner and can't absorb enough water to leave a clean finished product.
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Making an informed decision when buying paper makes the difference between loving the outcome and never wanting to look at it again.
Get the Kit here
This art kit contains 16 watercolors, round and flat brushes, a mixing tray, a washable blotting cloth, and a designed image that is custom-made for this medium. Dive into the only all-inclusive watercolor kit as you learn all about this medium. All the items inside are specially curated to
provide the best beginner-friendly experience. This can is also a storage device for all your supplies.
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If you already have it then check out the Start Here page that will introduce you to the odd shape the can leaves the paper in.