The importance of paper and water

Paper is important when working with watercolour whether the painting is on a wet or on a dry background. Watercolour paint is transparent and the paper's texture remains visible.

To paint on a wet background a paper that will not wrinkle easily is needed. The basis of watercolour painting is water. Water allows the paint to flow easily over the paper. Therefore, different types of paper are needed for water colour paintings.

Stretching the paper

Before beginning to paint with different watercolour techniques, it is helpful to learn how to stretch paper over a drawing board. This will avoid formation of pockets of colours, as well as assure that the wet paper does not wrinkle. Many artists use painter's tape to stick the paper to the drawing board.

Any paper can be stretched, but a certain thickness is recommended so that it does not rip during the process. First wet the paper and wait for the paper to soak the water. This will not take long, not more than one or two minutes. While the paper is still wet, stick the four strips of painter's tape on each side of the paper so that it fastens to the board.

Wait until the paper is thoroughly dry before beginning to paint. It is not important if pockets form in the paper while it is wet. They will most certainly disappear when the paper dries and its surface will be smooth. Some artists use drawing pins on the four corners of the drawing board to fix the paper.

Perhaps the drawing pins may become more convenient as you may not always find the painter's tape in the market. Once the painting is complete you must wait for it to dry again. Then a ruler or a knife can be used to cut the painter's tape from the drawing board.

Reducing the wet colour

The colours that the watercolour painter must have will depend on the use to which he puts them. A person who enjoys painting monocromes, will not need an extensive range of colours, just the minimum to allow the tones to be displayed. An extensive range is necessary when the painting demands unusual colours or colours that are impossible to create with simple mixtures. To remove paint first, use a dry brush and remove all the colour that one stroke can soak. Then wash the brush in clean water, squeeze it out, and repeat the process.

The more often a brush is passed across an area of the paper, the more the wet background becomes like the white of the paper.

Once the whites have been opened, contrasts can be added to open the forms which are depicted in this painting.