Special techniques in watercolour

by Tissa Hewavitarane

The watercolour is very sensitive to any attraction that is produced on its surface. This quality is an advantage when the techniques that provoke such changes are known.

Over the years a false mystique has been built up around the subject of water colour painting and the practice seems to be weighed down by rigid rules, dogma and ritual. When using watercolours, accidents often happen, such as a scratch of paper scraping with the brush or many other incidents.

There are many other techniques that normally can be used to alter the surface of watercolour. One of the most usual tools in the studio of watercolourist is the hairdryer. This can speed up the water evaporation from the paper. Another tool that can modify the surface of the paper is sandpaper.

In this exercise I am going to introduce some textures with sandpaper on painting of rocks. The colours used for the rocks can be very dark. Some techniques are done when the colour is completely dry. To accelerate the drying of the colour and to be able to work on the dark mass, the paper is dried with a dryer.

Texture

If the paper is too wet it is wiser not to get very close with the dryer so that the colour that runs on the drying is irregular on the surface. Rub the surface of the rock with a medium grain sandpaper.

This causes the upper layer of the paper to be taken off and the dry colour with it. It is not necessary to press too hard. Some areas can be left untouched. Just rub where you want to texture the surface. Next you can repaint on the re-textured surface with very transparent washes or with dark colours without completely covering up the surfaced area.

The effects that can be achieved without watercolour can be realised on a completely dry surface, or on fresh paint. When the paint is wet it is possible to achieve more varied results, for it is not just a question of getting rid of the paint.

Depending on the type of paper, the painting can be scored with groves that does not completely take off the superficial layer. Here the experiment will be done with fresh paint. Scratch the paper with the tip of the brush.

At the opposite end to the hairs, that is to say the tip of the handle is another very practical tool which offers many possibilities. Different tasks can be done with the sharp paint of the brush, especially when the water colour is moist.

Some brushes have a sharp tip and others have a blunt one. Some watercolour brushes even have a bevelled tip, especially designed to scrape the paint. While the painted surface is still moist start with the tip of the brush.

Do not press it too hard, the smallest indentation is enough to mark the paper.

In this case pass the brush over each stroke. By so doing instead of building more colour, part of it is taken away and this makes the result a clearer and finer tone. When the tip of the brush is pressed hard over the still moist background it is possible to open the whites such as those among the trees that are shown here.

To make these type of marks not all brushes will do. Some have a tip that is too blunt. It is necessary to make the indentation that removes some of the paper. A sharp toothpick can be used for this purpose.

Washing out

The legend is that watercolour, once put on the paper, is therefore, good and cannot be altered. Which is why so many would be watercolour painters do not try it. The truth is, of course, very different. Whole areas or sometimes the whole painting can be washed off and repainted without anyone being any wiser. I call it the sink treatment and it is first regarded with amazement.

If you consider watercolour is similar to walking on a tight rope, this is a safe bet. You will often get into trouble with fore grounds. The top of the painting may be fine but something awful comes over people when they put in foregrounds. They are unsure of themselves and it shows.

It often turns out to be a tired, over worked, muddy mess. First let the whole painting dry completely, this is very important. Then put the paper in the sink and turn the tap on gently until the whole thing is immersed and the water is flowing it. Surprisingly, nothing happens to the colour until it is touched and then it flows away.

Sponges

I usually keep a small natural sponge while painting for all sorts of purposes. It can be used to lift almost any colour clean while the paper is still moist, such as wiping out light clouds in a darker sky. Its main use is to produce texture by dabbing it, loaded with paint, gently, on to the paper. Keep on experimenting and you with find endless possibilities.

Spatter

The effect of spatter is very simple and can often be used legitimately to indicate pebbles on a beach or give interest to a fore ground but to see it on painting after painting is boring. One method is to tap a brush loaded with rich paint and not much water on the handle of another brush held in your left hand.

A shower of spots will fall on the paper, the size of which can be varied by changing the distance between the brush and the paper.