Ingredients For Painting Watercolor Pictures

To create a beautiful piece of watercolor art, there are a few essentials you need to become a watercolor artist.

Read on to find out how these three elements can contribute to gorgeous watercolor pictures.

Paint Makes Original Watercolor Paintings

What does paint consist of? There are four elements: the colorant, the binder, the additives and the solvent. Each is important to your final product. The colorant is the color while the binder is what holds the pigment together and allows it to stick to the paper. The additives are used to change the viscosity, hiding and longevity of the color, and finally, the solvent is important in order to make the paint smooth, manageable and compatible with the brush. It thins the substance to make it easier to apply. When working on original watercolor paintings, choose your colors based on your subject. You can use many of them in combination with one another to create the look you're going for.

Beauty With A Brush Stroke

The brush is essential to painting watercolor pictures. The brush alone can produce a series of designs from wide strips to curvy lines. Tuft shaped brushes are sold in different varieties that are appropriate for certain techniques. Some of the most popular forms include filbert, flats, mops, rigger, fan, acrylic and rounds. While there are a numerous brushes out there, most watercolor painters have a select few that they use regularly. If you're a novice to original watercolor paintings, start out with a few brushes to get a feel for what brushes you find most comfortable.

Choosing The Right Paper

The three types of watercolor paper finishes are hot pressed, cold pressed and rough. The rough papers are ideal if the painter is going for a rugged look as the paper gives a strong accent of texture when it meets the brush and watercolor pigments. The cold pressed paper is the most versatile of the three and is ideal for almost any subject you wish to paint. Lastly, the hot pressed paper does not absorb water, allowing the pigments to truly shine through against the paper. They're the best choice for subjects that involve bright colors.


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