watercolor experimentation

Watercolor Experimentation

Bending the rules and playing with texture!

Masking and Resist

• Use tape, white crayon or masking fluid to protect your paper from paint

• Let the painting dry

• Remove masking fluid or tape to see the shapes that remain blank

Wet on Wet

• Paint over wet watercolor or paper you have paintedwith plain water

• Colors bleed into each other and have fuzzy, blurred edges

Glazing

• Paint transparent layers of paint over dried layers of paint

• Colors combine, but brush strokes stay crisp and clear

Dry Brushing

• Using a very dry paintbrush, dip the tip in wet paint

• Lightly drag your brush on the paper to create wispy brush strokes

Gradients

• Begin with saturated color, then add stripes of watery paint until the color fades

• Brush strokes should overlap to create a blended transition

Splatter

• Load your brush with paint and hit it against your finger over the paper

• Be careful not to splatter onto a neighbor’s artwork!

Salt Texture

• Paint an area of your paper with watercolor

• Sprinkle salt over the wet paint and let it dry

• Sparkly irregular patterns emerge when dry!

Blowing Paint

• Place a large droplet of paint on your paper

• Get close to the paper and carefully blow the wet paint around until it is the shape you want

• Take breaks- don’t get light-headed!

Alcohol Texture

• Always use with an adult!

• Drip rubbing alcohol on wet watercolors

• The alcohol will push away the watercolor and dry much faster, leaving lighter shapes

Combine these techniques to make something amazing!