August 7, 2007

Best Practices for Using Water Colors

What you need to know in order to get started…

Most of us have used the cake-style water colors as a child. Water colors are also available in tubes, which makes using this medium very versatile. Water color pastes give you a better idea of the intensity of color you’ll get when you put your brush to paper. Water color pigments are designed to be diluted with water, or else the paper can crack when it dries.

Student-quality water colors are more affordable than artist-quality paints because of the pigments. There are many choices available when it comes to choosing your paints and brushes, but, you should also make sure to get a Paint Mixing Guide. When you are ready you can expand your collection of colors fairly inexpensively.

Brushes that are specifically designed for water colors are a worthwhile investment. The soft bristles hold more color and create a finer point on the paper than low quality brushes. You should start with three basic brushes: a small round brush, a medium round brush and a wide square brush for color washes. When comparing brushes keep in mind the quality of the brushes.

Other tools that are good to keep handy include water containers, a palette for mixing paints, and a black permanent ink pen to use for outlining or for adding detail.

When choosing paper the heavier it is, the less prone to buckling when the paint dries. A simple yet effective way to ensure that your page stays put is to tape the paper to a hard surface, such as a thin smooth board or an artists cutting mat. Tape around the outer edges to secure the paper in it’s place. This also make a great border around your page. You can go out and pick up a water color pad from the craft store, a cold-press or hot-press paper, or heavier papers from your own stash of acid and linen free scrapbooking paper. One of the newest types of medium for water colors is called Yupo, and because it’s plastic it allows you to create brighter colors.

You might also try painting on these surfaces

Fabric*

Metal*

Tissue Paper

Wood

Yupo

*Coat first with Gesso and allow it to dry completely before applying water color.

Find Anissa and some great crafty advice at her new blog Ask Anissa

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