*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :)
Why is it important to plan colors before starting a painting? How is a limited color palette useful? How will learning about the Color Wheel help us create more successful and professional-looking artwork? In the video included within this blog post, I'll be sharing how I go about selecting my colors prior to starting a new piece. I'll share my thinking process as I go through this method and will be offering lots of tips pertaining to color. In past blog posts and YouTube videos, I have mentioned how color is an essential Element of Art to learn about as a beginner artist. The reason? When we're looking to create a visual composition, we have to think about how different parts fit together into a whole. And color plays a huge role in making a visual composition look harmonious and cohesive. When it comes to a visual composition, all individual elements are connected. Each one has an effect over how we perceive the elements around it. And just like how you wouldn't throw on an outfit with a ton of different colors and textures that don't mesh well together, you have to think about how things will look like in a painting when appreciated as a whole. It's not about one element in the piece, but how the different elements included intermix to effectively transmit the idea or message we're trying to get across. It's incredibly important that any beginner artist who is serious about improving their painting makes time to learn about the Color Wheel. This is an incredibly important tool that allows us to understand relationships between colors so that we're not only able to create effective color mixtures during the painting process, but also prepare color schemes that work well. Limiting the amount of colors that you use in a painting is also very useful because the more colors you use, the more disorganized your palette will be, the more likely color mixtures will lead to mud, and the more incoherent the end-results. Whatever you do, stay away from randomly selecting colors during the painting process and dedicate at least a bit of time to plan for your painting. I promise you, there's much more of a chance that you'll end up with great results. To get immediate access to classes on Art Fundamentals and direct feedback from me, join us on Patreon!
If you enjoyed this video, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel! I share a new video every Friday with art tips, drawing and painting tutorials, and encouragement for aspiring artists.
Watercolor Supplies Used in the Video
Become a Patreon community member to get access to: -Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary -Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists -Weekly sketchbook prompts to help you stay consistent and progressing your art skills -Direct feedback from me -Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art -Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared -Live Q&A sessions -Live classes on Art Fundamentals and Monthly Creative Assignments + much more! *Click below to learn more! 
0 Comments
*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :)
Do you need fancy supplies to progress your drawing skills and create the artwork you'd like to share with the world? How does one go about drawing a believable face? Why is keeping a sketching habit important for artists of all kinds? In the time lapse video included within this blog post I share my entire face drawing process, starting with creating the head shape, moving onto laying down guidelines to help with the effective placement of facial features, sketching in individual elements and finishing up by adding quick shading using a combination of hatching and crosshatching. Drawing believable portraits (and any part of the human figure) is challenging, as it requires us to not only have decent drawing skills to be able to render form/three-dimensionality as well as different textures like hair and skin, but it also entails having a good amount of knowledge on proportion. You see, faces are probably what we see most as human beings. Due to this, even non-artists are usually able to tell when something looks off, even though they may not know exactly where the error is. In my past blog post/YouTube video titled How to Draw a Face (for Beginners), I take you step-by-step, through drawing a simple, forwards-facing portrait and explain basic facial proportions. *This is, in my opinion, an essential place for beginners to start. In my blog post, How to Draw Faces at a 3/4's Angle-My 4 Step Process, I get into starting to understand the head shape as a three-dimensional form, why it's useful to understand the underlying structure of the face (the human skull), and take you through drawing a portrait at an angle. Though I primarily sell my paintings, I'm a huge sketching fan. I consider drawing to be the basis for all kinds of art and really believe in keeping a sketchbook habit. Even quicker sketches created consistently will help keep your observation sharp and continue progressing your artistic skills. Not to mention, sketching is also incredibly practical as we don't really need much besides drawing paper, a few different pencil grades and an eraser. There's no need to take out your painting supplies and go through your whole set-up if you're short on time.
If you enjoyed this video, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel! I share a new video every Friday with art tips, drawing and painting tutorials, and encouragement for aspiring artists.
If you're not new to my blog posts or videos, you're probably already aware that I'm a huge fan of keeping it simple when it comes to art supplies. I'm a big fan of artists who are able to create amazing work using basic, and even limited, tools. There's no need for anything fancy in order to make immense progress in your drawing skills. The supplies below are what I usually have on hand when I'm drawing or sketching. *I'm not a big fan of kneaded erasers and have replaced them entirely with my Mono Zero eraser that I acquire via Amazon. I use blending stumps only when I'm creating more realistic drawings such as the one in this video. Drawing Supplies Used in Video
I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new, or got inspired to go and create a sketch for yourself. I wish you tons of progress and enjoyment in your artistic journey! :) Thanks so much for popping by today!
Become a Patreon community member to get access to:
-Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary -Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists -Weekly sketchbook prompts to help you stay consistent and progressing your art skills -Direct feedback from me -Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art -Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared -Live Q&A sessions -Live classes on Art Fundamentals and Monthly Creative Assignments + much more! *Click below to learn more! 
Are you interested in starting to sell your artwork online but are lost as to how to start digitalizing and editing your work using photo-editing software? Have you started learning Photoshop and want to know which tools to use in order to remove the background from your scanned work as efficiently as possible? It's essential for traditional media artists to familiarize themselves with some kind of photo-editing software at least at a very basic level. Whether you're looking to sell prints of your work through your own website, create products with drawings or paintings via print-on-demand platforms, create mock-ups using pictures you've taken of your work, or you're simply looking to share your art on social media, it's important to make it shine and transmit a sense of quality to the viewer if you intend to make any sales. Today, I'll be sharing a video that is perfect for artists just getting started with Photoshop. I'll be explaining three different selection tools commonly used by artists/illustrators to separate their artwork from its background, and I'll also be sharing which my personal favorite is and why. Throughout the video, I also give important tips that you should definitely be aware of when digitalizing art made with traditional mediums. These apply to whatever photo-editing software you choose to use. Check out my blog post How to Sell Artwork on Society6 + Pros and Cons to find out more about my entire process, from finishing a watercolor illustration, to scanning it, editing it, and finally uploading it onto Society6 to design products. In this past post, I also share the positives and negatives I've learned in regards to print-on-demand platforms like Redbubble and Society6 throughout the time I've been using them.
If you enjoyed this video, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I publish a new video every-single-Friday sharing art tips and tutorials!
I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new, or got inspired to go and create a sketch for yourself. I wish you tons of progress and enjoyment in your artistic journey! :) Thanks so much for popping by today! Become a Patreon community member to get access to: -Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary -Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists -Direct feedback from me -Downloadable workbook titled How to Discover Your Artistic Voice -Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art -Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared -Participation in polls to decide new blog post and YouTube video topics -Live classes and Monthly Creative Assignments + much more! *Click below to learn more! 
*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :) What, exactly, does the term wet-on-wet refer to and how can we use these techniques to create beautiful paintings with watercolor? Do you love watching artists create those awesome washy watercolor effects, but find that things don't end up as expected when you're trying them yourself? In today's blog post I'll explain what wet-on-wet effects are, how they can be combined with wet-on-dry effects to create awesome paintings, and a few essential tips to apply when using these techniques. I'll also explain how to do different effects like blooms, splatters and runs. Make sure to check out the video included in this post to see me in action! Wet-on-wet refers to the act of applying fresh paint onto a wet surface or on paint that is still wet rather than onto a dry surface or a layer of paint that has already dried. When using these kinds of techniques, we get colors that blend or intermix with each other. It's important to understand that this painting technique isn't exclusive to watercolors, but can be used with all traditional painting mediums (watercolor, gouache, acrylic, oils) and it can be used in a variety of ways. First and foremost, when working with watercolors, it's essential to understand that when a paint mixture is placed on paper that is wet (either because it has been pre-wetted with clean water or because a previous layer of paint hasn't dried), the paint mixture will expand, creating a blurred out/fuzzy effect. Opposite to this, when we place a paint mixture on paper that is dry (either because it's a fresh sheet of watercolor paper or because the previous layer has completely dried), the newly placed paint will not expand, leading to sharp looking lines and defined shapes. This principle is essential to grasp and it's important for beginners starting out with watercolors to know that wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry effects complement each other to create beautiful paintings. By combining them, we're able to create a visually pleasing contrast, bring attention to focal points by adding sharper detail to certain elements, add depth to a piece, and many other things. It's important for beginners to practice both kinds of techniques, and start giving thought to how they can be used in a particular piece before actually starting the painting process. 
Watercolor Cardinal painting by Erika Lancaster. Wet-on-wet techniques in combination with wet-on-dry techniques.
How and when you use wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques in your painting process will depend on what subject you're painting and what effects you're personally going for. Generally speaking though, the first layers of paint should be translucent and paint mixtures should contain more water than pigment. As the painting process moves forward and subsequent layers start being placed, paint mixtures contain less water and more pigment. 
Watercolor Winter Landscape painting by Erika Lancaster. Wet-on-wet techniques in combination with wet-on-dry techniques.
If you enjoyed this video, consider subscribing to my YouTube channel! :) I publish a new video every-single-week sharing art tips, drawing/painting tutorials, and encouragement for aspiring artists.
5 Essential Tips to Have in Mind When Using Wet-on-Wet Techniques1. Use medium to heavier-weight paper with enough tooth/absorbency Paper makes a huge difference when painting with watercolor and can often be the reason why our wet-on-wet effects don't turn out as expected. No matter what kind of painting medium we're using, it's absolutely essential to give thought to what paper or support we'll be painting on before starting a piece as this will directly affect both our painting process, as well as its overall outcome. When painting with a water-soluble medium like watercolor, we should use a paper that is intended for this purpose. This said, when we're planning on using lots of wet-on-wet effects like the ones described in this post, it's best to use a medium (140 lb.) to heavier weight (300 lb.) watercolor paper, as anything thinner will warp and possibly even shred throughout the process. You also want it to have some degree of tooth or texture to it, as this will help ensure that water/paint mixtures will be absorbed when placed upon it. Watercolor paper can certainly be difficult to grasp, as there are so many different types and formats available. In my blog post/YouTube video Watercolor Supplies for Beginners and Things You Must Know, I go much more in depth into watercolor paper and explain a few other important aspects in regards to watercolor painting supplies. 2. Give thought to the colors you'll be using Because colors will be intermixing a ton when using wet-on-wet techniques, it's essential to do a bit of planning to ensure that we won't create unwanted hues accidentally. Though one of the beauties of watercolor is the fact that it has a mind of its own, skilled artists are able to have at least some level of control over the 'chaos'. They have practiced water control and have a good idea of what's going to happen when a certain paint mixture is placed in a specific area, using effects to their advantage. Skilled watercolor artists have not only become masters at managing the combination of paint and water, but they also know the importance of planning color. This Element of Art is an important aspect behind making a painting look harmonious and balanced. We're also able to create very striking visual effects when planning our color palettes and giving thought to how we'll actually be using it throughout the painting process. Color shouldn't be an afterthought or something that happens accidentally. In the video included in this post, you'll see how I create my warm and cool color studies separately. The reason I do this is because I know that when Complimentary Colors mix together, they create grayed out/dull tones. Complementary Colors mute each other out and, in these studies, I wanted my colors vibrant and saturated. 3. Keep your water clean Using murky water when painting with watercolor is a huge no-no, no matter what kinds of techniques you're using. Dirty water will affect your paint colors and may even make your piece appear dirty. When working wet-on-wet we're not only using a lot of water, but we're also usually working at a faster pace because we're using the freshness/dampness of an area to create beautiful effects. It's important to ensure that we're not accidentally dipping our paintbrush into dirty water and placing this water on our paper! I've known of artists that use two or even three cups of water as they are painting. One idea could be to use one glass of water to rinse color off your brush and a second one to dampen it with clean water. Whatever it is you decide to do, make sure you're constantly checking on your water throughout the painting process. 4. Constantly give thought to how much water is already on your paper and how much water is in your brush The outcome of our wet-on-wet techniques will greatly depend on how wet/damp the specific area of paper is, as well as how thick or watery the paint mixture that we're placing upon it is. I would recommend beginners to practice creating a wide range of paint mixtures, from watery/translucent to thicker/heavily pigmented mixtures, and see what happens when they are placed on slightly dampened paper vs. puddles of water. In the video included in this blog post, you can see me play around with large puddles of water/paint mixtures. While puddles allow for a lot of exciting movement, they are certainly difficult to control and can lead to unwanted effects like backruns and splotchiness if we're not careful! Generally speaking, if your paper is already very wet, it would be best to stay away from laying down a very watery paint mixture on it. In principle, for backruns not to happen, you have to make sure that there is less water in your brush than there is on your paper. Another option to avoid backruns and undesired splotchiness would be to allow your paint layer to dry completely before going back in with another color. If you've wetted your paper too much accidentally, you can always absorb some excess water with a paper towel or with a clean (dry or slightly dampened) brush. 5. Know when to stop When I was first starting out with watercolor, I didn't understand that watercolor paper can only take a certain amount of 'beating' before it has to be left alone to regain its strength. Even if paper is specially intended for use with water, it's essential to understand that wet paper is fragile paper. With watercolors, we must stay mindful of when we should stop, as continuing to work over and over on one same area will definitely lead to overworking our paper (even when using the heavier weight variety). Beginners starting out with this medium tend to lay down paint mixture over paint mixture and try to fix mistakes or make changes in one same area, damaging the paper. When we've made a mistake, it's best to do a bit of gentle lifting when the paint is still wet and then allow it to dry completely. What I like doing, is ignoring my accident for a bit and working on other areas of my painting while that one dries. Other times, I work on two pieces at once and jump back and forth from one to the other, allowing paint layers to dry. Often, we can make mistakes less noticeable by doing a bit of work in the area once the initial layer has dried. We can add more washes of color, lift some more, or even to a bit of gentle scrubbing at this point. Check out my blog post titled 5 Common Watercolor Painting Mistakes and How to Fix them for ideas on fixing accidents and avoiding them altogether.
Watercolor Wet-on-Wet Techniques
|
Watercolor orange and yellow bloom
|
Watercolor blue and green bloom
|
2. Runs (Controlled + Organic)
Runs are interesting effects that can be used when we're creating an abstract painting, or even when adding abstract elements to figurative painting. They are, quite simply, a stream of paint running off the main area or subject in our piece.
We can create runs completely organically by shifting our paper to a slanted or sideways position while it has a large amount of water on it. Sooner or later, gravity will make the water naturally travel down your paper. If it doesn't happen, consider placing a bit more water in the puddle using your paintbrush, and/or gently tap the paper on your desk in this vertical position.
We can also create controlled runs quite easily by drawing a line of clean water in a specific shape/direction, placing a watery paint mixture at the start of it (the place where our main shape ends and our clean line of water starts), and shifting our paper sideways until the paint mixture starts moving down on its own.
Remember, when using watercolor paper, the paint mixture will naturally expand or move towards the wetness and stay away from dry areas. This is why the paint will naturally travel down the path we've created for it!
Watercolor run in yellow
|
Watercolor run in blue/green
|
3. Splatters
Splatters can have very striking results and can be used in a variety of ways. If heavily-pigmented paint drops fall on areas of paper that are wet, you can create mini-blooms! On the other hand, if splatters fall on dry paper, these drops will retain their sharp, circular shape.
It's easy to go overboard with it, though, mostly because it's quite fun to do! So work incrementally and stay mindful throughout the process.
To do this technique, create a watery but pigmented paint mixture, wet your paintbrush (I use a round in size 8 in the video) and gently tap it on another paintbrush in a cross position.
Watercolor splattering technique in warm color exploration
|
Watercolor splattering technique in cool color exploration
|
4. Bleeds
Many beginners starting out with watercolors aren't aware of this, but it's easy to soften out stark- looking lines and shapes both while our paint is still wet and after our paint has already dried. One of the techniques we can use to soften lines or create feathering effects is bleeding, which can be easily done whilst our paint is still wet or is in the drying process.
To do bleeding, simply rinse your paintbrush thoroughly and draw a line of clean water right along the outer edge of the shape or line you want to soften out. Because paint will expand in wet areas, the color will feather out into the recently wetted line of clean water you've drawn, creating a softened effect.
This said, one of watercolors characteristics is the fact that they can be reactivated once they've dried! This means that we'll always have the option to go back into an area to soften it out by doing some gentle scrubbing using a clean, damp paintbrush. Of course, certain pigments will be easier to lift and move around than others and it will be almost impossible to go back to the whiteness of our paper, but we'll be able to do at least some level of softening.
It's very useful to swatch out our colors when buying a new watercolor paint set, as this allows us to test out paint characteristics before actually using them in a painting. In my blog post/YouTube video titled How to Swatch Watercolors and Why it's Important, I describe important characteristics and terminology related to this painting medium and take you through my own swatching process.
Watercolor bleeding/feathering effect in red
|
Watercolor bleeding/feathering in green
|
*Bonus Effect: Backrun
When we're just starting out with using wet-on-wet effects, are working too fast and/or are not staying mindful of what what's going on, backruns happen. We can avoid backruns by practicing water control, staying mindful of how wet our paper is and how much water our paintbrush has in its bristles.
In essence, backruns can be avoided by making sure the amount of water in our bristles is less that the amount of water that is already on our paper. They can also be avoided by allowing the previous layer to dry completely before going back in with another wash of color.
This said, backruns are one of those things that some artists consider to be absolutely wrong, while others actually create them intentionally to give the impression of specific things in their paintings like foliage in a landscape, etc.
What do you think?
In essence, backruns can be avoided by making sure the amount of water in our bristles is less that the amount of water that is already on our paper. They can also be avoided by allowing the previous layer to dry completely before going back in with another wash of color.
This said, backruns are one of those things that some artists consider to be absolutely wrong, while others actually create them intentionally to give the impression of specific things in their paintings like foliage in a landscape, etc.
What do you think?
Watercolor back run
I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new, or got inspired to go and create for yourself. I wish you tons of progress and enjoyment in your artistic journey! :)
Thanks so much for popping by today!
Become a Patreon community member to get access to:
-Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary
-Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists
-Direct feedback from me
-Downloadable workbook titled How to Discover Your Artistic Voice
-Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art
-Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared
-Participation in polls to decide new blog post and YouTube video topics
-Live classes and Monthly Creative Assignments
+ much more!
*Click below to learn more!
-Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary
-Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists
-Direct feedback from me
-Downloadable workbook titled How to Discover Your Artistic Voice
-Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art
-Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared
-Participation in polls to decide new blog post and YouTube video topics
-Live classes and Monthly Creative Assignments
+ much more!
*Click below to learn more!
Join the Becoming Artists Patreon community. Click to learn more!
Used supplies:
 Arches Watercolor Paper Pad: 10 X 14 inches $15.68
|
Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Tube Set: 12 pieces $26.25
|
Royal & Langnickel Zen Line Watercolor Brushes $2.69-$5.39
|
*This post contains affiliate links. I receive small commissions for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. These commissions help me keep this site up and running, in order for me to keep providing helpful and inspiring art content. :)
What's the actual reason behind swatching watercolor paint (aside from the satisfaction of laying pretty colors down on paper)? What specific things should we be looking for when testing out a new watercolor paint set, besides differences in color? What are the different variables that may affect watercolors' behavior and their final appearance?
In this blog post, I'm going to explain the most important characteristics that you should start taking note of when it comes to watercolor paint. By understanding these different aspects and how they vary from pigment to pigment, you'll be able to make more informed choices when it comes to picking your color palettes/schemes for your paintings, which will make everything go a lot smoother.
I'll also walk you through my own personal method for swatching out a new paint set and share why I like testing my paints on two different types of paper.
It's very useful to explore a new paint set before actually attempting to create a painting with it. This is especially the case when it comes to watercolors, as this painting medium's inherent characteristics make it tricky to use.
For one, watercolors are translucent, which means we can't simply cover up our mistakes like we can when working with acrylics or oils. Secondly, due to their water-soluble properties, they tend to have a mind of their own. Finally (and something that was very hard for me to wrap my head around in the beginning), behaviors and effects can vary greatly from pigment to pigment, even within a set manufactured by the same company.
There are also many external factors that can affect our watercolor painting process and the final outcome of a piece, such as how clean our water is, what kind of paper is used, and even the temperature of the room we're working in!
Always remember that, as artists, we have to learn to embrace the exploration process. It may seem like a waste of time and resources when we're just starting out, but these smaller studies give us confidence and allow us to find ourselves as artists, so that we're then able to create more effective finalized works.
If you're a beginner just starting out with watercolors, I highly recommend checking out my blog post titled 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting With Watercolors. By understanding these ten ideas and applying them in your painting, you'll be able to progress your watercolor skills much quicker and waste less supplies in the process.
Let's get to the swatching!
If you enjoy this video, subscribe to my YouTube channel! I publish a brand new video every-single-Friday with art tips, drawing/painting tutorials and encouragement for aspiring artists.
There is no right or wrong way to test out a new watercolor paint set. The whole point of swatching and testing out colors is for you, the artist, to have a better understanding of different color behaviors. This way, you'll be able to select the colors you like best depending on the particular subject you paint, your personal techniques and the overall effects you're going for.
If you're just starting out and haven't found your style, no problem! As your artistic journey progresses, you'll discover your own way of working and the specific paint qualities that are important for you. Later on, you'll be able to modify your swatching process to whatever fits you best and perhaps leave out aspects that aren't as important.
Watercolor Paint Characteristics
a) Mass tones
A color's mass tone tells us what it looks like when it's straight out of the tube and at its fullest saturation. Basically, it's the color at its purest and undiluted self.
-This is usually the first rectangle I fill in below the hue's name and I make sure to use the least amount of water possible.
b) Staining qualities
A color's staining quality refers to how difficult it is to remove from the paper when lifting, scrubbing or attempting to reactivate it once it's dry.
-To test this out, I like lifting paint from a small section of my Masstone square/rectangle when it's still wet with either a rag or a paintbrush. I also like coming back to my color swatch once it's dried completely to see if any color can be lifted or reactivated because I personally use this technique a lot in my work. There are some pigments that are known for being extremely staining, such as Prussian Blue, and others that lift up quite easily.
c) Opacity
A color's opacity tells us how opaque or transparent it is. Usually, you're looking for transparency when it comes to watercolors, as this is the quality that gives paintings created with this medium their distinctive glow.
-For faster swatches, I like drawing a couple of ink lines in this square/rectangle (allow them to dry completely) and painting over them with each color to see if there is any chalky residue left behind.
-Another option is painting a couple of lines or shapes with a different color (a different color from the one you're testing) and seeing how much the subsequent layer of color allows the bottom to shine through.
d) Level of dispersion
A color's level of dispersion refers to how easily it expands and/or intermixes with other colors when dropping on damp paper. A high level of dispersion means a paint color expands quickly and intermixes a lot with colors around it. A low level of dispersion means it mostly stays in place.
-For faster swatches, I like simply wetting this square/rectangle with clean water and dropping the color in in several different places to see how fast it expands.
-Another option is dropping a different color in first and then placing the specific hue you're testing out to see how much it expands/intermixes. I do recommend preparing a larger square/rectangle for swatching if you want to test this out. Because I don't do a ton of wet-on-wet work myself, this isn't I take too much time doing. However, if you do a lot of landscapes or even abstracts, it may be very useful for you to spend time testing out this particular one for your different colors!
e) Granulation
A color's granulation level can be identified by laying down a flat wash, allowing it to dry completely, and observing how even and uniform it looks after. Pigments that have a high level of granulation separate from their binder when mixed with water and tend to settle into the texture of the paper it is placed on. This leads to white dots and a patchy look in some areas. *A high level of granulation isn't inherently bad, as it can be used to create great effects in areas that require them. Many artists use highly granulating paints to their advantage!
-I don't usually create a separate square/rectangle to test out granulation, but come back to observe this later on after my paint has fully dried and settled into the paper in all my sections.
f) Permanence
A color's permanence refers to how resistant it is when exposed to light. In other words, how quickly does it start to fade out? Usually, manufacturers include this information somewhere within the packaging of the product with the following codes: AA (Extremely Permanent), A (Permanent), B (Moderately Durable) or C (Fugitive).
-I don't usually create a separate square/rectangle to test out permanence, but come back to observe how much the color has faded out a few months later.
g) How do colors react on different types of papers?
I usually like seeing how different pigments react on at least a couple of different types of watercolor paper because I know how much of a difference the right paper can make!
-For the swatching of this particular Winsor and Newton set, I used both higher quality Arches watercolor paper, as well as cheaper Canson paper. Both of these were 140 lb. Cold Press papers, but the Arches had much more of a texture to it. Another option could be testing your paint out on both Cold Press and Hot Press papers.
Check out my blog post/YouTube video Watercolor Supplies for Beginners + Things You Should Know. In it, I explain everything you have to know about watercolor paper and demystify a lot of common thoughts beginners have in relation to watercolor supplies.
Swatching Outcome and My Conclusions
Swatching out Winsor and Newton paint set on Arches 140 lb. Cold-Press watercolor paper. This photo has not been manipulated in any way.
Swatching out Winsor and Newton paint set on Canson 140 lb. Cold-Press watercolor paper. This photo has not been manipulated in any way.
The colors included in this Winsor and Newton 12-piece tube set are:
Cadmium Yellow Hue
Cadmium Red Pale Hue
Alizarin Crimson
Ultramarine Blue
Cerulean Blue
Prussian Blue
Viridian Green
Yellow Ochre
Burnt Sienna
Burnt Umber
Ivory Black
Chinese White
I enjoyed testing out this Winsor and Newton watercolor tube set and look forward to painting a piece with it. Even though this brand's Cotman line is described as being their affordable/student grade option, this particular tube set offers an excellent color payoff, contains a good amount of paint and is quite comfortable to work with. The paint's texture is just thick enough when squeezed out of the tube and onto the paint-mixing palette. Each tube contains 8 ml of paint and the manufacturer has included relevant information on its packaging such as each color's level of Permanence and Pigment Code.
A few things I noticed in regards to the differences between the swatches created on the two different watercolor papers:
a) Overall, the colors painted on the Arches paper are more vibrant than how they appear on the Canson paper.
b) The degree of this varies from pigment to pigment, but I was able to lift up more paint from the Canson paper, especially once the paint had dried. This probably has to do with the fact that the 100% cotton Arches paper absorbs the pigment a lot more effectively.
c) Wet-on-wet effects were much more beautiful on the Arches paper, which allowed them to disperse a lot more fluidly and gradually. On the Canson paper, the paint pooled in certain areas and left a patchy effect.
d) All colors, except for the Chinese white are completely transparent (which is a good thing). Transparent watercolors allow bottom layers to shine through and give paintings a unique glow. If you zoom into the ink lines below the Chinese white swatch, they appear to have a bit of a chalkiness over them.
I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new, or got inspired to go and create something for yourself. I wish you tons of progress and enjoyment in your artistic journey! :)
Thanks so much for popping by today!
Become a Patreon community member to get access to:
-Real-time drawing/painting tutorials with full walkthrough commentary
-Downloadable outline drawings, reference pictures and supply lists
-Weekly sketchbook prompts to help you stay consistent and progressing your art skills
-Direct feedback from me
-Instant access to a growing vault of original reference pictures that you can use for your own art
-Special thanks in YouTube videos and opportunities to get your work shared
-Live Q&A sessions
-Live classes on Art Fundamentals and Monthly Creative Assignments
+ much more!
*Click below to learn more!
Watercolor Supplies Used:
*I buy most of my art supplies online through ConsumerCrafts or Amazon. Both of them are excellent options for finding great supplies at accessible prices. Click on images below to learn more about each product.
Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Set: 12 pieces
|
Arches Watercolor Paper Pad: 10 X 14 inches
|
Canson XL Watercolor Paper Pad: 11 X 15 inches
|
Royal and Langnickel Zen All Media Long Handle Round Brush, Size 6
|
*Click to join.
Popular Posts
Categories
All
Art
Art Business
Artist Interviews
Artist Struggles
Art Process
Art Studio
Art Supplies
Creativity
Drawing
Experimentation
Exploration
Freebies
Free Downloadables
Guest Posts
Inspiration
Interior Decor
Links To Useful Sites
My Artwork For Sale
My Illustration
My Journey
Paintings
Painting With Oils
Photography
Sketchbook
Student Art Shows
Studies
Teaching Art
Tutorials
Videos
Watercolors
www.erikalancaster.com
is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites
to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
www.erikalancaster.com
is a participant in the Shareasale.com Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Shareasale.com partner companies.
is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites
to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
www.erikalancaster.com
is a participant in the Shareasale.com Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Shareasale.com partner companies.
RSS Feed