Watercolor Methods and Techniques

flat wash - applying pre-mixed, even value color to wet or dry ground.wet surface - there are many degrees of dampness, but an area freshly soaked with clear water will float the pigment and allow it to move freely over the ground; use brush soaked with water and paint.

damp surface - to get more control but retain softness, wet paper with sponge, let water soak into paper until surface is shiny and no longer dripping wet.

dry surface - apply brushloads of paint to dry surface for strong color in your wash, precisely where you put it, with well-defined edges.

graded wash - applying color over a wet or dry ground where a change in value or color or both takes place.

polychromatic wash - flat or graded wash in more than one color; prepare color puddles before beginning wash technique.

glazing - applying diluted transparent washes over dry paint.

wet-into-wet - apply wet paint into wet surface, another color or ground; when paint & surface are both very wet, paint spreads & bleeding occurs.

wet-over-dry - wet color applied over dry one, will stay where you put it; start with lightest colors, first color will show through the second color.

pointillism - applying dots of color next to each other for optical color mixing, for example placing red dots next to yellow dotted area to create orange.

white line technique - paint directly, leaving white lines between positive shapes; beware of backruns (paint bleeds uncontrollably into previously painted area) hard to correct.

dry brush work - applying stoke of paint quickly with nearly dry brush over dry ground or color, leaves previous color showing through; has characteristic ragged look because pigment hits only the peaks of paper''''''''s rough surface; good for grass or weathered wood.

lifting - to lighten a color or correct a mistake: blot wet paint with clean tissue, or damp sponge; if paint has dried, rewet area with clean water first; to remove color in specific area, use a stiff bristle brush that''''''''s slightly damp with clean water; staining pigments won''''''''t be lifted completely.

scraping - while paper is damp not wet, scrape off surface with palette knife or flat brush handle to create sharp or soft liner effects depending on how damp the paper is; use for tree branches, grass, or subtle highlights.