| Author | Message | ||
  chris |
Joanne, I almost always paint standing up.When I sit I also get the "pain in the neck"!!! The only time I sit is when doing small work with detail. It has been my experience that I paint looser and more painterly when standing, and I think it is important to stand back from your work frequently to judge it. Try putting an easel on the table. You can make a cheap one out of cardboard to try it. | ||
Geeky2-VA |
Hi Joanne: A lot of watercolorists paint standing up, and some paint with easels. Should be whatever is comfortable for you. Usually, they elevate their board about 2" and stand, or sit at a comfortable height. This is what most of the books advise, plus I've seen other artist also do this. I usually do whatever is comfortable for me. Hope someone else will give you more information. | ||
joanne reiners |
I am in a watercolour beginner's class...we sit at tables on stools and work looking down at our paper and then up, of course, to look at what we are trying to paint. Do watercolour painters ever use easels? I am getting a crick in my neck and have back trouble and this arrangement is not good for me and sometimes I wish I could paint standing up....help please. Josie | ||
I |
I am a rank beginner with a very basic question. When putting on a glaze with a flat brush, how do I avoid the blob that appears at the end of each stroke where I lift the brush? Also, when I mix a wash it seems to take a huge amount of paint to get it dark enough to show. I'm using W&N, but thinking about ordering 55 gal. drums of American Journey! | ||
sandymaudlin |
Dear I, Anytime you lift the brush, excess paint and water are released in that spot. If you're doing a flat wash, slightly angle the paper - tilt it a bit. As your stroke is finished, pull it down before you release the brush from the paper. That'll leave the excess ready to be picked up on the next stroke - which you'll also pull down at the end. Repeat to the and of the glazed area, and use a thristy brush after the last stroke to absorb the remaining puddle. Hope this makes some sense. Good luck. | ||
drollere |
washes and wet in wet techniques in general are tough to master. the best way to rid yourself of an annoying flaw is to try different methods and see what works as a cure. if you leave a 'blob' when you lift the brush in a glaze, then it may be you are charging the brush with too much paint, or are working with a too diluted paint solution. try mixing a slightly more concentrated solution of color, and picking up a smaller amount in the brush, so that you apply a thinner coat with the brush stroke. if your glaze is a foundation color (that is, it's the first coat of paint you put down), then you can prewet the area you want to paint with clear water, and go into it with a fairly thick paint mixture. the paper is already wet, so it will diffuse and even out any irregularities in the paint stroke, including 'blobs' if they occur. and after you lay down the color you can go back in with additional paint and 'charge' the wash with more color to create variety in the color mixture, value, or texture of the wash. you can ask advice of other people, and other people are always eager to share, but the best way to resolve your painting problems is to watch yourself paint very carefully, and experiment with other painting approaches. this means trial and error, but you'll be surprised at how many lovely and unexpected things you will discover about painting through your own play. | ||
mehorrigan |
That blob is called a "bead," and it's a good thing to have in a wash - helps keep the color even, and without brush marks. When you have finished paying the wash, use a thirsty brush to pick up the bead so you will not get a backrun | ||
paintwerx1 |
Hi I; You don't mention if you have already prewet your area with clear water; if you have, then starting your stroke in the middle of your area and carrying it off your taped edge prevents these blobs. It sounds like you may have too much water and not enough pigment in your puddles as well. This would be another reason you may not be getting any "dark" colors, especially if you are doing a wet-in-wet wash with clear water on your background. This is my first day into Cheap Joes, but I teach here in Canada, and my students complain of the same thing! Hope this helps. | ||
Neffi |
Hi. I'm completely new to watercolor painting. Just wondering if it really is necessary to stretch watercolor paper, and if so, what kind of tape to use. Artists' tape seems pretty expensive. Would ordinary masking tape do just as well? | ||
Kukana |
Neffi, I use 140 lb arches and I never stretch half sheets but anything bigger needs to be stretched. To stetch bigger than half sheets completely soak the paper in cool water. Lay out on a board and smooth out. I then wet and lay out that brown paper tape that has glue on the back side. I then staple the edges every inch and half or so through the brown tape. Or to avoid stretching altogether just paint big stuff on #300 pound. No stretching needed! Up to a half sheet I just roll the the finished paper in a tube style and secure with a very loose rubber band. Then I heat it up a bit with a blow dryer. Let it set for about and hour. Then roll the paper in the opposite direction and blow it again. I took a workshop from Barbara Neches and she showed us this trick. Works great for me and I paint really wet with tons of layers. -Kuk- | ||
Neffi |
Hi Kukana. Really appreciate your advice re tapes and stretching paper. Thanks, Neffi. | ||
artist 69 |
Hi Kukana, I read about how you stretch your watercolor paper, but the staples thing causes a dilemma for me. I hinge my paintings in shadow boxes because the beautiful deckle edges add to my works presentation. I use resist and black and white colored pencil in my work also with lots of wet layered washes. Do you know of any other means of stretching without staples?? 300lb. paper is nice but too expensive. Any feedback would be most appreciated. Thanks Alot B |
