Tips And Techniques: Watercolours

Tips and techniques: watercolours

- Sheree Young

In three separate containers, mix up three colours: Cadmium Yellow, Alizarin Crimson and French Ultramarine. Use a dot of the paint from the tube and just enough water so that it pours easily from the container.

STEP 1: After taping the paper to correx board, spray water around all 4 sides of the paper, approximately 5cm in from the edge. Tilt the board diagonally, pour yellow on the top corner, reflecting a sunlight area. Wipe off excess paint around outside edges of the tape: this prevents brown mud forming when adding further colours. While the yellow is wet, continue by pouring the Alizarin, mid-range, tilting the board diagonally. The Alizarin will mix with the yellows to create oranges, and later with the blues to create purples/shadows. You don’t want to tilt your board horizontally and vertically, as you want to achieve diagonal runs for greater interest. Wipe off excess paint around the outside edge of the tape.

STEP 2: While the first two colours are still wet, pour the Ultramarine diagonally across bottom areas. It is essential to leave some white areas in the centre of the paper. At this stage you can use paper towel to dab out colour in the centre if you lose all your whites. Once the three colours have been poured, leave the board to dry diagonally. Add salt which creates further patterns in the paint as it dries.

STEP 3: The design stage: Place tracing paper (or baking paper) over the paint so that you can see the patterns and shapes. You can then draw ideas, rub out and not damage your watercolour paper. Transfer your final design onto your paper.