Basics
- Watercolor: a painting method; the paints used in this method are pigments that are absorbed by a material that can bear water. The materials of the actual paint are: pigment, gum arabic (which fix the pigment with the surface), additives (which alter the pigment's texture), and solvent (that dilute the pigment for the moment of painting and evaporate when it dries). The pigment has several characterisitcs: it is staining, can appear granulated (visible, separate particles), and interacts with water leaving nuances in the dried surface (flocculation). If the watercolor is mixed with Chinese white, its opacity increases.
- Water color paper: Although artists have used regular paper, leather, and papyrus with watercolor, water color paper is specific for this method. Paper used in art is classified by eight characterisitcs: material, color, weight, texture, sizing, dimensions, permanence (time they will last) and packaging. A traditionally used material for this paper is cellulose (found in cotton, linen, and wood), which is treated with chemicals, pounded, and filtered into moulds. The mold of the paper determines its texture. If they are dried like laundry, they will have a rough texture. A cold press will flatten out about half of the texture found in rough paper, as it dries papers together in large stacks. Hot pressed paper has almost no texture, because it is flattened out by hot metal cylinders. This paper produces bright colors and is prone to staining, since it hardly absorbs water. When painting, water color paper is stretched by wetting it, securing its ends, and letting it dry, in order to prevent warping from the paper.
Tools
- Brushes: brushes consist of three parts: the tuft (hairs), ferrule (metal), handle (usually wood or plastic). Artists usually hold the brush right after the ferrule for an appropriate technique. In watercolor, brushes with soft and dense tufts are preferred, as the paint isn't too oily against the paper. The type of hair used in the brush affects the way it'll release the paint into the paper. The shape of the brush's tuft determines whether it is round, flat, mop, Filbert, rigger, fan, or acrylic. A single brush can produce different results depending on the way it's used.
- Sponges: sponges are made of a porous material, made from cellulose wood fiber; because of their porous nature, they are good at absoribing water and water-based solutions, such as watercolor, which makes them useful for creating texture and removing applied paint in watercolor.
- Chinese white: a white pigment made with zinc oxide; in watercolors, it is used to enhance the opacity of the paints, meaning that they will have a denser consistence.
Techniques
- Wet in wet: the moisture of the not-yet-dry layer of paint allows for the mixing of colors. Used in areas that don't need much detail (the fluffy parts of the Meanies).
- Scumbling: using a brush with concentrated paint in order to produce a rough appereance. I'll use this for the Meanies' rough looking hands and eyes.
- Wet in dry: each layer should dry before painting on the next, allowing (along with a dry brush) the creation of various textures. I'll use this for most of the elements of the drawing, except the fluffy parts of their bodies.
Under-painting
- An underpainting is an initial layer of paint that serves as a base for further layers of paint. This technique is used in order to define the brightness of the rest of the color in the painting, whether it will be warm or cool, as well as giving the painting more interest and depth. For example, an expressive underpainting leads to an expressive painting.
Tints and shades
- Tint: a tint is a mixture of a color with white, which creates lightness (pastel).
- Shade: a shade is a mixture of a color with black, which decreases lightness.
- Tints are used to give colors body and brightness, and make the colors soft and soothing. Shades are used sparingly, because they are so deep that they can ruin the other colors of the piece.
Complimentary colors
- Complimentary colors are opposites in the color wheel. They are used to create contrast and reinforce each other's subtleties.
Color scheme
- A piece's color scheme encompsses the color choices that have been used in it. They are used to create a signature style and appeal audiences. Basic color schemes use two colors, while more complex ones include more colors. Variations in the tone and hue of a single color can also be used in a color sheme.
- An artist's choice of color scheme influences the way they convey their message and express themselves through the piece. When the artist's palette is limited, the harmnoy perceived through the resulting painting is greater, since it isn't messy and chaotic.
Layering
- When layering in watercolor, a clear acrylic sealer is used to seal a paint layer and make it permanent. Once it's dry, more paint can be added on top without smearing the previous layer.
- Portrait: an artistic representation of a person, in which their face and expression are the main focus.
- Landscape: a landscape unites the features of an area of land, such as landforms (rivers, hills), living elements (vegetation, animals), and human elements (buildings, roads).
- Still-life: an artistic representation of an inanimate subject, whether they be natural or man-made.
- Realistic: art that shows its subject as it would be viewed in real life, without magic and artificiality.
- Abstract: art that shows subjects differently than how they would be viewed in real life; "a departure from reality."
- Non-objective: art that shows subjects that aren't real; doesn't represent something that exists in the real world.
- Emotionalism: focuses on the expressive qualities of art, how well it communicates feelings and moods and catches others' attention.
- Imitationalism: the belief that art is better when it looks the most like a person, place, or thing; accuracy.
- Formalism: the study of art that focuses only on form and style, the way the object has been created and the way it looks; line, shape, color, texture are the main elements of the piece.
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