10/21/10

Watercolor Painting Supplies I Do Not Use

Unlike my previous post Supplies You Need to do Watercolors, I'd now like to list some common watercolor supplies and explain why I don't use them.
  • Hot-Pressed Watercolor Paper: This paper is very smooth and doesn't hold pigment as steadfastly as cold-pressed paper
  • Medium and Small Square Brushes: I love square brushes for doing acrylic paintings, but rarely use them for watercolor paintings - round and filbert brushes hold more paint
  • Sitting Chair: I paint while standing so I can move my arms and shoulders freely and get a more accurate view of my work looking down on it (sitting in a chair skews your viewpoint).
  • Paper Towels: Although formerly a big fan of blotting with Brawny paper towels, I now have a cheaper and more environmentally freindly option - a reusable cloth hand towel
  • Pencils: Many artists draw their designs with pencil before painting; the pencil marks then become permanent - recently I've sketched my designs with pale paint instead - benefits are it's easier to erase and gives you an all-watercolor final product
  • Masking Fluid: Pigment only travels to places where your paper is wet and applying masking fluid is not fun - being selective about the parts of my paper I wet is much easier
  • Phthalo Blue and Green: These colors can be overpowering and very staining - use with extreme caution lest they take over your painting and drown out your other colors. However, Phthalo Purple is a lovely color.
UPDATE:
  • I've found a use for pencils - they're good for getting all the details into smaller works like the inner parts of the flower in the post Miniature Flower Painting
  • And I've found a use for phthalo colors - they're good for staining paper like in Herron Class 6: Staining Paper

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