Art Talk on:
Drawing and Painting Media
pencil
charcoal
ink
silverpoint
colored pencil
soft pastel
oil pastel
 watercolor
acrylic paint
oil
Summary
For works in watercolor, please visit:
The Botanical Watercolor Gallery
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Watercolors in pans are not nearly as common in
the US as in Europe and can be difficult to find here. Instead
of the paint being mixed with high proportion of water and gum arabic
and kept moist in a tube, the paint is extruded into small plastic
pans and allowed to dry. A brush is then dipped in water and
stroked over the watercolor, picking up some pigment. While pans
can have the disadvantage of not producing intense washes (until the
artist gets accustomed to using them), their major advantage is their
portability.
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The rough paper has a
very distinct surface text and usually is not used for detailed
work.
The hot-pressed, named because it is pressed with a hot
roller while the sheet is still wet, is very smooth, much like most
writing paper.
Cold-pressed is somewhere between the
two and varies from paper mill to paper mill. It is also the
most popular surface for watercolor. Cold-pressed paper is known as 'not' paper in
England, because it is not rough and not hot-pressed. |
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These squirrel mop brushes (used
for large wash areas) are still made in the traditional way. The
hairs are hand-selected for length, then cupped to form the
point. A piece or two of goose quill is then placed around the
hairs and the handle. This is held in place by brass wires. |
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Watercolor as an Artistic Medium
 Watercolors
are perhaps the simplest of artist painting media and yet they can produce
stunning works that seem to glow or incredibly detailed, yet delicate
botanical paintings.
They are versatile and they are frustrating. The latter because
as a medium, watercolors are very technically demanding of the artist and
unforgiving. Unless a beginner has the patience for long hours of
practicing washes, they are not a beginners medium. Once mastered,
however, they are a joy to work with and to view.
close-up of a botanical watercolor
History
Watercolors have been around for several centuries, but in the
beginning, they were used only for a sketching medium. In the
early 19th century, watercolor landscapes were some of the first
serious works in watercolor. While still viewed as minor painting
medium until the mid-20th century, watercolor paintings from the 1980s
and on greatly increased the medium's popularity both with artists and
with collectors.
Tools Needed
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Watercolors
Watercolors come in two forms, in tubes and in pans. The
pigments used in each are the same, with only minor differences in
the amount of water and gum arabic, both clear substances.
The tubes are the most commonly used type of watercolor in the
US, so they are the most readily available here and come in the most
colors. They have the advantage of being semi-liquid when
squeezed from the tube. Only a bit of water is needed to
immediately use them.
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Paper
Watercolor paper is generally white (although some lightly tinted
papers are now available) and comes in two forms. In either
case, the paper is sized internally and perhaps also on the
surface. (Sizing is done so that the watercolors do not sink
into the paper but instead dry on the surface to get that glowing
effect.)
Also, most watercolor paper come in three surface variations --
rough, cold-pressed, and hot-pressed. (See box at left for
details.)
The first form is loose sheets. These sheets are most
commonly available as 22x30 inch sheets, although a few paper mills
make other sizes. The sheets come in different weights, with
the weight being how much a stack of of 500 sheets (called a reem),
weighs. For watercolor paper, the common weights are 80 lbs,
140 lbs, and 300 lbs. The latter is similar to very thin
cardboard! The 80 and 140 lb sheets must be stretched to
prevent buckling when painting. (The 300 lb paper is thick
enough to resist most buckling.)
The less common form paper comes in is watercolor blocks.
Here the manufacturer had taken 15 or 20 sheets of paper, trimmed
them to the same size, and then applied a glue to the edges so they
form a block of paper. The paper, thus, is already stretched
for the artist. When a painting is done, a knife is carefully
slipped under the top sheet and it is cut off. Blocks are
available in 3-6 sizes depending on the manufacturer and in all
three surfaces.
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Brushes
The finest watercolor brushes are kolinsky sable brushes.
These are created by collecting the hairs from the male kolinsky
sable in winter. The brushes hold an incredible amount of
paint for their size and are very responsive to the touch.
They also expensive. One brush, the size of the lead in a wood
pencil, can cost $28. One about 1/4" across costs
$98.
Because of the high cost, synthetic fibers and other hairs, such
as squirrel, are used in brushes, but in both cases, the brushes are
not quite as good.
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Water
Water is need to liquefy the paint to create the washes.
Also it is used to clean the brushes after a day of painting.
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Palette
A palette, which can be specially made out of plastic, an enameled
tray, or a piece of glass, is needed to squeeze the paint out on and
for mixing.
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Using It
Because watercolor can only be removed to a very limited extent (some
pigments stain the paper), usually an artist begins with a careful
drawing. This drawing needs to be light and accurate because it
will show thru in most cases. Once the composition is drawn,
washes are painted on the large areas. When dry, additional washes
are layered over the previous wash. And so on, until the colors
are built up.
Pros
 | well over 100 hues available |
| colors glow when used as transparent washes |
| can be stopped and started with no problems |
| details are easy |
| very portable (for on location painting) |
Cons
| corrections can be made to some extend, depending on if the
pigment stains the paper |
| watercolor remains soluble, so a wash over another dried was can
disturb the bottom layer |
| knowledge of the pigment technical qualities is fairly important |
| good brushes can be extremely expensive |
| too many washes in one area can lead to a muddy feeling |
| deceptively easy to do, but actually one of the most demanding of
media |
Comments by L.M. Hornberger
"While they sound easy -- just paint and water -- watercolor is
tricky. Large areas of graduated washes are nearly impossible for a
beginner to do. When someone masters the techniques, the transparent
washes and subtle color blending can be stunning.
"For some reason I never liked doing watercolors, except for
the botanicals. I think it's because I like the richness of color
found in pastels or oils. As for the botanical subjects, the
watercolor is perfect for the delicate hues of flowers and the fine
details."
The next painting medium to be discussed is acrylic paint.
Next 
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