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Type Name Latest commit message Commit time README.md Update README.md Jun 15, 2022 View code Watercolor Basics Paints Brushes Paper Other Stuff Painting History README.md doggle (dog obviously using acrylic not watercolor) Watercolor Basics Basic tips for developing an everyday open-ended watercolor practice. For expressive observational painting more than rigid illustration. Consolidated quasi-wisdom picked up from 10+ years learning, teaching and making art for no reason. Put together for together for a dev friend who bought some paints. [?][?] All super-subjective and a work in progress, adding more as I think of it... --------------------------------------------------------------------- Paints * keep it simple * buy brick sets / not tubes * more money only helps up to ~$30 * check the pigments on the paint bricks * if they list actual pigments it's good enough * red flag if all the bricks are light / chalky looking * red flag if the bricks are round / don't have pigments listed * they might work a little but you'll hate painting * just buy this / my mom bought it for me Brushes * brushes are all doomed * buy them on sale / follow your gut / no rules * like magic wands / lightsabers maybe * natural vs. synthetic hair doesn't matter * keep plastic tubes if brushes have them * rinse / wring out / re-shape by hand often * reshape gently when cleaned out and moist * aim for original shape of brush * a medium round (the pointy but wide-ish one) is all you need * 3-5 sized flats (the flat square ones) help * don't leave them in water ever (ever) * when they lose their shape keep them for scumbling (rough painting) * when they still keep their shape be gentle with them * these are probably fine to start with / better to buy in person Paper * get what's on sale / cheap * open it up / feel the paper * medium heavy is good enough * postcard to printer paper sizes are good * trust your gut / trial and error * hot press means smooth surface * cold press means rough surface * they're both fine / go with your gut * watercolor blocks you use one sheet at a time * prevents paper warping a little * old school / fun / unecessary * loose sheets are fancier * tear them into sections with ruler to keep nice edge * rag paper means fancy 100% cotton * old school / fun / unecessary / unnoticeable * paper weight is in lbs or gsm usually * 90+ lbs is a good rule of thumb * if it feels thick enough it is * this is cheap and fine / my students always used it * this is fancy and also fine / I use it for painting and drawing Other Stuff * squeezable water bottle / with plastic nipple thing * dixie / condiment cups for water * blotter paper / paper towel / ripped pieces of thick paper * for negative marks / drying out overly wet paper Painting * keep your paper dry or moist not super wet * cool effects possible with wet paper but... * wet paper can be hard to control / frustrating * use paper towels to control wetness * paper towel wadded up in same hand as brush always * use paper towel as much as brush sometimes * add paint / dab off moisture with towel / repeat * paint shapes not lines * abstract shapes / areas of shadow and light * don't fixate on size & location of shapes * zoom WAY in on subjects * draw a box with pencil / ruler to paint in * force shapes / objects to fall off edge / zoom in * no un-broken edges * use chromatic black / mix dark brown and dark blue * any dark complimentary colors can work * dont use color at first / just chromatic black * don't let yourself think about objects / people / things * turn off brain / eyes and hands only * just abstract shapes of light and shadow * let your palette and paint bricks get dirty * dirty watercolors make natural colors * clean them with paper towels and water occaisionally * add details / color after all this if desired * erase dried paint by re-wetting / using blotter paper * spend as much time looking at your subject as you do looking at your painting * look up / look down / look up / look down * find one tiny color / shape / highlight / shadow etc at a time * don't think about what it is * think about color and value (darkness) as separate * think about value (darkness) as relative / on 1-10 scale * the darkest thing you can see is 10 / lightest 1 etc. * think of color as relative / warm and cool * red / orange / yellow are warm * blue is cool * purple and green can be either * whats the warmest thing you can see / whats the coolest * use as few colors as possible / or none History * history is cool but optional * watercolor originates from africa / the middle east * where gum arabic comes from traditionally * it was used to produce ancient artworks / maybe prehistoric * it reached europe in the middle ages * used for spooky illuminated manuscripts * gum arabic is the traditional binder in watercolor * fun fact you can eat gum arabic and they use it in desserts * it smells delicious * dont eat your watercolors * all paint is primarily pigment + binder * oil paint uses oil as its binder * acrylic uses acrylic * watercolor uses gum arabic or synthetic replacements * its special property is its water solubility * it remains semi-soluble even after drying * but it resists increasingly as it ages * thats why you use water with it * also why you can layer etc * good to know maybe * obvious wikipedia link for watercolor * less obvious wikipedia link for gum arabic About Basic tips for developing an open-ended everyday watercolor practice. 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