WetCanvas: Tutorial: Watercolors: Watercolor Tips from George Simmons

I find watercolor is such an exciting medium. I was told long ago that it was too hard to handle and for many years steered away from it, but once I finally got up the nerve to try it, I was hooked. That came during a long stretch when I had put my oil paints away and was in need of something to get me to pick up a brush. Well, from that first juicy wash of paint touching the paper I new that watercolor was for me! I like to encourage new artists to try watercolor and love to talk watercolor, so I created this page. It will be a FAQ of sorts and I will try to cover as much material as I can and add to the page from time to time. Every artist has their own style and lots of "what works for me's". The answers I post to the FAQ's are MY way of doing things, personal preferences, or just my artistic two cents worth. I'll let my artwork stand for itself. Hopefully other artists will find something useful within this page that helps in their own work. Here goes...:-)

What colors do you use on your palette?

I have all 20 wells on my John Pike palette filled with paint. Some colors are used more heavily than others and a couple of the lesser used colors get changed from time to time as I try new colors. The colors I rely on are Aureolin yellow (by Winsor & Newton), a slightly cool but transparent yellow. Gamboge Hue yellow (Rowney#640), a strong yellow-orange color that mixes well when making strong greens . Raw Sienna (W&N) is one of my favorite colors. The W&N brand just glows when glazed several times. I use Burnt Sienna (W&N) a lot with Ultramarine blue for some interesting semi-neutral grays. Rose Madder Genuine (W&N) and Permanent Rose are two transparent cool reds that, as a floral painter , I just can't live without! Alizarin Carmine (W&N) is my strong staining red used mainly for mixing real potent darks. Cadmium Red Light (W&N) serves as my warm red. Ultramarine Blue (W&N) is a favorite color . My brush always seems to be dipping into Ultra Blue! Winsor Blue (W&N) is my strong blue/green and is used mainly when mixing darks.

Cobalt Blue and Cereulean Blue are on the palette and see some use but generally less than Ultra Blue. Some artists would never put a green on their palette and mix all their greens. Good for them....I have two greens on my palette. I love using Sap Green(DaVinci) but always mix it with a blue, yellow or red. I still mix plenty of my own greens but like the added variety I can get with Sap. I also have Thalo Green (Grumbacher) but use it strickly as a mixer to get potent darks. There's nothing worse than seeing a floral or landscape just loaded with thin washes of Thalo Green!! Ugh! Other colors on my palette that see limited use are Thalo Purple (Grumbacher), Cadmium Lemon, Permanent Magenta and Manganese Blue.

What are your favorite watercolor papers?

Arches 140 lb Cold pressed (CP) is my main paper. It works for my style of painting. I glaze layers of color and Arches just can take all the layers of paint and not break down. Lately I have begun using TH Saunders Waterford 140 lb CP. It seems to be a distant 2nd to Arches in my book but still a 2nd favorite. When I'm not so keen on glazing colors and want to capture a scene rather quickly, I like using some Fabriano Artistico 140 lb CP paper. You can't beat it to death with layers of paint as it is soft, but I get some interesting paintings on it. Another soft but fun paper is Bockingford 140 lb CP. It doesn't appear to be as high quality as the others but I have turned out a few interesting paintings on it.

Watercolor paper is expensive. Can I use the cheaper papers?

It can be expensive depending on where you get it and the quantity you buy. I buy mostly "quires" or 25 sheet packs and there is a definite per sheet savings that way. A quire of good quality paper runs between 50-75 dollars but should last you quite awhile. You can use cheaper papers but try to avoid what is called "student" grade paper. It generally is the cheapest stuff on the shelf in your favorite art store and really doesn't compare to a high quality paper. Try doing a painting on the cheap stuff, then go buy some real watercolor paper and compare for yourself. If you are serious about watercolor painting then you will need quality paper period. Buy the best you can afford. Don't waste paper......on paintings that have gone bad use the back side of the paper for testing colors and practicing.

What type of brushes should I use?

First, use natural hair brushes for watercolor(sables are best). Don't try using your stiff oil painting brushes! There are some combination natural hair and synthethic hair brushes available that work quite well too. One that comes to mind is the Winsor & Newton Sceptre Gold series. You can use synthetic brushes too. Flats are okay but synthetic rounds seem to lose their points are awhile. It's best to have an assortment of flats and rounds at your disposal. Be sure to have large enough brushes. Too often I see students trying to use small brushes to cover large areas of paper. Remember, big brushes to do big washes and smaller brushes for your detail work!

What type of palette should I use?

The main thing with a watercolor palette is that is has a cover to keep your paints from drying out or getting dusty/dirty. There are numerous types of palettes available. Make sure you have plenty of space to mix colors in it. My own favorite is the John Pike palette.

My paints are always dried out when I start to paint. What can I do?

I leave a small damp kitchen sponge in my palette to help keep things moist. Get a small spray bottle with water and lightly spray your paints when you remove the lid. When you squeeze paint into your palette put plenty of paint. The more paint you put the better chance it will stay moist. I see so many people who put just a "dot" of paint on their palettes and it dries up fast. Being frugal with paint isn't the best way! :-) Fill those wells with paint!

Do I need to "stretch" my watercolor paper?

No, not at all. Stretching is a way to provide a nice flat and taut piece of paper to paint on for those who desire such. Just be sure you have your paper secured either with clamps, staples or tape to minimize buckling if working with paper weighted at 140 lbs or less. If you want to know more about stretching paper check out Stretching Watercolor Paper.

How do I get soft or "Lost" edges in my paintings?

To have soft "lost" edges that seem to fade into the background you need to moisten a brush in clean water then blot most of the water out of the brush leaving it just damp. As soon as you put down a brushstroke of paint that you want to "lose" and edge on, pick up the damp clean brush and pass it over the edge you want to "lose". The clean brush knocks the edge off and the paint gradiates into the clean damp area next to where the hard edge was. CAUTION: Be sure the brush with clean water has been blotted otherwise you will introduce too much water onto the hard edge causing the painted area to "backrun". Besure to clean and re-blot the brush. Basically, the brush must be clean and the moisture minimal for a good soft edge. Practice "losing" edges on scrap paper and you will master this technique before you know it.

What word of advice would you give an aspiring watercolorist to improve his/her work?

What really helped me was working with watercolor everyday. It can be tough for most people to work at it everyday but even if you could just put aside 15 minutes a day to do something with your art I feel you will see improvement in your work. The more time you can spend working at it the better. Take a little time and become a better artist.

Do you have a watercolor question you would like me to answer? Just email me and I'll be happy to reply. Be sure to visit my site for more exciting lessons and tips!