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Textural Effects for Watercolor Painting

Watercolor is a wonderfully versatile medium, and you can change its look quite easily with additives and other materials to give it a more textural appearance. The samples below demonstrate some of these textural effects. Some work better with staining pigments, or with pigments that have sediment. Experiment with the pigments you are currently using, and then give them a try in your next painting!
ALCOHOL Dropped into a damp wash of a single staining pigment. Timing is critical; if the wash is too wet, the alcohol will be diluted too much. If it is too dry, the effect won't work.	ALCOHOL Dropped into first wash of gold, then color allowed to dry. Second wash of green applied and alcohol added into this second wash,	ALCOHOL Dropped into a damp wash of a single non-staining pigment. See the first alcohol comment for tips about how damp the wash should be for this effect to work successfully.
SALT Sprinkled into a wet (still shiny) wash of burnt sienna. Note how much the salt "spreads" here.	SALT Sprinkled into a damp wash with a more saturated pigmentation, the salt texture is not as large.	SALT In this sample, the wash as barely damp, and the texture from the salt is quite fine.
BLOTTING & LIFTING Crumpled paper towel (left) and twisted facial tissue (right) are used to lift color and create texture in these two samples. This technique can also be used to regain light or white areas in your painting.	ERASING WITH STENCILS The three pointed shape was cut from acetate, and then an eraser was used to remove color. You could also use a damp sponge over a stencil to lift color. In both cases the underlying wash should be absolutely dry.	SANDING On a completely dry wash, you can use a light grade of sandpaper to "roughen" the surface and remove color. You should only do this on 140lb. or heavier good watercolor paper, or you may end up with holes!

WAX (Paraffin) & CRAYON Clear wax drawn on white paper or on previously painted and completely dry washes acts as a resist to subsequent washes, and also adds texture as it goes over the rough surface of the watercolor paper.	LIQUID FRISKIT (Masking Fluid) Depending on the brush you use to apply it, the surface of the paper you are using, and when you apply it (on unpainted paper or dry washes of color), liquid friskit can create small details or interesting textures. Remember to remove the dry friskit as soon as possible, because it becomes more difficult to get off the longer it stays on your paper surface.
PLASTIC WRAP, STRETCHED This is an interesting way to texture land forms, ice or water. Stretch the plastic wrap sideways, forming folds, then lay into a wet wash. Allow to dry. When removed, you'll have a great texture!	PLASTIC WRAP, CRUMPLED In this sample, the wrap is crumpled and laid into a wet wash, where it is allowed to remain until the wash has dried. When removed, the texture of the crumpled wrap remains.
WAX PAPER, CUT OR TORN INTO SHAPES Wax paper can provide wonderful textures for rocks, leaves or other natural objects. You can cut or tear it into the shapes you want and lay it into a damp wash. Additional color can be introduced under the edges. Allow to dry and then remove from the painting.	WAX PAPER, CRUMPLED In this sample, was paper was just crumpled up, then smoothed out enough to place over a wet wash. Allowed to dry in place, it will leave a nice texture when removed. You can weight it down with a book if you want more of the surface to contact your painting paper.
SCRAPING Use the angled end of your aquarelle brush, a piece of an old credit card, or even a piece of matboard to scrape paint off the surface of your paper. This needs to be done on a damp, not wet (shiny) wash. If you do it too soon, the paint just runs back into the scraped area.	SCRATCHING Use the end of your paintbrush, a nail, a paper clip or any other hard object to scratch (make a groove or dent in) your paper while the wash is still quite wet. The pigment will settle in the scratches, drying darker, and giving you interesting textured passages.

Ellen Fountain Factoid: "I finally earned a Masters Degree in Art Education from the University of Arizona in Tucson, where I now make my home with my husband and two cats. After college, I continued to add to my knowledge of watercolor by taking watercolor workshops, by reading everything about watercolor that I could get my hands on, and most importantly, by painting, painting, painting! "

Ellen Fountain has been working primarily in watercolors since the early 1970s. She has exhibited in over 100 invitational, solo and juried shows, and has won over 4 dozen awards since 1982, one third of which are national awards outside of her home state of Arizona. She teaches workshops and classes in many locations, and loves sharing her knowledge with others. Ellen is a contributing editor to Wetcanvas, and be reached via email at efountain@access1.net. For more information on Ellen and her wondrous watercolor works, visit her online studio at www.fountainstudio.com.