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Author: Nicholas_Simmons, Contributing Editor
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Many watercolorists are fearful of working on a large scale. What is "large scale" to a watercolorist? For many, it is a full sheet, which measures 22" x 30". A few dare to step up to 30" x 40". After churning out many paintings in this range over the years, and seeing them dwarfed by the work of oil painters and other artists, I realized that I wanted to create larger, more dramatic watercolors that could hold their own with the big boys. I tried to achieve this with traditional watercolor techniques, and completed some sizable work - one piece was a diptych ten feet long. I wasn't all that pleased with the look of those pieces, though, and ultimately decided a different approach was in order. What follows is not the only way to paint large watercolors, but it is one that may help other watercolorists break out of the confines that have, in part, contributed to watercolor's second-class status in the art world. |
| A few words about materials: I normally use acrylic watercolor, but often mix it with regular watercolor paints. Acrylic watercolor is acrylic paint thinned with water, or watercolor mixed with acrylic medium. I like the liquid or medium viscosity acrylics, as they feel about the same as watercolor. It has some distinct advantages over standard watercolor:
1. It is permanent. 2. It is much less expensive. 3. The bottles are easier to handle. 4. If you squeeze out too much, you can put it back in. 5. There are some great metallic and iridescent colors available. There is also a disadvantage: you cannot lift or scrub. This doesn't bother me, because I don't use those techniques anyway - they often lend a dry, dull look that robs life and spontaneity from a watercolor. Besides, the very idea of removing paint after it is dry, strikes me as undesirable. |
| I use a combination of synthetic and sable watercolor brushes. My prized 3" red sable finally bit the dust, so I am down to a 2" white sable which is now my favorite. For the technique in this painting, I won't have the opportunity to use the large flat brushes; I'll being using rounds exclusively. I prefer a large metal butcher's tray as a palette. The only other things I use are a spray bottle, hair dryer, and a toothbrush for applying fine spatter.
I buy paper in rolls. I especially like the Arches 156 lb. hot press, which is 52" x 10 yards. I've never stretched a piece of watercolor paper in my life. Never needed to - I think it's one of those watercolor myths. If paper buckles, I mist the back with water, and put it under a big piece of glass overnight. Never fails. One reason I've never understood the ritual of stretching/taping paper to a board, is that you can't manipulate the paper and paint beyond tilting the whole thing one way or another. I like being able to do anything with the paper, or just part of the paper. |  |
 | For some subjects - natural subjects in particular - I often coat the paper with a thin wash of gesso. Gesso creates a texture and resist that makes for beautiful effects with watercolor or acrylic watercolor paint. I use just enough to create a smooth, chalky finish; if it's too thick, it can crack. Brush strokes show, so sometimes I apply it with thought to the composition of the painting. It's great to draw on. With acrylic watercolor, the paint just glides on; with regular watercolor, there is more of a resist. Either way, you get a lot of action with the paint, and it seems to stay brighter. Here are a few pictures displaying textures created by gesso-coated paper.
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