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Author: Arnold_Lowrey, Contributing Editor
| I see so many watercolours fail because artists have not come to grips with the control of water in their paintings. Many books on watercolour concentrate more on pretty pictures and the materials used, rather than tackle this subject, which is vital for success.
Most watercolours fail because too much water is used and the results are a wishy- washy mess. So, let’s come to grips with this important subject. The question you must always ask is “Where is the water? – Is it in the brush, the palette or on the paper?” If you have a lot water in your brush and water on the paper, the result is two lots of water combining and flooding everywhere out of control. To have full control of water, you must have a palette with a flat mixing area that does not collect unwanted water. It is also advantageous to have one with open-ended colour wells. |
So here are the five most important ways of water control.
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| Dry on Dry
This is where the paper is dry and all the water is squeezed out of your brush, so that when you pick up paint and paint it on the paper, virtually no water is involved and the result is a scumbling mark. (No water on the paper and virtually no water in the brush.) |  |
| Wet on Dry
If you load you brush with wet paint and paint on dry paper, an area is produced which is soft and flowing in the middle but with hard edges. (No water on the paper and water in the brush) |  |
| Wet on Wet
When the paper is wet and the brush is fully loaded with wet paint, the result is two lots of water on the paper. Consequently, the paper can’t handle this amount and the paint pigment flows on the surface. Tipping the paper will allow the pigment to flow around creating a lot of interesting shapes but accurate control is missing. Useful for backgrounds but you are relying on “happy accidents” to produce any meaningful shapes. |  |
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