Watercolor Lessons

Paper: a little history, a little trivia The variety of surfaces used to paint, draw, write and tally on have run the gamut from cave walls, clay tablets (Sumerians 5000-2000 BC), wood planks, papyrus (+-2500 BC), to parchment (1500-250 BC) and vellum, a finer variant of parchment. Papyrus was a woven mat of reeds, pounded together into a hard, thin sheet. Parchment and Vellum are make from specially processed animal hide (calves, goats, sheep) that are smoothed to a fine finish. The word "paper" actually comes down to us from the word "papyrus". According to contemporary Chinese records of AD...

What are you going to use for your palette? If you're like most artists you'll end up with several palettes including one special one that is your favorite. I happen to have aquired 8 ro 9 in my 35 years of painting. Are you a student or beginner on the cheap? For a basic palette use a plate, preferably white. Just something that is white, non-porous, and can hold some water. Ceramic, plastic, or metal, it doesn't matter in the long run, it's just a means to an end...making art. You can use recycled margarine containers, styrofoam meat trays, ice...

Matting and Framing Your Work Matting your watercolors protects and enhances the look of your paintings by cleanly defining the image edges and isolating your image in a uniform neutral or complementary background. Mats are made from mat board which should be made from all cotton acid free fiber. How to make a mat 101 As a start, choose neutral off white mats either warm or cool depending of the overall hue and value of your painting. After you've been at it a while and have seen what others are doing with colors and bevels and layers feel free to...

More than words A step-by-step introduction to artistic journaling I've been asked repeatedly to conduct classes on creating journal art. However, the process is so easy that instead of classes I decided to just share the steps with anyone who is interested in creating their own journal art. Supplies used for this lesson: Sketch book, with paper that is heavy enough for watercolor Watercolor Pencils Watercolor Crayons Small Angled Paint Brush (Nothing expensive) Ultra Fine Sharpie Pen Light Lead Pencil Pencil Sharpener Step by Step 1. It helps if you actually journal, meaning writing down anything that goes through your...

Andrew Wyeth's reputation has centered around watercolors and egg tempera paintings such as "Christina's World". Painted in 1948 and later purchased by the Museum of Modern Art, this is one of the most recognized paintings in American art. Egg Tempera Techniques - by Michael Bergt Egg tempera is a fast drying medium that is fluid by nature and must be applied thinly in semi-opaque and transparent layers. The binding qualities of the egg does not allow for impasto painting. Because of tempera's fluid, fast drying property, it is best suited for a more linear style rather than the thick, brushy...

Basics of Drawing: Materials To draw, all you really need is a pencil or pen and a scrap of paper. If you have that, skip this section and start drawing. However, if you don't know a darned thing about drawing materials, what they look like or what they do, or if you need encouragement, understanding, wit, or just like to look at art stuff, read everything on this website. It's free. The choices available in drawing materials are wide and varied. The links at the top of this page offer examples of the conventional drawing media that artists choose to...

Techniques for Drawing Values Drawing Lines and Values Drawing involves the use of lines and clusters of lines called "values". Lines and values often merge spontaneously as you draw, one springing from another in the same stroke. The better you understand the range of expression and working qualities of your pencil or pen, the broader your palette of artistic options are when you create. A line is a flowing stroke of your pencil that defines an edge in the image you are drawing. Value is the gradation of grays you use to define the mass, form, light, and design of...

Design Principles and Elements: an aesthetic tapestry Look around you. Everything you see that is made by man is made by design. Our buildings, our transportation, our entertainment, the items we consume; everything is designed for a purpose. Some design is utilitarian, some is ergonomic, some informative, and a whole lot of design is aesthetic. Products are designed to please the eye and produce a reaction based on the "feel" the product evokes from the viewer/user. Artists do this every time a pencil is sharpened or a color is mixed. We are the designers. When you look through the catalog...