Watercolor painting

Watercolor painting is a type of art created using watercolor paints. Watercolor painting dates back to ancient history. The earliest examples of watercolor paints were used in prehistoric times when natural pigments were combined with water. Egyptian papyrus painting, cave paintings, and other applications are all watercolor. Watercolor painting as we know it today began after paper was invented by the Chinese, who also developed the use of soft-haired brushes. The so-called Golden Age of watercolor spanned a century beginning in the mid-eighteenth century and is primarily associated with Britain. Watercolor's accessibility makes it popular with professionals and amateurs alike.

Overview

Watercolor consists of a pigment dissolved in water and bound by a colloid agent, such as a gum, which keeps the pigment uniformly dispersed through the liquid and helps it adhere to the painting surface. The paints are sold in both tubes and pans, which are trays containing paint cakes. Watercolor is applied to a supporting surface, which is usually dampened paper but may also be vellum, fabric, or another material.

The primary characteristic of watercolor is the transparency that allows light to reflect from the supporting surface, creating a glowing effect. This transparency means that a watercolor artist cannot paint over a mistake, as one may with oil or other paints. Watercolor paint may also be mixed with gouache, which is a white water-based paint.

History and Materials

Paper was invented in China about 100 B.C.E. Chinese artists typically used soft-haired brushes and created watercolor paintings of landscapes using delicate color washes. Paper slowly became known and used across Asia and eventually reached Europe during the fifteenth century. In the Middle Ages, artists applied watercolor to illuminated manuscripts and used it to tint maps.

At first, artists prepared their own paint by grinding pigments; later, however, they could buy watercolor paints. In 1780, William Reeves invented small, hard cakes of watercolor. Artists could make paint by dipping a cake in water and rubbing it onto a palette surface, such as a porcelain plate or an oyster shell. The artist used a brush to pick up the paint from the palette and apply it to the supporting surface.

Watercolor was particularly popular with British artists, who enjoyed working outdoors. Artists began assembling small, portable cases containing their paints and other supplies and stocked them with the colors of the artists' individual preferences. Later in the eighteenth century, boxes holding an array of colors were made and sold. The creation of wove paper also revolutionized watercolor, because unlike earlier paper made in molds, which contained parallel lines, wove paper prevented color pooling.

A color box made of tin was sold beginning in the 1830s and helped drive the Victorian passion for watercolor painting, in particular landscape and nature paintings. Soon, moist watercolors were packaged in porcelain trays. The British company Winsor & Newton created a new form of watercolor paint in 1846. The quality and consistent color of these pigments, which were packaged in tubes, changed the industry.

Development of Watercolor Painting

During the 1490s, German artist Albrecht Dürer (1471– 528) created the first modern watercolors in his studies of animals and plants as well as in landscapes and townscapes. For a long time, however, artists used it in limited ways, if at all. Watercolor was primarily used to tint other works, such as maps or landscapes, with a wash of one or several colors.

Around 1800, artists moved from tinting works with watercolor to capturing atmosphere such as clouds in the sky. As this Romantic style developed, many artists used brighter colors. Both amateur and professional artists joined clubs and societies to promote and share experiences. Such fellowship allowed them to share techniques, which further advanced watercolor. In London, public exhibitions exposed a variety of people to the artists' works. Oil paintings—which were regarded as superior—were given the choice locations, however; watercolor paintings occupied the dark corners or were hung near the ceiling, where visitors might barely notice them. To combat this prejudice, artists founded the Society of Painters in Water-Colours in 1804 and held their first exhibition the following year. Other similar societies soon followed.

Many renowned artists, including Rembrandt (1606–1669), John James Audubon (1785–1851), Paul Gauguin (1848–1903), Edouard Manet (1832–1883), and Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), have worked in watercolor.

Techniques

Artists can use and apply watercolor in many ways. Once a brush stroke has dried, for example, an artist can apply another layer of the same or another color to produce other colors or tones. An artist can also apply a brushstroke to damp areas of the work to deliberately cause colors to bleed or run together. Artists have developed a number of ways to achieve different effects. For example, Charles Demuth (1883–1935) sprinkled salt on wet watercolor washes. Once the paint dried, he wiped away the salt, creating a speckled effect.

A wash is a veil of color on an area of the supporting surface. An artist may begin painting a seascape by applying washes of blue where the sea and sky will be and a wash of tan for the beach. Adding layers of the same or other colors deepens areas, such as the shadows in clouds or the ripples in water. The wash may be applied to dry or wet surfaces using brushes or, for an uneven effect, sponges.

Watercolor paper comes in a variety of textures and thicknesses. An artist may choose a heavy paper, which will dry slowly, because he or she will have more time to work on it. A smooth paper will show fine details that cannot be applied on a rough surface.

An artist may prevent paint from adhering to the paper by putting down a mask (such as masking fluid) or applying wax, as with a crayon. Watercolor artists create different effects through a range of techniques, including using dry brushes, spattering or dripping paint onto wet or dry surfaces, painting with sponges, or using tissues to blot up wet paint to create lighter areas.

Bibliography

"About Us." Winsor & Newton. Winsor & Newton. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. http://www.winsornewton.com/na/discover/about-us

"Drawing Materials: Watercolor." Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia Museum of Art. Web. 8 Dec. 2015. http://www.philamuseum.org/booklets/11‗68‗154‗1.html

Harrison, Hazel. Watercolor School: A Practical Guide to Painting with Watercolor. Pleasantville, New York: Quarto Publishing plc, 1993. Print.

Leymarie, Jean. Watercolors: From Dürer to Balthus. Geneva: Editions d'Art Albert Skira S.A., 1984. Print.

Mules, Helen B. "Watercolor." Scholastic Art. Scholastic Inc. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3754179

"Watercolor Painting in Britain, 1750–1850." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web. 8 Dec. 2015. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bwtr/hd‗bwtr.htm