November 2010 Artist Blog by Linda MacAulay
Watercolour - Increasing the amount of time you have to work wet on wet.
Recently I have been in Uluru working in the Mulgara Gallery as an Artist in Residence. I travelled with fellow artist Stephanie Mew and we painted on location every day. I really enjoyed the journey and the process of painting plein air. On the trip I struggled to paint in gale force winds, rain and the extreme heat. I have battled flies and it seems if you sit anywhere in the desert for too long the ants will try and take you away.
Watercolour is easy in cold damp Melbourne but painting wet on wet in a hot dry climate is a challenge. In the heat the plien air watercolour dried extremely fast so I have decided to write this months’ blog on methods you can use to extend the amount of time you have to paint wet on wet in watercolour.
The painting "Warrandyte Gums" pictured on the left is actually acrylic on canvas. With the right mediums you can use acrylics like watercolour. Check the bottom of this blog for information on my upcoming acrylic painting workshop that explores this process.
Tips for increasing the amount of time you have to work wet on wet
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Work out what you are doing first. Analyse your painting to determine how you are going to execute it before you start.
Have all the paints and materials you need ready. Put the paints out on the palette and have all the necessary materials on hand. Mix any colours you need before you begin to paint.
Paint Small. I would recommend painting no larger than A4 size. On site I only paint smaller works as this is easier than a large work. You can take these back to the studio to paint a larger work if you want to. I find my small plein air watercolours are always the first to sell at an exhibition.
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Use a large brush with a fine tip. You will be able to cover an area quickly and also paint fine detail without having to change brushes. This may feel especially clumsy in the beginning but worth persevering with as it enables you to paint quicker.
Use a heavier weight paper. The thicker the paper, the more water it absorbs, resulting in a longer drying time. I often use a Daler Rowney watercolour board when I need a long time to paint wet on wet. This is a good quality watercolour paper bonded to thick card. It never buckles and stays at that perfect stage to paint wet on wet for a long time. This can currently be purchased from Arts on Burgundy in Heidelberg. www.artsonburgundy.com.au/
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Paint quickly and decisively. As the paper dries rapidly you have a very limited time to paint so it is better to paint a few pictures quickly then ruin one by labouring over it. This takes courage and practice but the more you do the better you will get.
Relax and think positively. When you have finished the painting look at what you did right and then look at what you could improve and try again. Approach every painting as a learning experience.
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Here are some other methods you may consider using if your paper dries to fast.
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Saturate your paper. Your paper will then take longer to dry to the satin sheen finish which you need to commence painting, but it is worth the wait as the paper will remain at this stage longer. I find most beginners just don’t get the paper wet enough to start with.
Prime the area you wish to paint “wet on wet”. This means thoroughly wetting the area you wish to paint “wet on wet” first, allowing this water to soak in until virtually dry and then rewetting it again and waiting for it to reach the satin sheen surface before you commence painting. This takes about 10 minutes but is really worth doing as it dramatically increases the time the paper takes to dry.
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Wet the paper front and back. If you are painting the entire painting “wet on wet” you can wet both the front and back of the watercolour paper and then place it on a wet, hard surface, like a board. Allow 5 minutes for the water to soak in and then remove any excess water on the surface of the paper with a damp brush or damp towel until you reach that satin sheen surface. You are now ready to start painting. The surface tension created between the wet paper and the wet board will hold the paper flat so there is no need to stretch it first. When used with 680gsm paper I have been able to paint “wet on wet” in the studio for up to 1 hour. Imagine the detail and intricate work you can do in 1 hour.
Vary the amount of water you add to your paint. As you are painting “wet on wet”, your watercolour paper will gradually dry. If you start painting just as your paper is losing that high gloss look, add a very small amount of water to your paint. Use practically straight out of the tube with only enough water added to allow you to brush it on smoothly. As your watercolour paper gradually dries, progressively add a little more water to your paint. This way as the paper dries, the wash still spreads consistently. This takes experience. The most common mistake in this practice is to fail to dry your brush after you have washed it. This often means that you unintentionally add the water left in your brush to the paint mix, progressively diluting it each time. People using sable brushes find this to be more of a problem. Remember to dry your brush off each time you wash it so you can control the amount of water you are adding to the wash.
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Too late…it’s dry. This technique should only be used as a last resort. If your paper is nearly dry and you can no longer work “wet on wet” but have still not completed painting “wet on wet”, stop immediately. Dry the unfinished area off with a hairdryer and then rewet it carefully. Try not to disturb the work you already have done. You will not be able to rewet your painting if you are painting over sedimentary pigments. Be careful not to brush too hard over the painting you have already completed as you will disturb the pigments underneath and muddy the colours. I often rewet the paper with a spray bottle and then let the water soak in a bit before I continue my painting.
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Mastering “wet on wet” is something that takes great familiarity with all your materials. It takes practice, persistence and courage. It is unrealistic to expect to get it right first time….or even the second time. Professional artists have the experience to know that you can’t always predict the outcome no matter how proficient you are with the medium. What they will tell you is that some of the best watercolour paintings they have done were actually a “mistake”. Instead of being critical, look at it as an exciting learning adventure.
“We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success;
We often discover what will do by finding out what will not do;
and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery” 1
Samuel Smiles
From “Begin it Now” by Susan Hayward
Artists Open Studios
The artists of Nillumbik shire have their studios open on the last two weekends of November. This is a great opportunity to meet a variety of artists in their workspace, chat to them or even see them at work. My studio will be open both weekends from 11am to 5pm daily. Please visit the website for further information. www.artistsopenstudios.com.au
Exhibitions
I currently have work at exhibition at
Dragonfly Gallery www.dragonflygalleryhurstbridge.com/
Montsalvat www.montsalvat.com.au/News/EXHIBITIONNillumbikArtistsGroup.aspx
Stonehouse Gallerywww.stonehousegallery.com/
Eltham Library Community Gallery www.yprl.vic.gov.au/libraries/eltham.html
Workshops and classes
Enrolments are currently being taken for term 1, 2011 watercolour classes at Arts on Burgundy. www.artsonburgundy.com.au/contact.html I will also be running a one day Beginners Watercolour workshop and a one day Introduction to Acrylic Painting workshop at Arts on Burgundy during January 2011. Further information is available on the workshops section of the website
In September of 2011 I will be running a 5 day Watercolour Workshop at Grafton. Further details to be announced soon. www.artsfestgrafton.com/
Newletter emails
If you enjoyed this blog please take the time to sign up to my email newsletter and I will email you out this blog and some other info about classes and what I am up to from time to time.
Happy painting for November and December from Linda.