Watercolors History

Many of us became conscious about the world of watercolors when we enter preschool. As a young student, you may have been asked to bring from home various art materials among them being crayons, thick pencils, colorful erasers and watercolors. Truly, our childhood days were filled with vivid colors and pictures. And you know what? The watercolor itself has a colorful history to share, too.

Watercolors is used both as a medium and a method: The artist did a watercolor of a rose using watercolors…

The manipulation of watercolor in history dates back to, at least, the paleolithic era – watercolor-based drawings have been found in the caves of early humans in Europe. These drawings are 32,000+ years old and included not only “decorations,” but portraits of an ongoing story of the people who thrived back then.

It is through drawings done in watercolor, that historians were able to figure out livelihood and concepts of people in the past. Watercolors were used as manuscript illuminations for the Egyptians, for example.

In the Renaissance, during the years bridging the 15th and 16th century, Albrecht Durer crafted paintings using the medium to produce botanical and wildlife landscapes. Durer was considered as one of the earliest proponents of watercolor as a medium, in the modern era. Eventually, his work led to the development of a school of watercolor painting in Germany which was spearheaded by Hans Bol, a contemporary of Durer.

Watercolor techniques were widely taught during the Baroque period and were commonly used by easel painters to make sketches and cartoons. The height of watercolor utilization, however, was through the production of wildlife and botanical paintings in the 19th century. The accuracy and the ability of the medium to condense and interpret wildlife and botanical scenes are still an important part of the painter’s toolbox for those illustrating scientific and museum publications.

It was not only in continental Europe, that watercolors dominated the painting world. By the 18th century, this kind of painting became very popular among the aristocrats and the elites of England. It was an art for the upper class of society.

Watercolor was noted as a good educational tool, especially for women, in the era, too. And then the workers realized that watercoloring were for them as well. People such as mapmakers, surveyors, architects and engineers used watercolors to draw terrains and other geological data and public projects. The subsequent demand for skillful watercolorists led to a hunt for “topographical painters” and finally artists had a “real job.”

Adding to that, watercolor based drawings were included in publications and manuscripts causing further growth of the medium. It was a great way to illustrate works of both fiction and non-fiction.

Through a combination of natural pigments, a binder such as arabic gum, additives and a solvent, watercolors have illustrated the history of humanity. Though it may seem a simple medium, it has evolved into a method of art that, in itself, launched changes in history. Water and colors have painted the world of the past, of today and will do so far into the future.

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A Little Watercolors History related articles from the blogosphere…

“The Artist's Eye: Vernon P. Johnson's Watercolors of 1950s Small …

In August, Johnson published a book, which (as one whose own book is a mixture of family history, and cultural history) looks to me to be very interesting. The book, The Artist’s Eye, pays tribute to the 1950s artwork of her father, …

Publish Date: 09/27/2010 15:07

http://andrewleefielding.blogspot.com/2010/09/artists-eye-vernon-p-johnsons.html

PICKED: Michele Banks' Biological Watercolors | Brain Pickings

Now, we’re utterly smitten by Artologica — a series of original watercolor paintings by artist Michele Banks exploring the beauty of natural phenomena, from cell division to tachycardia to bacteria. Heart Attack | Original watercolor …

Publish Date: 09/29/2010 8:00

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2010/09/29/michele-banks-artologica-watercolors/

History of Botanical Illustration and Flower Art

Floral art is strongly connected to illustration art, science, and nature. Pencil, pen and ink, and watercolors are used in botanical illustration. … History of Botanical Illustration and Flower Art …

Publish Date: 05/11/2010 10:02

http://www.suite101.com/content/history-of-botanical-illustration-and-flower-art-a236083

Traditional Chinese Painting – Chinese Flower Bird Painting – Watercolor. Yang O-shi inspired.

Traditional Chinese Painting – Chinese Flower Bird Painting – Watercolor.Chinese Bird Flower Painting. Flower Bird Landscapes. This evening I thought a severe Tea-Bird would pass the time. The paper is a single weight Chinese paper bought for me by M…

Watercolor – A Popular Medium Of Painting

Watercolors have been used by artists all over the world for centuries. This medium is a great way to express the emotions as well as capture moments of beauty.

Watercolor, as its name implies, is a kind of paint that is composed of a water-soluble pigment. These paints have a great range in value, from light colors to dark, with an amazing ability for subtle shading. Historians believe the use of watercolor as a medium started during the paleolithic Europe, but the history of this art medium is most easily tracked from the beginning of the Renaissance.

The most important traditions in watercolor paintings are considered to be botanical and wildlife illustrations. Watercolor painting spread during the 18th century because of some factors, as explorers and scientists began cataloging plant and animal species around the world. And soon, people who belonged in the elite and aristocratic families, valued skill at watercolor painting as one of the incidental adornments of a good education.

Another use of watercolor, as a popular medium, came about as it was found to be an effective way to depict properties, terrain, fortifications and to illustrate public works for surveyors, mapmakers, military officers and engineers. It was just easier for people “out in the field” to carry sheets of paper and dried paints, ready for a little added water to illustrate what was before them. As the popularity and uses of watercolors flourished, heavier papers and more specialized brushes were invented.

There are four basic ingredients in watercolor paints. Pigment is the most important. It gives color to the paint. Natural minerals were the earliest known pigments. Arabic gum, on the other hand, is the one responsible for holding the pigment in suspension and fixing it to the painting surface. To change the viscosity, hiding, durability or color of the pigment, additives must be added. Lastly, a solvent, water, is needed to thin or dilute the paint for application.

In the past, using watercolors required a lot more labor as they were available in small blocks that needed to be wetted and rubbed out in water. Today, the modern commercial watercolor paints are available in two forms. The first type is sold in collapsible metal tubes in standard sizes. The other one is called pan paints that are available in two sizes.

These commercial watercolor paints are made in two grades. Some paints are formulated with fewer fillers. They are called “artist quality” paints. Having fewer kaolin or chalk makes the watercolors have richer colors and lead to more vibrant mixes.

On the other hand, some paints are formulated with less pigment. These paints are called “student grade” paints.

Watercolor painting is done in several techniques. Washes and glazes are two basic techniques. To disguise or efface individual brush strokes in the painting, a diluted paint is applied to produce a unified area of color. This is a wash. To apply one paint color at the top of a previous paint layer is called a glaze.

Another technique is wet and wet. This technique is considered to be one of the most distinctive features of watercolor painting. The application of paint or water to an area of the painting which has already had with either paint or water applied is how this technique is done. For precision and control, a drybrush is the best technique to use. Building up or mixing the paint colors with short precise touches that blend together to avoid the appearance of pointilism is the objective of the technique.

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Watercolor Medium related articles from the blogosphere…

40 Extremely Mesmerizing Examples Of Traditional & Digital …

Everyone has used watercolor in some part of his life and would agree that watercolors is the best medium to showcase the inner talent more easily. Watercolor.

Publish Date: 09/29/2010 13:46

http://www.neurosoftware.ro/programming-blog/facebook-web-design/web-resources/40-extremely-mesmerizing-examples-of-traditional-digital-watercolor-painting/

Diana M. Davis Watercolor: Iridescent Medium on Hummer

I use Winsor Newton Iridescent Watercolor Medium very lightly after I finish painting the bird , using a small amount with clear water I glaze the bird, also I used two iridescent powders, one of the powders varies as you look at it …

Publish Date: 08/13/2010 17:06

http://dianamdaviswatercolor.blogspot.com/2010/08/iridescent-medium-on-hummer.html

Types of Mixed Media Art

Often artists use pen and ink to bring out details of tiled roofs, tree bark or cobbled streets that are first painted with transparent watercolors. When working with these two mediums it’s important to first determine which medium will …

Publish Date: 04/30/2010 4:39

http://www.suite101.com/content/types-of-mixed-media-art-a231860

Watercolor Essentials with Birgit OConnor

From ArtistsNetwork.TV: Start by letting go of the fear of watercolor, just add water and color and see what happens. Watercolor moves like no other medium, learn how it reacts and what you can do within this beautiful transparent medium on paper. Th…

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