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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Making Your Own Watercolor Paints

I think everyone has had the opportunity to paint with watercolors. Perhaps that is because painting with watercolors has become a regular activity in schools. Watercolors may be difficult to master is subtleties, but unlike oils or acrylics, they are essentially child-friendly. They are so easy-to-use and their water base is non-toxic. This is why most preschools and kindergartens usually use them in parts of their curriculum.

Watercolors are an excellent medium for any budding artist to start in. But before you start painting, how about making your own watercolor paints?

The idea of making paints may sound daunting, but remember most artists before the twentieth century mixed their own paints. With easy access to the ready-made art marketplace, the art of mixing paints is something of a “lost art.”

But creating your own watercolor paints is actually pretty easy. Here is an example making the children’s version – mixing a batch of watercolors for professional use is a more involved process…

First, you’ll have to get together some basic ingredients. You’ll need the following:

• 3 tbsp baking soda
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp light corn syrup
• food coloring

Note that the measurements can be doubled or tripled depending on how many people will be using the watercolor. This should be enough for a small group of four, but for larger groups add a bit more.

By the way, the corn syrup is the binder, the substance that will keep your pigments together, for your watercolor so its pretty important. YBefore there were bottles of corn syrup on the grocery shelf, artists made their own glucose syrup. “Glucose syrup” is just a fancy name for a sugar solution. To make it, just boil two cups of sugar in a cup of water. Mix it well until you have a clear solution. Now that you have your binder, whether a homemade sugar solution or corn syrup, it’s time to start.

First of all, mix the vinegar and baking soda together in a small bowl. It will start to foam, but that’s a natural reaction, so you just keep mixing. When the foaming has died down, it’s time to add the cornstarch and your syrup, to the mix. Keep on mixing until you get a smooth consistency to the mix. This will be your clear base.

Now that you’re got your base, it’s time to create your color sets. Get several bottle caps or small containers of similar size and pour in the base. After you’ve used up all the clear base, you just add a different food coloring to each small container. Be generous with your coloring amounts – the color needs to spread well, so this means you also have to stir a bit. When you’re done, there’s only one step left – put the caps in a cool dry place so that they can dry.

By the next day, you’ll have a dry set of watercolor paints ready for use!

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