Watercolours come in two different types. The ones with the best pigments are the artists and then there are the students. The artists paints are soaked with very strong colour. Students do not have such good content.
If you have a limited budget, the student variety are cheaper as they are synthetics and are, in fact, mixed with pigments, so they will not last you as long. Artists however are very easy to use, serviceable and the pigments have been well drenched in colour.
When you go to your local art shop you will also be posed with the question "do you want tubes or pans?" The difference being that the paint in the tubes appears quite soft, so that makes it ideal for doing large washes. If you are going to choose this type, do close the lid on them when you have finished for the day. Similarly put the caps on your tubes. You will not like dry paint.
Pans too are good, as they are readily usable direct from the box, making them pretty manageable. So for a few words about mixing to paint with watercolours. Essential requirements are two jars of clean water, small coffee or jam jars will suffice, as you need one for cleaning your brushes and the other for mixing your paint.
Sort yourself out with, say your pans. Find an old plate, or saucers will do, to do your mixing on. You usually find that you need a few of these. Put some water on the brush and drop it on the plate, tapping it on the edge first to remove some of the water.
Repeat the process a few times, then dip the brush in the water, tap it on the side of your vessel so that it is not to watery, then move your brush over and collect the paint.
Have some scrap paper to hand so you can experiment with the mixing to achieve the shades you require. Now with your brush and the dish, mix it with the water. If you repeat this motion different shades will be obtained. This can make the colour lighter or darker accordingly.
Your brushes play an important part in your work, so you need to care for them and they can prove costly. The golden rule is always clean your brushes thoroughly after using them in clean water.
To bring them back to their original shape, give them a shake by flicking your wrist. I often just use my fingers. As for storage, they are best kept with the hair end up in some sort of pot. If you carry them with you, then roll them in material or paper and tie it with string or elastic band. If they are going in a box get them really dry first. Never have your brushes standing in water on the brush heads.
We all need to look after our choice of tools as well as we possibly can. This way they will certainly last for time to come. That is why it is better to buy the best you can possibly afford at the time and this should improve your results!
If you have a limited budget, the student variety are cheaper as they are synthetics and are, in fact, mixed with pigments, so they will not last you as long. Artists however are very easy to use, serviceable and the pigments have been well drenched in colour.
When you go to your local art shop you will also be posed with the question "do you want tubes or pans?" The difference being that the paint in the tubes appears quite soft, so that makes it ideal for doing large washes. If you are going to choose this type, do close the lid on them when you have finished for the day. Similarly put the caps on your tubes. You will not like dry paint.
Pans too are good, as they are readily usable direct from the box, making them pretty manageable. So for a few words about mixing to paint with watercolours. Essential requirements are two jars of clean water, small coffee or jam jars will suffice, as you need one for cleaning your brushes and the other for mixing your paint.
Sort yourself out with, say your pans. Find an old plate, or saucers will do, to do your mixing on. You usually find that you need a few of these. Put some water on the brush and drop it on the plate, tapping it on the edge first to remove some of the water.
Repeat the process a few times, then dip the brush in the water, tap it on the side of your vessel so that it is not to watery, then move your brush over and collect the paint.
Have some scrap paper to hand so you can experiment with the mixing to achieve the shades you require. Now with your brush and the dish, mix it with the water. If you repeat this motion different shades will be obtained. This can make the colour lighter or darker accordingly.
Your brushes play an important part in your work, so you need to care for them and they can prove costly. The golden rule is always clean your brushes thoroughly after using them in clean water.
To bring them back to their original shape, give them a shake by flicking your wrist. I often just use my fingers. As for storage, they are best kept with the hair end up in some sort of pot. If you carry them with you, then roll them in material or paper and tie it with string or elastic band. If they are going in a box get them really dry first. Never have your brushes standing in water on the brush heads.
We all need to look after our choice of tools as well as we possibly can. This way they will certainly last for time to come. That is why it is better to buy the best you can possibly afford at the time and this should improve your results!
About the Author:
If you enjoyed this guide by Anna Meenaghan then you can find a great lot more at her internet based interactive art gallery website. Here you can discover anything related to art ranging from realism to abstract paintings, as well as video interviews with artists etc.
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