Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

My Favorite Paint

I Love MaimeriBlu Watercolor Paint!

The colors are brilliant. They are extremely colorfast (they don't fade over time on me.) They are excellent for adding to your palette and letting them set up and dry before using. They liquify easily when swiped across the top of the well with a wet brush. The texture and smoothness of the paint is excellent. It is a superior artist quality watercolor paint made in Italy.

Shown in the photo are the colors I suggest using in my painting classes.

A bonus tip for today ... just paint!

Lots of Dew Drops

Sweet Peridot Dew Drop - August 26, 2010

Honey Dew Drop - August 25, 2010

Chocolate Raspberry Drop - August 24, 2010

Emerald Dew Drop - August 23, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Paintings

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

ACEO - ATC

Four more additions to my Painting A Day Challenge and my Dew Drop Series. All of which can be found in my Squier Etsy Shop: http://squier.etsy.com A variety of these dew drops would look awesome framed together as a group!

Painted in the Adirondacks

Day at the Lake - August 20, 2010

Before the Storm - August 21, 2010

Day of the Storm - August 22, 2010

After the Storm - August 23, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Paintings

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

ACEO - ATC

Spent another gorgeous long weekend in the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York. Boy did it rain on Sunday. A lake that is usually calm and peaceful through the night, sounded as though we were on the ocean complete with little white caps.

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Palette Variety

There are a variety of watercolor palettes available what works best for you may be different from what works best for someone else. Here are a few of my favorites.

Zoltan Szabo Watercolor Palette. The palettes on the top of pile shown here has angled wells for the paint and angled wells for the mixing of colors. The angled wells for the mixing of colors helps the paint to pool at the bottom and perhaps stay moist longer. I love the rounded edges of all the wells, it's easy on the brushes. The separate walls in the mixing area will also keep the different mixtures from mingling. It comes with a lid and is great for traveling and plein air painting.

Tom Lynch Watercolor Palette. Has angled wells for the paint with high sides to keep each of the colors separated and it has a very large flat mixing area. This one also comes with a lid. It makes a great class palette. I love the rounded edges of this palette too.

Butcher's Tray Palette. This palette is a simple large rectangular pan with a flat bottom and four walls on the sides. It is an white enamel coated metal pan. I love it for storing colors I have removed from other palettes. I am starting to think it may make a great in studio palette, it has no lid. However, if I were to squirt fresh from the tube color and allow it to dry before using, I would have to make sure I choose colors that are not runny when wet.

Why have just one palette in one style? I think I have a total of 8 palettes.

I have excellent ideas for what I think the perfect palette should be and would love to someday have my own line of palettes and watercolor painting supplies!

My Studio

This is where I sit and paint most of my watercolor paintings. I have a good sized art table with two lamps on adjustable arms. An East facing window and a South facing window. Excellent natural light through out the day makes this a cheery place to paint.

Drip Drip Drop

Midnight Blue Dew Drop - August 17, 2010

Iolite Dew Drop - August 18, 2010

Murky Water Dew Drop - August 19, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Paintings

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

Paintings for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Hope you all are having a wonderful summer!

Three More for My Painting A Day Challenge

Mixed Bouquet - August 14, 2010

Cosmic Blossoms - August 15, 2010

Pea Soup Drops - August 16, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Paintings

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

ACEO Art Cards

ATC Artist Trading Cards

Painting A Day Challenge continues!

I have enjoyed this adventure so much and will continue on this adventure.

These and more can be found for sale in my Squier Etsy Shop: http://squier.etsy.com

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

White Paint Tip

Quick little tip. I prefer to use white gouache for adding a touch of white to my watercolor paintings.

I squeeze the paint fresh from the tube into a little ceramic dish. I prefer to use it fresh from the tube, but often times I end up squeezing out way more than I need.

I have found a little spritz bottle filled with water works wonders for re-wetting the white paint. I spray the paint with water a few minutes before I am ready to use the white. It softens the paint.

Using the spray bottle, insures that I am only wetting it with clean, clear water. I also make sure I use a clean brush. This way I do not contaminate my white with another color.

This works great whether you have white watercolor paint, which I don't recommend at all or white gouache (basically an opaque & matte watercolor).

For more about white paint in watercolor painting, read one of my old Tuesday's Tips:

http://ritasquier.blogspot.com/2010/03/tuesdays-tips-and-techniques-for.html

One More Dew Drop

Oily Dew Drop - August 13, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Painting

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

ACEO = Art Card, Editions & Originals

Little works of art that measure only 2.5 x 3.5 inches and are flat, yet created in any medium.

ATC = Artist Trading Cards

Little works of art that measure only 2.5 x 3.5 inches and are flat, yet created in any medium.

Pretty much the same, the only difference is that ACEOs are bought and sold and ATCs are traded.

All of mine are original watercolor paintings ... I may be interested in trading some of my older ones for finely created originals. Let me know if you're interested.

Enjoy Summer

Late Summer Day - August 12, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Painting

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

ACEO Art Card

This precious little watercolor painting can be found for sale along with many of my other Painting A Day Challenge paintings in my Squier Etsy Shop.

Have a wonderful summer day!

The Colors of Summer

Hot Summer Dew Drops - August 11, 2010

Peridot Dew Drop - August 10, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Paintings

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

ACEO - ATC

It has been a very hot, hot summer. The colors of these dew drops definitely say summertime.

Adirondack Inspired Landscapes

Adirondack Inlet - August 7, 2010

Adirondack Inspiration - August 8, 2010

Adirondack Dream - August 9, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Paintings

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

Can you tell I spent a long weekend in the Adirondacks? A fabulous place to get away from all things modern. No electricity, no computer, no cars. Nature is so inspiring!

Loose and Fresh

Purple Posies - August 6, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Painting

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

ACEO - ATC

August? Where are the days going?

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Painting Sky Around Buildings or Objects

If you are having trouble painting your sky around buildings or objects while creating your painting right side up, try turning your board upside down.

Sometimes while trying to paint the sky around a house or a barn can be difficult to paint because it's further away, the strokes feel odd, it's a drippy wet sky and you're afraid of runs.

Twist your painting board around, so the sky is now closer to you. Tilt your board, so if the sky drips, it drips off the edge of the painting on onto the tape and not onto your buildings.

If you paint on a board, your painting can be twisted and turned as needed to make the brush strokes feel more natural and make it easier to paint.

You don't need to paint an entire painting right side up.

Fun with Numbers

Eight Nine Ten Drop - August 9, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Painting

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

ACEO - Art Card

I love numbers! Love the date!

08-09-10

Drip Drop Dew Drops in August

Cranberry Red Dew Drop - August 4, 2010

Carolina Blue Drops - August 5, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Paintings

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

ACEO - Art Cards

Two fabulous additions to my dew drop series! They look so three dimensional.

Simplicity in Landscape

Lake at Dusk - August 3, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Painting

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

The lake, any lake at dusk is simply beautiful.

Flowers for August

Flowers for Anna - August 1, 2010

Flowers for Mama - August 2, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Painting

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

ACEO - Art Card

Flowers start off my Painting A Day for the month of August.

The End of July

Sunny Lemon Drop - July 31, 2010

Big Bouquet - July 30, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Paintings

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

ACEO - Art Card

Two little watercolors to close out the month of July in my Painting A Day Challenge.

Inspired by the Adirondacks

Adirondack Summer - July 25, 2010

Susie Q - July 26, 2010

Lake Beauty - July 27, 2010

Wildflowers - July 28, 2010

Adirondack Stream - July 29, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Paintings

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

ACEO - Art Cards

Inspired by my vacation time in the Adirondacks. Even on vacation, I continued my Painting A Day!

Learn the origin of ACEOs on Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACEO

Variety in Green

Gin & Tonic Drop - July 24, 2010

Kelly Dew Drops - July 23, 2010

by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Paintings

Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

ACEO - Art Cards, Editions & Originals

Painting A Day Challenge & Dew Drop Series

My ACEOs are all original miniature watercolor paintings on acid free 100% cotton rag archival watercolor paper and painted with artist quality italian watercolor paint.

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Colors Look Paler When Dry

Watercolor paint when wet can look very dark and vibrant and when it dries back the intensity of the color can fade back up to 50%.

If you want a painting with deep, brilliant colors you may need to paint them much darker than you anticipated.

Shown here is a sample of the same swash of colors. Using the same puddle of paint colors, the painting on the left is dry and on the one on the right is wet. Notice how much more vibrant the wet colors appear.

Something to think about when wanting to paint bright, bold color.

Vacation Time of Year

We decided to pack up and head out of town for a bit.

We're now well rested and back in business.

My Painting A Day continued even on vacation, I will begin posting last weeks paintings on Wednesday.

Hope you are enjoying the summer as much as Daisy and Scooter are!