Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

A Clean Brush is a Happy Brush

Even watercolor painting brushes need a good cleaning every now and then.

I like to use The Master's Brush Cleaner and Preserver.  They're slogan is "Keeps Brushes Like New."

It's a nice mild soap for cleaning your brushes.

If you need a helpful how to or step by step, check out my old Tuesday's Tip post from 2009:

http://ritasquier.blogspot.com/2009/07/tuesdays-tips-and-techniques-for_21.htmls

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Crossing Planes

Adding an object that crosses from one plane over top of another will add depth to your painting.  

The tall grasses crossover the pond, this helps to add depth.
The tree on the left, crosses over the middle ground and background adding even more depth and interest to the painting.

This is a simple trick to add depth to your watercolor painting.

Plus the tree relates to last week's tip, its branches extend beyond the top and side of the painting.

Colorful Color

The Little House 

by Artist Rita Squier 

Original Watercolor Painting

Size: 11x15"

Saunders Waterford 140 lb. Watercolor Paper

MaimeriBlu Watercolor Paint 

Last week's class project.  And what a fun and colorful project it was! 

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Edge Stopping

Whatever object you're painting ... don't stop just before you get to the edge of the painting.

Lines, objects, tree limbs can be painted right off the edge of the painting.

The sad tree on the right has been painted with limbs that stop well before getting to the edge of the painting.

The tree on the left has limbs that extend off the top and side of the paper.  This is a happy tree, a more interesting tree.

This technique can be applied to all sorts of objects.  It's okay to paint beyond the edge.

Fall for Color

Autumn Color
by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Painting
Size: 11x15

Painted on Saunders Waterford 140 lb., cold pressed, archival, 100% cotton rag, acid free watercolor paper with MaimeriBlu artist quality watercolor paint.

My Latest Class

Pink Flamingo No. 1
by Artist Rita A. Squier

Original Watercolor Painting
Size: 11x15"

This was my class project for this past Wednesday's watercolor class. It was fun exercise in loosening up while painting.  Which isn't always so easy for some.

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Today's Tip:
Paint your lightest light next to your darkest dark.

While painting this quick little watercolor study, this little tip kept running through my mind, so I thought I would share it with you today.

If your lightest light is next to your darkest dark, it will create a more dramatic effect on your center of interest.

With watercolor painting, the white of the paper is your white.  The dark rocks make the rushing white water pop in this little study.

Saturday's Painting

October Birthday
by Artist Rita Squier

Original Watercolor Painting
Size: 7" x 10"
On 300 lb. Winsor Newton Watercolor Paper

Painted this afternoon.  I have not painted on 300 lb. paper in awhile, I do enjoy it.  I actually love it!  The ability to paint wet into wet for a longer period of time suits my style perfectly.

Those with October birthdays get to enjoy the splendor and beauty of Autumn's colorful display.

The Etsy Front Page

In the wee hours of the early morning, my Squier Etsy Shop made it to the front page of the Etsy.com website and by early afternoon our featured item has sold.  Yay!

In his spare time, my husband Michael makes business card holders and pen holders out of black walnut with vintage tools.  We add them to the Desk Accessories section of our Squier Etsy Shop.

Thank you Etsy!

Tuesday's Tips and Techniques for Watercolor Painting

Lost and Found Edges 

To create drama in your watercolors you can add lost and found edges.  Also known as hard and soft edges.

The first blue shape consists of all hard edges or found edges.

The center green shape is a mix of found edges and lost edges.

The purple shape on the right was painted and all the edges were soften and have completely lost the hard edge.

To create a lost edge, I paint a swash a color, then use a clean brush, barely damped with clean water and work from the outside dry paper area, scrubbing toward the swash of color.  Lightly scrubbing the hard edge will help soften it up, you will loose the hard look and it will soften and fade away.

For some people it takes a bit of practice.  Use a scrap of watercolor paper or practice on a painting that did not turn out so well, practice right on the front or flip it over and use the back of the paper.  Add some lost and found edge shapes.  Who knows, maybe that painting you didn't think was so great will look fantastic with a few added shapes of lost and found edges.