WATERCOLOR SPECIAL EFFECTS: ALCOHOL AND WATERCOLOR — Pam Ash Designs (2024)

FAQs

What are 3 common mistakes that people make when using watercolor? ›

Because watercolour pigment is transparent when thinned with water, every preceding layer remains visible. Beginners might struggle with unintentionally darkening the tonal values of the painted areas as they add successive layers. Too many layers will take away the transparency and luminosity is lost.

Here's where the magic of this watercolor technique begins. With the Q-tip saturated with alcohol, I proceeded to tap and drip alcohol directly into the washes. As the alcohol hit the wash it repels the paint, pushing it away while leaving a lighter tint of the wash exposed.

Acrylic paints are more vibrant and opaque than watercolor paints. They're also more versatile, easier for beginners, more durable, have a longer working time, and are more durable.

Watercolour is the hardest medium to master because it can be very difficult to fix mistakes. The transparent nature of watercolour means that mistakes show through the layers. As such, you cannot easily erase or paint over the errors in the same way that you would with opaque mediums such as acrylic or oil.

5 Pro Tips

When working with watercolor paints, you want to begin with the lighter colors and then work towards the darker ones. We do this because in watercolors, the white comes from the paper, not the paints. So due to the transparency of the paints, your light colors wont “pop” when painted over darker colors.

Weaknesses of watercolor paints

Firstly, watercolors can be unpredictable. Their fluid nature often results in the colors bleeding into each other, creating unexpected effects.

There is no damage to the painting by rolling it alone or with a front and back “cover” of newsprint or plastic wrap. Rolling the watercolor painting depends on the paper weight and size, but even full sheet 300-pound papers can be rolled and inserted in larger diameter mailing tubes.

Just tape out a grid on a sheet of watercolor paper and fill each square with a different color. At the right moment, add your salt, let dry, then brush off the salt. I would suggest using just one type of salt for your chart and trying to keep your timing consistent so that the only changing variable is pigment.

How to lift watercolor paint? ›

While the paint is still wet, you can lift off colour by blotting. The most practical tool for this is a clean, slightly damp brush or a paper towel. Use the brush or paper towel to absorb wet paint.

Watercolor paper or any other thick, not smooth paper

NOT recommended for alcohol-based markers! It's a waste of ink. Summing up, there's no such thing as a perfect paper. The more you draw, the better you understand your preferences regarding the paper.

Scumbling is a technique that artists use to build a textured, layered surface that creates depth. It involves applying paint in a rapid figure-eight or circular manner to the colors below. He used his thumb nail to scratch at the surface of the watercolor paper to remove the darker color.

Before you start painting you need to mix some paint. Choose any color you like. Begin by getting your brush nice and wet so that it soaks up plenty of liquid. Then load it with water and press it against you mixing palette to release a puddle of water.

Watercolour paper warping occurs when the fibres in the paper absorb moisture unevenly, causing it to expand and contract in different places. The flat surface becomes warped and it dries stuck in this position. Let's imagine that when you paint on your paper, you're adding water to the top of it.