A forum for painting ideas, time savers, equipment suggestions, etc. from artists to artists.

Create Gifts of Coasters with Watercolors
Tip shared by Conroe Art League members: Sandi Ahart, Shirley Blevins and JK Toler.

These coasters come in two kinds of sets. Both are displayed in wooden stands. The one from Michael’s is heavier glass. .
The one from Bed Bath & Beyond is called “Swing.” The set from Bed, Bath & Beyond has a smaller opening in the front and the glass is lighter so if the beverage sweats, it tends to pick up with the glass; however the insert which holds your art is heaiver.
Either one is nice. Paint or create original art to insert in the openings.

Solarwatercolors. Laurie Svec

Here are the basic instructions to do the solar technique that I read about in August 1999. (by Marge Stevens) For several years I have been experimenting with a new technique for some abstract watercolor "imprints". You do not use a brush at all. On a flat surface outside in the sun you float a piece of watercolor paper (high quality paper - not student grade) in 1/8 inch of water on the cookie sheet. Making sure that the paper is thoroughly wet and soaked through. Use a spray bottle to help with this. Add leaves and berries and flowers and other interesting organic artifacts onto the paper.
Drop some intense colors of washes of watercolor onto the paper. Do not do anything else! The sun, heat, and evaporation do the painting for you within 6-8 hours. Maybe sooner in the hot summer??!! The sun and heat mix the paint pigment gently in the water around and under the vegetation and then the evaporation settles and dries the pigment. What you have left after you peel the plant life off of your paper is what I call a "solar watercolor imprint" I like to think that the aura of the plants and organic matter are being displayed in the final result.

The technique for my abstract watercolors is my own hybrid technique. First I get a pie pan or small baking pan (8"X8")and place this under a heat and light source (one or two gooseneck lamps with 60 watt bulbs in them) about 10 - 12 inches above the pan. I use Yupo paper cut to fit into a cooking pan and I add water just to cover the paper. Next place some elements onto the wet paper such as fibers, glass beads, flattened glass marbles (round or shaped), small leaves and flowers, wooden shapes or plastic shapes, sequins, insect wings, cat whiskers and claw sheddings, thin vegetable slices, feathers, sand granules, and human hairs.
Next comes the paint which is watercolor fadeproof inks, or watercolor washes dropped onto the paper. Sometimes I drop pigment onto the paper before I add the elements.
These paintings are allowed to evaporate over the period of 4-6 hours -it helps to have overhead fans going. Sometimes I add extra items, metallics, glitter, or colors as the paint is evaporating if I feel the need for more intense color or interest. Sometimes I tease the paint with a toothpick to allow it to flow in a different direction, or absorb puddles of color with cotton swabs. In other words, I attend the painting throughout the process. After the painting is thoroughly dry, I remove the elements carefully and take the Yupo paper out of the pan to dry the back of it on a paper towel. REMINDER: watch your pets if they like to play with or eat organic things off of your art work.

Using opaque white in watercolor painting. Dave Maloney
When you find yourself in a spot and have to use opaque white in a painting, or you want to put white highlights as on shiny metal or glassware, always carefully tint the white to match the paper color. Many opaque whites contain brighteners which will make them very noticeable in a painting. Tinting white with yellow ochre alone will match many watercolor papers.
A good color match with the paper can be virtually invisible in a finished painting and yet be fully effective. In fact, even if you can't match the paper exactly a toned white will be less glaringly obvious than pure white.

What is a pounce and what is it good for? Dave Maloney
A pounce, or dry cleaning pad, is a little knitted pad that contains eraser crumbs and other materials. It's used by draftsmen to remove fingerprints and pencil smudges from the paper. (You know what a fingerprint can do to a nice careful wash : )
First twist the pad vigorously over the paper. This will release some crumbs. Then, gently rub the pad over the crumbs around the paper until the paper is clean, then carefully wipe or wash off the dust and crumbs and you're ready to go.
A pounce can be one of your best friends in the studio. It can even lighten pencil construction lines as much as you like, and a pounce leaves no evidence

Sign up for classes. Bridget Vallery
Sign up for as many watermedia classes as you possibly can. Something is always learned from a class, not to mention it is great to network with other artists..

Paper Towels. Bridget Vallery
Viva paper towels are the best!.

Mixing greens. Bridget Vallery
Mix New Gamboge or Alizarin Crimson or Burnt Sienna to tube greens – makes very rich greens.

Preventing water bloom. Bridget Vallery
When absorbing water from your brush, before going back to the area you just painted, squeeze the bristles near the ferrule with a paper towel to absorb access water. This eliminates the water supply in the brush from going on the area just painted - no water bloom.

Protect your brush when using masking fluid. Bridget Vallery
When using masking fluid, buy inexpensive brushes. Before starting a masking project, mix a solution of soap/dishwashing liquid (couple of drops) and water (about 3 tablespoons). Dip the brush in this mixture before dipping in masking fluid. Mask areas; rinse off brush with water. Repeat this process several times during a large masking project.

Film cannisters for salt. Bridget Vallery
Save those little plastic canisters from the rolls of film for your camera. You can store different types of salt in them for when you are plein air painting….table salt, rock salt, kosher salt.

Try using masking tape. Bridget Vallery
Rather than using artist tape, try using masking tape..its cheaper and works just as well, if not better, for seepage under the tape.

Keep track of your of your colors. Choose colors for your
next painting. Jeanne Heise
Make little color swatches of every pigment you have and put them into slide protector sheets, organized by color and labeled with brand and paint name.
Cut a stack of under 2"squaresto fit into the slide protector sheets. Grade the color from strong to transparent on each swatch. It is helpful when choosing colors for new paintings. I like to pick out three or four pigments that Idon't use every day, and try using these few.

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4/14/08