Watercolor painting is a great skill to have under your belt. It can also be a tedious medium to work with since it dries fast. There are many creative possibilities that can be produced from watercolor. But did you know that by incorporating household supplies into your painting, you can create interesting textures and colors?
When I first started exploring different mediums in high school, my art teacher introduced different watercolor techniques to use in pieces that I create. To this day, I still use these techniques to add some character to my art depending on the end result I am going for.
Today we are going to be going over my top five favorite watercolor techniques. For all of these techniques you will need watercolor paint and paintbrushes of your choice. Some of these techniques may require another supply, but will be listed in the instructions.
Saran Wrap
All you need for this technique is saran wrap, your paintbruses, and
watercolor. The outcome of this technique reveals geometric shapes
that are always different. This is probably one of my favorite
watercolor techniques just beause you never know the outcome. The
instructions are simple.
1. Paint with Watercolors
Use whatever colors you want, the more wet watercolor paint
there is, the more likely the outcome will be better.
2. Add Saran Wrap
Scrunch up some saran wrap and apply it to the wet watercolor
right away.
3. Let the Watercolor Dry
Once the watercolor is completely dry, it is time to remove the
saran wrap.
The image on the left is when the painting is wet and right after you apply the saran wrap. And the image on the right is the finished technique after the saran wrap has been removed.
Salt
The salt technique is very easy to do and the outcome is always a
surprise. You are never in control when doing this technique, but there
are some things you can do to try and get the best results. The only
additional supply you need for this technique is some table salt.
1. Paint with Watercolors
Just like the saran wrap technique, you can use whatever colors you
want. You dont want the page to be soaked with wet paint, but you
also dont want it to be dry.
2. Sprinkle Salt
Take the table salt and sprinkle the salt in desired areas.
3. Allow Paint to Dry
This step is the most important step for this technique. Allow the
paper and paint to completely dry. If you dont follow this step then it is
likely that it will not turn out.
4. Remove Salt
Lightly brush away the salt. But be careful, because it is easy to sand
or scratch away the surface of the paper.
The picture on the left shows what your painting will look like when its wet and after you apply the salt. And the image on the right shows your finished technique and what it looks like after the salt has been removed.
Rice
You may be wondering what in the world rice would look like in a
watercolor painting. It does sound weird, but the final look is pretty cool. The
rice soaks up the water just like the salt does but looks different than the
salt.
1. Paint with Watercolors
Just like the rest of the techniques, paint with whatever colors you like.
But make sure that you have a decent amount of water for the rice to
soak up. I personally like to use darker colors because the effect will
show up more.
2. Sprinkle Rice
Once you're done painting and you think you have enough water,
sprinkle some rice over the paint.
3. Wait to Dry
This step is the most important, you want to make sure to let all of the
paint dry completely.
4. Remove Rice
Once the paint is completely dry, you can gently rub the rice off and
admire the new technique you have just mastered!
The image on the left is what it looks like when you first put the rice on. I did not put enough water or paint on my paper, so the rice did not soak up as much water as I had hoped. But this is a good example of what it will look like when there is not enough water or color.
Gradients
Using a gradient watercolor technique is a great way to add some dimension into a painting. It takes some trial and error to master this technique because you have to work fast since watercolor dries fast. There are three different ways to create gradients.
Single Color - This is the easiest way to use gradients. You use a single color and keep adding water to dilute it. A way to think of the end result is an ombre effect.
Monochromatic - This method involves using different shades of the same hue.
Analogous - The last method is to use colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. Instead of using different shades of a hue, you will be utilizing different colors.
I did not do all of the gradient techniques, but this is a good example of the analogous gradient wash described above.
Rubbing Alcohol
This technique is another one of my top favorites because it creates a bubbly
effect on your paper and it always turns out different. The rubbing alcohol
causes the paint to repel and pushes it away while leaving a lighter color
exposed.
1. Paint with Watercolor
Use whatever colors you like and make sure you have highly concentrate wet
paint on your paper.
2. Drop Rubbing Alcohol
Using either a Q-Tip, pipette, or a clean brush touch the rubbing alcohol to
the paint surface.
3. Wait to Dry
Wait for the paint to dry and admire the bubbly painting technique!
This is what the final look of this technique looks like.
Here is a piece that I did using some of the watercolor techniques that I taught. I did not use all the techniques taught, but I did use my favorite ones in this piece. The techniques I chose to use added the underwater effects that I was going for when I created this piece.
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