use watercolor/ink

This page is a work in progress.

Check the "Building My Skills" section for a tutorial on painting a portrait in watercolor.

Below are some artists who use watercolor and ink in their work.

Marlene Dumas

Winslow Homer

Storm Tharp

Emilie Clark

Kai Altoff

Ralph Goings

Richard Wright

Robert Lostutter

Steve Mumford

Emma Larsson

Andrew Wyeth

John Singer Sargent

Below are some tips/habits to keep in mind when using watercolor:

-Experiment with different brushes and kinds of markmaking. Try different approaches to your paint application, varying the saturation of the paint, the amount of water you use, etc.

-Keep a sponge and/or paper towel nearby for correction--too wet, too dark, wrong color etc.--and to quickly clean your brush.

-I recommend you start with a very light pencil sketch or drawing but also experiment without it.

-Keep a piece of scrap paper nearby to test colors/layers.

-Blot (don't scrub) your paper for areas that are too wet, too dark, wrong color etc.

-Work the whole surface, rather that jumping ahead in one area, as you might in other media.

-Work from general to specific.

-Avoid use of white and black. (There may be exceptions).

-Mix your own neutrals.

-Avoid outlining with your paint.

-Work from work light to dark, beginning with your lightest values. Work in transparent layers.

-Protect your lights/the white of your paper, since you can’t get them back once you’ve painted them out.

-Do not neglect the background; that should also be considered/worked in the early stages.

-Experiment working wet on wet, using drybrush etc. It’s not a problem to pause and allow an area to dry if you don’t want a bleed/soft edge (you can also hasten the drying time with a hair dryer);

-Constantly reassess your colors of accuracy and edit as needed.

-Watercolor blocks are great for plein air painting and to limit buckling of the paper, but they are not cheap.

-Two masters of watercolor to look at are Andrew Wyeth and John Singer Sargent.