How to control wet into wet watercolor technique? In this video demo/lesson we explore the wet into wet approach. Join me and learn the basics of wet into wet watercolor technique.
How To CONTROL Wet Into Wet WATERCOLOR Technique - Material List
My Palette
- Winsor & Newton Winsor Yellow
- Winsor & Newton Winsor Yellow Deep
- American Journey Halloween Orange
- Daniel Smith Pyrrol Scarlet
- Winsor & Newton Permanent Rose
- Winsor & Newton Permanent Alizarin Crimson
- American Journey Joe’s Green
- American Journey Cerulean Blue
- American Journey Cobalt Blue
- Winsor & Newton Winsor Blue Red Shade
- Holbein Permanent Violet
Brushes Used During This Painting
- Winsor & Newton One Stroke Sable ½”
- Winsor & Newton Series 995 Synthetic 1″
- ProArte Renaissance Sable 1″
- Robert Simmons White Sable 1½”
- Robert Simmons Skyflow 2″
- Rosemary & Co. Pure Sable Ser. 90 Liners
Painted On Paper
- Saunders Waterford 140lb Cold Press, 15″ x 22″
How To CONTROL Wet Into Wet WATERCOLOR Technique - Reference Images
How To CONTROL Wet Into Wet WATERCOLOR Technique - The Lesson
Hello everyone and welcome back to my studio!
This week’s painting takes us to province of Teramo, located on the east coast of Italy along the Adriatic Sea. The area has a lot of character. It has it all. It is a fantastic mix of dilapidated farms, hillsides covered in olive groves, abandoned industrial areas, winding roads, meadows and fields, ancient fortresses and as ancient country houses that are somehow still standing.
As I was driving through the country I stumbled upon many instances of this unassuming beauty. I took a picture or stopped and enjoyed the view and sketched out ideas that came to me in my sketchbook. One of them serves as the reference for our painting. I decided to start this painting on wet paper, which is what we call wet-into-wet watercolor.
Watercolor is a water-based medium. The “solvent” we use to dilute paint is pure water. As such, watercolor has two unique properties, one of which is transparency, the other is diffusion of color. In this lesson we are going to explore the latter.
The watercolor painter always works with these two approaches. There are many variations on these techniques but at their core they all utilize either the application of a wash on dry paper or wet paper.
Very often these techniques are used in conjunction in a single painting. The most common general approach is to start with a wet into wet wash which produces a soft base, or underpainting, upon which a wet-on-dry layer is superimposed.
Regardless of any particular approach, wet into wet is used to achieve a specific effect. For example, painting details into still wet wash representing a shaded part of a building suggests the lack of clear detail when looking into shade on a sunny day. This kind of wet into wet application is very intentional and is used most often in a representational work.
In a more stylistic approach, wet into wet can be used deliberately as a means of media exploration. Even then, using wet in wet is suggestive of certain real-world qualities, such as weather effects, through association.
As a technique, painting wet into wet is all about regulating the amount of water in your paper and your brush. Painting wet into wet is all about balancing these two water “reservoirs.” The more water you have in your paper, the less water in your brush is necessary to retain control. Thicker wash consistency means less water to paint ratio.
These are the basics of wet into wet painting. I hope you found this discussion useful. If you enjoyed the video/lesson please like, comment and subscribe and I’ll see you in the next one.
