Color Techniques for Beginners

Author: Xu Minghui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: Watercolor painting is characterized by bright, vibrant, smooth, and rich colors, with strong coverage, easy to apply and correct, and high plasticity. Watercolor painting can draw inspiration from watercolor's moist application for thin layers or adopt the dry, thick application of oil painting, as it falls between watercolor and oil painting. It possesses the lightness and fluidity of watercolor while also offering the delicacy and richness of oil painting. As an independent painting genre, watercolor painting has its own tools and materials, as well as its own techniques. The materials for watercolor painting are simple and easy to use, with adjustable canvas sizes for convenient operation. It can be used for large-scale coatings as well as detailed and meticulous portrayals, with strong flexibility. Water and white powder (white pigment) are essential elements in watercolor painting. Water is used to dilute and mix pigments, and mastering the right amount of water directly affects the final effect. Excessive water weakens the purity of the color, while dryness reduces the vibrancy. Therefore, when laying the initial large colors, more water can be used intentionally to blend the, gradually reducing its use as the painting progresses until it is barely used. This creates a spatial effect of dryness and wetness, lightness and heaviness, and solidity and void. White powder is used to increase brightness and reduce color purity, but it must be used in coordination with other colors. Otherwise, the may appear pale and lifeless. White powder should not be used excessively or everywhere. Darker shadows and objects should avoid it, while areas with high purity should use it sparingly to prevent damaging the purity. If the reflected light in darker areas requires brightness, it can be adjusted by using pigments with higher white content, such as ochre yellow, pale green, cerulean blue, orange yellow, lavender, and earth red. This not only enriches the color variations but also avoids a powdery, dull, or muddled appearance.
Due to the powdery nature of watercolor pigments, the colors may change when dry or wet. Generally, colors tend to be slightly lighter and less vibrant after drying. Applying colors over thick underpainting can make even light and pure colors appear darker and grayer after drying. This indicates that the more powdery a color is, the greater the color variation. Additionally, excessive corrections can make the colors look dirty or gray. Thickly applied layers are prone to cracking and peeling, making them less durable for long-term preservation. Understanding and mastering the properties and principles of watercolor painting, as well as the techniques and methods of application, are very helpful in creating excellent watercolor works.