Monday, May 28, 2012

old trick, new to me: drawing with clear water




We were in the Toronto area on a business trip the other week, had a half day free, and thus: The Soldier's Tower at the University of Toronto Queens Park campus. 

Watercolor plien air painting, Hart House, University of Toronto

The watercolor continues to reveal new properties to me. I had a small breakthrough on this one, finally seeing the advantages of wetting the paper with clear water. In this case, the trick is mostly visible in the sky and the foreground.

I cut around the silhouette of the tower with clear water, and floated in areas of color to make the sky and the pavement. It really does allow the first wash to bloom organically, without leaving the sharp edges of your wet area. Glad I finally experimented with that. It's a useful addition to the arsenal.




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