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Earlier quoted context omitted.
Don't ruin your acid-free paper by using tap water, use bottled water for everything, including cleaning your brushes (valid for every water-based technic like acrylic, tempera, guache...).
Isn't most bottled water essentially the same as tap water? What is the problem with tap water that needs to be avoided?
This article contains what I would call unorthodox advice. Here are my own recommendations regarding tools (I won't give advice how to paint, unlike the OP): you will need 5 tools only: - colours: get a Lukas (preferred) or Schmincke set, a box with 12 half-bricks of colours will last for a long time and provide plenty of choice, 50-70 €; - 2-3 brushes: only natural horse hair, one medium, one thinker and if you can…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Don't ruin your acid-free paper by using tap water, use bottled water for everything, including cleaning your brushes (valid for every water-based technic like acrylic, tempera, guache...).
By "bottled water" do you happen to mean "distilled water"?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Isn't most bottled water essentially the same as tap water? What is the problem with tap water that needs to be avoided?
Bottled water typically doesn't have chlorine, through I'm not sure what that does to water-coloring.
Some of these concepts are new to me if someone that has an art background could expand on these, maybe with a graphic example if possible. > zoom WAY in on subjects > force shapes / objects to fall off edge / zoom in > no un-broken edges > don't let yourself think about objects / people / things
> force shapes / objects to fall off edge / zoom in
This is a composition hack. The extreme alternative is to paint an entire thing sitting smack in the middle of the page all by itself. That's probably not going to look as interesting. Mind that the author prefaced these tips with some context: "For expressive observational painting more than rigid illustration"
> don't let yourself think about objects / people / things
Paint what you see, not what you think you see. In drawing this usually manifests as the fact that you'll be more accurate if you focus on say, drawing a precise contour where a nose ought to go than focusing on drawing a nose.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Bottled water typically doesn't have chlorine, through I'm not sure what that does to water-coloring.
or floride -- oh crap, actually, i'm wrong. lots of bottled water has floride. https://fluoridealert.org/content/bottled-water/
from original post person - added some basic somewhat pertinent history - thanks for all the upvotes / stars / unsolicited criticism ;^) > ## History * history is cool but optional * watercolor originates from africa / the middle east * where gum arabic comes from traditionally * it was used to produce ancient artworks / maybe prehistoric * it reached europe in the middle ages * used for spooky illuminated manuscript…
On practical how to: 1. Keep two water reservoirs for cleaning your brushes. One for warm colors and one for cool. (This prevents muddiness in your palette). 2. Knowing when to let the layers on your paper dry before further progress is vital. 3. Carry pigment from the bricks to your palette, don't mix pigments in the bricks. On technique: 1. Experiment adding water to a pigment on your palette (More water == thinner…
1a: Keep your water reservoirs well away from your drinking water. This prevents drinking paint.
:)
On practical how to: 1. Keep two water reservoirs for cleaning your brushes. One for warm colors and one for cool. (This prevents muddiness in your palette). 2. Knowing when to let the layers on your paper dry before further progress is vital. 3. Carry pigment from the bricks to your palette, don't mix pigments in the bricks. On technique: 1. Experiment adding water to a pigment on your palette (More water == thinner…
The paper getting sobby and uneven often quickly brings a painting session to an end :)
And yet in tutorial videos I often see people paint a whole background section in one go (even as much as half the page) without any issues. Do they glue the sheet down to a board?
On practical how to: 1. Keep two water reservoirs for cleaning your brushes. One for warm colors and one for cool. (This prevents muddiness in your palette). 2. Knowing when to let the layers on your paper dry before further progress is vital. 3. Carry pigment from the bricks to your palette, don't mix pigments in the bricks. On technique: 1. Experiment adding water to a pigment on your palette (More water == thinner…
Do you have any advice on how to deal with paper warping? The paper getting sobby and uneven often quickly brings a painting session to an end :) And yet in tutorial videos I often see people paint a whole background section in one go (even as much as half the page) without any issues. Do they glue the sheet down to a board?