**Watercolor painting is the process of painting with pigments that are mixed with water. Of all the painting processes, watercolor painting is known for its inherent delicacy and subtlety because watercolor art is all about thin washes and transparent color (though watercolors can be made opaque with the addition of Chinese white). Traditionally, watercolor artists work on paper, though the tooth of the surface can vary greatly. Oftentimes the white of the painting surface will gleam through and lend itself to the luminosity of the painting.
When artists first learn how to paint watercolor art, the fluidity of the medium is often a stumbling block because it makes the paint less predictable. Successful watercolor artists know how to balance control and freedom in their work, using watercolor painting techniques that create effects that often occur almost by accident rather than on purpose.
Learn to Watercolor Paint with These Brush Tips
Good brushes are indispensable watercolor supplies. For the neophyte, high-quality brushes are a great investment and will last a long time with proper care. Working with inadequate brushes is frustrating, while using good brushes makes learning new watercolor painting techniques much easier.
Good watercolor brushes are made with natural hair or synthetic fiber. The very best (and most expensive) natural-hair brushes are made with kolinsky sable. Red sable brushes aren鈥檛 as expensive as kolinsky but are of excellent quality. Sable brushes have a spring that makes them very responsive to the artist鈥檚 hand. Synthetic brushes today rival the quality of sable and are more durable, so they are a good value for the artist.**
