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Creating Textures in Watercolor

Pure honest excitement! That describes experimentation with watercolor textures. And the beauty of the methods is that almost anything you pick up can create a distinct texture that may be just the right one for your next painting. The following paragraphs will give you an inkling of some of the possibilities and perhaps open thought patterns that might encourage you to try your hand at creating special looks and appeal in your watercolor and acrylic wash works.

Found objects can be divine tools. They are easy to use and often recycled bits and scraps, so that means they are inexpensive and readily available. Open any drawer in the kitchen or bath and you will discover items that may become your favorite "tools."

That old toothbrush, when filled with moderately fluid watercolor or acrylic wash, can create a wonderful shower of tiny droplets that mimic a cloud of soft color. This cloud might help transition between a dark foreground area and stones, trees, or grassy spots. This shower of droplets can be used to create a mixed blend of tones to highlight or call attention to objects.

Knife blades, safety razor blades and other thin metal objects work wonders at moving paint around in bold swish patterns. When trimmed to varying widths, old credit cards or pieces of broken CD's also make neat tools. The textures they create can make dramatic tree trunks or shingles on the roof of an old building or barn. Super drama in non-representational works can be created by using the actual texturing tool as a paint applicator. Or in realistic works, these same sculpting tools create sharp lines and dimension. So don't toss those old pieces of rigid plastic--they become fabulous tools.

Computer paper, empty paper bags or virtually any scrap paper, when crumpled into a lose ball, can be used to collect and then distribute watercolor and acrylic paint in dramatic patterns, unlike any other method of texturing. Although somewhat difficult to replicate, the crackle textures achieved can be very useful in a variety of applications. Villa walls, stone surfaces, stone columns and marble are all enhanced by the broken patterns created by rolling crushed paper across the canvas or panel.

Flexible objects such as strips of plastic milk jugs or pop bottles can also be used to create texturing tools for watercolor or acrylic washes. Notched strips can be used to create neat repetitive patterns or structures such as bricks and objects like baskets. Tools used in the right way can make neat unexplained textures that simply add texture and interest to your finished works.

Thin plastic such as trash bags, plastic grocery sacks and plastic wrap are very useful in helping to create organic looks in backgrounds. While heavy washes are still wet, lay on some thin plastic or plastic wrap. You can manipulate the material to get more or less design. Allow the plastic to dry flat and undisturbed. When you peel away the plastic wrap or other thin plastic, you will reveal the appearance of rich, deep textures. Even though these textures are very easy to achieve, they are quite dramatic and visually interesting.

Use of traditional brushes and rubber sculpting tools yields elegant textures when you experiment with them in new ways. Dragging a brush through a still-damp area of a watercolor can often create texture in very defined locations. Rubber sculpting "brushes" cut through color to clean, nearly white paper and recover light areas in the midst of deep tones.

String and cotton yarn can be set into wet areas, moved and repositioned and then allowed to dry to create predictable lines and patterns. Clumps of string can be used to create a starburst pattern in both negative and positive. Remove pigment by setting dry bundles of string into wet paint. Create explosive patterns with paint-drenched bundles of string set gently against the paper. Fine-tuning this technique can net you some really useful textures for overlapping and building textured areas.

If super textures are your interest, consider attaching crumpled tissue to the surface of rigid watercolor paper using acid-free wheat paste or similar material. The paper will adhere to the base sheet in neat broken texture, letting the watercolor or acrylic wash pool into dips and thin out on the ridges. Heavy texture is very easy--or very gentle texture...you decide. They both offer great potential for experimentation.

One of the first textures you learn to create is the simple procedure of drawing a brush handle tip through fresh, wet paint. The line created is a collection of the tone you are drawing into and is useful to create definition of shapes and outlines of objects. You can also use sharper objects such as nails, fingernail files, straightened paper clips, awls and the like. They each give you a different "feel" and can be used in many different ways.

Decollage is the use of the actual paper itself as a texture. It is achieved by carefully cutting a shape through the top layer of a heavy watercolor sheet and then peeling the sheet up, creating a true texture. With care, you can master decollage to create wonderful layered, textural effects. Just remember to slice gently so that you do not cut through the sheet. If it should happen, repair the cut with acid-free mending tape to re-establish strength of the sheet. Super-heavy paper is the best choice for this technique.

Create texture, experiment with unusual tools and have fun!