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Creating Textures in Watercolor

How To - Stretch Watercolor Paper

Wet-in-Wet/Drybrush Techniques

Wet, wonderful watercolor! The colors are dramatic; the methods of creating a watercolor are many.  All types of paint applications can be used, but there are two that seem to be associated with watercolor more than others.  Wet-in-wet and drybrush applications are very important as well as fundamental to many watercolorists’ repertories of techniques.

Wet-in-wet is a true description of the method and the technique of application.  Wet paper is flooded with rich, fluid color that can be either thick and creamy or very light and barely tinted. The resulting tones, once dry, vary greatly; and because of the lack of control or predictability and the diversity, wet-in-wet is considered one of the most important watercolor techniques.

The amount of water that is soaked into or floating on the surface of the watercolor paper greatly affects the results.  Well soaked paper that has been allowed to set for a while is less watery and will result in a more defined, yet slightly softened image.  Very wet paper, flooded and soaked with water, will allow the pigments to stream and flow.

Soaking a large sheet of watercolor paper can present a challenge.  One method is to soak the paper in a bathtub.  The depth, temperature and length of soak are easy to control as is the quality of water.  It should be stated that minerals in some water might have long-term effects on the paper and paints used in watercolor.   Where minerals and cleanliness really come into play is when an artist is in the field or painting in a new area where the quality of water is unknown.  If you plan to do plein air work in watercolor, presoak in the water at your home.  It is much cleaner than any you might have access to out in a remote area.  And your technique will be challenged if things are greatly different from that to which you are accustomed.  So play it safe and soak ahead of time. Also carry ample working water so you control that quality, too.

Transport your dampened paper by slightly rolling it, wrapping it in a clean plastic trash bag and slipping it into an oversized mailing tube.  As soon as you reach your destination, remove the paper so that it will relax prior to tacking or taping onto your work board.

Another element in the mix is the texture and thickness of the paper used.  If very heavy, pre-soaked but somewhat drier paper is used, the results will have more edge and less fluidity.  Overly damp papers, both thick and thin, will not retain detail.  Thin paper tends to buckle and allow the pigments to pool.  Finding the right paper for your style is part of the fun and experimentation of watercolor.  Changing paper weight will often alter your plan of application, too.

Brushes used can be almost any, but artists seem to have special wash brushes that they prefer.  This brush might contain a thick tuft of hair, might hold lots of diluted pigment and be able to cover lots of paper is just a few strokes.  Marine boar bristle brushes offer a good value and can hold lots of fluid.  Hake brushes do the same and can be used for other application methods as well.  See your retailer and visit www.fmbrush.com.

Wet-in-wet methods lend themselves to topical textural additions as they set up and begin to dry.  For instance, when dropped into fluid areas, rock salt will pull the pigment into star or crystal figurations.  Resists such as oil and sometimes common rubbing alcohol can be dropped into pools of color to create unique patterns and tones.  None of these are possible with other methods of paint application.

If you like to add linear details to your work, working wet-in-wet will give you an opportunity to do so.  When the wet areas have begun to dry but still have moisture, you can use a blunt instrument (pointed paint brush handle is ideal) to scribe lines through the damp areas.  These lines will take on a much darker tone than the painted areas they lie in and will give you a chance to add an infinite sketchy style to your works.

Drybrush is the closest thing to a wet-in-wet opposite that is possible.  Dry paper is contacted with non-watery brushes full of rich pigment.  The resulting painted lines and shapes are rigid and well defined.  There is no fluidity to the images created with drybrush.  It is a method of application that is added over other methods for sharp detail and definition.  Textures, roughness and highlights are some of the ways drybrush is used to accent a nearly finished work.

Drybrush is a great additive technique.  Whether you want to increase the depth of a shadow or use an opaque white tone to add sharp highlight, drybrush is a good way to do it.  Remember, your brush will be charged with a paint that is far less fluid than ordinary watercolor application, so the paint will sit upon the surface rather than react as a wash.  The amount of paint and the degree of dryness will determine the crispness of the look you achieve.

By combining drybrush over completed wet-in-wet areas you will see other ways in which they can help you achieve dramatic results.  Slightly damp areas respond differently than those that are totally dry.  Salted areas respond differently when scribed than unsalted, smooth, wet areas.  Dragging drybrush over scribed areas is different from dragging it over dry smooth areas.  New discoveries are limited only by your time and energy.

With experimentation in wet-in-wet and drybrush work, many new and exciting opportunities will arise.  Both methods have huge potential in watercolor work and will give you many challenges.