Arlene Wright-Correll

“The Art of Watercolor Painting”©



Posted: Saturday, October 02, 2010

by Arlene Wright-Correll
http://www.learn-america.com

How often I have heard the phrase "watercolors are so unforgiving" meaning that unlike oils or acrylics one cannot go over them when one makes a mistake.

That is really not true since there are many techniques to "fix" goofs or errors. However, watercolors are so inexpensive to do that unless one has a lot of hours into a painting it is often easier to just chuck it and start all over again.

An interesting aspect of watercolor painting is that one can add other mediums to one's painting such as water color pencils, colored pencils and even pen and ink thus expanding the concept one is trying to create.

My style of painting in just about any medium is not very "arty" and though I enjoy many abstract paintings I like to paint what I see even if it is just a street scene or a simple item in my kitchen such as a bag of flour and some eggs such as seen in this painting.



A recent reader asked me a question about watercolor painting and the question was, "What is the difference between the types of watercolor paints such Gouache opaque and transparent watercolors?"

First let me say that watercolor paint is made of pigment mixed with gum Arabic for body and glycerin or honey for viscosity. Gouache ( ( gwsh ) pronounced similar to washed), has an added content of un-pigmented filler to lend opacity to the paint and oil of clove to prevent mold.

As I said Gouache is a painting medium similar to watercolor , but heavier and more opaque because a gum substance is added to the mixture of ground pigment and water .

Opaque watercolors is a broad term encompassing gouache, watercolors made from inherently opaque pigments without the addition of an opacifying agent, and watercolor rendered opaque through media manipulation and application methods and transparent watercolors. Transparent watercolors will allow white to show when mixed in. Basically by definition, all watercolors are transparent. Sometimes the colors are so dark, and dense, that one can't see through them, but that is a matter of manipulating the pigments.

So the next time you are in our neck of the woods, stop in for a visit where "Art Only is Spoken Here©" and if you have an arts and crafts questions, just email me at askarlene@scrtc.com

About the Author & Artist. Arlene Wright-Correll (1935- ___), popular American award winning Artist, published author, columnist, & is the resident art instructor for Avalon Stained Glass School, at the age of 68, decided to pick up her paint brushes again after 54 years and paint.  She is a cancer and stroke survivor who is able to strive forward each and everyday to welcome the beauty of this small planet.  She also is a China & Porcelain painter, Sandblasting & Etching, Stained Glass & fused glass Artisan. She is one of the six KY Artists who worked 6 months to create the dolls for Journey Jots in 2006 and a Smithsonian Institute art exhibit in 2008. Her published books can be found here . She is also a featured writer for GreenThumbArticles.com and teaches Art Vacation Holidays at Avalon Stained Glass School and Creativity Center.

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