Tag: paper

Cold-Press VS Hot-Press Watercolor Paper – MY PREFERENCE

Hi there! Today I want to quickly let you know about my favorite watercolor paper(s).

This really is a personal matter, so don’t worry if our opinions are different. That’s what opinions are for (;

Here’s the full video. For a written version, read on.

In Watercolor, Paper’s IMPORTANT

I want to preface this by saying that paper really matters when it comes to watercolor painting. It has to be of good quality.

I find that I can work well with simple brushes and ok paints. But the paper is crucial for success.

Cold-Press VS Hot-Press

These are the two main watercolor paper types.

Hot-press paper has a soft surface. Paint tends to sit a little more on its surface, and may take a little longer to dry.

Cold-press paper has tooth, aka texture. It tends to be a little thirstier in my experience. It tends to absorb paint faster.

I am an absolute fan of cold-press.

I love the texture and tooth. It’s very forgiving, and holds paint very well. It can be used to create different effects and “dictate” the focus in a painting, by using dry brush techniques.

An Argument FOR Hot-Pressed Paper

There is something to be said of the merits of hot-press watercolor paper. This type of paper allows for smoother transitions and edges. It’s considered more suited for portrait painting, and for works that require finesse and accuracy (which makes sense).

I also find that it’s sometimes easier to blend and soften edges in hot-press paper, though you have to know what you are doing. You usually need to dry the brush a little more (as the paper is smoother and a little more moisture in the brush can cause paint to spread more easily).

Check out this video I did on blending and edge softening: Watercolor Blending and Edge Control

Weight of Your Watercolor Paper

Watercolor paper comes in different weights.

I think that the minimum is 300gsm (grams per square meter). Under that you are risking with dealing with major buckling, especially in larger sizes.

I actually love to use 600gsm paper, but it’s not a necessity. That’s me being spoiled haha.

Favorite Watercolor Paper Brands

I have two brands whom papers I love.

Arches and Saunders-Waterford.

These two actually feel REALLY THE SAME. I think I read once those are different lines of the same brand, thus the similarity. Though I don’t remember clearly.

These can take anything, multiple layers, lifting, scratching, whatever!

The paper I most commonly use in the last six months or so is Saunders-Waterford.

Sketchbooks

When in sketchbooks, it’s sometimes a challenge to find one with good paper.

My favorite would be an Arches paper organized as a sketchbook (haven’t seen Saunders-Waterford in that format.

However, there is a different type of sketchbook I like, and that is Canson Montval (and it’s not even cotton paper).

You can watch my review of it here:

Conclusion

I hope this gives you a clearer picture of the types of watercolor paper I love using. this

 

Let Your Watercolors Mix On Paper | Greens

In this quick tutorial I’ll talk about letting your watercolors mix on paper. I believe this can be used as a tip for improving your paintings and making them more interesting.

This is based on a YouTube video I published yesterday.
If you want to view the whole thing, check it out here:

Real Life VS Photos

When looking at a view in real life, there’s a tremendous variety of colors and details.
If you look at a field or forest, you’ll see many types of greens, but also yellows, reds and purples (for flowers for examples).
You’ll also see different types of browns and even blues.

A photo FLATTENS it all.

All the variety of yellows, reds and blues turns into one even green.
This is boring.

In order to mimic real life, and provide a complete impression, I highly recommend using pure colors in your paintings.

Painting in Patches of Colors

Here is a quick demo of me applying this and creating greens by using different blues and yellows.

I just put a few patches of different colors, one next to another.
This allows them to mix a little on paper.

They don’t have to mix too much. Our brain complete the image and sees “green”.

The specific colors I used are Phthalo Blue, French Ultramarine, Hansa Yellow medium and New gamboge (all Daniel Smith).

Consider how much more interesting this looks, when compared to a flat green wash.

What I used to do in the past, was to mix the paint on the palette, and then vary the ration of yellow-blue.

I now realise this isn’t sufficient.
You sometimes have to show the pure colors to get that rich and varied effect.

Here’s what the final result looks like.

Trees Demo

Let’s look at another example. This time I sketched two trees.

I want to show you 2 things:

  1. The difference it makes to use purer colors
  2. Bonus – how shading with a third, complementary color is better than “tonal” shading (shading using a darker version of the same color).

So here’s the difference in results.
On the right hand side I worked in patches of pure colors.
On the left I worked with the same green.

I want to mention how I somewhat messed up a part of this demo.
I actually didn’t follow my own advice, and didn’t use pure enough blues on the right.
It’s more like I used yellows and greens =P

My bad!

Next up, I added a second wash for the shadows.
Let me show you the difference.

On the right I used a mix containing Quinacridone Rose.
On the left I used the same blue for shadows (Phthalo Blue).

Unfortunately, because of the mistake I did of NOT going pure enough, some of the effect was not achieved to the extent I was hoping for.

But hopefully you can still see the difference that it made.

Conclusion

And this is it.
I really hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial.

If you want to see the full video, you can check it out here:
Let It Mix On Paper

And this is it! I will see you again in another tutorial (:

– Liron