What is Watercolor ?
  

Beach Scene #1, transparent watercolor by Roger Shipley.

The first experience with painting for most of us was with watercolor paints. We were given a little metal box with squares of color that we dipped our wet brushes into before sweeping it across the paper. The colors would run and bleed depending on how much water we used. It was easy to clean up which meant that our parents and teachers could allow us some creative time without extreme stress.

So what is watercolor and why is it considered to be one of the more difficult mediums for artists to work in? The quick definition is that it is pigment and water soluble gums used as a binder. The most common support for watercolors is paper, but many others have been used such as ivory, vellum or wood.

Artists handle water color paints in a transparent or an opaque way. Transparent is the most common. The colors are laid on the paper in such a way that light reflects back from it. The viewer can see through the color to what lies underneath. Opaque watercolor is the opposite effect. The pigments are dense so that they can not be seen through nor does light reflect back from the paper. Opaque watercolor is also known as gouache (rhymes with squash).

Watercolor paints are considered demanding, mainly because of the water qualities. The color can run, bleed into each other and turn muddy, the paper changes shape as it dries and the absorbency rate can change. Drying can also cause the outlines, the color and the appearance to change. The artist must anticipate these changes. Because of the nature of this paint, once the color is down it can not be scrapped off or painted over as easily as oil paints. Many artists have referred to watercolor paints as being "unforgiving" because of this.

There are many different techniques that artists employ to create their desired effects. Some of these techniques are known as wet in wet, backruns, paint diffusion, pouring color, dropping in color, salt texture, cling-film technique, drybrush and scumbling. This list illustrates the complexity of working with this medium.

Over the centuries, many masterpieces have been created with watercolors.

Holiday Teddy, opaque watercolor by Rebecca Latham.

Click to learn more about Roger Shipley & Rebecca Latham.  Other gifted watercolor artists are Jeffrey Craven & Ellie Grumiaux.