On a wood board cardboard or plywood. You can stretch the paper a day in advance for a perfect smooth finish or if youre in a hurry wet the paper a few minutes before you start painting.

Preparing Paper Watercolor Painting Drawing Preparation Painting Drawing Watercolor Paintings

The biggest reason people run into problems painting wet into wet is that the paper dries too fast.

Preparing watercolor paper. The watercolor paper should be stretched to keep it from buckling while drying. Suck the excess water with said sponge or brush or paper towel by dabbing lightly into the paper. Our 300 Series Watercolor paper is a great economical place.

Its a method of painting in watercolor which gives you the most control over your brushwork. You need enough water so that the paper is able to float and be submerged in the water. Turn the sheet back over and let it sit face up for about 15 minutes.

Have plenty of blotting material available paper towels and rags to adjust moisture levels in your brush. Using a large brush saturate the front of the sheet completely with water you cant use too much so be generous. Tape the watercolor paper to a flat smooth straight surface like glass sheet plywood etc.

Cool water helps the paper keep its sizing. Step 1 Wash your hands first. Each time the wet paint stroke passes over the damper lines the wet paint flows into the damp paper producing a diffused effect If you remember from the description above water always flows from a wet wash towards a less wet wash.

You paint on the top sheet and when it dries the paper wont warp or buckle. Use a backing that is slightly larger than your sheet of paper. Preparing or stretching watercolor paper for wet in wet painting.

Cut your watercolor paper down to the size youd like if necessary. There are many methods of preparing watercolor paper prior to beginning to paint including. Soak and then staple the wet paper to a board and let dry then paint.

Most artists stretch their paper to overcome warping. This is a video that I made a while ago and I just havent had reason to post it. I feel the paper can stand to be beaten up a bit and thats important for someone who occasionally has been known to overwork a painting.

The masking tape should be acid free or pH neutral. Because the clear water lines are damp but not soaking wet your juicy wet paint flows into the moist lines. Even though watercolor paper is designed to accept water based medium and is quite stable it still warps because of wetness.

This is especially true if you add a lot of wet watercolor washes or pre-wet the paper for a wet on wet technique. Turn the paper over and do the same on the back side. Before getting started make sure to prepare your material and work plan.

Have plenty of water available to clean your brush as you paint. I am currently painting on Arches cold press paper and loving it. Soak and then tape wet paper to a board and let dry then paint.

Tape the dry paper to a board and paint. Scrub your hands in warm water with soap for about 20 seconds before rinsingStep 2 Submerge the paper in cool water. It will always dry fast if it is not properly wettedWhen paper gets wet it swells a surprisingly large amount.

Watercolor blocks are a pile of sheets bound together on all sides by glue. In it I go over all steps for preparing your water colour paper fo. Watercolor blocks are a good alternative to sheets if you dont want to go to the trouble of stretching your paper beforehand.

The watercolor paper is heavier weight and is made with additives called sizing that allows it to absorb moisture in the proper way. It remains flat has an even color tone and doesnt pill or tear. If youve ever painted on paper youve likely experienced it warping or buckling during the drying process.

Because a little organization a lot of progress. This will need to happen constantly when painting. Most watercolor paper needs to be stretched before it can be used as a good painting surface and to ensure that it wont crinkle when your paints dry.

Lay the paper in the water and then dunk it under. Washing your hands reduces the oils that you transfer to the paper. So how do you avoid this pesky problem.

Wash the paper with distilled water and a brush or sponge. Every painter has a preference in materials. How to prepare paper for watercolor painting.

Prepare your surface for painting. Lay your sheet of watercolor paper over the board. Hilary will show you how to eliminate this prob.

In general we recommend a watercolor paper that has a weight of 140lb. Preparing and Stretching Watercolor Paper. After all one of my favorite quotes is from Dan.

Fill a clean bathtub or plastic tub with about 4 to 6 inches 10 to 15 cm of water. Soak on a board sponge off and then start to paint on wet paper.