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.
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