Glazing with watercolor is a fun technique of how to use watercolor.
Artists may glaze with any type of paint - oil, acrylic or watercolor.
Watercolor glazing it is often called laying down a wash. A layer of transparent color is washed over a previous dry layer of paint.
The viewer sees both layers of paint and their eye visually mixes the color. The colors are more luminous than when the colors are mixed on the palette.
Many oil paintings are painted alla prima. The colors are premixed on the palette and applied to the painting in one layer.
Watercolors may also have their colors premixed on the palette and painted in one application.
However, glazing with watercolor mixes the colors on the painting instead of on the palette.
Step-by-step glazing applies the paint in several individual layers of paint. This is an excellent technique for the watercolor artist.
Just starting watercolor? Beginners' Watercolor
We will be painting with Winsor & Newton professional watercolors.
Whatever brand you use make sure the colors are transparent or at least semi-transparent. Glazing won't work well with opaque colors.
Winsor & Newton marks their paint tubes, a white square is for transparent paints and a black square means opaque.
This is important for glazing with watercolor. Then the paint can be applied without forming hard edges.
Paint the lower mango with the cool yellow, Lemon Yellow.
This mango is behind and farther back than the top mango. The cool yellow sets it farther back in the painting.
Paint the top mango with the warm yellow, New Gamboge.
Let these colors dry thoroughly. Using a hair dryer will speed up the drying.
Clean your brush of any paint from the previous layer before adding a new layer of paint.
Make a wash of the Winsor Red and water. Winsor Red is a transparent color. If you don't have Winsor Red, use Permanent Rose which is a transparent color.
The Cadmium colors are opaque and do not work well for glazing.
Let each layer dry thoroughly before you add another glaze layer.
This time we use Ultramarine Blue.
Ultramarine Blue has the characteristic of granulating when it is applied.
The granulation portrays the color variation and texture of the mango.
Ultramarine works for this application instead of other blues because of its granulating characteristic.
Use the same blue where the top mango overlaps the bottom mango.
Apply a line of blue with a round brush.
Immediately come back with some clear water to feather in the bottom edge of the shadow.
Also, softly apply some blue around the outside edge of the mango.
This makes the mango edge turn away from the viewer and gives it a rounded appearance.
This is how to use watercolor.
It took more than one glaze of the red to achieve the mango color.
The viewer's eye sees down thru the multiple transparent layers.
Add more glazes of yellow to intensify the color.
Continue to use the warm yellow on the top mango.
The cool yellow on the bottom mango will set it behind the top mango. Learn more about color.
Continue glazing until you are satisfied with the colors.
Paint the leaves with yellow.
We used Raw Sienna close to the fruit for the shadow area and Lemon Yellow farther away from the fruit.
Raw Sienna made an earthy colored leaf. If you want a cleaner green use Lemon Yellow all the way.
Use the paper for white when you learn how to use watercolor. Some white on the leaves gives added interest. More ways to preserve the white paper.
After the yellow is dry glaze on some blue to make the leaves green.
If you used Lemon Yellow for the entire leaf, then darken the shadow area with extra blue.
We may paint outside of the leaf area.
While the paint is still wet, blot it up with a tissue or a paper towel.
If the paint is already dry, use a wet brush to dampen it and scrub it a bit with the damp brush. Then lift off the color with your tissue. Repeat it, as necessary.
Let's continue painting the leaves.
It is pure joy watching the beauty of the way the moist colors flow and blend together. This is the joy of learning how to use watercolor.
While the yellow is still moist, add a bit of Raw Sienna on the shadow side of the stems.
Paint blue in some areas on the shadow side of the stems. The colors blend together.
Glazing with watercolor is easy. The only hard part is waiting for the layers to dry. A hair dryer speeds up the process.
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