Watercolor

Watercolor

Watercolor is a type of painting that has been known to result in some very lovely works of art. Some people engage in watercolor painting as a hobby while others are professionals and this is their choice to work with. The process of painting with watercolors may be done with a brush or with the hands. It can be done on paper or a canvas.

It is believed watercolor is one of the oldest forms of painting that has been identified. It is one of the methods used to paint various pictures in caves. Those paintings were very well preserved and they have given us a very personal look at the lives of people from back then. To make the watercolors they likely mixed water with various types of dyes and extracts from plants.

Today the various types of supplies used to make watercolor paintings have changed quite a bit. There are four main types of supplies that you will need in order to complete such projects. The pigment is what gives each of the individual colors their ability to stand out or to blend in with the others. A binder is needed in order for the various pigments to bond together for the painting.

There are only a few primary colors out there yet there are many shades of it used for watercolor paintings. This is achieved by placing various types of additives to the pigment. Generally this is done to just a small amount of it so that enough is available for the project to be completed.

The last of the supplies is the solvent. This is used to make the watercolor as thick or thin as necessary. It depends on what the artist wants to make from it. It will also depend on the size and shape of the brush that the artist is using to paint with. For finger painting, they are very thick. As the solvent dries though so will the watercolor. In fact, most of the solvent will end up evaporating by the time the watercolor is completely dry.

Some individuals have taught themselves how to use watercolors. You should take some lessons though if you want to learn all of the right techniques. They can be offered at a local college or even online. You can also watch shows on TV or buy videos that will show you all the basic steps. It can be great fun to learn all about watercolor and to create unique paintings.