Advice:New at watercolor
Lmwolf
Hi I am an oil painter but would like to try watercolor. Can someone please
tell me some good books to read on the subject also some good brand names of
watercolors and which papers are best, thanks a bunch!!!!
Lmwolf
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D F Russell
lmw...@aol.com (Lmwolf) wrote:
>Hi I am an oil painter but would like to try watercolor. Can someone please
>tell me some good books to read on the subject also some good brand names of
>watercolors and which papers are best, thanks a bunch!!!!
"Good" is really a personal preference -- as far as books go, best
thing to do is take a trip to Barnes & Nobels or your local bookstore
and browse a bit. Whatever you pick should spend a reasonable amount
of time describing how different types of watercolor paints
interact... they're not all the same.
Paper: I like arches 300lb (hot and cold pressed). You probably want
to try a selection and start with a lighter paper -- 140lb or so.
Paint: I like the good Winsor & Newton. It's readily available in my
location. I have tried Rembrandt and a few others.
If you're switching from oil, keep in mind that the color application
is usually inverse: darks last on watercolor.
Brother Alphabet
Paper: Arches 300 or 260 lb cold or rough-press
Pigments: Buy Windsor & Newton, but don't waste your money on the Selected
List until you have figured out what you're doing. Buy the 'Cotman' line
from W&N. A lot of people like to pretend that they can spot the subtle
differences between the pigment grades, but that's usually balogna. You
will not lose any quality from using Cotman pigments. Later on you might
want to upgrade a few of your hues to the Selected list (Because there IS
a difference in some of them, but certain Cotman hues are not available
in the Selected List line.)
Get a fat wash brush, a medium round, a medium flat and a small of each.
Don't blow cash on sable. But W&N university grade acrylic-fiber brushes.
They last a long time, can withstand accidental overnight stays in the
water and they are CHEAP to buy (unlike sable and other real fur
brushes).
There is only ONE watercolor book worth considering.
It is called 'The Content of Watercolor' and was written by Edward Reep. I
think it's going to be hard to find. Best bet is to check large libraries
or to locate a book-finder that doesn't rip you off.
Hutto
-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-
"I paint what I think, not what I see..." - Pablo Picasso
"You're not the boss of me!..." - J. A. Hutto (Pre age 3)
http://www2.msstate.edu/~jah10 + ja...@ra.msstate.edu
Marilyn
Brother Alphabet wrote:
>
> Paper: Arches 300 or 260 lb cold or rough-press
>
That is pretty heavy paper for a beginner. Try 90 & 140 lb. and
Whatman, Japanese papers, even rice paper. You might even buy a
sampler.
> List until you have figured out what you're doing. Buy the 'Cotman' line
> from W&N.
No pretence here, just lots of experience and making a few hits with
the finished product.
Cotman is for kindergarten babies. You have to use a lot of paint to
get brilliance. Why not get "artists quality" and be pleased with the
results? It is also more economical because you use less.
Winsor & Newton artists' paints
and best of all Schmincke.
Brushes, one good brush is worth quite a few poor ones. Most important
is how you care for that brush.
Don't listen to too much advice,
except for
quality over quantity
and experiment.
I have to second the recommendation on watercolour books
Edward Reep: "The Content of Watercolor"
all the others have such bad paintings in them, it makes a person
cringe.
Marilyn