Re-learning watercolour

Last week, I reflected on the process of reviving my skills in lettering and calligraphy. Today, I look at the other skill that I needed to hone for the graphics for my daughter's wedding: watercolour. Over the past couple of years, I have been dabbling with this medium at my mom's art club, using the cheapest paints, kids' brushes and photocopy paper - quite a challenge!

I was also given a book of William Morris designs, printed on high-grade paper and with quality graphics. This was excellent for polishing some of the skills one needs for watercolour - accuracy, control of the brush and consistency in colour and tone. They are also fantastic preparation for painting ones own designs with botanical subjects, as Morris was brilliant at capturing the shapes of organic curves in his designs.

William Morris design on watercolour-grade paper

For the wedding, there were several decisions that needed to be made quite early on - the colour scheme and the types of paper or board that we wanted. I started with my trusty old paint set that I have kept since childhood (speaks to how seldom I do watercolour), experimenting with different shades and tones.

Experimenting with shades and tones

Watercolour is unique as a medium in that one can adjust tone and shade separately - the tone by adding black or white, and the shade by adding water. In the photo, I am trying out two different tones by adding some black to the lower row of dots, and the gradation of shade is achieved by adding more water. Once we had decided on colour, we went to an art supplies shop to get some "proper" paint, as I was concerned about running out half-way through the project and not being able to match the precise hue (most colours are made up of more than one primary colour - a dash of yellow for a slightly teal or turquoise undertone, or a spot of red for a more indigo). I wanted to get two different blues, as this can be far more effective than a single hue, and I also bought a black and a white for the tonal range and for the foliage as we wanted to avoid green. 

Artists' paint is sold in individual colours

The best quality paint is sold in colours that have not changed for centuries - I am quite sure the actual composition has been adapted, as several of these were poisonous, with lead, mercury and some toxic organic substances, but the colour is an exact replica. I chose a Prussian Blue (slightly indigo) and a Caerulian, a bright, slightly turquoise. 

I did quite a bit of experimentation, with different types of flowers and a range of techniques from almost cartoon sketches through to ones that exploited the ability of the water to do the colour mixing directly on the paper. This is achieved by painting two colours in an area, and then putting drops of water to merge the colours.

Some early experiments

I also did some experiments on different paper and cardboard, partly to see which ones worked technically for both the watercolour and the calligraphy pen, but also to test out different colours. We wanted something with at least a bit of colour, to contrast with the white table linen.

Three different shades of paper

We eventually found just the right combination of texture, porosity, weight and colour. With most types of paint, the surface is quite critical to allow one to exploit the full range of the medium, but this is essential with watercolour. I do much of my experimental work and mock-ups on cheap paper, but it is so satisfying to work on quality papers that don't wrinkle and allow one to have fun with the techniques. 

A card in progress

This card with a leaf theme shows the steps that I use for botanical subjects. I start with a very pale colour, very diluted, and paint a sketch of the subject, using quite a fine brush. I prefer this to drawing in pencil, although I still need my pencil for architectural subjects and ones where symmetry is important. The brush sketch allows for more flowing and organic lines, and a completely wrong line can be "erased" by flooding the paper with water and mopping it with a tissue or kitchen paper. I then mix at lease two colours on my palette, one for the more shadowy side, and one for the main colour of the leaf or flower. I may also mix a couple of other hues if the colour in the subject is very complex. Using the darker colour, I paint a line on the shadow side, and quickly paint a line on the opposite side in the lighter colour. I then dab in a blob of water to merge the colours, creating quite a 3-D appearance as the centre looks like it is catching the light.

Throughout the year, I have painted a number of cards for different events, partly to keep my hand in for the final wedding piece - the seating layout - which we wanted to finalise the weekend before the event, to accommodate any last-minute changes. I have promised myself that I will continue to make cards from now on, rather than buying them, as this is a great way to keep the skill alive.

A card for a friend's retirement