Watercolor Glazing Technique
Instead of using a shiny glaze, watercolor glazing involves layering one color thinly over another to achieve a third color. Artists use this technique to create shading, patterns and new colors.
You can glaze watercolors yourself, but it takes time and practice. You must prepare the paint properly so that it lays down a transparent layer of color instead of being nearly opaque. It can also be tricky to keep the two colors from mixing too much and looking muddy. However, with practice, you can use this technique to great advantage.
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Things You'll Need
- Watercolor paints
- Water
- Paintbrushes
- Palette
- Watercolor paper
- Paper towels
Instructions
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Lay out all of your supplies on a flat, clean surface where you can easily reach them. Squirt a pea-sized amount of several colors onto your paint palette. To play with shading, pick several shades of the same hue. To play with mixing, choose colors that mix to create new colors, like the primary colors.
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2
Dip your brush into fresh water and soak the bristles thoroughly. Touch the tip of the brush into your first color; this color should be the lightest color you plan to use. Swirl the brush gently through the paint until it coats the bristles.
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Brush the color onto the paper in smooth, even strokes. This layer of paint should be relatively thin. Allow the paint to dry to the touch. The thinner the layer, the faster the paint will dry.
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4
Rinse your brush in the water, swishing it vigorously. Dry the brush with a paper towel and soak it again with new, clean water. Dip the brush in your second color, either the next lightest color or the color that combines with the first color to create a new third color. Coat the bristles in color.
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Dip the brush back into the fresh water to leave just a little color behind. Brush the second color over the first. The second layer should be thin enough that you can see the first color through the second and tell where they blend into each other.
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References
- Photo Credit watercolor paints image by DLeonis from Fotolia.com
