Watercolor Techniques - Reflective - Colors

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Watercolor Techniques - Reflective - Colors

Reflective colors 

Reflective colors behave the opposite way of the true transparent pigments. The most transparent colors act like stained glass. They let the light penetrate through the wash and reflect from the paper through the color. Reflective colors let a certain amount of light get through to the surface of the white paper, but they are also capable of reflecting light from the surface of the paint.

If painted over a waterproof black line, reflective colors look very transparent while wet, but show a little of their own hue after they dry.

Opaque, semi opaque and reflective colors don't glaze well because they build up to a thick layer. All opaque colors that are light in hue are reflective, but not all reflective colors are opaque. A few reflective colors are considered transparent, yet they reflect light when they are applied in heavy consistency.

Reflective Colors include :

. cobalt Violet

. Cobalt Blue

. Raw Sienna

. Raw Umber

. Viridian Green

. Aureolin Yellow

. Magenta

. Cobalt Green

Watercolor Techniques - Opaque - Colors

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Watercolor Techniques - Opaque - Colors

Opaque Colors

Though all Watercolors called transparent are luminous in thin Washes, some have more body than others. These opaque or body colors are capable of covering other dry Washes When they are applied in a thick consistency, even if the dry underwash is dark and the top color is light.

They are not truly opaque, as acrylics are, but are more so than the transparent colors.

Opaque colors include :

- All Cadmium Lemon

- Venetian Red

- Yellow Ochre

- Winsor Emerald 

- Cerulean Blue 

- Naples Yellow

- Olive Green

- Permanent Magenta

Watercolor Techniques - Transparent - Colors

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Watercolor Techniques - Transparent - Colors

Transparent Color

These wonderful, glowing, luminous colors that all water colorists love behave similarly to stained glass. They let light penetrate through the wash and reflect from the paper through the color. These are the most suitable colors for glazing (applying a wet wash over a completely dry wash without disturbing the lower layer) because they don't build up when they overlap. These true transparent colors make the most glowing, clear dark's, but some of these pigments are very strong and tend to dominate when they are mixed with other colors.

If you want to use only true transparent colors, you could use liquid watercolors. Unfortunately, most of the watercolors in liquid form are not very permanent, so you need to research their light fastness.

However, even if you find a permanent liquid watercolor brand, you'd still rob yourself of the opportunity to use the excitingly varied nature of your pigments. Artists advice is to use an artist's quality transparent watercolor in the tube made by a reputable company.

Paint Brush - Technical - Q&A

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Paint Brush - Technical - Q&A
Q. Can I use my acrylic and watercolor brushes for painting with water soluble oils?

A. You may use your brushes any way you choose if you get the results you want. But your brushes will generally work better and last longer if you use them with the medium for which they were designed.
Over the years, brushes have been fine tuned by manufacturers in response to artists' requirements, and each one is made for a specific purpose. Their fibers-natural hair, synthetics or a mixture of the two-have qualities that respond to their use in very particular ways. As a result, their versatility has some limitations The two areas that most notably affect these limitations are the viscosity of the paint and the solvent you're using with the paint.
If you use paints thickly, as impasto, bristle brushes will be the most useful because they're the stiffest. So if you're using your water-soluble oils thickly, not recommend using your soft-hair water color brushes. Your acrylic brushes, however are acceptable in this case if they're synthetic or relatively stiff bristled. If you plan to use your water soluble oils more thinly, as in glazing, use soft-hair or synthetic brushes designed for oil painting.

Paint Brush - Know How To Select Brush - Part 2

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Paint Brush

What you need to know about Watercolor Brushes
If you're a watercolor painter, you have two basic categories of brush to consider when selecting the right tool to suit your painting needs. First, you'll need a brush that will deliver enough water and pigment to cover broad areas or washes. The flat, the wash and the mop are all good examples of this type of brush. 
Secondly, you'll need another type of brush for drawing, details and special effects. The round is the most versatile brush in this category, but there are several other specialized brushes you can also check out. To get the best results for your own painting style, you'll want to experiment with several styles of brush in each category.
When shopping for brushes, be sure to evaluate their quality, Many brushes look good in the counter display, but appearances can be deceiving. A truly good watercolor brush doesn't just look good, it must also have snap, retain its shape when wet and have proper loading qualities. Most brushes come from the manufacturer with a coat of glycerine (sizing) on the hair. They look perfect with a fine point and a fat belly, but you won't know the true character of the brush until you've softened the glycerine coating. Especially when you're buying a round brush, ask for a glass of water to swish the brush in. Then try snapping it-literally snapping your wrist to reform the bristles. If the bristles don't return to a point or if there's more than one point, select another brush. This brush will probably never give you the results you want.

Looking at Hair
In the world of watercolor brushes, kolinsky sable is considered the best you can get. In general, kolinsky provides excellent flow, spring and snap as well as a fabulous point. Unfortunately, a kolinsky sable can also be quite expensive, running as much as several hundred dollars for a large brush.
There are, however several other good options to choose from. Sable or red sable brushes are moderately priced and still quite responsive.