The most important thing to remember when buying art (as with anything) on eBay is that if it looks too good to be true, it is. Listen to your inner voice - if there is any suspicion, be wary. However, while art fraud is a problem on eBay, there are many legitimate, hard-working artists that deserve your attention. Hopefully, this guide will help you determine which is which when it comes to bidding on original, hand-created watercolor paintings.

Spotting Digital Manipulations:

There are several types of computer software that are made specifically to make a photograph look like a drawing or painting. Here is an example:

1. 2.

1. Original photo
2. Photo with software watercolor filter applied

These photo manipulations tend to have an orderly pattern of 'blotches' to them that does not occur in real watercolors. You can see this in the feathers of the manipulated chicken image (number 2).

Auctions for this type of image may be advertised as 'giclee prints' of an original watercolor painting. This is a good way of getting around the problem of listing it as a print rather than an original (because there is no original painting, only a photograph).

Spotting a Washed Print (see examples below):

Another type of fake watercolor painting is the water-washed ink-jet print. This technique is more convincing than the simple digital manipulation because you actually use water and a brush. Almost any common ink-jet printer can be used to create a water-washed print. The process goes something like this:

A.) Find or take a photograph. The better, more artistic the photo, the more convincing the end result will be.

B.) Lighten the photo with some sort of photo manipulation software. (Also, during this phase, colors can be changed, parts of the image can be deleted, filters added...)

C.) Print the image with one of many types of common ink-jet printers. Many types of paper can be used including watercolor paper, light paper boards, or sketchbook paper to name a few.

D.) Lightly wash the image with a water and a brush. With practice, convincing brushstrokes, pooling and bleeds (colors blending into one another) can be created to look more realistic.

E.) Once the image is dry, the edges can be cropped to remove the straight border that could clearly show a clean, printed edge.

What You Can Do About It

There are precautions buyers can take to prevent falling victim to unscrupulous sellers of fake watercolors.

First and foremost, be aware and inquisitive. Feel free to ask specific questions of the artist. Most artists, including myself, enjoy communication like this. Also, if you can, ask another artist what they think about the work in question. An outside opinion can be very helpful.

Second, peruse the sellers feedback history; are there any negative notes that point to possible fakery? This is particularly important if you already have some suspicion regarding the seller.

Third, invest in a 20x jewelers loupe. These are small, inexpensive magnifiers (available on eBay) that can help to determine the origin of the art once you have it in front of you. Art created with an ink-jet printer will have visible dots of color when viewed through the loupe (see examples below) that you will not find in an authentic watercolor. Also, true watercolors tend to have a brilliance in color that the watered-down print does not.

Lastly, if you think you may have purchased a phoney watercolor but you need some sort of definitive proof so that you can get your money back, there are specialists that can help you (such as the Center for Art Materials Analysis, Inc. in Westmont, IL). This is particularly important for buyers who may be reselling the art they buy on eBay. While it may cost a little extra to have a professional check the work, in the long run, it could save you thousands of dollars and the humiliation of getting caught trying to resell a fake watercolor.

Visual Examples:

This is a photograph I took that I have water-down and added a bit of white paint to to make it look like a watercolor painting. It took me about 10 minutes to create.

   
These are magnified views of the above photo. Note the grain/dots created by the printer. In some places there are less where the water has diluted them.

These are magnified views of real watercolor skin tones applied with a brush. Note that the only grain is that of the paper, not the pigments. 

Examples of authentic watercolors:

1.)  2.) 
1.) by H. Stone  2.) by Pamela Wilhelm 

Examples of fake watercolors:

* On a side note, I would like to say that I do not object at all to using a printer (or anything else for that matter) to make art. However, it is misleading to call such work an "original watercolor".

UPDATE:

Since first writing this guide many fraudulant washed-print sellers have started calling their 'watercolors' by another name: 'mixed-media'. While this is slightly more acurate, the works are still just watered-down or slightly altered inkjet prints. Don't be fooled! Feel free to contact me via eBay for my educated opinion about a specific piece or artist.