Hi. My name is Peter White and I have been a fulltime artist for the past twenty years. During that time I have painted over 4000 watercolours. People are constantly asking me for advice on how to master this difficult medium and now that I have an e bay store. THE GASLIGHT GALLERY   I thought it would be a great opportunity to communicate some of my ideas and tricks of the trade to anyone out there who is interested.

This is the first of a series of tutorials on various aspects of this intrigueing medium.

We shall start by discussing some of the properties of the surface that we are painting. I believe that the paper is the most important part of the painting.  It dictates the way we use the paint and adds character to the finished painting.  Everything else being equal two paintings of the same subject painted on two different watercolour papers will produce two very different paintings.

The painting above was done on  a paper called Fontenay which tends to give clear whites and sharper edges. The same painting done on Arches 300gm cold press for example would give creamier whites and softer edges which would change the whole atmosphere of the picture.

Watercolour is unique in that the surface i.e. the paper becomes an integral part of the picture. In most other mediums like oils or acrylics the paint covers the surface. The canvas or board or whatever is only the vehicle for the painting.

It is the transparency and the fact that the watercolour pigment is absorbed into the paper that gives watercolours that special glow unique to the medium.

How we go about achieving this is what watercolour painitng is all about.

It is reaction of the pigment, the quality of the paper, its thickness and colour that produce the final painting.

A watercolour paper like Arches 300gm cold press has a mild grain, is an off white colour and is capable of absorbing a large amount of water while still retaining its strenght and robustness.

The painting above titled 'The Mermaid Coast' was painted on Arches 300gm cold press. This painting needed a lot of reworking. I did not want the paper to deteriorate under the pressure of many washes. The paper stood up well and I was happy with the result.

I had better explain what the terms cold press, 300gm etc mean.

Watercolour paper comes in different weights. 185gm, 210gm, 300gm 640gm are just some of them. Basically it means that one square metre of the paper will weigh 300gms for example. This means that heavier papers are thicker.

Watercolour paper is generally made from cotton. It will be labelled 100% rag or 50% rag depending on how much cotton is used in the paper pulp.

Rag paper is non acidic and will last for a very long time.

Many modern papers use wood pulp that has been treated to remove its acidic properties combined with cotton.

This gives the paper different properties which can be very interesting to work with.

Most watercolour papers are mould made which means that the pulp is poured into a wire mesh frame and left until most of the water has drained out. The paper sheet is then passed through rollers. Cold press passes through cold rollers.  Hot press passes through rollers that have been heated and rough paper is left untouched with just the impression that the wire mesh leaves on the paper surface.

Hot press papers are generally the smoothest.

Thinner papers generally give more brilliant colours in the finished painting. This is because less of the water and pigment is absorbed into the paper. However I find thinner papers are only useful for small paintings say less than A3 in size as they tend to warp when framed. Understandably there is less strength in the sheet of paper.

Some  of the very white papers put out by Fabriano for example are great for doing flowers or dry brush portraits but do not take to washes very well .

It is important therefore to decide what you want to achieve with a particular painting and choose a paper accordingly.

This painting on Fontenay held up well even after half a dozen washes.

I always recommend that beginners use a bobust paper like Arches 300gm cold press or rough. This will help you get started as you will be able to make a few errors without having to start a new piece of paper.

It is a very robust paper that will stand up to repeated brush work.

Watercolour paper is generally coated with a size which is added at the end of the manufacturing process. This limits the amount of water and pigment that is absorbed by the paper. Without size the paper would react like blotting paper and be almost useless.

Paper that has been stored for a long time often shows signs of detioration of the size. This can lead to blotchiness that can be very annoyingespecially if it shows up after you have been working on a painting for awhile.

I generally start again once I discover any of these blemishes as they are bound to raise their ugly head further down the track.

 Storing heavy objects such as books or paint boxes on top of watercolour paper can also lead to disaster. Feint lines will appear in a wash as it dries where the object has left a tiny indentation in the paper.

I also encourage the beginner to use large pieces of paper. At least half sheet. This will teach you to throw the water around.

This in turn will help to free up your work.

Using small pieces of paper to save money is a false economy.

You will develop bad habits which are really hard to break later on.

I dont stretch watercolour paper.

When I first started paintings I used to spend hours stretching paper. I used to dampen the paper and then use loads of staples to attach the paper to ply boards. The slightest wrinckle and I would discard the lot and start again. It was almost a ritual that I had to go through before the painting began.

I used to get so strung up about the stretching that my work inevitably came out tight. I am so much more relaxed about the whole process nowadays. I  simply tape dry paper on to ply boards or use watercolour blocks.

What are watercolour blocks you say?

They are pre manufactured pads of  watercolour paper prestretched and glued around the edges. As you use one sheet you peel it off with a knife or one sided razor blade to leave a fresh sheet underneath.There are usually about 20 sheets to a block and the blocks come it various sizes and weights.

I have always found these very useful especially for outside work. They also store well and the size does not detiorate as easily as each piece of paper is only exposed to the elements when you are about to use it.

If you want to prepare a sheet of paper on a board and begin painting here is the procedure.

Firstly select the paper that you want to use for the particular painting .

Next lay the paper flat on the ply board and securely tape the edges with masking tape. I t does not have to be very wide. One to one and a half cms. is fine. Afer you have done any drawing that you wish to do [A subject in itself in a futuere tutorial] rest the board on a tissue box so that the paper is at an angle but not too steep.  You want the water to just move not run in streaks down the paper. Then you gently spray the top of the paper with a spray bottle and use a very soft brush. I use a squirrel hair brush but any really soft brush will do . Work your way down the paper moving from left to right like a typewriter. Gently spray the paper as you go until you reach the bottom of the paper. You do not want loads of water.

The paper will start to buckle but this does not matter. Wipe off any excess water at the bottom of the sheet with a tissue. Please do not clean up any water on the sheet itself with the tissue. Let any excess water run to the bottom.  There should be no puddles when you are finished. The whole process should only take about  a minute. Leave the paper flat an allow to dry for ten minutes or so. This will depend on atmospheric conditions and the type of paper you are using.

Do not fiddle with the paper.

Just a note about the ply boards.

Years ago I went to the timber yard and got them to cut about 20 boards in varying sizes. I still have them. You need plenty of boards so you can leave paintings. You will always have several paintings going as you need to leave them to allow washes to dry and also to give you time to contemplate the paintings.  Some of my paintings take months to complete or I might leave one and not work on it for weeks.

Watercolour paper that has been dampened in this way will appear touch dry in a relatively short time but be wary the paper could take as long as 24 hours to become completely dry. This is so important when applying washes. Something we will discuss at a later date.

I hope you have found these notes helpful and that your watercolours improve. It is such an exciting medium and it is worth persevering with. Dont be put off as completing a good watercolour is one of the most satusfying things you will ever do.