What is the correct usage of solid watercolor pigments?

The core of solid watercolor pigments relies on water dissolution to activate the pigments before use. The complete and correct usage is divided into three steps: basic preparation, color extraction operation, and coloring techniques:

1. Preparation before use

Wet the paint in advance: Before painting, use a spray bottle to wet the solid paint, let it sit for 30 seconds until the surface paint is soft, and then take the color. This can solve the problems of difficulty in dipping and dry color that beginners often encounter. If there is no spray bottle, you can also use a wet brush to lightly wet the surface of the paint in advance, or directly drop a few drops of water to wet the paint block.

Prepare tools: Prepare a pen washing cup with clean water, a clean color palette, and a brush with moderate hardness. For large-area coloring, prepare a brush for easy operation.

2. Color extraction and color adjustment

The amount of water dipped in a brush should be more than using a tubular watercolor to ensure that the brush is filled with water and maintain the moisture of the paint.

Grind vigorously when dipping pigments, and dip more pigments at once to avoid repeatedly dipping them during the creation process due to insufficient pigments; If color mixing is found on the surface of the pigment, clean it with clean water in a timely manner.

If painting small works, you can directly dip them in color for painting. For painting large works, it is recommended to dissolve the colors needed one by one in advance and adjust them to different compartments of the color palette for later use, to avoid repeatedly dipping and damaging the water mark effect of the picture.

When the pen tip has too much water, use a tissue to absorb the excess water and adjust the ratio of pigment to water - the more water there is, the lighter and more transparent the color, and the less water there is, the higher the color saturation.

3. Basic coloring techniques

There are 5 basic techniques commonly used in solid watercolor, which can be combined according to the needs of the painting:

Dry painting method: After applying a color and waiting for it to dry completely, stack the next layer of color, which will have clear and obvious connection boundaries, suitable for depicting details and contours.

Wet painting technique: After applying a color, immediately stack a layer while it is wet, and the color will naturally blend and blend, suitable for painting transitional blocks.

Natural blending method: First, wet the entire paper with clean water, and then apply color. The pigment will naturally spread along the wet paper to form soft patterns, especially suitable for painting backgrounds, skies, and snow scenes.

Gradient layering method: Adding other colors to the previous layer when it is wet, allowing the colors to naturally blend and transition. It is very useful for creating gradient effects.

Edge trimming method: After coloring, use a tissue to absorb excess moisture at the edges, which can form a clean and neat contour suitable for styling.

Precautions

Solid watercolor is more suitable for small-scale creation, outdoor sketching, and travel bookkeeping because it is easy to carry and less prone to leakage; After use, pay attention to keeping the pigment clean and avoid mixing different colors to contaminate the surface.