Watercolor is the most poetic
type of painting. Often a light lyrical short story, filled with light tender images, or an enchanting transparent melody is called watercolor. And everyone understands what is at stake.
Watercolor techniques in the visual arts
The sophistication of rich tones and the blur of halftones, the subtlest, lightest transitions, the softness of lines and the special depth of space - all this is watercolor. Despite the wide distribution and accessibility of funds, the technique of watercolor painting remains incomprehensible and mysterious even for professionals.
All the charm of watercolor technique lies in its transparency. White paper reflects the rays of light penetrating through the transparent thin layers of watercolor paint, and gives freshness to the shades of the picture. There are many different ways to make such images. All watercolor techniques cannot be classified, so they are divided conditionally, depending on any factors, for example, on the moisture of the paper. We will briefly talk only about the main ones.
English watercolor
The technique of watercolor painting, which is called "wet" or English watercolor, is done using pre-moistened paper. This method allows you to get transparent, light shades of color with soft transitions. This method is especially effective in landscape painting. The main difficulty is the fluidity of watercolors. Often an artist depends on the vagaries of paint spreading over wet paper. It is usually not possible to fix a single fragment without affecting the rest, so the English technique of watercolor painting requires mastery of the brush and constant self-control.
Italian watercolor
Another method - the work of "dry" or Italian watercolor, is to apply paint to a dry sheet in one or more layers, depending on the intent of the artist.
In this case, a single-layer watercolor is painted with one or two brush strokes, which allows you to maintain all the purity of the color. If necessary, you can add paint of a different color or shade to the already applied, but not yet dried layer.
Multilayer watercolor or glaze is a way of applying watercolor paint with transparent strokes, one layer on top of another, already dried. Thanks to this, the paints in different layers do not mix, but work in light. Smears are done carefully so as not to wash out and damage the dried areas. This technique of watercolor painting helps to achieve the intensity of color, clear and deep shadows, colorful reflexes.
Watercolor work can be performed in mixed (combined) technique, when the watercolorist harmoniously combines painting techniques, using all the richness of colors.
Watercolor painting in architectural graphics
The watercolor technique is also widely used in architectural practice. It is most perfect for conveying the forms of construction in the drawings and gives a complete idea of what the object should be in reality. According to the doctor of architecture P.P. Revyakin, the technique of watercolor painting is a pictorial tool of the architect, and the higher his skill, the livelier, easier and more understandable the drawing becomes.
Architectural watercolor, in contrast to art, is more concise, has some generalization, business simplicity and limited palette. The artwork of the drawing is devoted to special courses in watercolor painting, teaching future architects its rules and patterns.
Conclusion
Watercolor is diverse, unique and individual, like the handwriting of people, it is a receptacle of a variety of picturesque schools and techniques, trends and styles. As it is impossible to embrace the immensity, it is impossible to describe in a short article the many faces of this art form and its special susceptibility "to the temperamental strokes of the brush."