Watercolor is one of the most complex painting techniques. It requires the artist to be extremely careful in displaying details, since it is almost impossible to change or remake anything in a drawing. Washing with watercolors is quite simple. This technique was almost the only method of applying watercolors before the advent of impressionism.
What is watercolor wash useful for?
It is used to give the drawing volume and to demonstrate how the object being drawn will look in reality. Washing is, albeit a fairly easy, but lengthy process. In architectural institutes, she is taught from the first year, since she is one of the main means of the architect. After all, an ordinary drawing is not able to give an accurate idea to an unprepared viewer about the shape of the object. Washing with watercolors helps to understand the plan, to see the shape of the subject and to see the color scheme for any person. For the architect himself, this technique is also very useful. He gets the opportunity to work with color, find the most suitable combinations of materials for the implementation of the plan, refine the tone ratio, achieve a well-defined silhouette and volume of the object being drawn.
Beginning of work
How to wash with watercolors? This process is simple but time consuming. The first step in working with washing is to separate the highlights from the shadows. All places where the shadow falls should be painted so that when they are dried they are still slightly lighter than the brightest reflexes in the darkened areas. Further, all surfaces of the fragment should be covered with the lightest tone that is possible, practically with water. But all the edges and planes affected by the light at right angles should remain intact.
Having previously studied the sketch, it is necessary to divide the drawing into basic plans, depending on how they are removed in depth. The foreground is always illuminated much more strongly, so it must be depicted brighter than everyone else. The word “plan” in a particular case implies all vertical surfaces that are parallel to the front planes of the projections.
Next stage
The entire surface of the drawing, except for its first plan, should be covered with a light solution of watercolor paint. After it dries, the foreground will look a little brighter than the rest, deeper. In order for a work such as washing with watercolors to become a little easier to perform, you should immediately cover all the light and shadow areas of the drawing. At the same time, you should try to keep the ribs under the light source bright, especially if they are in the foreground.
When the degree of illumination on the bright planes is distributed, you can proceed to work on the shadow areas. Places that are closest to the viewer and are in the shade should be more saturated than those in the background. The latter are drawn more loosely, and the details in the gradations become smaller.
Final process
The final stage in the question of how to make washing with watercolors requires special care from the artist. All spaces in the figure that are closed and deep should be less illuminated by reflected rays in their shadow parts. This rule should be clearly observed when it comes to openings in which the interior is displayed. Shaded surfaces are covered sequentially according to existing plans in the same way as when washing illuminated areas, only in the reverse order.
The shadows closest to the viewer are processed last. On all the edges of the displayed part that are in the shadow, you must leave a thin strip, slightly lighter than the shadow itself. This procedure allows you to convey a distinct form relief. It is also important to remember that in the foregrounds, the luminous edges of the figure should look brighter than those in the back, deep sections of the drawing.
Different washing methods
There is more than one watercolor painting technique. The first and lightest is black and white. First, the details are drawn with ink, and then the artist picks up the paint. The most important thing in the black and white washing is to choose the right angle, that is, the place from where the subject will look most expressively. The main parts of the silhouette should be clearly visible. Although this type of washing is rarely used, it provides the novice architect with the most important thing - a sense of tone. The drawing is in a clear tone and delicate, restrained color scheme. Most often, this technique is used to display a variety of architectural projects.
Color wash with watercolors increases the range of highlights. It enables the artist to realize any desired lighting in the picture. It can be a sunny and bright day, a rainy and cloudy landscape, a colorful sunset or sunrise. The main thing is to determine what exactly needs to be displayed in the work, to choose the right light source. If the light is bright, then the color diversity should decrease, and the shadows should be contrasted, which allows a good display of volume. Conversely, if the lighting is diffuse, then the contrast decreases, and the color load increases.
Important details
Before you start, you should select a topic. Architectural watercolors are preferably used to display more characteristic and voluminous views of buildings. It is necessary to correctly and beautifully plan the future drawing. After all, the result of the work should be almost identical to the photographic image of the object. A quality drawing is fifty percent success. It should be done with mascara, which is diluted to a light gray hue. The drawing is done with light hand movements, so that later it does not appear through the watercolor. In some cases, you can apply a color outline. Then the blue color will become the main one in the illuminated areas, and darkened places will require a red or brown tone. The quality of the paper is also important, as the drawings require the artist to be extremely accurate and accurate.
Washing in architectural drawings
Washing with watercolors in architecture requires great skill of the artist. It is necessary to possess a large store of knowledge, to be able to use the properties of paints, to distinguish between light and color natural phenomena, to see the numerous qualities of various textures and more. After finishing work in the technique of watercolor washing, you can see a relief and volumetric object, which is as close as possible to its real appearance. This result is achieved by the artist by working out all the light and shadow sections of the depicted object.