Watercolor Painting
Most cartoonist are familiar with watercolor paintings because it could be the simplest to set up. However, the technique of watercolor painting is not simple to master.
The mixing medium is water. It is a painting technique using colored powder mixed with glues and suspended in water. Some of the dissolved colors are called ink. The most common media holding the painting is paper.
What identifies it as watercolor painting is the use of brush rather than the pen. Some watercolor paintings also incorporates pen lines and are called pen-and-wash techniques.
There are many styles in use. The Chinese and Japanese watercolour paintings tend to use a lot of blacks or browns, while western styles have many shades of colors.
Some are done in a loosely, flowing style while others tend to be intricate and detailed.
Watercolor painting was also used in cartoons and large paintings.
Watercolor paint
When we talk about watercolor, it usually means the traditional transparent watercolor. However, there is another type called gouache or opaque watercolor, sometimes called poster colors. Sometimes people also call acrylic paints as watercolor because they can be dissolved in water.
Traditional watercolor paint is made of finely-ground pigment mixed with gum arabic for the body, and glycerin or honey for viscosity and to bond the colorant to the painting surface. Unpigmented filler is added to gouache to lend opacity to the paint. Oil of clove is used to prevent mold.
Commercial watercolor paints come in two grades: “Artist” (or “Professional”) and “Student”, the former usually formulated using a single pigment, while the latter grade paints are often are formulated using two or more less expensive pigments. The artist grade have richer colors and vibrant mixes.
