Ref 1094 Gouache // Gouache over Stardream onyx color paper,
                            How white color change and integrate the whole painting

Main loose painting steps to get this result;

                  "Dancing can reveal all the mystery that music conceals"

Main steps;

White mix addition

 

Just plain permanent white addition

Ref 1093 Gouache over Stardream onyx color paper

"You can not manipulate a marionette, with only a rope"

 

Ref 1092.-  Spattering paint to suggest rain through opaque watercolor
                 (gouache over Stardream black color paper - 105 lb)

Some words about opaque watercolor (gouache) 

Gouache can be diluted with water and applied in semi-transparent layers. Used thick, it is opaque and covers well, so unlike watercolor, you can work from dark to light, adding lighter areas last. You can also make changes easily and cover up mistakes with another layer. I find it useful for adding highlights to watercolors
Watercolor allows the artist to apply thin washes, or layers of color, building a surface of color one layer at a time. Gouache, on the other hand, can come in a small tube or as a pan (like watercolor), can be thinned (like watercolor) but even when it is thinned has a different characteristic to it. The opacity of gouache grants you certain things that watercolor won't, and vise versa.
By far the easiest and fastest way to answer the question (but not nearly the most comprehensive) is that gouache is just an opaque form of watercolor
Keep in mind that although gouache can be watered down to appear more transparent, it will not granulate (appear mottled or speckled) like watercolor and will dry to a more matte finish

The following exercise, is made just with gouache (black, White, blue, and a bit of orange and yellow)
Paper is Stardream black colored  weigth 105 lbs.
You need an old tooth brush and round brushes
Artistic varnish

This is the result regarding this project


sprays fixative on gouache, but she finds that it darkens the values significantly, so she must paint lighter in anticipation of this effect

 Main Steps; In same paper I made some previous testing to verify if ideas will work all together
Please do so, to gain confidence for spattering color, with your tooth brush

1st Step.- Sketch the idea having in mind first the background, with some colors on it to avoid just a black and White result

 

 

 2nd step.-  Before gouache application dry I start to conform vertical lines (rain drops) with the help  of a toothpick

 

 

3rd Step.- By my previous tests, I found that the paint breaks better above a varnish surface, so once I´m happy with the background idea, I apply artistic varnish all over the painting, take advantage of the gravity to paint everything in a inclined  position and let it dry completely

 

 

4th Step.- I also found that the best way for spattering fine drops is to wet the tooth brush and then with my fingers put the painting as deep as possibleon it. because in the surface spattering drops are big but when the painting is inside the spattering drops are more fine, do it by áreas to avoid painting become dry in order you can make lines with the toothpick

 

 

 

5th Step.- To make the rain drops even better now with a fine round brush reafirm some of the black lines base in what is at the background, and spatter now black color with the toothbrush and more fine lines with the toothpick

 

 

 

6th Step.- Let it dry completely before repaint the black figure and the blue umbrela. and add some random colors around, this will lead us to a matte finish again, but once you be satisfied repeat the varnish addition to uniform the final wet appearance

 

 

 Note Regarding the spattering process.-  don´t over do it;  to avoid stains within the paint

Ref 1091 Watercolor // Pigment wash saturation -  Technic;
 -- works by dropping watercolor concentrated pigment onto a dry layer. You then let the pigment and the background layer dry in place, with the help of a hot hair dryer, once the paper is completely dry.add another color You will be left with a highly concentrated color dot that radiates a bit into the background layer; and different patterns can result.
tip.- Shadowing works better with complementary colors

This is the exercise result of apply this technic

Main steps; loose sketching with violet, Payne´s grey and raw umber basically for the background (over cold press paper) I masked some spots among the branches to avoid uniform colors

 

You need to add saturated colors where you need them;  and dry them with a hot air dryer

 

And repeat from light to dark with additional colors on it

 

The next final steps are regarding to reinforce and define main dark lines and allows light among the colors so partially wet where you need and lift color with and absorbent paper

 

 

Unmask and delineate

Finally cut

 

 

 

Ref 1089 Watercolor // painting a beliable atmosphere with the help of alcohol & cotton

This is the result of this application;

Main steps;
The idea is to créate a colorful atmosphere.- the alcohol creates a different but beliable texture which in this case will be made over hot press paper, within this exercise
Alcohol repeals wáter pushing the paint away and creating some White shapes (base color paper), when spattered or dripped, in this case I use cotton with alcohol to break the watercolor painting as much as possible to apply a color over the painting

1st. step.- With Payne´s grey in a round brush I mainly sketch in a loose way the theme to work with

2nd Step.- Within the upper part (lighting source) I apply diluted masking fluid to conform some flower´s shapes, and now I´m more confident to apply the color´s shadows here and there

Tip.- color of shadows are regarding the complimentary colors (colors that are opposite each to other in the color Wheel) purple for yellow and red for Green giving me richer shadows with depth in my composition, the wáter I´m using have some porcentaje (approx. 10%) of alcohol to start breaking colors has been applied,
3rd step.- Once the base and flowers are painted I left to dry before continue (alcohol dries quickly)  Then with alcohol in my cotton (not totally saturated) I pick up some watercolor to rub over the painting in a vertical way to start creating a colorful atmosphere

4th Step.- I take away the masking fluid and continue applying color "with my cotton with alcohol" to fade some of the flowers basically into the background

5th Step.- Final touches.- Negative color application reinforcement with same alcohol wáter solution
And finally opaque watercolor White reinforcement (gouache permanent White) to define some of the foreground flowers and diluted shine lines to suggest sun rays integrating them with absorbent paper through out the lifting out painting technic
Notes;you may notice difficulty in lifting colors whose dyes are more soluble in alcohol because the alcohol enhances those dyes’ staining properties

Painting with the watercolor-alcohol mix was, in a word, weird. It feels almost like dry brushing, but with a wet brush.The alcohol soaked into the paper very quickly, along with whatever pigment I managed to scrape up

 

Ref 1088; Watercolor // Esculpting a painting with modeling paste

This is the result of the following exercise;

Main steps; After sketch the figure, start filling it out with modeling paste the inner contour, try to do so, by follow the figure flow with a fine spatula, the paper is known as Stardream silver color paper, it´s quite resistant but you can do over watercolor paper of heavy weigth too.

You need to apply several layers to conform the figure as needed, to do so you need to wait for dry the previous one, as Works evolves I confirm main shadows lines with soluble graphitone pencil, threfore at the same time the modeling paste is taken shadowing color where needed, at the edges try to fade modeling paste to avoid Sharp 3D zones, it does´t matter if you pass the figure lines .-- modeling paste can be disolved with wáter in be lifted it out with your fingers

 

This is how it looks after 3 different layers

I start to work with watercolor .- the modeling paste allow us to absorb color in a particular way which gives a lot of fun and control it´s quite noble .- also I added modeling paste at the background wetting my fingers in the solution (modeling paste + wáter 1:5) wait for dry and add additional colors and shadows

 

I added cerulean blue  to reinforce shadowings and also gouache permanent White for additional brights within the figura in addition to watercoloring accordingly, and you have a 3D sculpting painting  within the paper. and don´t worry the modeling paste is flexible enough once is completely dry

Ref 1090 An old painting made by 1988 inspired in H.R.Giger´s Works
                 ( which I didn´t take a photo at that time,  now found it )---- which I´d like to share
                within my present Works

It was made with airbrush over texturized canvas
and a Green Stone it was incrusted into the upper head

Ref 1087.- Watercolor / Practicing with Epson salts to represent a scene of snow and frost
Please refer to my first post in this subject on 28SE16, The woman in the red hat...
But now crystallizing rough with the shimmery effect
Shake or swirl equal amounts of Epsom salts and water (start with ½ tsp. of each) along with a pinch of salt in a covered jar. Add liquid watercolor for your desired hue. Swirl the mixture gently for 3-5 minutes and paint as usual. Dry overnight. Saturate paper with paint mixture to form large crystals
This is the result to partially apply this technique over Stardrean silver color paper 105 lbs

Material needed:
Epson salts (less tan 6 gr)
Modeling paste
Watercolor set (main colors described within the steps)
round brushes
Stardream silver color paper.- weigth105 gr
Spatulas 2 sizes (for details - small; for cover .- big)

1st step.- By previous experiences I found that is not necessary to detail first watercolor application over this type of paper, because once the first layer is applied and is dry Works better for next watercolor applications.- so in a loose way I decide main landscape contourns and/or guided lines with Payne´s grey with no Epsom salt yet diluted on it

2nd Step.- Base in previous post experience, I found that Epsom salts Works better with watercolor by its transparency than with gouache, "I use to work just with permanent White gouche due its brightness and opacity when paper is not precisely White" to créate the White base I need I apply modeling paste just where snow it going to be
Note you can créate texture with modeling paste but I just apply where snow áreas will be,  making them smooth with the same spatula (will be the anchor for white watercolor paint with epsom salts)

 

3rd Step.- Now in a pool with the wáter-salt ratio above indicated I prepare just the White color which is applied over the snowing áreas, with a big brush

 

 

 

4th Step.- While White color with salt is drying I continue working in the upper side with normal watercolors, building up with raw sienna, raw umber, yellow ochre, Payne´s grey, cerulean and phtalo blue mixed, and violet (I like colors, even the scene be on Winter)

 

5th Step.- I lift paint as I apply it, in order to integrate it, with an absorbent paper,
When you apply darks into the snow the colors integrate by itself with the crystals texturization on it (its amazing)

This is a close up 45° photograph of how the snow área looks after 12 hrs to let it dry, the crystals looks really like glitter snow, the texturization looks pretty good indeed, and remains within the paint you don´t need any type of fixer