Anybody on this board into watercolo(u)r?
I recently picked up a small pack of them and messed around with it for the first time this evening which resulted in an ok-ish looking whale.
Even though I'm using shitty thin paper, I think it was a lot of fun, and a bunch of art that I could find looked really cool.
Would be great if somebody could post some cool works/artists or interesting techniques
Btw. elhuervo (a person who made music/art for hotline miami) uses watercolor a lot, and some of his stuff is really good in my opinion
>>2585473
> post some cool works/artists
joseph zbukvic and russell flint are two I know, also am looking for more good artists who use watercolor.
Kim Jung Gi
>>2587048
>>2585473
I knew a girl named Kaye that drew stuff like this.
Some were bright, some were pretty damn dark.
Like, stuff that embodies the terror you feel when you experience sleep paralysis.
It both terrifying and awesome.
These threads always seem to die with only a handful of posts. Are there really so few watercolor d/ic/ks?
I'll be starting my first watercolor attempts this week. Honestly have no idea what I am doing.
I got a set of great Dr Ph Martins watercolors for free two years ago.
I've barely touched them because I'm so shit at drawing that I feel I'd be wasting them.
Some day I'll be good enough for them.
>>2588944
Good luck! It took me several months to get my watercolor work to the same level as my usual stuff, but I learned a ton in the process.
Do you have any resources/instructions to work with or are you just going to dive in and experiment?
>>2589057
I don't think being precious with your materials is a good attitude to have. If you want to get good at using a medium, you have to practice with it.
If you can't bring yourself to use the expensive set, just get a student grade travel set with 12 half-pans from a company that also makes artist grade paints. Those are usually fairly decent and cost less than 20 bucks.
>>2590652
I have "The Complete Watercolorist's Essential Notebook" by Gordon MacKenzie coming tomorrow, so hopefully that helps.
Using a little Koi field sketch paint set that I got a while back to use for another project. Since none of the paints have been used I'm definitely having that, "I don't want to fuck this up" hesitation to begin.
>>2591069
I haven't read that book so I can't comment on it's quality, but based on a quick search it looks pretty good. Might have to see if I can find it somewhere around here myself.
It's pretty hard to permanently fuck up watercolor pans, that's one of the reasons why they're popular for painting on the go, so don't worry about it.
They also usually go a long way since you add so much water, so you don't really have to be concerned about wasting paint either.
>>2585473
I recently upgraded my watercolour supplies from student to artist grade. I'm really excited to try them out, though I feel a bit bad for spending so much money on paint, paper and brushes.
>>2592677
I gotta stock up on decent watercolor paper if I really want to learn this. Any tips for finding affordable 140 lb paper?
>>2594201
100% cotton
or give up
>>2594217
But how do I afford it all!
>>2594201
Pretty hard to find affordable paper that isn't shit. I got a 50 sheet block of pic related for a reasonable price and am somewhat happy with it. Color saturation is pretty good for a wood pulp paper, but it'll still get ruined if you layer or lift a lot.
>>2588944
I'm currently trying to start drawing and experimenting again after years of neglecting my art, so it'll take me a while to get something decent. But right now I'm experimenting mixing white gouache with dollar-store quality watercolor palettes, and it turned out pretty fun. I also have a Windsor and Newton "travel box", which is the most efficient thing I could've bought, making the whole process a lot more spontaneous.
>>2589057
>I've barely touched them because I'm so shit at drawing that I feel I'd be wasting them.
Fuck, I know the feeling, I've been like that for so many years. But at some point you have to step down and realize that holding up is only hurting yourself in the long run, and money/material is a renewable resource to a certain extent. Have fun, stop hesitating.
>>2594236
Alright, I'll just suck it up and invest into this hobby for real. What do you have to say about brushes? Been reading some books and they all cry eternal praises for Sable brushes. On DickBlick browsing, but not sure what brand I should go with for red sable. Any recommendations?
>>2594245
You can definitely make do without expensive brushes. Sable will hold more water, but a good synthetic will keep a finer point than a cheap sable. I like to use larger brushes, so I really like the Cotman one-stroke flats and the University rounds from W&N. I have a Rembrandt pure Kolinsky that's really good, but that cost more than I would consider paying in hindsight.
>>2594252
Alright, picked out size 4, 6, 8, 12 Winsor Newton University Rounds. 0, 1, 2, 4 Blick Scholastic Script brushes. And a 2.5 inch Hake brush for washes. Sound like a good start?
>>2594229
It's not much more expensive than shitty papers
And if you're really poor I guess go with 25% cotton u little bitch
>>2594270
the fuck u need all those brushes for?
and if you can't afford sable go with squirel or ox/cow ear hair
finally got myself a notebook with watercolor paper and it's hard not to feel afraid of wasting pages. can I paint on both sides of 90 lb. paper? or is it not recommended?
>>2594314
I paint both sides of 90lb paper with no problem.
>>2594336
Well if you want to make big washes on shitty paper you will have to tape it so don't forget to buy water activated acid free tape
They should have it at hardware stores
>>2594323
My ox brush is very soft when wet
It's nice to have and you can paint with it just fine
>>2594341
Or just buy a block instead of pads or loose sheets.
>>2594336
I'd recommend a waterbrush like a medium Pentel Aquash. They're cheap and really great. I haven't touched watercolors in a while, but from what I remember of the books I read when I was picking out my kit, most recommended something like a size 8 or 10 round and something big and flat for washes as a good starting point. A small (size 0 or 2) round for details would be a good addition to to those. Sable points well and holds a lot of water, but costs more than gold by weight. Squirrel holds the most water, but is pretty floppy when wet. Synthetics don't hold as much water but point great and are very cheap.
>>2594356
which part of earth do you live in family?
>>2594359
Why do you ask?
jamie hewlett uses watercolour a lot
>>2594364
>>2594361
Because sable here isn't much more expensive than squirel
>>2594356
what's the recommended size for a flat brush?
>>2594381
United States. Tried to find a source for the "more valuable than gold" figure but can't remember where I read it. Compare http://www.dickblick.com/products/blick-master-kolinsky-sable-for-watercolors/
with
http://www.dickblick.com/products/blick-master-natural-round/
and for Rolls-Royce sable prices
http://www.dickblick.com/products/winsor-and-newton-series-7-kolinsky-sable-pointed-round/
>>2594388
One inch, and a couple books I got from the book thread suggest the same ("Watercolor Landscapes" and "Mastering the Watercolor Wash"). You'll want larger if you use large format paper.
>>2594411
i read that quote too somewhere
oh right u meant those weasel ones yea those are expensive
i get them confused because of english names
In doing some of my first watercolors I have encountered the issue of the paper not fitting into my scanner. Any tips for getting my images uploaded in good quality without dropping $200+ on a larger scanner?
>>2595481
Office Supply stores often have large format scanners. You can also photograph the painting.
>>2595520
To clarify, you bring your documents in and they scan them for a fee.
>>2594217
Bee and Strathmore both have 5x7 100% cotton sheet options that are pretty affordable, if you don't feel like fussing around with one giant sheet elsewhere.
Strathmore 400 series WC paper isn't too bad for non-cotton cheaper options either.
>>2595578
oh, and if you want to make your own block with whatever WC paper you end up getting, pick up some rubber cement from elmer's or pvc glue. basically any acid-free glue should work. clip your shit together if you have clips around, otherwise try to make your back & front pages of the block be "scrap" pages. keep a spot unglued so you can use a palette knife to separate complete pages when you're done
