[Edit this paragraph] Overview
Watercolor painting is a skill of artistic practice. Because watercolor pigments are cheaper, easier to use and have an ideal color sense, most people are happy to use them. Secondly, watercolor painting itself has a very charming charm. Refreshing and handsome, with proper tone and unique and elegant style. The transparency of watercolor color, the emphasis on color techniques, and the application of dry and wet techniques make the picture look harmonious, with a special charm of intoxicating, giving the audience a feeling of being on the scene.
Watercolor painting, as a form of artistic creation, is one of the languages to express artistic feelings. The infiltration of water in the picture, the natural flow and the randomly changing strokes make people feel the flow of light waves. This kind of artistic conception is incomparable to other paintings.
Literally speaking, the so-called watercolor painting is a picture drawn on special watercolor paper with water as diluent and specially mixed with pigments that can be diluted by water. Watercolor painting is obviously different from other paintings because of the characteristics of tools, materials and production technology. Nowadays, with the development of science and technology and the increase of painting materials, there are more pigments with water as diluent, such as gouache, propylene, transparent watercolor and so on. So we need to redefine the concept of watercolor painting. From the definition of the characteristics of watercolor painting, watercolor painting not only refers to the mixture of pigment and water, but also has its own rich connotation and a set of techniques completely different from other paintings. The control of water quantity, the ratio of water to pigment, and the traces left by water on paper all become the rhythmic form and expression of the picture. In a word, water is the life and soul of watercolor painting, and it plays a major role in controlling the picture effect. From two or three hundred years ago to modern times, the concept of watercolor painting has been expanding, with wider connotation and richer content, greatly broadening the original meaning. It is considered that only water is used to mix pigments and paint on paper, and the color rhythm of the picture is controlled by water content, which is called watercolor painting. Because modern watercolor painting not only uses watercolor, but also uses water pink, acrylic, traditional Chinese painting and transparent watercolor, and some even use oil painting color, oil painter, pigment, salt, sand, etc., and some pigments are mixed. In a word, the rhythm, relationship and color of watercolor painting in all stages of development are reflected by the amount of water content, and the picture effect is achieved by controlling the water content.
Watercolor painting was not recognized at first. In the early days of watercolor art, people thought that watercolor painting was not as rich as oil painting, lacked aesthetic value and had no economic value as printmaking. It is used for shorthand color or sketch, and it is an attached and low-level painting. The superiority theory of oil painting occupies people's psychology, and watercolor painting is only regarded as the last skill of painting. In the primary stage of the development of watercolor art, many watercolor artists have borrowed oil painting techniques, and they want to improve the expressive ability of watercolor painting with oil painting techniques. But later, watercolor painting developed by leaps and bounds on its own road, and after completely abandoning the influence of oil painting techniques, it gradually formed a set of unique techniques, thus forming an independent painting.
Nowadays, in many excellent watercolors, it is difficult to see traces of decoration, wiping and small hair, let alone the shadow of oil painting techniques, because watercolors are characterized by their own characteristics-purity, transparency, clarity and nature from the first stroke. Watercolors are generally divided into transparent watercolors and opaque watercolors. Transparent watercolor painting is to mix pigments with water and apply a thin layer to make the colors on the screen clear and bright, with a transparent feeling. In addition to clear water, opaque painting can also use gum to make the colors on the screen more delicate and soft. It can be considered that the concept of watercolor painting will be broader and more profound with the renewal of ideas and the broadening of themes and techniques.
[Edit this paragraph] function
As far as it is concerned, it has two basic characteristics: first, most pictures have a transparent visual experience; The second is the fluidity of water in the process of painting. Therefore, watercolor painting is different from other paintings in appearance and creative techniques. The transparency of pigment makes watercolor painting produce the surface effect of Amin car, while the fluidity of water will produce a dripping, natural and free and easy taste.
[Edit this paragraph] Source
The history of human writing and illustrating books has been 3500 years. At first, a fibrous plant called papyrus was found along the Nile River in Egypt. The stem bark can be made into scrolls for writing and painting, and books on science, history, witchcraft and religion can be made. Another important purpose of this scroll is to be buried with the dead and accompany them to another world. The words on it help them explain what they have done all their lives to Osiris, the ghost. The portraits on the scroll were later called miniature paintings, all of which were transparent. Khaki and ochre are taken from soil; Red is taken from cinnabar minerals; Azurite is blue, stone green is green, khaki is yellow and shellac is orange; Black is made of willow charcoal and white is made of chalk. These pigments are mixed with gum Arabic and protein and diluted with water before use. In short, this is watercolor.
One thousand years later, around 170 BC, Wang Ou Menes II of Pagama took the lead in using parchment. The sheepskin was treated with lime, the wool was cut off, and then softened with pumice, which became this new writing material. These sheepskins were bound into pamphlets, called manuscripts, and then bound into volumes, becoming sheepskin classics handed down to future generations. Since then, the manuscript has been using parchment.
By the ninth century, whether in Greece, Rome, Syria or Byzantium, most miniature paintings were painted in opaque watercolors mixed with lead and white. The Carolyn Dynasty in Charlemagne at that time. Charlemagne attached great importance to manuscript creation, and he called many great painters who used transparent and opaque watercolors alternately. This mixed use continued until the late Middle Ages, and even during the Renaissance, watercolors were widely used in miniature paintings. In fact, these are the embryonic forms of watercolor painting.
The scope of watercolor painting can be extended to ancient Egyptian scrolls, Persian foreign miniatures and illustrations of medieval European Bible manuscripts, as well as the remains of cloth curtains in the ancient traditional Gu Ren tomb in China, the eastern suburb of Luoyang, and even can be traced back to prehistoric times, such as altamira and Lacey (Altamira &; Lascauxl) cave paintings. Although many ancient humans mixed water with pigments and resins as a tool to record their trivial lives and convey their social civilization, with the passage of time and the accumulation of knowledge, European watercolor painting rose in 18 and 19 centuries. Especially the fruitful results created by many British watercolor painters. Since then, watercolor painting has gradually become perfect. By the end of 19, watercolor painting has developed a complete independent system. In a narrow sense, "watercolor painting" refers to the way of painting on paper with watercolor pigments and water as dilution media. There are usually two major fields: transparent watercolor and opaque watercolor.
With the progress of science and technology and the emergence of new painting materials, watercolor painting in the 20th century is no longer limited to transparent watercolors and opaque watercolors. Draw all the materials that can be diluted with water. Such as gypsum powder, acrylic, transparent watercolor liquid and watercolor pencil, are all included in the field of watercolor painting.
[Edit this paragraph] Theme selection
Watercolor has a wide range of themes, and landscape painting is a favorite theme of watercolor painters. Nature presents us with extremely rich and vivid colors. Whether it is warm and gorgeous sunshine or deep and vast ocean, whether it is bright and colorful flowers and trees or cold and turbid clouds, it arouses the artist's inner color impulse and desire to express. A painter who loves nature will never get tired of expressing his color world through landscape painting.
Still life is also a common theme in watercolor painting. There are many kinds, forms and colors of still life. Artists can deliberately arrange the required content and composition according to their own intentions, so as to create meaningful still life paintings.
In contrast, figure painting requires a higher skill level of the painter. First of all, you must have a good sketch foundation of figure painting and rich experience in watercolor painting, so the theme of figure is not the best choice for beginners.
Many modern and contemporary watercolor painters have chosen abstract forms to express their artistic ideas and created a large number of excellent works. When painting gets rid of the shackles of visual representation, its clear, free and smooth material characteristics gain more freedom in abstract expression.
Watercolor painting with the theme of architecture has a long history, and it is more favored by architects because of their professional aesthetic hobbies and needs. Of course, it is also a subject that many watercolor lovers are keen on. Excellent architecture itself is exquisite art, which not only arouses people's aesthetic experience with its scale, proportion, color, decoration and changing light and shadow effects, but also conveys some spiritual connotation through images.
[Edit this paragraph] Tool materials
① Brush:
Choosing the right brush for watercolor painting is very important. There are two kinds of special watercolor pens: flat head and round head. Most watercolor pens are made of natural and synthetic materials, and there are also expensive mink brushes. However, for ordinary watercolor lovers, ordinary brushes are enough. To engage in general sketch or creation, you need to prepare large, medium and small types of round-headed brushes, as well as a scrubber about three or four centimeters wide and one or two flat-headed brushes. These are just some suggestions for beginners. Professional watercolor painters choose tools according to their own experience and interests.
② drawing paper:
Cold pressed watercolour paper can be used to draw paper. The surface particles of watercolor paper are thick and thin. Which one to choose depends on the artist's personal habits, screen content and screen scale. For beginners, the appropriate frame ratio is generally not less than 20cm*30cm or more than 40cm*50cm, and the length-width ratio depends on interest and subject content. Before painting, it is best to brush both sides of the drawing paper with clear water, and then stick the drawing paper on the drawing board along the four sides of the paper with water-soluble adhesive tape. After drying, the paper will be smooth, and the paper will not deform too much during painting.
③ Pigment and toner box:
Pigments can usually be packed in pipes. Here are some common colors:
Red category: scarlet, scarlet, vermilion;
Yellow: khaki, medium yellow, lemon yellow;
Blue category: general blue, ultramarine blue and lake blue;
Green category: green, light green;
Brown: Van Dyke brown, ripe brown and ripe ochre;
In addition, you can also prepare a Payne ash.
There are many kinds of watercolor pigments, but it is impossible to use all colors in general painting. In fact, there are only seven or eight kinds of pigments that are often used, and generally everyone will have their own painting habits.
For the convenience of color matching, they are generally arranged according to the cold and warm categories of colors. Commonly used colors are: crimson, bright red, vermilion, orange, khaki, medium yellow, lemon yellow, light green, emerald green, lake blue, ultramarine blue, blue, Payne gray, Van Dyck brown, ripe brown and ripe ochre.
In addition to ordinary color mixing boxes, other white plastic plates or porcelain plates can be used for color mixing.
④ Others:
In addition to the above, we should also prepare some auxiliary tools, such as a water tank for brushing pens, small bottles with nozzles or paper towels. In addition, sponge is also a common tool for cleaning and retouching pictures.
[Edit this paragraph] Painting skills
1, dry painting and wet painting
Dry painting is a multi-layer painting method. Using the method of layer coating to color the dry background color does not require infiltration effect, and it can be easily colored repeatedly, which is easier to master and suitable for beginners to practice. Positive expression, clear physical structure and rich color levels are the specialties of dry painting. The dry painting method can not only write articles on the word "dry", but also make people feel wet with water, avoiding the problem of dryness and boredom. Dry coating method can be layered coating, color masking, color collection, dry pen and other specific methods.
① coating:
That is, dry stacking, dry coloring, and colors are stacked one by one to express the object. There are different levels of coloring in the picture, some places can be done at once, and some places need to be done twice, three times or even more, but it is not advisable to count too many times to avoid losing the transparency of color. It can not be ignored that the layers of paint overlap after work, so as to predict the mixing effect of revealing the background color in advance.
② Cover color:
In fact, it is also a dry stacking method, and the color area of the mask is larger. For example, several colors in the picture are not uniform enough, so we have to mask the colors once to make them uniform. If a piece of color is too warm, a layer of cool color will change its cold and warm properties. The color of the cover should be bright Bo Tu, and it should be re-paved. Generally don't write back, otherwise the color will be dirty with the background color. This method is often used in the process of coloring and the final adjustment of the picture.
(3) color:
Dry color matching means that adjacent colors are painted from their sides after drying, and there is no infiltration between color blocks. Each color itself can also be wet coated to increase variation. This method is characterized by clear outline and bright colors.
(4) dry pen:
Write less water and more colors, and it is easy to fly white when writing; Drawing quickly on rough paper full of water will also produce flying white. The method of dry pen is often used to show the effect of flash or softness.
Wet painting can be divided into wet stacking and wet color collection.
(1) wet overlap:
Wet or partially brush the drawing paper, dry it and then color it, and dry it and then superimpose the color. Proper control of moisture and time will make the effect naturally mellow. Showing the rainy and foggy atmosphere and moist interest is its specialty, which is beyond the reach of some paintings.
(2) Wet color:
This method is often used when the color is close to the dry end, the water color flows through, the boundary is blurred, and the transition soft color gradient is displayed. When collecting color, the water list should be used evenly, otherwise the water will rush to less places, which will easily lead to unnecessary water stains.
Watercolor painting is mostly a combination of dry painting and wet painting. The picture with wet painting as the main part is dry painting, and the picture with dry painting as the main part also has wet painting. The combination of dry and wet painting is expressive, dense and dry, and interesting.
2, the mastery of moisture
The application and mastery of water is one of the key points of watercolor techniques. Water has the characteristics of infiltration, flow and evaporation in the picture, so you should be familiar with "water-based" when painting watercolors. Giving full play to the role of water is an important factor in watercolor painting. To master moisture, we should pay attention to time, air humidity and water absorption of drawing paper.
(1) Time problem:
The time of wet coating should be well grasped. If the colors overlap too early and too wet, it is easy to lose their proper shape. If it is too late, the background color will be dry, watercolor will not penetrate easily, and the connection will be stiff. Generally, when overlapping colors, the water content of the pen should be less and the colors should be more, which is convenient to grasp the modeling and make it penetrate. If the overlapping color is light, wait until the background color is slightly dry before applying.
② Dry humidity of air:
Draw a few watercolors, and you will realize that the water dries slowly indoors, and the water evaporates more slowly when painting outdoors in wet, rainy and foggy weather. In this case, draw less water; In a dry climate, water evaporates quickly, so use more water to speed up the painting of color matching.
③ Water absorption of drawing paper:
According to the water absorption speed of paper, master the water consumption accordingly. When the water absorption is slow, the water can be less, the paper is softer and absorbs water faster, so it is necessary to increase the water. In addition, large-scale rendering of halo colors, such as sky, ground, still life, people background, etc., should use more water, and should use all water; Use less water to describe parts and details.
3. "Blank" method
Compared with the techniques of oil painting and gouache painting, the most prominent feature of watercolor technique is the method of "leaving blank". Some light and white parts need to be "left blank" when drawing dark colors. The transparency of watercolor pigments determines this painting technique. Light color cannot cover dark color, unlike gouache and oil painting, which can be covered with light color and white powder. Pay attention to watercolor works, and you will find that almost every one uses the technique of "leaving blank".
Proper and accurate blank or light color will enhance the vividness and expressiveness of the picture; On the other hand, improper blank space will easily lead to trivial and messy pictures. Mark the blank with a pencil before coloring. When coloring, you should skillfully omit the key details, that is, dots and faces. In addition, where the contrast colors are adjacent, the other side should be empty and colored separately to maintain their uniqueness. Some beginners leave unnecessary empty shapes and then paint colors along the outline. Some people leave empty places dead, too rigid, and lose vitality along the outline. Empty is accurate and vivid, and it is the embodiment of skilled skills. Repeated practice in practice makes perfect. Watercolor painting is a skill of artistic practice. Because watercolor pigments are cheaper, easier to use and have an ideal color sense, most people are happy to use them. Secondly, watercolor painting itself has a very charming charm. Refreshing and handsome, with proper tone and unique and elegant style. The transparency of watercolor color, the emphasis on color techniques, and the application of dry and wet techniques make the picture look harmonious, with a special charm of intoxicating, giving the audience a feeling of being on the scene.
Watercolor painting, as a form of artistic creation, is one of the languages to express artistic feelings. The infiltration of water in the picture, the natural flow and the randomly changing strokes make people feel the flow of light waves. This kind of artistic conception is incomparable to other paintings.
Literally speaking, the so-called watercolor painting is a picture drawn on special watercolor paper with water as diluent and specially mixed with pigments that can be diluted by water. Watercolor painting is obviously different from other paintings because of the characteristics of tools, materials and production technology. Nowadays, with the development of science and technology and the increase of painting materials, there are more pigments with water as diluent, such as gouache, propylene, transparent watercolor and so on. So we need to redefine the concept of watercolor painting. From the definition of the characteristics of watercolor painting, watercolor painting not only refers to the mixture of pigment and water, but also has its own rich connotation and a set of techniques completely different from other paintings. The control of water quantity, the ratio of water to pigment, and the traces left by water on paper all become the rhythmic form and expression of the picture. In a word, water is the life and soul of watercolor painting, and it plays a major role in controlling the picture effect. From two or three hundred years ago to modern times, the concept of watercolor painting has been expanding, with wider connotation and richer content, greatly broadening the original meaning. It is considered that only water is used to mix pigments and paint on paper, and the color rhythm of the picture is controlled by water content, which is called watercolor painting. Because modern watercolor painting not only uses watercolor, but also uses water pink, acrylic, traditional Chinese painting and transparent watercolor, and some even use oil painting color, oil painter, pigment, salt, sand, etc., and some pigments are mixed. In a word, the rhythm, relationship and color of watercolor painting in all stages of development are reflected by the amount of water content, and the picture effect is achieved by controlling the water content.
Watercolor painting was not recognized at first. In the early days of watercolor art, people thought that watercolor painting was not as rich as oil painting, lacked aesthetic value and had no economic value as printmaking. It is used for shorthand color or sketch, and it is an attached and low-level painting. The superiority theory of oil painting occupies people's psychology, and watercolor painting is only regarded as the last skill of painting.
In the primary stage of the development of watercolor art, many watercolor artists have borrowed oil painting techniques, and they want to improve the expressive ability of watercolor painting with oil painting techniques. But later, watercolor painting developed by leaps and bounds on its own road, and after completely abandoning the influence of oil painting techniques, it gradually formed a set of unique techniques, thus forming an independent painting.
Nowadays, in many excellent watercolors, it is difficult to see traces of decoration, wiping and small hair, let alone the shadow of oil painting techniques, because watercolors are characterized by their own characteristics-purity, transparency, clarity and nature from the first stroke.
Watercolors are generally divided into transparent watercolors and opaque watercolors. Transparent watercolor painting is to mix pigments with water and apply a thin layer to make the colors on the screen clear and bright, with a transparent feeling. In addition to clear water, opaque painting can also use gum to make the colors on the screen more delicate and soft. It can be considered that the concept of watercolor painting will be broader and more profound with the renewal of ideas and the broadening of themes and techniques.
[Edit this paragraph] Composition mode
1.s shape (electro-optical synthesis method):
Dynamic composition is more powerful than diagonal parallel composition.
2. Vertical parallel line composition method:
The picture presents a sense of stability and a quiet and elegant beauty.
3. The inverted triangle composition method:
There is a sense of insecurity in the picture, which is the best composition of cheerful and unrestrained.
4. Diagonal parallel synthesis method;
It is very dynamic and difficult for beginners.
5. Triangle composition method:
The oldest way of composition, mostly religious paintings, has a sense of security and lofty atmosphere.
6. Cross synthesis method:
Composed of vertical lines and horizontal lines, the composition is extremely balanced, representing a sense of stability.
7. Elliptic composition method:
As one of the ancient composition methods, it is often used in religious paintings, but the pictures are too concentrated and monotonous, so it is rarely used in traditional paintings, but often used in commercial pattern advertisements.
8. Diagonal composition method:
It is widely used in western painting and has dynamic elements.
9. Diamond composition method:
Give a strong impression and have a sense of stability.
10.x-shaped composition method:
Composed of two diagonal lines, it is often used in street scenes, waterways, etc. , and has the characteristics of focusing the focus of the picture.
[Edit this paragraph] Early foreign watercolors
In foreign countries, the earliest watercolor landscape painters were Germans. He often uses watercolor landscape paintings and animal and plant paintings when studying painting. He carefully observes nature, worships and admires its various forms, and many of his works become models of visual art. The main watercolor works are: landscape, white rabbit, big lawn, alpine scenery and so on. Diu Lei's sketches of animals and plants pay great attention to parts and details, so that the charm of artists in animals and plants can be fully displayed. His landscape paintings are also very real, and the arrangement and structure of mountains are very perspective and poetic.
18 centuries ago, watercolor painting also had a light color operation, and the color was not very rich. At that time, it successfully described the subtle changes of the wild atmosphere. In watercolor portraits, poetic landscapes and exquisite miniature paintings, we can see the development of color, which laid the foundation for modern watercolor painting.
18th century and19th century, British artists felt that watercolor painting seemed to be particularly suitable for depicting Britain's natural environment, life interest and national characteristics, and watercolor painting developed rapidly in Britain. This flower of art is in full bloom in the wet land of England. 18th century and19th century Britain became the birthplace of modern watercolor painting.