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Posted
Watercolour on cartridge can be a chancy affair - unless it's very robust cartridge, it can bubble up, buckle, and absorb the paint. On the other hand, it can provide a lovely smooth surface, receptive to light washes - it all depends on the weight of the paper.
I like this painting, and wonder how it would look on, say, hot-pressed watercolour paper: more robust, but just as smooth. Anyway, it's looking fine to me as it is.
Posted
Watercolour on cartridge can be a chancy affair - unless it's very robust cartridge, it can bubble up, buckle, and absorb the paint. On the other hand, it can provide a lovely smooth surface, receptive to light washes - it all depends on the weight of the paper. I like this painting, and wonder how it would look on, say, hot-pressed watercolour paper: more robust, but just as smooth. Anyway, it's looking fine to me as it is.
Posted
Decent watercolour paper is an essential part of your painting kit , you can get away wit reasonable quality paint, brushes etc, but get the best paper you can . Quality paper holds the paint and the surface aids the look of the finished piece.
Always buy the best quality of paint, brushes that are within you budget , good well made equipment lasts longer , holds the paint better . I initially started with just a couple of brushes but decent ones , have built up a collection overt the years but to be honest you don’t need all the fancy brushes etc that are marketed. Best quality paper always a must .
Posted
If you’re painting on lightweight paper, including watercolour paper, expect it to cockle when you apply a wash - this goes for 90lb and even 140lb weight, it just can’t handle heavy washes.
When it dries out, it will still be cockled… that’s what happens and is unavoidable!
I use 300lb for my finished watercolours, but it isn’t necessary to go up to that weight when you’re first starting out!
Try something like Bockingford 200lb, it’s a decent enough paper (not a particular favourite of mine), and in fact was used by Edward Wesson, so say no more!
My preferred choice is either Arches or Fabriano, albeit I have been using Two Rivers NOT handmade stuff recently, fabulous quality!
You don’t need lots of brushes - I use Sceptre by W&N, great quality as well as Daler D99 range… red handles with white tip.
A size 8 or 10 for washes, a size 6 and a rigger, although the latter isn’t essential if you aren’t finishing off with detail.
And lastly, 6 watercolours is plenty…pans or tubes - learn to mix!
Posted
I did the exact same thing at the beginning when I started (or rather, started again) with watercolors. I bought the smallest size of Van Gogh paints (6 pieces) and started painting on cheap printer paper. The splashes were actually quite beautiful, but what I hadn't considered was: the amount of water the paper can absorb, the amount of pigment it can handle—it's a completely different feel for your hand, and a different sensory and perception. I hope I can explain what I mean; it's difficult for me. It's—to put it very dramatically—like painting on stone and then being surprised when you have a good piece of paper and paint on it. It's as if you have to learn everything all over again... you learn to paint on bad paper and then essentially have to relearn how to paint on good paper. I hope someone understands me...sorry, it's not my native language...you can also buy small, good-quality formats for practice (Fabriano = good quality, reasonably priced), postcard size or something similar, for practicing and testing...have fun