Technique of watercolor painting in the visual arts and architectural graphics

Watercolor is the most poetic kind of painting. Often a light lyric novel, filled with light, gentle images, or enchanting transparent melody is called watercolor. And everyone understands what is at stake.

Watercolor techniques in the visual arts

Sophistication of juicy tones and blurry halftones, subtle, airy ease of transitions, soft lines and special depth of space - all this is watercolor. Despite the wide distribution and availability of funds, the technique of watercolor painting remains incomprehensible and mysterious even for professionals.

The beauty of watercolor technology lies in its transparency. White paper reflects the rays of light, penetrating through the transparent thin layers of watercolor paint, and gives freshness to the shades of the picture. There are many different ways to perform such images. All watercolor techniques can not be classified, therefore they are divided conditionally, depending on any factors, for example, on the humidity of the paper. We will briefly mention only the main ones.

English Watercolor

The technique of watercolor painting, which is called "wet-work" or English water-color, is performed on previously moistened paper. This method allows to obtain transparent, light colors with soft transitions. This method is especially effective in landscape painting. The main difficulty lies in the fluidity of watercolors. Often, the artist depends on the whims of paint, spreading on wet paper. To correct a separate fragment without affecting the others, usually it is not possible, therefore the English technique of watercolor painting requires mastering the brush and constant self-control.

Italian watercolor

Another method - work "dry" or Italian watercolor, is to paint on a dry sheet with one or more layers, depending on the artist's intention.

Single-layer watercolor in this case is written with a brush in one or two touches with a brush, which allows you to keep all the purity of the color. If necessary, you can add a different color or shade to the already applied, but not yet dried, layer.

Multilayer watercolor or glaze is a method of applying watercolor paint with transparent strokes, one layer on top of another, already dried. Due to this, the paints in different layers do not mix, but work on the lumen. Smears are done carefully, so as not to blur and damage the dried out areas. This technique of watercolor painting helps to achieve color intensity, clear and deep shadows, colorful reflexes.

Watercolor works can be performed in mixed (combined) technique, when the watercolorist harmoniously combines pictorial techniques, using all the richness of colors.

Watercolor painting in architectural graphics

The technique of watercolor is widely used in architectural practice. It is the most perfect for transmitting the forms of the structure on the drawings and gives a complete idea of what the object should be in reality. As the doctor of architecture PP Revyakin claimed, the technique of watercolor painting is an iconic tool of the architect, and the higher his skill, the lively, simpler and clearer the drawing becomes.

Architectural watercolor, in contrast to the artistic, is more laconic, has some generality, business simplicity and limited palette. Artistic processing of the drawing is devoted to special courses of watercolor painting, teaching future architects its rules and patterns.

Conclusion

Watercolor is diverse, unique and individual, like the handwriting of people, it is the container of various pictorial schools and techniques, directions and styles. One can not grasp the immensity, so it is impossible to describe the multiplicity of this art form and its special susceptibility "to the temperamental strokes of the brush" in a short article.