Art on Paper

"The biggest advantage of wet-in-wet watercolor is that you can never know exactly what is going to happen." Wet in Wet : Wet in wet is simply the process of applying pigment to wet paper. The results vary from soft undefined shapes to slightly blurred marks, depending on how wet the paper is. The wet in wet technique can be applied over existing washes provided the are thoroughly dry. Simply wet the paper with a large brush and paint into the dampness. The soft marks made by painting wet in wet are great for subtle background regions of your painting. Rose Buds in Pink 12 x 9 inch Click here to buy All Work ©2006-2015 Art by Delilah

Masking fluid, also known as liquid frisket, is a very handy tool for fine art water colorists to preserve white areas that would be too tiny or complex to paint around.   What is masking fluid, exactly? It’s made of a suspension of latex in water and is usually lightly tinted to make it easier to see on the paper, either a light yellow or gray. Ammonia is added as a preservative. Here are some tips for using masking fluid: 1. Before using masking fluid you need to have your painting all planned so you know exactly where the highlights or areas you will want to preserve are. Tiny areas in this painting are preserved with masking fluid.Tiny areas in this painting are preserved with masking fluid.  2. Never shake the bottle, as it will cause the product to lump and you might get tiny air bubbles in the fluid. You can stir it gently. Rubbing a brush on a bar of soap to clean Rubbing a brush on a bar of soap before painting with masking fluid.  3. Use an old bru...

Stretching your watercolor paper has certain aesthetic advantages. You'll end up with a perfectly flat surface on which to work. This surface will stay relatively flat as you work and the finished painting will dry perfectly flat. The only disadvantage is that it takes some effort and dedication to do it consistently. Any paper of less than #300 weight is bound to warp according to the amount of water absorbed in the painting process. Synthetic papers generally do not warp at all. Watercolor paper in prepared blocks will dry flat also, if left on the block to dry I use 140 lb paper for the paintings that I sell on ebay so I almost always stretch it.  I find 90 lb. paper is too flimsy for serious watercolor work. When I use 300 lb. paper it doesn't require stretching, but it is expensive so I use the 140 most of the time but love to paint on 300 lb when I am really working on a large painting I use 300 or 200 lb paper.  When Stretching watercolor paper I allow 1” for g...

If you would like to loosen up your watercolor painting style here is a fun way to loosen up and have a lot of fun doing it. This is the first Video in the series of 3 for this painting. Thanks and I will post part 2 in a few days.

Polka-Dot Cup 12x9 watercolor Painting green is one of the important things to learn when using watercolors. Green right from the tube is just to garish and needs to be mixed with other colors to give it a more natural look You can make your own greens by mixing blues and yellows. I have modified viridian green with blues for the shadows and added a little more cadmium yellow for the sunlight areas. I like to bring in the compliment of green, red. In this painting I have added alizarin crimson to both the edges of the white flowers and areas of leaves. Daily Paint Works, where I often post watercolors paintings had a challenge to paint something with Polka-Dots so this is what I painted. This watercolor is for sale. To purchase Please click here for Polka-Dot Cup.

Art by Delilah Painting on paper is an art form in itself and there are many areas of technical expertise needed in order to ensure a durable and lasting work of art. There are many thousands of types of paper, ranging form rough cardboard to thin and textured papers. Paper may be bought in different colors or specially prepared. In this exercise I used 140 lb watercolor paper but feel free to give it a try with cheap paper, a simple sketching or pastel paper will work. The method that will be discussed can be used with even the cheapest and least durable papers and the end result will be a very long lasting work of art. 1. Prepare the paper: All that is required are a number of layers of thin acrylic paint or medium on the paper. Three layers should be sufficient, allowing each layer to dry before applying the next. The texture that you might like to create will be determined by the amount of acrylic paint or medium you apply. If you wish to retain the texture of t...

Stay on Top Click here to bid Staying on Top  Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." - Steve Jobs (1955-2011), Founder of Apple Computer and Pixar Studios Like the little bird I painted I am just trying to stay on top of everything. I could make me crazy, if I wasn't a bit touched anyway. PINTEREST IS PERFECT FOR ARTISTS! Here are  5 Creative Ways To Share Your Work: 1. Use as a digital portfolio of your work.  Compiling from various sites on the web would be even better, as...

“Cleaning a watercolor brush is relatively easy, since the nature of the paintings for this technique does not require thinner products 1. Wash your brush in clean water take your finger tips to squeeze out any extra water and paint.  2. Swish in mild soapy water and dry on a paper towel. 3. Dampen the brush with olive oil and reshape like new. Olive oil with help keep the brush shape and also keep moths from making a meal of the precious sables that you own. Humminbird Flight About This Painting: Hummingbird Flight 9x12 Watercolor Media: watercolor Size: 12 in X 9 in (30.5 cm X 22.9 cm) Price: $100 USD How to Purchase: Buy this painting on PayPal Price: $100 USD plus $15 USD s/h Or, send me an email

Art by Delilah I wet the watercolor paper and stretch it by taping it down to a board. While the paper is still damp I apply a background wash of raw siena.I make a light pencil drawing on the dry paper of where I want the boats to be. I then add a wash of of very diluted ultramarine. While the ultramarine is still damp I devlope the horizon line in a warm rose that mixes with the blue to make shades of lavnedar. Using a flat brush I add the mud banks in raw sienna. I also add some rose to the sky. Now that the sky and back ground are established I paint the masts of the sail boats and the hulls. I use a light burnt sienna for the downed sails. I begin adding the rigging and the morring pile. I add the shadows under the boats and darken the forground mud.     I put some gulls flying in the sky and work on more detail. The finished work. The Sea Waits About This Painting: The Sea Waits 7x10 Watercolor on 200lb cold pressed watercolor paper Media: watercolor S...