Watercolor Exercises

1- COLOR WHEELS

Then using your full array of paints arrange your palette to create both a six unit, and then a
twenty-four unit 5 inch color wheel (this can include colors from your palette). Your goal is to
use visual judgment to arrive at a consistent degree of transition from color to color.

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS:

1. It is important to scrub your plastic palette with an abrasive powder before adding your
pigments.
2. Arrange your colors so that your complements are separated. Therefore, keep reds and
greens, yellows and violets, as well as blues and oranges separated.
3. Place similar colors in sequence. Reds with reds etc…
4. When possible arrange warm to cool.
5. Consider placing your staining pigments in the corners of your palette.
6. Label the pigments on your palette with a bleed-proof black marker.
7. Label the pigments, as well as the properties of each pigment, on your color wheel
2- STRIPES: Glazing over and lying under

Do one and use 15” x 11” paper and paint ½” (approx.) strips of your colors in one direction. Let
dry, and then glaze over in the opposite direction the same colors. By doing this you will gain a
feel for each pigment and see how each color as being glazed over the other colors and glazing
over the other colors.

3- BRUSHWORK: Rounds and flat brushes

Do two studies, one with a round brush and one with a flat brush, 15” x 11”, cold press paper.

Rounds: 1. Use a single brush to make many different widths of lines by way the brush is held
and the angle to the paper. 2. Use an Up-then-down motion and a more and less pressure for a
variety of lines and marks. 3. Create different shapes by pressing, lifting, curving and dabbing. 4.
Use dry brush, very little water to pigment ratio, to make a variety of effects through different
movements and water to pigment ratios.

Flat Brush: 1. Make different thick to thin lines turning the angle of the brush to the paper. 2.
Make a variety of lines by angle held, the amount of tip used, pressure and experimentations. 3.
Make angular and box shapes. Then, by turning and lifting, make leaf and curved shapes. 4.
Make dry brush marks by the amount paint/water ratio, angle of brush and brush movement.
4- Transparency: Overlaying Colors

1. Draw 6 ¼” x 6 ¼ “, divide into 25 1 ¼ -inch squares. Lay a wash of lemon yellow over the entire
area, Let dry.
2. Use a wash of Cadmium Orange (or similar) and 10 squares on one side of the large square. Use
a pale wash of Cobalt Blue and do the same on the opposite block of 10 squares. Let Dry.
3. Lay a wash of deeper Cobalt Blue over the 10 squares on the third side and Vermillion (or
similar) on the last block of ten on the fourth side. Let Dry.
4. Place a wash of Ultramarine Blue on the five outside squares of the Vermillion wash. Place
Prussian Blue over the five outside squares of the deeper Cobalt Blue block.
5. Finally, lay a wash of Magenta over the five outside squares over the Cadmium Orange block.
Place Ultramarine Blue over the five outside squares over the Cobalt Blue block. There are now
25 subtly different mixed colors, the four corners are a result of all five overlaid washes.
5. PIGMENT EXPERIMENT: COLOR MIXING - FOR WASHES

When mixing colors for one wash, there are three ways to do it. This exercise explores the different
ways and demonstrates how to achieve lively washes of two colors.

Prepare a sectioned sheet with tape. Choose a pair of pigments to be mixed.

1. Mix the colors thoroughly on the palette, and paint one square (approx. 2 inches)
2. Now place the pure pigments on either edge of the mixed puddle on your palette, and run
your brush across all three puddles. Apply this to another section without mixing the
colors too much. You should see three colors -the two pigments plus the mixture of the
two.
3. Now apply the colors of the same two pigments directly on to a third section, mixing a bit
on the paper.
The second and third squares should be a more lively wash - they should seem more colorful than the
wash that was completely mixed on the palette.
Repeat this exercise with various combinations of two pigments. Paint 6 pairs of color minimum.

Label the pigments used. Paint 6 pairs of color minimum.

Paint a value run using Payne’s gray or black. Using the three primary colors paint three sets of
value runs. By mixing the primary in even increments of light and dark your goal is to use visual
judgment to arrive at a consistent degree of transition from color to color. Start with purer
pigment then add more water to lighten each step.

• Do 10 value steps using Payne’s gray or Black

• Do a 10 value steps for each primary: One for red, one for blue and one for yellow
(1” x 1 3/4” each value step).
7-INTENSITY STUDIES

Using a very intense color, the goal of the exercise is to dull the color by two possible means;
with its compliment and with grey or black (you can use Payne’s gray). Do this for a minimum of
three colors. The large square on the left is 2”. The mixing squares are 1” high by 1 ½ “. It is
best to use compliments: crossing mix the pairs of yellow/violet, orange/blue, and
red/green. Greying: Use a yellow and lay down a square of pure color, then add steps of gray
or Black into the violet thus dulling (graying the color). Do this for red and blue as well.
8. WATERCOLOR: FLAT WASH /GRADED WASH

PROJECT: This project explores the ways to control modulations of color through even and gradual
changes of value. In preparation for accomplishing the final portion of this project you will do a series (4
- 6) of rectangular test strips, measuring approx. 6” x 9” or larger.
Do these:
• Flat wash without wetting the paper first using a single color
• Flat wash with wetting the paper with clear water first using a single color
• Graded wash without wetting the paper first using a single color
• Variegated wash with using two or three color

FLAT WASH

Mix a puddle of even intense color. Then paint a flat even wash by loading the brush with paint and
pulling the bead of color across and down the paper. Try one without wetting the paper first and then
paint one by wetting the paper with clear water first.

RECTANGLE-GRADED WASH:

Mix a small puddle of intense color. Paint across the top of the rectangle, pushing a bead of the color as
you go. Add water to the puddle on the palette, and paint the next stroke halfway into the previous
one, remembering to keep a bead of paint going as you work. Before you begin each stroke down, add
more water to your puddle to gradually lighten your wash. Your final stroke should be pure water.
Remember to keep the board tilted a least 15 degrees, the brush handle high and the brush well loaded.

VARIEGATED WASH:

Follow the same procedure as the flat wash; however add new color as pull the wash down the paper.
9. MOUNTAIN SCAPE:

Your will develop a simple mountain landscape painting using overlapping systems of graded washes
(approx. 8” x 10” in size). Have at last four overlapping mountain ranges and a graded background sky.
Use a warm foreground to cool background.
10. WATERCOLOR: WET INTO WET

PROJECT: Wet into wet is just as the nomenclature suggests. The paint is applied to a surface that has
been pre-wet either with clear water or a preliminary wash. This technique allows the adjustment of
edge control. The artist is able to regulate the softness of the edge, producing either a very soft blurred
edge or a semi-soft edge. Timing and the ratios of wetness of the painting surface as compared to the
brush wetness are very important.
PRODUCE PAINTINGS Clouds: Do four 6” x 4” studies and one 8”x 10” painting(s) of clouds
 WATERCOLOR: SKY AND CLOUD EXPERIMENT
(For Above)
SKY INFORMATION:

1. The sky is the source of light and will set the mood of our painting.

2. Skies will change with the time of day and atmospheric conditions.

3. Early on toward sunset the sky will become warmer...especially, if there is smog, smoke or
particles of dust.

4. Luminous/natural looking skies are painted by not mixing on the palette but by mingling on the
paper.

5. Notice how many sky’s get paler/slightly greener about 1/2 way down...then fade to light
lavender near the horizon.

CLOUD INFORMATION:

1. The undersides of the nearest clouds are warmer. Reds and sienna’s reflect up from the earth
below.

2. Clouds get smaller a-and paler as they recede.

SKY AND CLOUD FORMULAS:

1. BASIC SKY: Wash ultramarine blue over the sky area. Add a touch of raw sienna at the lower
level to brighten.

2. NATURAL/LUMINOUS SKY: A wash of raw sienna, followed by a wash of ultramarine blue.

3. DAYLIGHT SKY: Wash ultramarine blue and burnt sienna over the sky area. Add a small amount
of raw sienna to the bottom of the sky...while still wet add touches of cobalt violet.

4. RAINY SKY: Begin with a light wash of raw sienna. Mix a wash of ultramarine blue and burnt
sienna and add to the original.

Add extra small amounts of ultramarine blue and burnt sienna for a mottled cloudy effect.

5. THREATENING SKY: Start with a wash of raw sienna and add a mixture of ultramarine blue and
burnt sienna over the raw sienna. Lastly add a little more raw sienna at the horizon area.

6. TWILIGHT SKY: Wet the sky with water. Start at the horizon and work upward with a light wash
of alizarin crimson. Add cadmium orange, then cadmium yellow then cerulean blue, then
permanent magenta, then ultramarine blue and lastly a darker mixture of ultramarine blue.
7. Abstraction Experiments:

Create at least 4 abstract timing experiments; 6” x 9”

Try these: Wet into Wet with wet over dry layers, Clear water trails with dropped in color and
splatters, hard edges using tape, Free form
 Wet into Wet Considerations:

Wet into wet can be used on the entire paper or on one specified area at a time.

1. Wet the paper, or the area to be worked on, with a brush or sponge (use the sponge lightly so
as not to mar the surface of the paper). You may also lay down a wash of color instead of
water, depending on the desired effect. Since lots of water can cause watercolor paper to
buckle, make sure you are using stretched paper. KEEP YOUR PAPER FLAT.

2. ALWAYS REMEMBER

a) The wetness of the pigment in your brush should be dryer than the wetness of the
paper. If the color in the brush has too much water, run backs, bleeds, lines and other
uninvited things may occur.

b) Work from light colors towards darker ones.

c) The wetter the paper, the softer the edges will be, so work with soft edged areas first,
then areas with semi-soft edges. THINK BEFORE YOU PAINT.

3. Experimentation before working wet into wet on a painting will) prove invaluable. Lighter
pigments tend to blur more readily, and granular or sedimentary pigments tend to stay where
you put them. By testing your pigments you can more accurately control what happens in your
painting.

4. HAVE PATIENCE. Sometimes you need to sit for a moment, and closely watch until the paper
has just lost the sheen of wetness. That is typically a good time to apply paint, depending on
the desired effect.

5. If you need to blow dry the area, wait until the paint has soaked in and the sheen is gone from
the paper.
 Extra Credit Bonus Exercise
WATERCOLOR PIGMENT EXPERIMENT A/B/C

Section your paper with tape into small rectangles (approx. 2” x 3”) one for each of your pigments.
About half way down the rectangle paint a narrow line (approx. 1/4'”) of undiluted India ink (or use a
waterproof magic marker) across the rectangles. 14” x 11” paper works well for this.

Once the ink has dried begin painting:

A: SEDIMENTARY VS SPREADING PIGMENTS

Sedimentary pigments have a beautiful granular effect, while other paints spread profusely on wet
paper. By knowing which pigments have which property, you can better control the effects they have in
our painting.

For each pigment: Wet the rectangle, and paint the color on half of the space (just past the ink line).
Keep the colors fairly intense...don’t dilute with too much water. Notice that some colors, such as
cobalt violet, stay almost exactly where you put them. Spreading colors, such as alizarin crimson will
blossom out onto the other half of the dampened square. Be sure to label each pigment used for later
reference.

B: STAINING QUALITY

STAINING PROPERTIES
 The staining properties of all watercolors are not equal. Some colors can be lifted and removed
while others permanently stain the paper. The goal of this exercise is to determine which of
your pigments stain and which do not.

The purpose of this exercise is to discover which pigments stain the paper and do not lift up after
scrubbing, and which pigments can be lifted completely by scrubbing.

Cover one side of each pigment rectangle with a piece of cardboard or mat board, and scrub the visible
half with a dampened bristle brush. Pick up the loosened pigment with a rag or tissue. Some pigments
will lift off completely, while others will stain the paper permanently.

C: TRANSPARENCY VS OPACITY (Observational)

Notice that some of the colors nearly disappear where they lie across the ink strip. Others cover the
black line almost entirely. Those that disappear are transparent. The pigments that cover the black line
are opaque. Some pigments will be semi-transparent, partially covering the black line.