COMMANDO WATERCOLOR

Glazing (layering)

Often asked questions:

Why glaze or layer your watercolors?

• Watercolor paint can be transparent. When layering (glazing) light layers of transparent paint, the underneath layers show through and the painting begins to glow with colors that cannot be mixed.

Why do you have to let the paint dry between layers?

• If the paint is wet when you begin to layer, the underneath wet paint will mix with the new paint and NOT layer. The colors will combine and not glow through each other.

How long does it take to dry between layers?

• The amount of time it takes to dry depends on several things – humidity, the weight of the paper and the amount of water used in the layer. High humidity takes longer. If the paper is 300 lb, the paper absorbs more water and takes a little longer to dry than 140 lb paper. More water takes more time to dry.

How do I know when the layer is dry?

• You can tell if the paper is dry by touching it with your hand. If the paper is cool to touch, it still contains enough moisture to be considered wet. Dry paper is room temperature.

Is it okay to dry the layers with a hair dryer or heat gun? I get so tired of waiting!

• Watercolor continues to flow and mix with the surrounding areas as long as it is wet. Artificial drying stops this process. I seldom use a dryer unless the area is small and I want to work on that area right away. I usually find another area of the painting to work on and then move back when the first area is dry.

• You can use a drying method. Be careful to move the stream of air around the painting to avoid making blossoms and hard edges.

When I use layers, a hard edge of color builds up at the edge of the area I am painting. I can see it when it is dry. Why does this happen?

• Think of your wet paint as being a large raindrop with a half-circle shape. The water piles up in the center and the pigment runs down to the edges. If your paint is too wet, the edges appear easily with the paint pigment building up at the edges of the wet area. When this area drys, the edges appear hard and dark.

How can I remove that hard edge without ruining the painting?

• Take a synthetic brush – I use a slanted flat brush – and lightly wet the edge. Wait for a few seconds and very gently touch the hard edge with the tip of the brush. You actually are hoping to knock down the wall of pigment that has built up. DO NOT use mush pressure on the brush or you will disturb the other paints.

How come it looks muddy?

• You may have used colors which are complementary to each other and when layered will produce muddy grays. OR you may have have used more pressure when laying down the paint and mixed the top color with the underneath ones.

Glazing (layering) is worth the effort – practice this technique as you would if you were learning to ski for the first time – you will fall down a few times and create mud, but practice makes perfect!

Please let me know how you are progressing – and ask questions! Together we will grow!

Jean