Washing with watercolor: techniques and techniques

Watercolor is one of the most complex techniques in painting. It requires the artist to be extremely careful in displaying the details, since it is almost impossible to change or alter anything in the drawing. Washing with watercolor is quite simple in its execution. This technique was almost the only method of using watercolor paints before Impressionism.

What is useful watercolor wash?

It is used to give the drawing a volume and to demonstrate how the object being drawn will look in reality. Washing - though easy enough, but a long process. In architectural institutes, she is taught from the first year, as she is one of the main means of the architect. After all, an ordinary drawing is not capable of giving an accurate representation to an unprepared spectator about the form of an object. Washing with watercolor helps to understand the idea, to see the shape of the object and to see the color gamut for any person. For the architect himself, this technique is also very useful. He gets the opportunity to work with color, find the most suitable combinations of materials for the implementation of the conceived, clarify the tone ratio, achieve a well-defined silhouette and the volume of the object being drawn.

Beginning of work

How to do water color wash? This process is simple, but takes a lot of time. The first step in working with washing is the separation of the light sections of the figure from the shadow ones. All places on which the shadow falls, must be covered with paint so that when dried they are still slightly lighter than the lightest reflexes in the darkened areas. Further all the surfaces of the fragment should be covered with the lightest tone that is only possible, practically with water. But all the edges and planes, which are exposed to light at right angles, must remain untouched.

Having previously studied the sketch, it is necessary to divide the drawing into basic plans, depending on how they are removed in depth. The first plan is always illuminated much more strongly, therefore it is necessary to represent it more lightly all the others. The word "plan" in a particular case implies all vertical surfaces that are parallel to the facade planes of projections.

Next stage

The entire surface of the drawing, except for its first plan, should be covered with a light solution of watercolor paint. After it dries, the first plan will look a bit lighter than the rest, deeper. In order for such work, like watercolor washing, to become a little easier in execution, one should cover all the light and shadow areas of the drawing at once. At the same time, we should try to keep the ribs under the light source light, especially if they are in the foreground.

When the degree of illumination on the bright plans is distributed, you can proceed to work on the shadow areas. The places that are closest to the viewer and are in shadow, should be portrayed more saturated than those that are on distant plans. The latter are drawn more loosely, and the details in gradations become smaller.

The final process

The final stage in the question of how to do watercolor washing requires special care from the artist. All spaces in the figure, which are closed and deep, should be less illuminated by the reflected rays in their shadow parts. Such a rule should be strictly observed, when it comes to openings in which indoor spaces are displayed. The shaded surfaces are covered sequentially according to the existing plans in the same way as when washing the illuminated areas, only in the reverse order.

Lastly, the shadows that are closest to the viewer are processed. On all those edges of the displayed detail that are in the shade, you must leave a thin strip, somewhat lighter than the shadow itself. This procedure allows you to convey a distinct relief of the form. It is also important to remember that in the foreground the luminous ribs of the figure should look lighter than those in the rear, deep sections of the drawing.

Different methods of washing

There is not one technique of washing with watercolor. The first and the easiest is black and white. At first, the details are drawn in ink, and then the artist takes up the paint. Most importantly, in black and white washing, it is right to choose the angle, that is, the place from which the subject will look most expressively. The main parts of the silhouette should be clearly visible. Although this type of cleaning is rarely used, it provides the beginner architect with the most important thing - a sense of tone. The drawing is in a clear tone and gentle, restrained color solution. Most often this technique is used to display a variety of architectural projects.

Color wash with watercolor increases the range of light areas. It enables the artist to realize any desired lighting in the picture. It can be a sunny and bright day, a rainy and cloudy landscape, a colorful sunset or a sunrise. The main thing is to determine what exactly needs to be displayed in the work, to choose the correct lighting source. If the light is bright, then the color variety should decrease, and the shadows become contrast, which allows a good representation of the volume. Conversely, if the light is diffused, then the contrast decreases, and the color load rises.

Important details

Before you begin, you should choose a topic. Architectural watercolor washing is preferably used in the mapping of more characteristic and voluminous types of buildings. It is necessary to plan the drawing carefully and beautifully. After all, the result of the work should be almost identical to the photographic image of the object. A qualitative drawing is fifty percent success. It should be done with mascara, which is diluted to a light gray hue. The drawing is done with light movements of the hand, so that later it does not appear through watercolor. In some cases, you can apply a color path. Then the blue color will become the main one in the lighted areas, and the dark places will require a red or brown tone. Equally important is the quality of the paper, since the drawings require the artist to the utmost accuracy and accuracy.

Washing in architectural drawings

Washing with watercolor in architecture requires great mastery of the artist. It is necessary to have a large amount of knowledge, to be able to use the properties of paints, to distinguish between light and color natural phenomena, to see the numerous qualities of various textures, and so on. After finishing the work in the technique of watercolor washing, one can see a relief and three-dimensional object, which is as close as possible to its real form. This result is achieved by the artist by working through all the light and shadow areas of the depicted object.