Today’s watercolor experiment:

Today’s watercolor is based on my warmup exercise from yesterday (Lesson 7 – Paint Removal). I used the same techniques, but on a larger scale (9×12 instead of ~4×6) and using better quality paper (Arches vs generic paper – both 140# weight, however).

Immediately below is the first wash, using neutral tint, a warmish gray tone.

Storm – First Wash with Removal of Pigments

I re-washed the paper a second time, with Payne’s gray, a cooler-toned gray pigment. The knife scratches on the upper right absorbed the pigment. After it dried, I used Magic Tape ™ to mask all but a thin line, an inch above the bottom of the paper. I brushed clean water on to the exposed paper and used a paper towel to remove the pigment.

I applied a third wash, this time neutral tint again, not allowing the pigment to cross the bright horizontal line.

Below the horizontal line, I used a knife blade to scrape away pigment to create a reflection and a pointy stylus to scratch a curved line. When the upper part of the paper dried, I scratched in a few birds with my stylus.

Note: I could not remove the Payne’s gray pigment at the bottom right of this study. I hadn’t realized that it is a mildly staining pigment.

Storm
9″x12″ 140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Block

The paint removal techniques I learned for today’s experiment will come in very handy when needed in future compositions.