apply a second layer over the top. Continue until you are happy with the result.
C.An elephant ear sponge is shaped like its namesake and usually is quite thin. You can wad up this sponge to apply paint and create a cool texture.
You can also use it to lift out clouds in a sky. Apply a sky color to your paper, say blue. Before the paint dries, take a dampened elephant ear sponge and blot up some of the blue paint. Turn your hand so the sponge makes different patterns. You are simulating clouds.
D.A sponge on a stick isn’t some new, deep-fried county fair concoction. It’s a sponge attached to a handle like a brush. A round sponge attached to a wooden handle is great to make circles quickly. Because these brushes come in a variety of sizes, you can use them to make everything from a bunch of grapes to a whole solar system. Try putting different colors on each side of the sponge and twisting it. Fast food! I made the grapes in Figure 4-4 by dipping one side of the round sponge in purple and the other side in green, stamping the brush onto the paper, then twisting to make the circle.
E. Specialty shaped sponges come in animal shapes, alphabets, cowboy boots, you name it. Put the sponge in the watercolor and use it like a stamp to make a quick image.
Making a mountain out of a . . . grocery bag
Here’s a great way to recycle all those plastic grocery bags. Actually any plastic will work: dry cleaning bags, kitchen food wrap, newspaper sleeves, and so on. The plastic is crumpled and pushed into wet paint. After the paint dries, the plastic is removed and leaves behind lighter areas and a textural pattern. This technique makes great texture for rocks and mountains. It can also be fun to just enjoy the interesting textures.
To use plastic in your painting, follow these steps:
1. Tear or cut the plastic into a manageable piece and wad it up.
If you’re cutting sheets, about 6 inches square is a good size. Don’t be too precise — anything will work.
2. Wet your watercolor paper and paint some colors onto the surface using a 1/2-inch flat brush.
You get to choose the colors. If you’re unsure of what might look good, try using three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel (analogous colors). Make the colors fairly dark and intense while still being transparent. The plastic will lift off some color so the paint will become lighter when it dries. If you use pale colors, the result will be subtle but still effective.
3. Set the wadded plastic on damp paint applied to your paper.
The paint must be damp to make this work. Don’t bother applying plastic to any areas that are dry because nothing will happen.
You can manipulate the plastic on the paper. Use your fingers to pull it around until you like the shape. If you use clear plastic, you can see what’s happening. The plastic wrap makes a shape where it touches the paint. The paint is darker where the plastic is crinkled and doesn’t touch the paper. You want lots of crinkles for texture. Let some plastic touch and some plastic not touch to create little shapes all over. You can form leaf shapes or creases where you might want a rock. Or you can just put the plastic down at random. If the plastic won’t stay in contact with the paper, set something like a can or bottle on it to weight it down.
4. Leave the plastic on the paper until the paint dries, then lift it off.
It takes a while for the paint to dry; after all, you covered it in plastic! The plastic leaves a shape behind wherever it touched the paper.
Figure 4-5a shows some plastic wrap textures. Check out the little circles on the top — recognize bubble wrap? Figure 4-5b was created by painting over some of the shapes again with another layer of darker paint.
Figure 4-5: Close up textures from various types of plastic wrap and an abstract painting using the plastic technique.
Creepy cobwebs
This isn’t an excuse for not cleaning. The cobwebs used for this technique are the ones
C.An elephant ear sponge is shaped like its namesake and usually is quite thin. You can wad up this sponge to apply paint and create a cool texture.
You can also use it to lift out clouds in a sky. Apply a sky color to your paper, say blue. Before the paint dries, take a dampened elephant ear sponge and blot up some of the blue paint. Turn your hand so the sponge makes different patterns. You are simulating clouds.
D.A sponge on a stick isn’t some new, deep-fried county fair concoction. It’s a sponge attached to a handle like a brush. A round sponge attached to a wooden handle is great to make circles quickly. Because these brushes come in a variety of sizes, you can use them to make everything from a bunch of grapes to a whole solar system. Try putting different colors on each side of the sponge and twisting it. Fast food! I made the grapes in Figure 4-4 by dipping one side of the round sponge in purple and the other side in green, stamping the brush onto the paper, then twisting to make the circle.
E. Specialty shaped sponges come in animal shapes, alphabets, cowboy boots, you name it. Put the sponge in the watercolor and use it like a stamp to make a quick image.
Making a mountain out of a . . . grocery bag
Here’s a great way to recycle all those plastic grocery bags. Actually any plastic will work: dry cleaning bags, kitchen food wrap, newspaper sleeves, and so on. The plastic is crumpled and pushed into wet paint. After the paint dries, the plastic is removed and leaves behind lighter areas and a textural pattern. This technique makes great texture for rocks and mountains. It can also be fun to just enjoy the interesting textures.
To use plastic in your painting, follow these steps:
1. Tear or cut the plastic into a manageable piece and wad it up.
If you’re cutting sheets, about 6 inches square is a good size. Don’t be too precise — anything will work.
2. Wet your watercolor paper and paint some colors onto the surface using a 1/2-inch flat brush.
You get to choose the colors. If you’re unsure of what might look good, try using three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel (analogous colors). Make the colors fairly dark and intense while still being transparent. The plastic will lift off some color so the paint will become lighter when it dries. If you use pale colors, the result will be subtle but still effective.
3. Set the wadded plastic on damp paint applied to your paper.
The paint must be damp to make this work. Don’t bother applying plastic to any areas that are dry because nothing will happen.
You can manipulate the plastic on the paper. Use your fingers to pull it around until you like the shape. If you use clear plastic, you can see what’s happening. The plastic wrap makes a shape where it touches the paint. The paint is darker where the plastic is crinkled and doesn’t touch the paper. You want lots of crinkles for texture. Let some plastic touch and some plastic not touch to create little shapes all over. You can form leaf shapes or creases where you might want a rock. Or you can just put the plastic down at random. If the plastic won’t stay in contact with the paper, set something like a can or bottle on it to weight it down.
4. Leave the plastic on the paper until the paint dries, then lift it off.
It takes a while for the paint to dry; after all, you covered it in plastic! The plastic leaves a shape behind wherever it touched the paper.
Figure 4-5a shows some plastic wrap textures. Check out the little circles on the top — recognize bubble wrap? Figure 4-5b was created by painting over some of the shapes again with another layer of darker paint.
Figure 4-5: Close up textures from various types of plastic wrap and an abstract painting using the plastic technique.
Creepy cobwebs
This isn’t an excuse for not cleaning. The cobwebs used for this technique are the ones
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