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Watercolor is probably the oldest form of paint, originated by ancient man tens of thousands of years ago. But it is not the only water-based painting medium you will encounter. The three primary water-based painting mediums are: Watercolor - a translucent paint that uses gum arabic as its vehicle Gouache – an opaque paint originally designed as commercial illustration paint, but which now is used primarily as fine art paint. Gouache also uses gum arabic as a vehicle Tempera – the paint of school posters and many young artists, tempera is not designed to last, but rather as an inexpensive, easy to clean painting medium, perfect for children. Tempera uses casein as its vehicle Note: Although acrylic is also technically water-based, its dissimilarity to the other water-based paints discussed here warrants a article, Acrylic Basics: Artist's Studio Education.
Water-based paints come in several different formats, depending on their final use:Watercolors, all of which must be thinned with water before use, come in Tubes and Pans. Tubes are highly concentrated liquid watercolor, primarily used for studio work. Pans are semi-moist, solid watercolors, which are perfect for fieldwork and the classroom, where portability and ease of clean up are important. Gouache is usually sold in tubes, although there are some opaque watercolors that are sold in pans. Tempera is typically sold in squeeze bottles. Because tempera is usually used for posters and children’s art, it is lower cost and comes in large sized containers. Pigment Particulars/Palette Preferences As the pigments found in water-based paints are virtually the same as those found in oil paints, and have the same mixability characteristics, please refer to Oil Paint Basics: Artist's Studio Education for pigment information as well as a suggested beginning palette. Making the Grade Like oil paints, watercolors come in two grades: Artist Grade Student Grade Artist Grade watercolors (Winsor Newton Artist’s Watercolour, for example) are found in tubes, and to a lesser extent, pans. These high-load colors are manufactured with the highest quality pigments and vehicles, and are perfect for any artist. Student Grade watercolors (Winsor Newton Cotman Watercolour, Grumbacher Academy Watercolors) offer good value for the student or beginning artist by providing quality paints with lower cost pigments and lower pigment loads. Student grade watercolors come in tubes and pans. Note: Gouache comes in artist grade only, and tempera comes in student grade only. Knowing which type of paint to use can be challenging, but with all the facts discussed so far, you should be able to choose the most appropriate paint for each situation. Well Done Water-Based Mediums! Just as with oil and acrylic, watercolor’s properties can be changed, enhanced and altered thru the use of Mediums.
Add Body/Reduce Flow – to create heaver, more textured paint films Aquapasto Reduce Body/Increase Flow - to create thinner, more translucent paint films Gum Arabic Watercolor medium Change Surface Reflectivity – to make more glossy Gum Arabic Protect the Dried Paint Film Liquid Fixative Reduce the absorbency of paper Prepared Size Improve the acceptance of watercolors on paper Ox gall liquid Maintain unpainted areas (for later addition of color, or to keep as white highlights) Art masking fluid Miskit Features and Benefits of Water-Based Paints and Mediums: Items | Features | Benefits | Artist Grade Watercolors | High Pigment Load | Economical, because a little goes a long way, saves money in the long run. | Finest Pigments | Bold, vibrant colors. Mixes better than lesser-quality pigments for cleaner combined colors. | Student Grade Watercolors | Lower Cost than Artist Grade | Good for the beginning artist and student as there is less fear of wasting expensive paint on practice | Watercolors (in general) | Translucent | Lets the pattern and color of the paper show thru, allows artist to create highlights using the paper itself | Easy to use | Allows a beginning artist to start creating with minimal training | Gouache | Opaque | Expands the use of watercolors to include colors that cover the paper rather than let it show thru | Strong Tinting Strength | Economical, a little goes a long way. Can be used to tint other products such as gesso, polyurethane, etc. | Tempera | Large Sized Container | Allows for painting large posters, windows, etc. | Lower Cost than other water-based paints | Great for children and people who use a lot of paint at one time | Tube Watercolors | Liquid | Easier to load a brush with than dry watercolors | Concentrated | Economical, a little goes a long way | Pan Watercolors | Dry | Less messy, perfect for children or people with limited working area | Lightweight | Portable, so the customer can take it outside for field work | Aquapasto | Thick water-based gel | Adds body to watercolors, so the customer can create textured brushwork and impasto techniques with watercolors | Ox Gall Liquid | Makes paper more absorbent | Allows the customer to paint on surfaces that would otherwise not accept watercolor, increases the creative options for the customer | Watercolor Medium | Makes colors flow better | Allows for easier application of paint on paper | Gum Arabic | Thins watercolors | Allows thinning of watercolors farther than water alone, letting the customer make very pale tints and washes | Adds gloss | Increases the decorative options for the customer | Masking Fluid | Waterproof latex | Allows customer to mask off certain areas from paint, creating bright areas of bare paper for highlights, clouds, etc. | Tinted | Easy to see on white paper | Colorless Masking Fluid | No tint | Doesn’t stain the paper, as tinted masking fluid can | Size | Seals paper | Makes paper less absorbent, making the paint more controllable and less likely to bleed and run |
Glossary Aquapasto | A watercolor gel medium that adds body, allowing for build up, impasto and greater flow control | Casein | Tempera paint’s vehicle. Make from a by-product of milk. | Flow | The thickness or viscosity of a paint. Some paints are formulated to be thicker and more buttery, or have a lower flow. Others are formulated to be thinner and more runny, or have a higher flow. | Gouache | An artist grade opaque water-based paint used by illustrators and fine artists | Gum Arabic | The vehicle into which watercolor pigments are ground. Comes from the resin of the acacia tree. Gum arabic is also used as a medium which increases the gloss and transparency of watercolors. | Impasto | A painting technique that creates thick heavily textured layers of paint with obvious brush strokes. | Masking Fluid | Tinted or colorless latex that, when painted onto the paper of a watercolor painting resists the paint and leaves the area under the mask clean. Used to create highlights and other white areas. | Mediums | A group of products that enhance workability of watercolors, or are used to clean, thin, or change the texture of a completed piece. | Mixability | The quality with which two paints can be combined to create a third. True Pigments have better mixability than do Hues. | Opacity | Denotes how much or little of the painting surface will show thru a layer of paint. True pigments tend to be more opaque, where Hues tend to be more translucent. | Ox Gall | A wetting agent used to improve the acceptance of watercolors on paper or other surfaces | Palette | Either a selection of colors used by an artist, or the board on which those colors are placed when painting. | Pan Color | A semi-moist solid watercolor sold in a metal or plastic pan. Lighter weight and more portable than tube colors. | Tempera | An inexpensive water-based paint sold primarily for poster and window painting and children’s art | Translucence | The degree of hiding power of paint. A more translucent paint will show more paper thru the paint layer | Tube Color | A liquid watercolor or gouache sold in a tube. Tube colors tend to have higher pigment loads and are typically easier to work | Vehicle | The material in which a pigment is suspended in paint. Watercolors use gum arabic as their vehicle. |
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