My (Scattered) Flat Wash Guidebook

My (Scattered) Flat Wash Guidebook - student project

This guidebook is scattered through two different sketchbooks, and loose paper.  I started it in my moleskin cold-pressed (slightly bumpy) watercolour sketchbook looking at how differently a new colour I had behaved when used on dry vs wet paper.

My (Scattered) Flat Wash Guidebook - image 1 - student project

On wet paper the colour separated a lot more with the blue/violet shades settling into the depressions on the paper, and with a lot of texture that basically happened by itself.

I then tried a similar thing with a different colour on hot pressed (smooth) watercolour paper in one of my sketchbooks and saw these gorgeous dramatic effects:

My (Scattered) Flat Wash Guidebook - image 2 - student project

Experimenting with another different paper - this time loose sheets of cold pressed (bumpy) paper by a different brand - gave me some unexpected results on the vintage (dry paper) approach (left).  

My (Scattered) Flat Wash Guidebook - image 3 - student project

I experimented with different brush sizes (left, below) - the top was made with a 1/2" flat while the bottom was made with a 2" flat wash brush, as well as the vintage (dry paper) and modern (damp paper) techniques inside shapes (right, below):

My (Scattered) Flat Wash Guidebook - image 4 - student project

And I've also done a lot of experimentation with these approaches when I want to exclude shapes.  Here are two that I made in the class:

My (Scattered) Flat Wash Guidebook - image 5 - student project

I find being able to create the kind of background that I want for my paintings empowering, and it takes the fear out of starting something for me. 

For my 'Awakening' painting that's peaking in in the image below, I used the modern approach to create the background colours around the woman in the water. I wanted a really textured look and that technique worked well to create that.

My (Scattered) Flat Wash Guidebook - image 6 - student project

I don't see this as a 'finished' guidebook - it's something that I will continue to add to when I get new paper, new paint, or new brushes. Maybe it's my inner scientist, but I really enjoy the experimentation!