Kelly McKernan shares several techniques for creating and controlling unique textures with watercolour, effectively developing visual interest on the paper
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Kelly McKernan creates unique textures.
My favourite part of working with watercolour is incorporating techniques for creating fascinating textures. I remember the first time I watched salt transform a watercolour wash right in front of my eyes, creating tiny stars where there were previously none. I thought it was magical. It was only later on while in high school, when my art teacher introduced me to watercolour techniques beyond using just salt, that I discovered just how versatile and interesting watercolour could be.
At first, it’s easy to assume that some of these techniques create texture at random. However, keeping in mind how water behaves will help guide your technique and get you closer to the results you’re looking for. Timing is key when working with many of these techniques. Watercolour dries fairly fast, so there isn’t much time to act to begin with. When the watercolour has a dull sheen – roughly just a couple minutes before being dry to the touch – this is the optimal time for adding salt, creating water blossoms and more.
Kelly creates original paintings for galleries, travels for conventions and mentors students via her Patreon site. See her art at www.kellymckernan.com.
1 Creating water blossoms
A little bit of physics comes into play with this technique. Just like when you step into a tub full of water and the water level rises, water displacement occurs when depositing drops of water or watercolour on to a wash. The deposited water pushes aside the watercolour wash and creates a distinctive water blossom.
2 Lifting and leaving texture
Removing watercolour creates texture, too. This technique is called lifting and can be used to accomplish both subtle as well as dramatic textures. A wide array of tools can be used to achieve this, from basics like paper towels, sponges and brushes, to the unexpected such as lace, netting or cotton balls. The possibilities are endless!
3 Using rubbing alcohol
Adding rubbing alcohol to your watercolour painting will cause it to repel the water, leaving a bubble of lighter colour. At first glance the effect is basic, but by experimenting with diluting the alcohol and its application, it can aid in creating interesting textures.
4 Introduce some salt into the mix
Here we are: my favourite watercolour technique, and one I’ve spent a lot of time experimenting with. When salt interacts with water, moisture is sucked away, leaving behind lighter coloured trails and star bursts surrounding the areas where the salt has landed.
5 Imprinting with plastics
For texture that’s truly randomised and unpredictable, get creative with plastics! This can include plastic grocery bags, cling film, cellophane, bubble wrap and more. This requires ample drying time as well as a weight, such as a book, over the top of the plastics.
BEFORE Your best results will come when your established layer isn’t puddled, but smooth and with a slight sheen of wetness. When laying down the establishing layer of colour, aim for an even distribution for best control of the water blossoms.
Water blossoms can be created without an established layer of watercolour. Just add water to any portion of your paper and try dropping paint from your brush to watch it spread out. Granulating watercolours will provide larger texture from water blossoms, whereas non-granulating colours allow for smoother, blended water blossoms. AFTER Transparent watercolour works wonderfully with this technique, although any watercolour type will react to water blossoms.
To help when lifting an area of dried watercolour, try rewetting it. You’ll then be able to lift up that area of damp paint, creating more precise effects. AFTER Using a damp brush, wiping detailed designs away from your watercolour wash is possible. A stiff brush will aid in scraping away any watercolour, too. This is Moonglow by Daniel Smith, and it’s my favourite watercolour because of its granulating properties and subtle shifts in colour.
Whether a watercolour is staining or non-staining will make a difference when lifting watercolour. Staining watercolours won’t lift easily. BEFORE It’s a good idea to have a paper towel nearby when painting with watercolour. It’s my primary tool for lifting stray marks or rogue watercolour, but I’ll also use it frequently for fading out an area of paint.
BEFORE AFTER I don’t recommend using your nice watercolour brushes with rubbing alcohol, because it may strip oils found in natural hair brushes and this can lead to breakage. Use a back-up brush! Using cotton swabs (aka cotton buds) will enable you to both scrub and create perfectly sized dots. I prefer to keep 91 per cent isopropyl rubbing alcohol around, which is easy to find at any pharmacy. Ethanol alcohol will do the trick as well, although the Isopropyl mixes with water just a little better, which I prefer to have in case I want to dilute the solution. Use a spray bottle to create a random assortment of spots.
I like how the imprint caused by a piece of bubble wrap looks like tiny leaves. Here I’ve used a scrap of plastic grocery bag, crumpled up before placing weight upon it. Adding pigment to the plastics before placing over wet watercolour will produce interesting effects as well. While it’s tempting to peek, don’t lift the imprinting materials before you’re certain it’s dried, or the texture will be shifted.
BEFORE I prefer to work with either kosher salt or sea salt in a medium to large grain. Iodised table salt tends to “melt” into the watercolour and then leave behind a grainy texture that’s difficult to paint on top of. The larger the grain of salt, the bigger the area of texture. When adding salt, your best results will come when the paint is just glistening and doesn’t spread if you pick your paper up. This gives the salt crystals a chance to soak up more colour and create better texture.
AFTER Transparent watercolours work especially well with salt; opaque watercolours have a reduced effect with salt. While it’s usually fine to use a hairdryer to speed up the watercolour drying process I don’t recommend it to speed up your the salt texture process. This gives the salt less opportunity to soak up the moisture, so the effect will be diminished. I typically give an area that I’ve salted 30-45 minutes to dry. Granulating watercolour performs excellently with the salt technique, because the salt will aid in separating the pigment and reveal other colours. I love Daniel Smith watercolours for this, especially Moonglow.