The Importance of Edges

John Lovett shares his methods for controlling edges in watercolour painting

One of the most important aspects of watercolor painting is the control of edges. Every mark we place on our paper bears some kind of edge—from the hard, contrasting edge of dark paint applied to dry paper, to the soft edge of pale pigment dragged across a wet wash. The adjustment and control of edges should become a subconscious action, executed the moment a mark is made. We are going to examine the variety of edges we can produce, adjustments we can make to these edges and the things that can go wrong.