{"id":2221,"date":"2011-06-23T11:55:11","date_gmt":"2011-06-23T04:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maggiemaggio.com\/color\/?page_id=2221"},"modified":"2019-03-05T18:02:17","modified_gmt":"2019-03-06T02:02:17","slug":"watercolor-technique-tutorial","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/maggiemaggio.com\/color\/workshops\/tutorials\/watercolor-technique-tutorial\/","title":{"rendered":"Watercolor Technique Tutorial"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Watercolor8\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s a\u00a0quick and dirty tutorial on using the watercolor technique to make “torn paper” beads similar to the bead on the lower left.<\/p>\n

\"Watercolor1_edited-1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1. Mix a palette.<\/strong> I always start a project by mixing a set of colors that “hang together.”\u00a0Make at least one color in each hue family\u00a0and add a\u00a0mud color to\u00a0create a palette that you like. You don’t\u00a0need\u00a0much clay – 1\/2 oz of each color is plenty.<\/p>\n

Option: Add a little bit of aluminum leaf to each of the colors. This adds a slight sparkle similar to mica in stones. I use aluminum leaf\u00a0because it doesn’t tarnish.<\/p>\n

\"Watercolor2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Mix top colors.<\/strong> I like to marbleize three pea sized colors from my palette to make the top\u00a0colors.\u00a0I often include my mud in the mix. This mutes the starting colors so that the final watercolor sheets are more natural –\u00a0not too\u00a0 “easter-eggish.”\u00a0Run the\u00a0 clay at the thinnest manageable setting on the pasta machine to make a very thin sheet\u00a0that is no bigger than 2″ x 3″.<\/p>\n

Option: Do not mix the clay all the way – leave it a little bit mottled. This will add\u00a0variations of color to the final sheet.<\/p>\n

\"Watercolor4_edited-1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Add black and white.<\/strong> Sheet white and black at the thickest setting, stack them together,\u00a0and then place the\u00a0top color on the white.<\/p>\n

There are many variations of this step. The basic idea is to “wash” the very thin top color over a thick sheet of white.\u00a0This spreads the color so that it becomes lighter and brighter without actually mixing it with white clay.\u00a0The\u00a0black sheet is added to the bottom\u00a0for contrast when the sheet is torn.<\/p>\n

Option: Use an off-white such as ecru\u00a0for the white layer, and a deep dark for the black layer. This\u00a0option is often\u00a0used by\u00a0Judith Kuskin<\/a> to make her beautiful jewelry.<\/p>\n

\"Watercolor5\"<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Wash the\u00a0top color.<\/strong> Run the stacked sheets though the pasta machine\u00a0starting with the thickest setting.\u00a0Go\u00a0progressively thinner until the sheet is very thin (and usually fairly long!). Mix different proportions of your palette colors to make many variations of watercolor sheets.<\/p>\n

Notice how much lighter and brighter the washed color is compared to the original top color.<\/p>\n

Option: If your colors are coming out too bright,\u00a0add more mud to the top color.<\/p>\n

\"Watercolor6_edited-1\"<\/a> <\/p>\n

5. Select a color scheme.<\/strong> Looking at all your watercolor sheets, use your instincts to decide which colors to put together. Audition each color with the other colors and adjust proportions until the combination looks good to you.<\/p>\n

Before going on to the next step,\u00a0lay the sheets\u00a0out next to each other to see where there is lots of value contrast and where there is little. Don’t assume that all the colors will look equally as good against each other.<\/p>\n

\"WatercolorPrep2_edited-1\"<\/a> <\/p>\n

6. Make mud.<\/strong> Because the sheets go lighter and brighter I usually use a dark color for my background. I keep my scrap clay sorted into three bins – blues and purples, greens and yellows (including oranges which are really just yellows with a little bit of red!) and reds and magentas. This makes it easier for me to mix clearer colors when I don’t want mud. When I do want mud,\u00a0I pull a little bit from each pile taking more from the blues\/purples if I want a gray mud, more from the green\/yellows if I want an ocher mud, and more from the reds\/magentas if I want a brown mud.<\/p>\n

\"WatercolorPrep\"<\/a><\/p>\n

7. Make\u00a0base beads from mud.<\/strong> To make base beads, mix some\u00a0mud from scraps\u00a0until it is all one color.\u00a0Roll it into a ball while pressing all the air out. Roll the ball into a log and cut off chucks to make\u00a0smaller\u00a0balls.<\/p>\n

Option: If you want all your beads to be similar in size, measure and cut the same amounts off the log.<\/p>\n

\"Watercolor7_edited-2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

8. Collage torn sheets.<\/strong> Tear off small pieces of the watercolor sheets and collage them onto the bead blanks. I like to leave some of the dark background color showing for contrast. Gently roll the collaged sheets into the base bead and then\u00a0form the bead into a\u00a0shape you like. Pierce the beads before baking if you don’t want to drill holes after baking.\u00a0Bake according to the clay brand instructions.<\/p>\n

Option: Roll the beads with some cornstarch to make them smooth. Bake the beads on a bed of cornstarch to prevent flat spots.<\/p>\n

Note: The beads and pendants at the top of this post are all older variations of the watercolor technique. The pivot beads from Chapter 2 of Color Inspirations<\/a> are a new variation that uses a black, white and gray striped cane as the white layer.\u00a0Play with making watercolor sheets using:<\/p>\n