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I have never in my life used watercolors . However I want to try them
I bought a small set of 12 colors. They are small solid cakes in a plastic box.
They were not expensive artist grade , but I felt they would be OK for practicing.
My logic tells me I need to mist the little cakes to activate the colors .
How much water should I use to mist them?
After I mist them how long does it take for the solid cakes to become liquid colors?
Don't mist them. Just practice with a watercolor brush, some water, some watercolor paper and a paper towel. Dip the brush in the water and then touch the watercolors.
you'll get the hang of how much water to use. always let one layer dry before coloring over with another layer or it will get muddy. good luck!
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
You can also put a drop or two of water in the cake, let it sit a minute or two, then stir around in the cake. The more water you add, the less concentrated your color will be.
Barbara! There is no such thing as a dumb question!! I concur with the above comments - but I have nothing to add. I've used Albrecht Durher watercolour pencils in the past and just took the colour off the tip of the pencil. It worked really well. Try different papers etc. Some paper will curl up if you use much water with your paint.
I must say that I do mist mine. I'd never have thought of it, because as a child using pan colours I just used a wet brush. But then I bought the Twinkling H2Os which recommend misting. So these days when I use my pan (cake) watercolours I tend to mist them too. It doesn't take long for the colours to get soft. Just don't put the lid back on till the cakes are dry again, especially if you live in a humid climate.
Whether you mist or use a wet brush, one thing I can definitely recommend is that you use proper watercolour paper, it makes a world of difference. Nothing wrong with non artist-grade colours! Especially for experimenting with.
Sometimes I will also mist my paper, it can make it easier to move the colour around on it to get a better shading. The best thing is to experiment and find what works for you - well done for giving it a go.
I believe the best products and tools produce the best results. But when I try something new I don't want to spend a small fortune until I see if I like the technique. Hence the cheap set of water colors to use to practice.
Barbara, I wouldn't worry at all about the cheaper watercolours. I used to work in import and distribution of fine art supplies. The cheaper watercolours outsold the artist's quality by a huge factor - especially when featured on TV shows . And the cheaper-again school grade stuff also sold well - I've used damaged supplies myself. Of course they aren't as good, but they're perfectly ok for learning.
And student quality paper way outsold the artist's grade papers too - but using proper watercolour paper really is important. Have fun!!
You might want to try a aqua brush. I like mine. I just used my watercolor pencils that I got at Michael's with a 40% off coupon and they were very easy to use. I color just a very small spot and let the aqua brush pull the color out.
Dumb water color question
