"A Deeper Look into Understanding Dryness"

I like so many other watercolour artists have heard this one line more often than any other. " Now you have to let it dry."

I believe this to be one of the most over simplified lines in every tutorial ever made about watercolour painting. Most people, myself included will have experienced that brushstroke that leads to painting disaster, that you tried to paint on a new layer when the previous layer has not yet dried in the way you wanted. Or has it?

Really, the state of watercolour paper should be split into three categories during the process of painting.

1. Completely dry - the paper is only as moist as the air humidity ( yes it's that sensitive )

2. Damp - the paper has absorbed water but it is not visible on the surface

3. Wet - the paper is infused with water and you can see a glistening wet surface

Understanding these states, will change how your paint behaves and what look and feature you try to achieve.

Completely Dry

When I started my painting journey I had very limited time to paint. I was still completing my day job and would have to carve out a few hours a week to attempt a painting. Often times I would plan the drawing and stretch my paper and attempt to complete my layers all in one sitting. I would follow the instructions of so many artists and wait till I could not see any more water. Then I would wait 10 more minutes. Then I would attempt to put on a second layer and I would inevitably end up with a blurry bloomed mess with muddy dull colours. I would often blame the paper, or perhaps artists were just not sharing their magic? How did they get their layers to stay put? They could add on a new layer of water and build on what had come before.

One night I had left painting very late, and having a busy working day I decided that the most I could do was to paint a first wash. I personally don't even remember what my subject was, but I put on the first wash in about 30 mins and then I put the brush down and set the painting aside without a single second touch. It was left to dry overnight and it took a full 24 hours till I could come back to that painting. So now the paint was dry on the paper, really dry. I noticed that it had gone much lighter in colour. The paper was razor flat and tight on my mounting board. But the most shocking change for me, was when I put on my first clear wash of water and something felt different. Nothing moved, and I put on another layer of paint and it moved over the page giving this beautiful gradient that I have always dreamed of achieving.

What I realised is that I had for possibly years I have been misunderstanding the term ' dry paper '. Truly dry paper and truly dry paint will for a short period resist a wash of paint and water, allowing you to add to what has already been laid down. Now if I have a complicated painting using lots of different layers I often leave the first wash to dry overnight. You might think that this would add to my stress in completing a painting, but it in fact had the opposite effect. With less pressure on myself to get everything done, the excitement of the first wash is pressure free and easier.

The length of time for paper to dry is going to vary for everyone. It will depend on your paper and the climate in which you are painting. It would be great for your painting practice to set some trial times, such as a few hours to as much as overnight , between paintings to find out exactly what works for you.

Damp paper

I think many a new painter to the watercolour medium will have watched the wet glistening paper dry and thought to themselves ' Oh let's move onto the next step ' only to watch colours lift off the page or bloom. Paper that isn't glistening but has been drenched in either wet paint or water has absorbed water. Be clear that there is still water in the paper itself, sitting within the paper fibres. At this point you have two options, lay down your brush and let the paper dry throughly ( ie so that the absorbed water is mostly evaporated ) or you put on some more paint and see what happens.

I believe one of the skills that the advanced artist really masters is taking advantage of the small window of time when the paper is damp to achieve a range of different edges in watercolour. I find this most noticeable in Hot press paper that is a favourite of botanical artists. Often when the paper is damp you can use the pain to mark out the faint dots or stripes that decorate a delicate petal. With the paper fibre still damp from the water is has absorbed, the paint bleeds at the edges to give a soft graded edge, instead of a sharp crisp edge.

Pay attention to the consistency of your paint at this stage, as paint that is very watery will more likely lead to a water bloom or paint drifting to form an unwanted outline. Use paint that is a cream ( like single cream ) consistency.

Another important technique to experiment with when your paper is damp, is the lifting out of colour. Often times this watercolour effect happens beautifully when you do not want colour to move and will fail slightly at times that you want to lighten an area. But in general if you use a clean dry brush on paper just after you see the glossy sheen go away, you can remove a portion of colour, to retain a highlight for example.

Not enough is said about this in-between stage of watercolour painting, but Damp paper is a very important stage in getting all of those soft gradients and highlights that really add to a painting. It is well worth experimenting and paying attention to the time it takes for your paper to go from Damp to too dry to work with, which will be only a few mins in range.

Wet - the wildest stage

So this stage may be the easiest to identify, but surely not the easiest to work with. So what are the signs of paper that is wet? Depending on your paper, you will often see the water bead slightly on top of the fibres of the paper when the paper is truly dry. Artists sometimes refer to this as ' waking up ' the paper. With your brush you spread water into the desired area of your painting or perhaps the whole paper surface. If you watch the water, it will have a reflective sheen, like looking at a puddle's surface. There are very few scenarios I can think of when you want to add paint at this point. If you are pouring on paint, this can have some amazing marble and swirling effects but you will have very little control. I do enjoy a watercolour background made up of this explosive technique, so it's one to experiment and play with.

For more detailed work, you want the water to absorb into the paper just so that you can start seeing the textured grain of the paper ( as seen in a tulip I painted this February ) but you can still see a moist surface. This means there is enough water to allow your paint to spread evenly, but it also won't hugely water down the consistency of your paint.

Remember when this sheen has just gone, and all the water has left the surface of the paper and has been absorbed, you are in Damp paper territory. But not to worry, there are some ways to extend this wet period.

The easiest technique is to wet your paper twice with a clean layer of water. This is especially useful with hot press paper which tends to dry and absorb water at a faster rate than cold press paper. You lay on a clear wash of clean water and let it try and absorb, and then repeat the process a second time. Tah dah! Paper stays wet for longer and you have more time to work. I use this for large areas. Have all your paint mixed and ready to go for this technique.

If you are painting wet in wet and you think your paper is drying out and you have a lot of pre-mixed paint you can drop some more paint into the already painted area. The trick here is to use paint that is the exact same consistency as when you started your wet in wet wash. If you just add more water, this will get you a water colour bloom were the water pushes the paint outwards.

What is key to achieving your goals with the wet on wet technique is remembering that the water in your paint will be combined with the water on the paper. I believe that after years of painting, many artists just develop a sixth sense when combining paints and wet paper. They learn exactly when the paper is at the right consistency of ' wet ' as well as their paint to water mixes of colour. I certainly haven't mastered this technique myself, but after a few years I am better! Hopefully with these tips and hints you will make faster progress. But to summarise myself, the key to succeeding with wet on wet colour mixing and painting is to become very adept at recognising when wet paper transitions into damp paper.

So let's sum up our water techniques ....

While all I have discussed above sounds simple, anyone who has tried their hand at watercolour painting knows that these simple concepts can make the most amazing effects. From the sweep of a swans curved neck or backlit fluffy clouds, it takes time and practice and I am sure some truly ruined paintings to learn this craft. I have made many paintings that will never see the light of day. But I keep them, to remind myself that every single painting adds to the artist you grow into. It's all worth it.

But here is what you do want to remember from this blog:

1. If you want dry paper, wait till it's really truly dry or use a blow dryer.

2. Damp paper has it's uses, but don't paint on it if you don't want blurred fuzzy edges.

3. There is such a thing as too wet, if it's a glistening puddle wait till it has dried a little to add your paint in. Happy Painting, make mistakes and enjoy the journey!