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Learning the Basics of Watercolor
Learning the Basics of Watercolor

Painting Flowers in Watercolor
Painting Flowers in Watercolor

Painting on Watercolor Canvas

Painting on Watercolor Canvas

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Acrylic Paintings

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Hilton Head

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Naples, FL

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Watercolor onCanvas
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LESSONS IN WATERCOLOR

Watercolor Painting Tips
All about Watercolor Paper

on R-tistx Board & Claybord®

How to Paint Crystal and Lace

Painting with Color!

Portraits in Watercolor

How to Paint Clouds

How to Paint Water Reflections
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Page of Links




How to Stretch Watercolor Paper


Lesson 3:

We need to learn about stretching watercolor paper. I personally do not stretch and staple my paper down to a board, but for a beginner I recommend it in order to keep the paper from buckling, until you become more familiar with the medium.

Related topics:

Using brushes

Glazing

Mixing colors

  • To stretch your paper, make sure the board is about an inch larger all the way around. Soak the paper in a clean tub of water (maybe 5 minutes, until it has absorbed the water). Lay it on a towel to absorb the excess moisture, then place it on the board.


  • With a staple gun, begin stapling at one corner and continue to the end of that side. Move to another corner and staple toward the completed side, and repeat with the remaining sides.


  • Allow to dry, so that it shrinks and maintains a taught surface. Re-wet before painting to use it for wet-in-wet painting.

Another way (my favorite) to stretch paper:

Have a non-absorbant surface such as Plexiglas, Gatorboard or Tempered Masonite.....then wet the paper with a large Hake brush on one side, then turn it over and wet the opposite side. It will stick down like glue.

There is a video I created to show this process on Youtube

The underside of the paper remains wet for a long time, which gives you the ability to blend colors more easily on the surface. I use 200# Waterford paper, as it is less likely to bubble up than 140# paper. If your paper has air bubbles underneath (lumps that appear on the surface), just pick it up at the corner or at one edge, and roll it up partially Then add more water to the back side, then roll it down carefully and the bubbles will disappear

This technique allows you to paint edge to edge and frame your work by floating it on a sheet of acid free matboard, showing the edges of the paper. People LOVE that!

 

<< Lesson 2: Value Scale 

Lesson 4: Watercolor Horizons and Perspective>> 

Return to Watercolor Lessons

Watercolor Painting Tips

Return to Watercolor Techniques

 


My E-Books

Learning the Basics of Watercolor
Learning the Basics of Watercolor

Painting Flowers in Watercolor
Painting Flowers in Watercolor

Painting on Watercolor Canvas

Painting on Watercolor Canvas

You can also see the 20 videos of mine on YOUTUBE.

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

   

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