WaterColour Unit Vocabulary

Watercolour Painting in pigments suspended in water. Traditionally used in a light to dark manner, using the white of the paper to determine values.

Wash A transparent layer of diluted color that is brushed on.

Flat Wash Any area of a painting where a wash of single color and value is painted in a series of multiple, overlapping stokes following the flow of the paint. A slightly tilted surface aids the flow of your washes. Paper can be dry or damp.

Graded Wash A wash that smoothly changes in value from dark to light. Most noted in landscape painting for open sky work, but an essential skill for watercolor painting in general.

Blended Wash Fusing two or more color planes together so no discernable sharp divisions are apparent.

Tilt The effect achieved when watercolors are not kept perfectly flat while drying.

Wet on Wet The technique of painting wet color into a wet surface (paper saturated).

Wet on Dry The technique of painting wet color onto a dry surface

Dry Brush Any textured application of paint where your brush is fairly dry (thin or thick paint) and you rely the hairs of your brush, the angle of attack of your stroke, and the paper's surface texture to create broken areas of paint. Used for rendering a variety of textured surfaces: stone, weathered wood, foliage, lakes and rivers, bark, clouds.

Lifting Off The process of removing wet paint

Transparent Easily seen through.

Opaque A paint that is not transparent by nature or intentionally. A dense paint that obscures or totally hides the underpainting in any given artwork.

Layers Also called ‘washes’. Many watercolors are a building up of washes or layers.

Background The area of a painting farthest from the viewer. In a landscape this would include the sky and horizon. In a still life or portrait it could be a wall or room interior.

Middleground Area of a painting between the foreground and the background. In a landscape this is usually where your focal point would be.

Foreground The area of a painting closest to the viewer. In a landscape this would include the area from the viewer to the middle distance.

Atmospheric Perspective Suggesting perspective in a painting with changes in tone and color between foreground and background. The background is usually blurred and hues are less intense.

The Importance of Sketching For watercolor keep it light and clean and simple. Put in the details you need but don’t overdo it.

Underpainting The first, thin transparent laying of color in a painting.

By Liz Fluehr

Salting Adding salt to wet watercolor in order to achieve a speckled effect.

Highlight A point of intense brightness, such as the reflection in an eye. The part of the paper that is left untouched. http://ninjawoman.blogspot.com/2009/09/step-by-step-goldfish.html

Masking Fluid A latex gum product that is used to cover a surface you wish to protect from receiving paint.

Your Assignment: You will create a watercolour painting of a piece of architecture of your choice using a wash technique. You will highlight the physical characteristics of the wash technique by bleeding out portions of your selected building, and accentuating the architectural details of the building by geometrically drawing on top of your painting with a fine tip marker.

Grading Scale & Comments Criteria Grading Scale & Comments Grade FOUNDATIONS All requirements are met You came to class prepared, use of class time Effort is evident Met deadlines Followed creative process Asked for advice when needed Use of materials   /10 CREATING Shows excellent application of watercolour techniques Paint is applied thinly without unneccesary blotches or streaks There are no pencil lines Paper is flat and not wrinkled, ripped or folded Image is accurately drawn Cropping showcases an interesting composition Interesting building selection that showed intricate detail Precise detail with fine tip marker /20 REFLECTING