Watercolour mediums are essential for artists seeking to explore a wide range of techniques and effects. However, many artists may not be aware of the incredible range of effects and enhancements that can be achieved by incorporating special liquids and gels, known as watercolour mediums. These mediums can transform your work, offering new textures, altering drying times, and adding unique finishes. Let’s explore some of these exciting options from Winsor & Newton and see how they can elevate your art.
1. Experiment with Textures:
Blending Medium is perfect for artists who love to work with smooth transitions and gradients. This medium slows down the drying time of your watercolours, giving you more time to blend colours seamlessly. It's ideal for creating soft, continuous tones and achieving a polished look in your paintings.
For those looking to add a tactile element to their work, Texture Medium contains fine particles that impart a subtle yet distinct texture to your paintings. This medium is excellent for depicting rough surfaces like stone or sand, giving your artwork an added dimension of depth and realism.
Want to add a touch of magic to your paintings? Iridescent Medium gives your watercolours a pearlescent or glitter effect, making your artwork shimmer and shine. It’s perfect for highlighting areas or creating captivating special effects that catch the eye.
Granulation Medium is a favorite among landscape artists. It enhances the natural granulation of certain pigments, giving your colours a beautifully mottled appearance. This medium is great for adding texture and interest to washes, especially when depicting natural elements like skies, water, and foliage.
2. Enhance Flow and Transparency
Ox Gall Liquid is a natural wetting agent that improves the flow of watercolours. When mixed with your paints, it helps them spread more smoothly across the paper, allowing for better blending and even washes. This medium is particularly useful for large, sweeping areas of colour.
Gum Arabic is a versatile medium that controls the speed at which your wet colours move and helps reduce staining. It also increases the gloss and transparency of your watercolours, giving your finished piece a luminous quality. This medium is excellent for achieving vibrant, clear washes and enhancing the overall appearance of your work.
Easy Lifting of Colour:
Sometimes, you need to correct mistakes or create highlights by removing colour. Lifting Preparation makes this process easy by allowing dry colour washes, even those with staining pigments, to be lifted from the paper with a brush. It’s an invaluable tool for artists who want more flexibility in their work.
And that’s not all, Winsor & Newton range also includes art masking fluids to keep areas of the paper white. Before
Masking Fluid is a latex based liquid and is applied to areas of an artwork the artist wants to keep white. When applied to absorbent surfaces, it repels moisture and prevents watercolours, inks and gouache from being absorbed.
Art Masking Fluid: Used to cover areas you want to keep free from colour.
Permanent Masking Fluid: Non-removable, providing a permanent mask.
Colourless Masking Fluid: Non-staining and easy to remove, perfect for delicate work.
Each of these mediums offers unique benefits and can significantly enhance your watercolour paintings. Whether you're looking to add texture, control drying times, improve flow, or achieve special effects, there’s a medium that can help you reach your artistic goals.
Summary table of range of Winsor and Newton watercolour mediums and effects.
Ready to experiment with these amazing watercolour mediums? Visit Art Lounge website or our offline store to discover the full range of Winsor & Newton watercolour mediums.