The subtle, sparkling shades of watercolor paint…You only need a few minutes to create homemade watercolors. If they aren’t better than manufacturer colors, they are certainly just as good
The subtle, sparkling shades of watercolor paint…You only need a few minutes to create homemade watercolors. If they aren’t better than manufacturer colors, they are certainly just as good
There are two types of gum arabic: in solution, ready-to-use, or dry. Prepare the dry gum arabic as follows:
Several optional ingredients come straight from your kitchen:
The resulting paste is ready for immediate use. You can also transfer it into small pots, fitted with an airtight seal, and then use them as classic watercolor paint.
The amount of gum Arabic depends on the nature of the pigments and the rendering of color that you want to produce. The higher the proportion, the more brilliant the color. On the other hand, paint containing too much gum arabic has a tendency to crackle. Since organic pigments are the most difficult to moisten, add a few drops of ox gall, a wetting agent.
To prepare larger quantities of paint, use a mortar and pestle.
If Albrecht Dürer took his place as one of the first European masters of watercolors in the 16th century, the origins of this medium can be traced to the beginnings of artistic expression itself. The first cave paintings used a blend of natural pigment, ocher or black, and a binding agent…saliva, for example. In Antiquity, the walls of the pyramids were decorated with watercolor frescoes. In China, its invention was contemporary with that of paper, about 2000 years before our time.