Page 44 - The Decorative Painter Spring 2016

W A T E R C O L O R
Painter’s Checklist
SURFACE
Awagami Ginwashi paper 11 1⁄2" x 15 1⁄2" (29.20 x 39 cm)
PALETTE
WINSOR & NEWTON WATER COLOURS Burnt Sienna
Burnt Umber
Quinacridone Gold
Raw Sienna
French Ultramarine Blue Winsor Blue (red shade) Winsor Red
BRUSHES
1 1⁄2" flat
Nos. 3 & 8 round (with long fibers) LOEW-CORNELL
Series 4550 1 1⁄2" flat
SIMPLY SIMMONS
1⁄2" & 1" flat
SUPPLIES
Basic painting supplies (page 96)
Cretacolor Pastel Pencils
Electric frying pan with temperature control or a wax/glue pot
Freezer paper, shiny side up
Iron
Newspapers
Paraffin wax (also used for canning; can be found in most any grocery store)
Pigma Micron 05 permanent waterproof pen Waxed paper
SOURCES
■ Electric frying pan or a wax/glue pot can be found at WWW.KATHIEGEORGE.COM.
■ Awagami Ginwashi paper can be found at WWW.JERRYSARTARAMA.COM or WWW. KATHIEGEORGE.COM.
WAX ON
The waxing is the most important part. It’s important to try and place the wax in exactly the right place, but remember – this is not an exact science and the wax will blurb out or drip sometimes. It’s okay! That’s part of what makes a batik look so cool. But the waxing is important because it makes the shapes.
There are diagrams provided for you that show where to put the wax. Begin with diagram one and wax all of the darkened areas shown there. To wax, simply dip an old brush into the hot wax and spread it onto the paper (you can’t clean the wax out of the brushes, but you can reuse them for other batik paintings). Be careful, if you get too much wax on your brush it will surge out on the paper. Start with just a bit until you get the hang of it. If it drips, don’t worry; the drips can add to the effect. In fact, you may find yourself adding some spatter on your own because you like the look of it. Leave the brush in the hot wax between layers so that it will always be ready to go.
ADD COLOR
The wax dries almost instantly, so the rice paper will be ready to paint right away. Because the paper is transparent, it’s helpful to place it onto a white surface while painting. A piece of freezer paper (shiny side up) works well for this. Just use your regular watercolor brushes for the washes.
Pick up only a small amount of paint – rice paper has no sizing, so the less paint in your brush the more control you have. Sometimes the paint will run no matter what you do. Don’t worry! Instead, ex-
42 The Decorative Painter • ISSUE NO. 1, 2016
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