Page 45 - The Decorative Painter Spring 2016

W A T E R C O L O R
pect it to happen. As the paint begins to spread, avoid a hard edge by taking extra water in your brush and softening the edge, then quickly and gently blot with a paper towel to absorb extra water.
It’s important to let the paper dry thoroughly before applying more wax. If you apply wax to wet or damp paper it won’t be able to soak into the paper fi- bers. You can use a hair dryer to speed things up, but be careful not to melt the wax. If you do happen to melt the wax, that’s ok. You can add paint where you need it later, after the wax is removed. Many times I just hang my wet piece over the back of my chair and go do some laundry (or get a snack). When I come back, it’s dry.
CRUMPLE IT UP
When you’re finished applying layers of wax and color washes, let the paper dry. Then cover the entire front of the paper with another coat of wax to be sure you’ve hit every little area at least once. When this layer has cooled, peel it off the waxed paper and gently crinkle it into a ball. Small cracks may form in the wax.
Flatten the paper, being careful not to dislodge or brush off any of the loos- ened wax chunks. Now apply one final wash of color. In this case, I used a thin wash of Quinacridone Gold. Without waiting for the dots of color to dry, dab wax onto the beads of color sealing them into the wax.
WAX OFF
Lay out several sheets of newspaper and place your batik on top. Make a “batik sandwich” by laying about three more sheets of newspaper on top of your piece. This will be enough newspaper to allow the heat to penetrate but still soak up plenty of the wax. Using an iron set to hot (the cotton setting), press the pile. The heat will melt the wax and newspaper will soak it up. When the newspapers be- come fairly saturated (you’ll see the wax bleed through) replace them with fresh papers above and below, and continue. Repeat this process three or four times until the newspapers remain clean and all the wax has been removed.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Two things work well for adding color to any areas that might need it. First, try painting it. Painting on rice paper after the wax has been removed will feel completely different. Because a tiny bit of wax remains on the surface, you’ll have to coax the paint into the paper by wiggling your brush and “tickling” the paint into the paper, but once you’ve done so, the color will stay where you place it. For small touches of opaque color, or when outlining is needed, pastel pencils are fun and easy. Finally, mount the batik on a piece of white or off-white matboard using double-sided or linen tape. I sometimes like to float it so the deckled edges show.
COLOR MIXES
Light Gray: French Ultramarine Blue+Burnt Umber (1:tch)
Medium Gold: Raw Sienna+Burnt Sienna (1:1)
Medium Gray: French Ultramarine Blue+Burnt Umber (1:1)
Medium Blue Green: Winsor Blue+Quinacridone Gold+Burnt Sienna (1:1:tch) Dark Gray: French Ultramarine Blue+Burnt Umber (1:1)
PAINTING TIPS
■ PAPER: Awagami Ginwashi oriental paper. Other papers will work, but Awagami Ginwashi oriental paper is my favorite by far.
■ WAX BRUSHES: Designate brushes that you’ll use only in wax. I prefer inexpensive natural hair brushes, such as camel or squirrel mix. Beware of using brushes that are too tiny – they rarely carry enough wax and the wax will cool before you can get it onto the paper. In general, you’ll find that the bristles get stiff when the wax cools, but they soften up again when dipped into the hot wax.
■ WATERCOLOR BRUSHES: Use your regular watercolor brushes for ap- plying the paint.
■ ELECTRIC FRYING PAN OR WAX/ GLUE POT: If you do not have a wax/glue pot (which keeps the wax at the correct temp) use only a de- vice with a temperature control.
DECORATIVEPAINTERS.ORG The Decorative Painter • ISSUE NO. 1, 2016 43