Watercolor painting is very old. It dates back to some cave painting, but became famous in the Renaissance. Watercolor became important with surveyors, mapmakers, and engineers in drawing and illustrating for their lines of work. During the 18th century it was thought that a "good education" consisted of lessons in watercolor painting.
Today we find various kinds of watercolor: watercolor sets (as in the picture to the left), liquid watercolor, and professional watercolor tubes of paint. The important thing to remember with watercolor is that it is "all about the water" - the more water makes the paint flow in a smooth manner. Less water can give the artwork a "dry brush" effect with visible brush strokes.
In the elementary school watercolor sets and liquid watercolor are most commonly used. Watercolor sets give the student a variety of colors to create a piece of art. Watercolor is most recognized for the transparency it shows and the movement created by more water with the pigment. Liquid watercolor is also used and is best when only needing a couple of colors for a project. It is already in liquid form and can be very bright in color or more light in color as more water is added to the pigment.
Today we find various kinds of watercolor: watercolor sets (as in the picture to the left), liquid watercolor, and professional watercolor tubes of paint. The important thing to remember with watercolor is that it is "all about the water" - the more water makes the paint flow in a smooth manner. Less water can give the artwork a "dry brush" effect with visible brush strokes.
In the elementary school watercolor sets and liquid watercolor are most commonly used. Watercolor sets give the student a variety of colors to create a piece of art. Watercolor is most recognized for the transparency it shows and the movement created by more water with the pigment. Liquid watercolor is also used and is best when only needing a couple of colors for a project. It is already in liquid form and can be very bright in color or more light in color as more water is added to the pigment.