The dry brush watercolor technique involves using minimal water on your brush to create textured, broken strokes. This technique lets the paper's texture show through, adding depth and visual interest to your watercolor paintings.
Understanding the Dry Brush Technique
The key to mastering the dry brush technique is controlling the amount of water on your brush. Instead of a fully loaded brush, you want just enough paint to grip the paper's tooth, leaving the dips and valleys unpainted. This creates a distinctive, broken effect.
Steps for Dry Brush Watercolor
Here’s a breakdown of the steps:
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Prepare Your Brush: Start by loading your brush with watercolor paint.
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Remove Excess Water: Remove almost all the water from your brush by dabbing it on a paper towel or a clean cloth. You want the brush to be nearly dry. This is the most critical step.
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Apply Light Strokes: Use very light and swift brush strokes. The pressure is so light that paint only touches the raised parts of the paper's texture, leaving the lower parts unpainted. As mentioned in the video reference, "I make very light and swift brush strokes with the brush tip. The pressure is so light that paint only grips to the tip of the paper tooth leaving the dips of the tooth unpainted."
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Control the Texture: By controlling the amount of paint and pressure, you can influence how much of the paper texture shows through.
Tips for Successful Dry Brushing
- Paper Choice: Textured watercolor paper works best for this technique. The more pronounced the texture, the more visible the effect will be. Rough or cold-pressed paper is ideal.
- Brush Type: Stiff, synthetic brushes often work well for dry brushing.
- Practice: Start with simple shapes and gradually increase the complexity of your paintings. Practice helps to get a feel of how much pressure to apply.
When to Use the Dry Brush Technique
The dry brush technique can be used for:
- Adding Texture: Use it for creating the appearance of fur, wood, stone, or grass.
- Highlighting Details: Adding subtle highlights with dry brushing gives a natural look.
- Creating Depth: The broken color adds visual depth to your paintings.
- Softening Edges: Soften and blend edges by using dry brush technique instead of a wet-on-wet approach.
Example
Imagine painting a rocky landscape:
- Start with a base wash of colors.
- Use dry brush strokes with varying shades of grey and brown to create the rough texture of rocks.
- Apply light, dry strokes with a light color for highlight.
Summary
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Brush Preparation | Load brush with paint, remove almost all water, leaving minimal moisture. |
| Application | Apply light, swift strokes to catch the tooth of the paper, creating a broken, textured effect. |
| Paper | Use textured watercolor paper such as rough or cold-pressed for best results. |
| Brush Type | Stiff, synthetic brushes are often preferred. |
| Key Effect | The paint only grips the tips of the paper’s texture, creating a unique dry, broken effect. |
