Gradated Beaded Wash

   This entry was originally posted on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 

A gradated wash is a wash that gets progressively lighter in value.

It starts out with a desired color and value and gets lighter as more water is added to the wash.

 This type of wash can be done as a beaded wash

The only difference is that water is added to your mixture of color as you progress down the board.

 I have an eye or medicine dropper that I use to drop clean water into my mix of paint.

It is best to give your paint mix a little stir with your brush every time you add more water to it before you apply it to your bead.

This is so the water and paint mixes evenly.

The blue stripes in the lower left hand corner of Crashing are done as a gradated beaded wash.

Repairing the Wash

  This entry was originally posted on Saturday, March 24, 2012 

If you miss a spot or two while doing a beaded wash,

Don't Go Back and Don't Panic.

Just wait for the wash to dry.

Then, using the paint you mixed up for the wash (make sure you have not diluted it!), carefully fill in the holes.

If done carefully you can fill in your holes and pretend like it never happened.

Don't Go Back

    This entry was originally posted on Friday, March 23, 2012 

As you practice your beaded wash, you may discover that you missed a spot or two. 

It may be tempting to fix it.

But don't do it!

You will cause disarray and mayhem.

 

As you carry your bead of paint down the paper, the part that you just painted is drying faster than your bead.

By returning to your mishap, you will be adding very wet paint to a semi-wet area. The wet paint ends up pushing out the drying pigment and creates a bloom.

Then your beaded wash is done for and you hang your head and cry.

The tears from your crying will create more blooms.

Disaster.

So don't go back. 

Not yet.

The answer to this is to carry on.

Keep on painting.

Let your wash completely dry.

Then you can take care of your mishaps after your wash has dried.

Ending The Bead

   This entry was originally posted on Thursday, March 22, 2012 

 

Upon completion of your beaded wash, you may have extra paint on the paper.  If left to dry, the excess paint will creep back up and create an unwanted bloom. 

To prevent this from happening, dry off your brush, and slurp up the excess bead. You may have to dry off your brush a couple of times to get it all slurped up. 

Beaded Wash

  This entry was originally posted on Wednesday March 21, 2012 

A beaded wash is a great way to make an even wash of color.

It is called this because you follow a bead of paint down your paper as you paint.

To do this, first mix up the color that you are going to use in your recyclable container. This mix of paint and water needs to be nice and juicy. Make sure you have enough mixed up to cover the area that you are painting so you don't run out in the middle of your wash!

Next put your board with your paper on it at an angle. The higher the angle, the faster the paint will run.
Now dip your brush into the paint and start to paint. Gently follow that bead of paint down the paper. It is best to use the tip of your brush as you follow it down. Using the side will create streaks.
Let gravity guide you and the paint.
Only dip your brush back into your juicy mix of paint, never dip it back into the water!
Make sure you have enough of a bead to carry the paint down. Do not let it dry out!
Leave the paper at an angle to dry.

For example, I used beaded washes on the signs in my painting, Chinatown Market