Experiencing technical difficulties
Posted: December 3, 2012 Filed under: Uncategorized 16 CommentsI am pretty sure that the paper in the pad I have been using for the past few sketches has been bound with the wrong side of the paper facing up. The Arches Travel Book, which I have used before, is absorbing all the pigment I put on it. If you look closely at the buildings on the right side you can see that even with two very saturated washes of red, there are still white spots showing through. This shouldn’t be happening on a good quality paper. Last week I had no problem painting the fire hydrant in snow but when I looked at it again today I realized that I had used the back of the sheet. Here is the link for the pad. If you have had similar problems with it, send me a comment.
Yes, I can see that you have been having such terrible technical difficulties with this painting [that’s sarcasm]. Personally, I have technical difficulties putting watercolour paint on ANY side of the paper! Any suggestions?
Take a workshop!! You have all those great Australian watercolour painters. Follow Zbukvic around for a while.
I think I would need a beginner’s workshop first… something simple like “this is a brush, this is paper, etc”. Good idea?
Were you back in the car again for today’s painting? And, is that person on the right sidewalk really tall? : )
Good idea for the beginners workshop. Yes, I was in my car for this. And of course you would notice how badly I messed up on that lady. She was tall but she wasn’t a giant.
And you thought that no one else would notice Hagrid walking down Privet Drive? Sorry, it is just that I am the one who lives so far away that I am brave (or stupid) enough to say something. : )
Although, I have to say that I didn’t notice her at first because the cars caught my attention… they were handled really convincingly!
I was hoping she would be inconspicuous but do you really think she looks like Robbie Coltrane?
Inconspicuous??? Not likely… particularly now that we have publicly discussed her at length. And, I actually think she looks more like the head mistress of the girls’ school in The Goblet of Fire movie/book.
That’s more like it!!
I thought you could use either side of D’Arches paper, that they were basically the same. ( I have used thier big sheets before) Is that inaccurate information? Can you explain more about how and why they take paint differently? Thank you. It is such a pleasure always to see your work. Sue
On single sheets you can use both sides of the paper. But this little travel pad seems to be different on both sides.
It just acts drier than the usual Arches paper. If you click on the image you can see full-size version and you’ll see clearly what I mean esp. on the right side. After two saturated washes there should not be any white spots. The wash should go down into the hills and valleys of the paper but this does not. From now on I will be using single sheets.
Aside from the D’Arches paper, what other papers or sketchbooks have you used or are particularly fond of?
My preferred paper is Fabriano and these days it is the soft press paper. It not as smooth as hot press. It is more like cold press paper but without as much texture. And it is a very bright white. All this is 140 lb but recently I did a painting on Winsor Newton 300 lb paper and I loved that!
Looks like a very nice scene in a nice warm country ;). Up close I see your point about the washes. Doesn’t disturb at a distance.
Thanks René. Glad you like it anyway.
Maybe the pads are different from sheets, but I’ve never noticed a difference on either side as far as how the paint absorbs. I think the texture is a bit different. You might just have a bad lot. Love the painting anyway!
I find the pads different from sheets but this travel pad is different from both.
Sheets work fine on both sides of the paper. Often I will cut up a whole sheet into quarters and I will work on either side. But this travel pad is a different animal completely. Just sucks up all the water. It is almost like a fibreglass paper.