Depending on the type of watercolour paper you normally use, your paintings may already have texture stemming from the way the paper is pressed. I confess to not knowing a lot about the names of these papers - I usually just go into the art shop and buy what I like the look and feel of. (If you need to know about papers in depth there are hundreds of sites on the web that can give you that kind of information - see my links page for a starting off point.) However, if you want to add texture to a painting started on smooth paper there are several popular techniques that can give you what you're after.
Most of us will remember doing something similar to this in art class at school. The process is simple, you rub wax (preferably white candle wax) gently across your paper where you don't want the paint to 'take' and because 'hey presto' the white of the paper shines through the surrounding area of paint. Obviously the harder you press or rub with the wax the more you will build up an area that will completely resist paint, however, some of the better effects will be acheived by a more considered use; allowing the paint to reach the dips in the paper but not the raised bits. This is when you start to get texture! At this point we're talking about allowing the white of the paper to show through, but remember, there's nothing to stop you applying the wax resist after you've applied one or more washes already. Then you'll have a colour showing through the wash you apply after using the wax. This can let you build up some very subtle effects and I should mention that this applies to some of the other techniques listed below. As in most things start small and gentle to get the feel for it and then take it up a step to see the difference.
As unlikely as this may sound to some, adding salt just after applying a wash, produces a very pleasing effect. Now we're not talking here about emptying your salt cellar onto your paper! You only need the finest scattering and what seems to happen is the salt absorbs the pigment surrounding it. The end result is a nice random lightening of the colour which expands and fades the further away it moves from the salt grains. Once the wash is dry you simply use a soft brush to remove the now dry salt. Can be most effective to add texture to undergrowth and tree foliage. Or if you like painting marine pictures why not try using it to mimic the look of an old rusty hull!
I reckon most watercolour painter have used tissue paper to blot off excess water/paint but it's worth keeping in mind that if you scrunch it up and only use it just before the paint is completely dry it will also leave an interesting texture behind. I should probably include sponges, cardboard, rubber bands and just about anything you can think of that can leave intersting marks in the drying paint. The thing is not to be tied to thinking you can only use brushes to make a painting. I used to work beside a wonderful woman called Margaret Hunter who used all sorts of things to add texture in her large paintings. Everything from PVA glue to polyfiller and sandpaper were employed in varying amounts; built upon one another and painted over, to produce wonderfully tactile paintings. Unless you aspire to be a watercolour purist, make use of whatever produces the results you are after.
Another common way to add texture is to use a tooth brush, (or if you've got one, a diffuser) to introduce fine, random, spatters of paint. Again this would be ideal to add the effect of leaves in certain kinds of trees and undergrowth, but could also be used to build up the effect of lichen on old stone or brick. Really you're only limited by your imagination.
Well there are a few to get you started. By all means try them out on scrap paper first until you get the hang of them and see how you might best use them in your paintings. For some of them you might try tearing 'masks' from newspaper to control where the effect will be employed. For example if you are going to be using the toothbrush to apply a texture to something, tear (not cut) the rough shape you are after out of a sheet of newspaper and lay the peice with the hole in it onto your painting and then working from the mask onto your painting start the effect. This saves the spatter going under the mask too much. You can use this with sponges too, just start dabbing on the newspaper and then move onto your painting gradually for the best effect. This also avoids getting too much pigment blobbing onto your painting before you realise whats happened. Best of luck and please feel free to email me some of your results. I'd love to show them off in the Gallery pages!
| Next Step | Stretching Paper | Composing your picture | Applying a wash | Adding Some Texture |