Winter Prelude-6

Step 6. The decisions that you make in transparent watercolor can be difficult to correct. Making something darker or larger can be done, but “erasing” something is very difficult.

I felt that I made the area in the lower right too “solid”. In the process of attempting to correct mistakes that I have made in other paintings, I found that tearing the paper can work to eliminate mistakes and keep the painting transparent. (That may sound strange, but it is intentional!)

With a sharp mat knife, I will carefully tear the paper to eliminate some of the painted areas. This area will be a different texture than the rest of the paper. To correct that, I will burnish the torn areas with a smooth stone. When I go back in and paint into the torn areas, I will have to "seal" the area with some gum arabic, which is the sizing or glue that is initially found in the paper.