I recently had a student ask some good questions, so here are my answers...
1. I am practicing painting clouds and wonder, after my first wash is dry, how (if possible) can I soften some of the hard edges without getting blooms or more hard edges. ( I also watched a vid of you using the magic eraser but can't find it now..lol)
A good way to soften hard edges before the wash is dry is to use a tissue or paper towel to blot the edges, or even blot away whole clouds. Different paints and colors blot better than others, so play around with your paints to see what works best for the blotting technique.
2. What is your favorite brand of paints? I am guessing you must have tried many. And should I stay away from staining paints in order to have success at lifting if needed?
My favorite brand of paint is Winsor & Newton artist colors. Those are different than the Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolors, which are student grade. An amazing site to learn about all the different paints is http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/waterfs.html Click on the colors at the top and you will be taken to pages that explain tons of different brands and colors. And yes, the less staining paints are easier to lift and erase.
3. Do you wet the back of the paper before you start a painting?
I don't wet the back. I just do my drawing or transfer, tape the paper to a support, and start painting.
4. The supply list you give is great but noticed the links don't work of where to buy items. Wondering where to get the fur brush you use.
Here's a link to the brush that gives the fur texture...
http://www.dickblick.com/
5. What is the easiest way to transfer a photo to watercolor paper? How do u do it?
For smaller paintings, I often just print out the image, tape it together, and use a light box. For larger ones, I have a small projector that I can connect to my computer and I project the image onto the paper.
6. How do u avoid overworking in watercolor?
As far as overworking a painting, I just keep working on it until it speaks to me, and often I get feedback from a second pair of eyes to see what they think. A good challenge to give yourself is to get all the tones right the first time you put them down. That can keep a painting looking fresh too. I often fail miserably when I attempt this but it's a good exercise.
