Lifting paint

You're painting....you're painting....Oops!  Argh....watercolors are very unforgiving.  Watercolors can be so rebellious sometimes, unlike those responsible mediums of acrylics and oils.  I once even heard the famous Bob Ross say that he wouldn't touch watercolors b/c they were too hard for him!  Acrylics and oils are so docile and obedient, staying put and blending oh-so-nicely.  

Here's a little post on "fixing" some mistakes...also called lifting paint....from your painting.  Yes, many times you feel like a sheep herder, herding all those little pigments where you want them to be, but it's worth it once you master it!

I painted these glass decorative balls that were hanging in a boutique window when my husband and I took a trip to New Bern, NC.  We stayed in a cozy bed and breakfast and walked the seashore....it was a great weekend.

Anyhow, when I finished, I sat there looking at the painting and I just wasn't satisfied with it.  It was lacking all of those interesting shapes that these glass balls tend to have and the glass seemed too dark.    I decided to lift some paint off of the page with water and here's how to do it.

MAKE SURE YOUR PAINTING IS COMPLETELY DRY BEFORE YOU START LIFTING PAINT!  :) 

---

With water and a clean brush, dab the clean water on whatever part of the painting that you wish to lift the paint from.  Work the bristles of the brush over the area with the water for a few second and then dab the area with a tissue.  

The area where you placed the water should lighten up as the paint is lifted from the paper.  Some colors of paint work better with being lifted than others and the darker or thicker the paint layer is, the better it will look when you lift the reflection off of it. 

If you notice, I also lifted thin lines, swirls, circles and I softened some harsh edges on the spheres.  I really wanted the glass spheres to appear luminous and transparent.

Lifting paint is a great trick to use in underbrush or tree paintings and to create light reflections on portraits or a still life.

Experiment by painting a dark shade on your paper, allowing it to dry and then lifting the color in this way.  It's great fun.

---

This was the finished product and if you compare it with the picture above, you can really see how the light seems to be glowing through the glass with all of those fascinating little shapes reflecting in the light.  Make your paintings glow with this technique!

Soon, I'll post some pics about lifting paint in foliage.  Pick up your brushes today and do something creative!

---