This Mystery Technique belongs to the mayor of Nashville! Curious to know more? You can find out the rest of the story in April if you’ve signed up for email updates!

ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #56, Parts 1 and 2:

The paper makes such a difference in watercolor! I began both Parts by wetting the paper, then mixed Daniel Smith’s Hematite Genuine, Hematite Burnt Scarlet Genuine,  Sodalite Genuine, Dr. Ph. Martin’s HYDRUS Permanent Red, and Winsor & Newton’s Granulation Medium right on the surface of the paper. While the paper was still wet, I applied pieces of thin recycled plastic, then experimented with a variety of tools to make linear patterns; I also emphasized some of the shapes by injecting additional liquid paint under the plastic and applied weight in a few spots to vary the effects. After all the liquid evaporated, I removed the plastic. The visual textures are definitely more dramatic on the hot press (Part 1) than the rough (Part 2)!

There’s a little different twist to the Mystery Technique this time – it’s the same technique as last month on a very different surface! Last month, I used Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. hot press watercolor paper; this month I decided to see what would happen on Arches 300 lb. rough watercolor paper. Curious to know more? You’ll have to wait until March to discover the rest of the details, so be sure to sign up for email updates to find out!

Curious about how this was done? I’ll explain next month, so be sure to sign up for email updates to find out!

ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #55:

If you stopped by my table at Hands-On Creativity in October, you may have painted a similar leaf. This is another example of the interesting effects possible with Daniel Smith’s Primatek paint – it still amazes me that all the colors and textures in this leaf came out of one tube! When Hematite Burnt Scarlet Genuine, which is one of my favorites, mixes with enough water, it separates into different hues and granulates dramatically. I also added some of Winsor & Newton’s Granulation Medium to increase the texture; while the paper was still wet, I used the end of a metal paint tube to scratch in the veins.