Tools

Gouache and Casein are both opaque watercolor variations. Both are opaque media. Gouache incorporates an additional pigment calcium carbonate (chalk) which creates the inherent opacity. Simple poster paints have almost the same composition. Casein has milk powder based glue as a pigment binder. The calcium in the milk contributes to a natural opacity, Both are used more for commercial image making than fine art. The exceptions are those commercial illustrators who have learned the advantages of fast drying time and opaque overpainting correctability of gouache. They use gouache as a base medium for all their image making, commercial or fine art. Casein is historically the medium used by art restorers, due to its conservation mandated reverse-ability and flat appearance.

"A Rock" using any media discussed so far, paint a rock.

White gouache,& permanent blue gouache These two colors are the most commonly used gouache colors contributing opacity and covering strength to other watercolor hues. Commonly used in illustrative rendering: architectural rendering, fashon design, automotive & aircraft design and illustration, it does some things particularly well. In conventional watercolor painting, creating a blue wash for a solid blue sky is difficult. Gouache blue because it has a flat appearance and still remains even with overpainting - it produces the perfect blue sky needed for commercial rendering. A little white gouache over-painting also profuces the perfect white fleecy cloud. But like most magic solutions, it has a price. It is easy to begin to depend on the simple manipulation and application of gouache. Beware the magic sword!

Transparent watercolor is defined as any waterbase paint that does not include opaque material. This may be wet tube paints or dry cake pan paints. Some watercolor societies limited exhibition entrants to transparent watercolors only. Some formerly transparent watercolor mandators are slowly including other waterbased media. For instance The American Watercolor society, formerly strictly transparent media based now allows almost all watermedia. In response some members left the society forming a new society restricting work to transparent form, now called The Transparent Watercolor Society. Regional societies include both forms, so there is room for all.

Technique

Watercolor pencil and watercolor crayons are two media resources on the edge of watercolor. They offer variations on the best of both worlds. by drawing first you can accrue a thicker buildup of crayon then turn it to a paste with a small bit of water. The downside is the difference between conventional watercolor and the paste built painting surface which is usually not acceptable to the purists. Let the artist beware.

The prohibitions against opaque media usually also oppose drawing media. This almost always applies to conventional colored pencil, but occasionally applies to watercolor pencil and watercolor crayon. If you are aiming at a particular show, you might first find copies of their prospectus to make sure. I recommend thorough research.

Another set on concerns for the transparent watercolor purist is the painting surface. Because there was an agrevating tendency for all watercolor paintings to attract moisture, to buckle and mold in humid environments, Galleries in Florida refused to handle watercolors. In response a surface was developed called Yupo paper. In fact it is a repackaging of an old material called Tyvek insulation paper used in the housing industry with a harder plastic surface. Paint sits on the surface and is easily moved or removed.

In the 1960's Strathmore produced an aquarelle paper with fiberglas particles that caused the paper to remain flat after wetting, but the fibers were not pleasant when touched by hands or forearms and the brilliant slightly sparkling surface was hard on expensive sable brushes.

A wonderful solution has been recently offered, the Frederix watercolor products: canvas rolls, sheets boards and stretched panels. The watercolor is easily moved until dry, then can be lifted when rewetted, but the best solution is how the painting becomes impervious to moisture and humidity after a final acrylic spray varnish coat. However this is a watercolor only by the wildest stretch. Once sprayed it becomes an acrylic painting.

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* An additional page link on watercolor paper and stretching.

Fredrix Watercolor Canvas is an authentic 100% woven cotton artist canvas with a special coating that performs similiar to a cold pressed or rough watercolor paper, yet it provides a distinctive look that can only be achieved on canvas. Fredrix watercolor canvas will accept all watermedia and mixed media techniques. For example, transparent and opaque watercolors, acrylic and watercolor inks, fluid acrylics, and watercolor pencils. Fredrix watercolor canvas will also work with traditional acrylic paints in different viscosities.

Golden acrylics offer a gesso that serves much the same purpose for the do-it-yourselfer.

watercolor sampler offer: http://www.stampzia.com/catalog/accessories/experimentalwatercolorpack.htm

watercolor canvas techniques: http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayArticle?articleNum=ae0282

Links:
Brush manufacture,http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/brush1.html
Paper making: http://gort.ucsd.edu/preseduc/papermak.htm
http://42explore.com/papermaking.htm
http://www.infostuff.com/kids/paper.htm
http://laceimports.com/michelle/projects/paper_instr.html

Art Material suppliers:
Dakota Art Store,http://www.dakotaartstore.com/
Daniel Smith Inc.,http://www.danielsmith.com/
Utrecht Art Materials, http://www.utrechtart.com/cat_request/dsp_request_catalog.cfm
Cheap Joe's http://www.cheapjoes.com/store/navigation.asp
Dick Blick http://www.dickblick.com/

Techniques preview
egg tempera society techniques: http://www.eggtempera.com/paint.html :

Books:

"The Artist's Handbook" by Ralph Mayer
"Formulas for Painters" by Robert Massey
The Craftsman's Handbook: "Il Libro dell' Arte" by Cennino d'Andrea Cennini
"Creative Discoveries in Watermedia" by Pat Dews
"Splash" series
"Master Class in Watermedia: Techniques in Traditional and Experimental Painting" by Edward Betts