Payne's Grey Puddles

Blue and White china teapot,watercolor on Etsy, .5" x 7.5"

Yesterday kayork said:Love the blue and white china, and the washy freedom of the background (well, and the looseness of the foreground, too, actually!) So class, I thought, time for another watercolor lecon - laying down "blooming" blue washes.First I checked out the blue colors I made myself...Then I made test swatches of some of the blues in my paintbox...OK Time to dive in - First lay down a nice fat pool of clear water where you're going to "drop" your paint...Next drop in the Paynes Grey and let her run! Payne's Grey is a blueish dark grey color made by mixing a blue and a black together, typically ultramarine and bone black. Sometimes a touch of red is added to the mix.Payne's Grey is a color your teacher will tell you to leave alone. But it's also a color that loves to race around like mad in a nice puddle of water.With a bit of gravity (i.e. tilt your boards class!) Payne's Grey will take off like a bat out of hell, mainly because it's mixture of pigment particles are small and they love running! Just like obsessed joggers. Larger particled pigments like earth colors ( ex. Yellow Ochre) will tend to just sit there like bumps on a log...You can always go back into a Payne's Grey wash with droplets of clear water to see some more locomotion. Often called bleeds, blossoms, cauliflowers or "happy accidents" - this is that unpredictable element of risk that both terrifies and pleases watercolor painters. Basically you give the reigns of control over to the paint, sit back and watch, with just a little bit of guidence. It's called "watching paint dry". Anyone can do it. You don't have to be Matisse to drop water on paper and then throw in some paint.
Please begin class!
BONNE JOURNEE