Tips for painting in watercolor on canvas
I've recently started painting some of my watercolors on canvas, and watercolor on canvas has a learning curve for sure. It's different in many ways from painting on paper, but it has two benefits I cannot ignore: canvas displays well without framing or mounting onto panels, and I can paint larger on canvas. This Kingfisher is 24 x 30, and the Pileated Woodpecker is 12 x 24. Both paintings are currently on display at the Artisans Gallery on Howe.
Both of these paintings taught me a lot. Another artist also told me about Liz Chaderton, who wrote a book, Painting Watercolor on Canvas, that was quite helpful. Check her out; she is very generous with her knowledge. Tom Lynch is an artist and educator who also paints on canvas, and I got a few tips from him, too. But mostly, I learned by painting dozens of watercolors on canvas until I got the hang of it. Here is a quadriptych of egrets in plumage, which is on display until January 20, 2025 at the Winter Exhibition at Berkshire Hathaway in downtown Wilmington, NC.
My latest painting, "The Stretch," is where I pulled together all my learning and exploration, and I think I might have this painting on canvas thing down. I will share my process here in case you want to try any of it. Other than the artists I mentioned above, not many are sharing their processes.
By the way, I do paint things other than birds. I'm just on a roll with them right now. I love exploring our salty, muddy creeks and waterways. The waterbirds are abundant, and I take endless photos of them. When pair-bonding, herons display for each other, clicking their beaks, bowing, and making this pose--the stretch--where they extend to full height and point their bills to the sky. This painting is three feet tall, and herons are, on average, three to four feet tall. So, the heron on this canvas is almost life-size.
I painted this on YES! canvas, which you can find online Jerry's Artarama. It's an inexpensive stretched canvas prepared especially for water media. I also have some low-cost Master's Touch watercolor canvas from Hobby Lobby to try, and the pricey but highly recommended Fredrix watercolor canvas. I'll try the Fredrix canvas for my next painting.
I started by wetting the canvas well and letting it air dry. Tom Lynch, whom I mentioned above, recommends scrubbing Fredrix canvas with a wet rag about ten minutes before painting. The YES! canvas, I've decided through trial and error, works best when I spray the top surface with water from a sink or my handheld shower for a larger canvas. I also tried not wetting the YES! canvas, but the paint beads up on the surface, so please at least wipe down the canvas before painting.
I transferred the image of the heron onto the canvas and sketched in the details I wanted to pay attention to with a hard pencil (2H, in this case). I'll share my method of transferring images to paper or canvas if you ask. I decided to use a limited color palette for this heron. I love the soft, harmonious look I get when using a limited palette of only two to four colors. I generally choose a blue, a red (or a reddish), and a yellow (or yellowish). For this painting, I used Winsor and Newton colors: Winsor Blue (Red Shade), Burnt Sienna, and Indian Yellow--all warm colors. On paper, I love the granulating blue French Ultramarine, but I've noted that a non-granulating blue works better for backgrounds on canvas, which has its own texture. The granulating blue and the rough surface of the canvas make more texture than I generally want.
Then, I masked off the nest, twigs, and some white areas so that I could paint a smooth sky background. I've used all the brands of masking fluid and never found one I liked much until this one, Pebeo Drawing Gum. It goes on smooth and is tinted blue, which makes it easier to see. I apply it with a cheap brush or a calligraphy pen, which I dip first in a cup of soapy water that I keep nearby. Dip the brush or nib and pat off the excess with a tissue or towel before dipping it into the drawing gum. Repeat this every few times you dip into the Pebeos, and your applicator won't gum up. I've used the same cheap brushes many times using this method.
Once the drawing gum dried, I used pure blue to paint a wash over the background and sides of the canvas. I allowed blooms to form where they wished--one of the joys and annoyances of watercolor. IYKYK.
I use ceramic dishes and paint cups. I love them for watercolor, as the paint never beads up in the palette and blends smoothly. For painting on canvas, I mix a big puddle of color, and it is easy to do so in these little cups. I raided my kitchen for my first palettes but wanted to keep certain palettes with paint left on them for paintings I'd go back and forth between, so I bought more.
Then I started painting the layers, and here's the rub: with canvas, you only get a few swipes of paint on each layer, and that first layer had better be bone dry! Another thing that helps is a tip I got from Liz Chaderdon—I use a few drops of Schmincke AQUA-Fix in the paint puddles. This stuff makes the paint a bit more water-resistant, helping with layering. I've also experimented with spraying each layer with a workable fixative after each dries, and that works well on small paintings, but only when using the Krylon brand. I have some other expensive fine art workable fixatives, and they were ineffective-- the paint just beaded up on the surface.
I used only various mixtures of Winsor blue (red shade) and burnt sienna (you can see this in the paint cups) to make the warm and cool grays I needed for the heron. I used more blue for a cool gray, and for a warm gray, more sienna. Then I painted in the beak with those two colors and the Indian yellow.
After I'd painted in all my layers, I used a rubber eraser to remove the drawing gum that protected the white of the canvas. Using a stiff brush dipped in a bit of water, I softened the edges where the drawing gum lifted, often dabbing afterward with soft tissue. I used to use paper towels, but the incredible watercolorist Marney Ward uses tissue. I took a watercolor course from her on painting vibrant florals—well worth the time and expense—and started using tissue afterward.
I returned to my blue/sienna colors for the twigs, and it was so much fun to paint them. I made sure to paint right down the sides of the canvas, alternating between blue and sienna, often letting the colors mix directly on the canvas. It took a while as I had to wait for the paint to dry, but no worries; I worked on other paintings in between. I was really liking this painting, and I had more patience than usual.
The complete painting was varnished, and I added hanging wire on the back. This piece, "The Stretch," is a 12x36 watercolor on canvas and is available. Please message me for details. If you have any questions about my process, please ask! I'm happy to share.
Happy holidays to you, friends. I'll keep peace in my heart during these challenging times, painting the reverence I feel when I spend time outdoors with the winged and furry ones. Go out in nature, walk with the trees, listen to the leaves rustle around your boots. Nature heals.
Comments