Ricardo Lapin: My Introduction to Watercolour

Watercolour is one of the oldest art mediums, tracing its roots back to Palaeolithic cave paintings and ancient Egyptian papyrus, before evolving significantly following the invention of paper in China.

While it gained traction in Europe during the Middle Ages, the medium truly blossomed during the Renaissance under masters like Albrecht Dürer. It reached a new peak in 18th-century Britain with the growing vogue for painting local landscapes outdoors.

This practice would later become world-renowned as "en Plein-Air" through the 19th-century Barbizon French School, paving the way for Impressionists and Post-Impressionists to "catch" the fleeting impressions of the environment. By observing the sun's movement every two hours, these artists captured the continuous changing of the colour and intensity of light.

A Brief History of the Medium

• Early civilizations used water-based natural pigments for murals and manuscripts. Chinese, Japanese, and Indian art incorporated water-based inks and pigments early on.
• During the Renaissance & Baroque, most artists used watercolours for sketches and nature studies.
• The Golden Age (18th-19th Century) of watercolour arrived in Britain, used for topographical drawings, documentation, and atmospheric landscapes by artists such as J.M.W. Turner, Paul Sandby, and Thomas Girtin.
• In 1766, William Reeves revolutionized the medium by selling dried, portable cakes of paint, making it more accessible, mixing pigments with "gum arabicum" (extracted from Acacia trees in the Middle East) and pushing the popularity of this medium.
• Finally, watercolour societies were established (e.g., in London in 1804), cementing its status as a fine art medium.

It is now widely used for its versatility in creating both soft washes and detailed, vibrant works.

Understanding the Alchemy of the Medium

To master the art, one must understand the science. Watercolour paint consists of 4 principal ingredients:

• Pigment: the source of colour;
• Gum Arabic: acting as a binder to hold the pigment in suspension;
• Additives: such as glycerine, ox gall, honey, and preservatives to alter the viscosity, hiding, durability or colour of the pigment and vehicle mixture;
• Evaporating Water: serving as a solvent used to thin or dilute the paint for application.

While it seems very simple to paint with, watercolour is perhaps the most complicated medium to master. In this medium, the white colour is the paper itself, and the surprises when painting on dry or wet paper are so many that a lot of practice is needed, which implies many failures and frustrations.

Why Always Begins with the Line

As you embark on this journey, remember that colour cannot hide a lack of structure. As my great teacher of this medium, Adrian Hill, said: "It is impossible to reconcile a marked ignorance of drawing with the production of water-colour, where drawing is so essentially a factor of the final success."

In parallel with experience, approach and experiments with colour, we must develop the Art of sketching. We should be drawing anywhere, anything interesting.

I often refer to Bodo W. Jaxtheimer, an academic master whose manual Knaurs Mal- und Zeichen-Buch (1961) begins with the chapter: "In the Beginning was the line." This whole adventure called painting begins with drawing, drawing, and more drawing. And it's not just me saying so: all the Old Masters said and did it.

Navigating the Traps of Style & Tutorials

A word of advice for the modern student: Beware of mannerism, mechanical tricks and the ATTRACTIVE EFFECTS of watercolour medium.

In the digital age, one must also beware of any tutorial on the Internet. Consider the source: most real masters and old teachers have an extensive biography of Art Academy’s studies, Art Prizes & Medals, and decades of teaching at Art Institutions.

Before you decide to learn how to destroy an excellent acrylic brush by cleaning it with acetone, alcohol, or cleaners, explore a little about who tells you these tips, and what is his/her artistic career.

Embracing Your First "Hours of Flight"

For your First steps: Acquire good materials and experiment with them; don't expect to create a masterpiece immediately. This stage is about discovery.

• Make sketches, paint them, explore new brushes and colours, dampen paper and paint, and work on dry paper.
• Observe how the materials behave. What colours and mixtures speak to you? Which ones do you prefer?
• At this stage, zero criticism, just play without expecting results.

The old masters of Chinese calligraphy said that you must come to feel the tip of the brush as if it were your fingertips: a continuation or extension of them. Therefore, lots of practice, many "hours of flight." The results will come, but not immediately, as in any craft.

Moving Forward

In next post, I will explain more about the technical part of watercolour painting but, again, previously is needed the discipline of drawing & sketching.

So, let’s sketch, draw, and paint.