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Essay on The Art of Painting: Watercolor Paints

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The art of painting dates back to pre-historic times, the finger used as a paintbrush on the canvas of cave walls. When it comes to painting, artists have many mediums to choose from: acrylics, oils, gouache, fresco, and watercolors. Watercolors is one of the toughest mediums to achieve, its transparent streaks almost impossible to cover up and its various techniques prestigous and precise, but satisfying when accomplished. The incentive a watercolor artist has to get a taste of perfecting their talents is impecable; therefore, striving for perfection can only be accomplished with the understanding of the watercolor history, the use of the tools of the trade, the practice of techniques, and observation of former artists’ approaches. …show more content…

By the late 1800s, watercolor influenced many countries and artists. A chain reaction happened – the work of English artists inspired French watercolorists and the impressionist movement, causing German expressionists to impact the artists of the United States. Therefore, the watercolor medium remained popular throughout the 1800s and among artists in the 20th century. (Mules) As of today, watercolor is still strongly used by many artists around the world.
The one thing that makes watercolors the least expensive medium is the amount of supplies needed to get started, which consists of only the essentials: paints, paintbrushes, watercolor paper, a pallete, and water. Because of its need of just the bare necessities, this makes watercoloring an affordable pastime. (McArdle) The forms of traditional watercolors are pans and tubes. Furthermore, the difference between the two is that tubes of paint are already moist, so water isn’t required; pans on the other hand are hard cakes of paint that need water in order to be used. (McArdle) Along with traditional watercolors, there are two other derived forms of watercolor: tempera and gouache. Unlike most watercolors, tempera uses a binding agent instead of gum arabic, meaning that they are made with sizes1. Because of this ingredient, tempera paintings are long-lived. (Steel) Meanwhile, gouache contains larger

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