Have you tried painting watercolor with sponge? I decided that adding some new technique wouldn’t disturb. Let’s give it a try.
This time it was application of watercolor using a sea grass sponge. It worked well with acrylic (I will post these pictures separately), it seemed it could work nicely with watercolor, as well.
I could see after the first attempts that it is advisable to test colors first. There are lots of brands, many types of paints, it’s hard to know whether the chosen colors will or won’t mix well. It is important not to overdo right at the beginning. Sponging takes one away easily, and in no time we can lose focus and forget where exactly we intended to place any particular color.
I did not plan these paintings. They are very spontaneous, and I just got straight to sponging. I would advise anybody who is trying this technique to plan a small bit ahead. Sponge allows to create beautiful watercolor backgrounds, like distant trees or forests, it is amazing how quickly some spots get textures, and it is a fantastic way of layering watercolor. Simply don’t forget to test your paint colors.
It seemed that Hooker’s green light and dark in combination with French ultramarine, Cobalt blue, Payne’s grey, Lemon yellow and Burnt sienna or Burnt umber worked better than Sap green in any combination unless I mixed only 2 or 3 colors in all layers.
Seagrass sponges are inexpensive and available at any art store, that’s at least where I got them. Every sponge is slightly different, so will be textures created using these sponges. I cut my sponge in smaller parts, and used every time that part which seemed to be the most fitting. Sponge has to be made wet at first, and we should squeeze out all excess water before picking up the paint with it.
Sponge works on wet paper well (wet in wet application), and we can create nice distant backgrounds this way. It creates thicker layers and attractive irregular shapes when applied on dry paper. It is possible to create the entire painting this way, and it looks especially great when we combine different techniques.
Generally speaking, application of a sponge helps loosen up, and sponge is a good tool to vary paint application techniques.
Forest creek, I used sponge for background.
Layering quite a few colors with sponge is interesting: we never know how it will look at the end! Using just a few colors is beneficial with sponge painting. If you test them before and see that mix well without causing muddy look, just go ahead.
Spring forest: watercolor painting using sponge, it is quite large, 18 x 24 inches
I did these paintings during private painting classes sitting next to my student. That allowed me seeing immediately what they did correctly and what needed extra adjustment. These paintings are perfect for any beginner in watercolor painting. There is hardly any need for drawing, just some areas need that. Painting with sponge in watercolor will make it simple for any beginner and help loosen up.
And finally, large watercolor painting Spring forest: watercolor painting using sponge, 18 x 24 inches or 46 x 61 cm.
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Distant Forest with the flowers in the foreground totally rocks. I assume that the flowers were done with a brush? and the background with sponges? I read the piece, but was not sure. Great effect and nice work. Yes, photos are very hard to capture what is actually being said. That’s why one goes to galleries and museums. 🙂 Maybe we can only hope the values stay the same. Not always though.
Enjoy.
Thanks again! Some spots were done with a sponge and some with brush and washes. I feel very bad sometimes because the real painting looks good and there is no way to recreate it in a photo. Galleries are obviously the best option for viewing one’s art. It’s tough for me, though, to get some art in a gallery because the representation cost is just terribly high, I mean extremely high in a good gallery, and who wants to be in a bad gallery which does not bring in any returns? Well, everything is going down the pipe, and especially true values and high living standard. Just look at all the stuff we are offered: it’s been getting worse and worse all the time, up to the point that it doesn’t make sense to buy many things any more. Quality has been lost along the way. Cheaper is not a good option if there is nothing more.