BLENDS, BLEEDS & BLOTCHES

Imagine achieving those perfect blends, bleeds & blotches you've always been looking for when watercolour painting! It's every artist's dream!

You can use these effects to create pretty effects in your watercolour paintings, like a beautiful sunset sky, or light reflecting on water.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

- If the paper is wet all over, there's no risk of bleeding. Bleeding occurs when excess water is placed on an otherwise dry section of paper. Result: the color runs, creating a blotch with sharp, very pigmented edges (scalloping), leaving a very light color on the inside.

- The drier the paper, the stronger the scalloping, and the more transparent the inside of the blotch. You can use this technique to create sunlight, reflections, waves... the list goes on!

MAKING A BLOTCH & BLEED

Bleeding, smudges, and running allow you to deliberately create effects that would be impossible with normal brush strokes, and are very useful for creating a sky full of clouds, a landscape reflecting on a lake, or an irregular texture. 

To do this, your paper needs to be almost dry. If you applied a first wash, you'll need to wait until it stops being shiny. Then apply water and pigment directly onto the areas you want to create a bleed or blotch.

Smooth paper lends itself to bleeding much more, because the water and paint can spread more easily. The texture on Craftamo's paper pad is perfect for this.

However, if your paper has a heavier texture, you can always blow into a straw to help the water spread in the right direction. The straw technique also allows you to control the shape of a blotch or the direction of a drip. 

MADE A ERROR?

The amazing thing about watercolour painting is that you can never really make a mistake, you just have to adapt, and that's the fun part. It's quite possible that the only person who will see this mistake is you.

However you can try to erase it, just don't give it time to dry! Rinse it first with a wet paintbrush, then by rubbing very gently with a sponge, taking care not to damage the paper.

Quality paper is essential for these techniques, that's why we use 300 gsm 100% cotton for our paper pads, that make your painting life easier. Take a look at our Paper pad here

With this paper you’ll be able to:

- Create amazing colour blends & bleeds.
(Thanks to our high quality 100% cotton)

- Create paintings that keep their colour for years ahead.
(Our paper is always acid-free)

- Create more professional looking paintings.
(The surface quality is exquisite!)

Take a look at the paper here and use code: secretpaper at checkout.