Vattenfärger

Vattenfärger, often translated as watercolors, are a painting medium characterized by pigments suspended in a water-soluble vehicle. The binder is typically gum arabic, though other substances like dextrin or tragacanth may be used. When mixed with water, the pigment particles become dispersed, allowing for their application to a surface. The transparency of watercolor is a defining feature, allowing light to reflect off the white of the paper, contributing to its luminous quality. This transparency also enables layering, where subsequent washes can modify the color of underlying layers.

Watercolor paints are available in various forms, most commonly as tubes of paste or dried cakes. Tubes offer a more convenient way to dispense larger quantities of paint and are often preferred for larger works or for artists who mix many colors. Cakes, also known as pans, are solid blocks of paint that are activated by wetting a brush and then touching it to the cake. These are portable and economical, making them popular for sketching and travel.

The application of watercolors involves controlling the amount of water and pigment. A higher water-to-pigment ratio results in lighter, more transparent washes, while a lower ratio produces more intense, opaque colors. Techniques such as wet-on-wet, where paint is applied to wet paper, create soft, diffused edges and blended colors. Wet-on-dry involves applying paint to dry paper or to a dry layer of paint, yielding sharper, more controlled marks. Artists can also employ washes, glazes, dry-brush techniques, and masking to achieve a wide range of effects. The substrate most commonly used for watercolor painting is paper, specifically a heavy, absorbent paper designed to withstand water without buckling excessively.