Gator Board Foam - Tips on the Wet Wash Method

I am an avid artist who tends to see watercolor works as one of the more difficult mediums to paint with. I beleive that many artists who have never used watercolor to paint with dismiss the difficulty involved with your paper buckling when a wash is placed. I also think that watercolor is one of the only mediums that mistakes are nearly impossible to hide. Having stated two of the items that make watercolor painting very difficult let me offer reasons why gator board foam can help to ease the difficulty of the process.

First, the use of gator board foam to stretch the paper allows the artist to concentrate on the painting process instead of the concern of buckling paper. If you place a wash on the paper and start to worry that it will buckle you will lose concentration on the work itself.

Second, by having your watercolor paper stretched tight you will be able to use a scrubber or a stiff bristled brush to "correct" items you dislike. I have actually started to employ the technique of scrubbing out color that I have previously painted in order to provide some amazing detail and effects. I owe this new development to the use of gator board foam.

I hope I have convinced you to look into using gator board foam to stretch all of your watercolor paper prior to starting your painting process.

To see my artworks and passion for watercolors, fly fishing and fly tying visit my website: http://www.dryflywaters.com/