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Home  Watercolor Techniques  Charging  Charging Effects  Charging Problems

    A painted example

Common Charging Problems
  • Two examples of large area problems with easy solutions
  • Three examples of small area problems with easy solutions

You followed the same guidelines as when you were learning how to paint a wash. You first read through all the steps on "How to Charge Watercolors", you drew several rectangle shapes, and made two puddles of color. You charged your two watercolors together just as instructed, yet something doesn't look quite right.
Charging in Large Areas
 
Problems
  
Solutions
  



1.   Did not create an orange color when the Permanent Rose was charged into the New Gamboge.
Example  1.
painted sample no.1 of watercolor charging problems


1.   The value of the New Gamboge was too light. To achieve an orange color, the New Gamboge and the Permanent Rose should be close in value.

2.   After the brush was rinsed, it was not blotted enough before being loaded with Permanent Rose, so the resulting value was much lighter.
2.   Make sure you blot your brush well before reloading it with color.


3.   Too much pressure was applied to the brush when mopping up, causing the area to dry out.

3.   Just gently stroke the brush across, using less pressure.




4.   Not enough bead to charge into, so the color dried.
Example  2.
painted sample no.2 of watercolor charging problems



4.   Keep area above wet, and leave a bead to charge the second color into.
5.   The bead was used until it ran out, causing a ballooning effect. 5.   Make sure to maintain a bead.
6.   Ran out of color and used what was left in the brush to finish. 6.   Make a larger puddle so you don't have to stop to mix more color.
Charging in Small Areas
 



1.  Problem
The yellow dried before the pink could properly charge.





1.  Solution
Keep the yellow moist
before charging.
2.  Problem
The pink color charged all the way up
to where the yellow started.



3.  Problem
The yellow color dominated
over the pink.





3.  Solution
Mop up the yellow bead
before charging.		  
painted samples of charging problems in a small area
2.  Solution
Remember to blot your brush once lightly
before charging.



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