Watercolor is frequently associated with words like “temperamental,” “fragile,” or “unpredictable.” Such associations have meant that many people view the use of watercolor as an exercise in indeterminacy, where happy little surprises replace careful planning and knowledge. And though it is true that watercolor is a medium with idiosyncrasies, this attitude masks the fact that the effects of watercolor are predictable and meaningful. As with all skill that can be learned, there is logic to the materials. Pigment can be dispersed or not, water can be wet or dry, watercolor paper can soak up the water quickly or slowly. Learning the meaning and effect of these events allows watercolor to become a dependable tool in the telling of a visual narrative.
What sets an illustration apart from a watercolor painting is that an illustration has a point. The illustration says something, tells a story, establishes a mood, makes a statement. The watercolor illustration has to do all of those things too, but also has to accommodate the flow of the paint. The trick isn’t to take out the flow, but to control it. A controlled watercolor painting starts way before the brush is dipped in paint. A well thought out composition, value structure, and color keys will help control the flow of the washes. In that way, the washes can still be loose and gestural and still direct the viewer’s eye where you want them to look. Too many times, you see watercolors where the artist has lost all of the gesture in the washes in an effort to over-control.
A key part of watercolor that isn’t talked about as often as it should be is editing. It’s easy to assume that the way to become a better watercolor illustrator is to continue to add more elements, more water, more lines, more color, more, more, more. The truth is, sometimes the best way to continue to progress is to learn what to take away. Knowing when to stop is a skill that takes time to learn, and knowing when to leave something alone and let the white of the paper say as much as possible is one of the hallmarks of a seasoned illustrator. Editing isn’t about stripping away. It’s about intention. Every brush stroke is a purposeful decision because you can’t erase it.
In watercolor illustration, “consistency” doesn’t refer to uniformity in style, but rather consistency in approach. This consistency means that even while taking liberties, the illustration won’t fall apart. You can take risks when you know roughly what to expect from a wash. You can push the boundaries of mood and abstraction, or even change direction when you have a consistent approach. Eventually, it becomes second nature, but not because it’s something you “wing”…but because you know it so well.
Finally, I think watercolor illustration works best as a conversation between expectation and material reply. Watercolor doesn’t fight being controlled; it just reacts when you understand it. If you take the time to study it you’ll see that watercolor is not delicate; it’s just speaking a different dialect. Control is not about dominating the watercolor to submit to your will, it’s about setting up the parameters for a successful outcome. Within that control, watercolor illustration is not an event; it’s a purposeful means of visual explanation.