ArtistsNetwork.com 51as I could. Unfortunately, the paper looked scrubbed out;
it was no longer going to have a fresh appearance. Th ank-
fully, I discovered that if I brushed that area of paper with
a watery coat of gesso, I could still wash over the uniform
with the correct color. Scrubbing had made the paper
rougher and more porous, but the gesso seemed to seal the
surface. I’ve used this technique in my practice going for-
ward. Th e gesso needs to be thinned; unthinned gesso sits
on the surface of the paper and won’t take the watercolor
smoothly. I’ve also used Chinese white and white gouache
for this technique—all with success. Th e only diff erence is
LEFT
A blue color bleed
stained the subject’s
left ear in I’ll Do It
Myself (watercolor
on paper, 30x22).
I scrubbed it out and
used Dr. Ph. Martin’s
Bleedproof White to
seal the paper. When
dry, I washed the
area with a trans-
parent orange glaze
to tone down any
chalky appearance
and then proceeded
to paint the ear.OPPOSITE
The granite tabletop
was diffi cult to
paint in Queen of
Hearts (watercolor
on paper, 19x29).
I used white paint
on it, as well as a
little on the queen
herself. The painting
won fi rst place in
the 2018 Watercolor
USA Exhibition.that gesso is permanent, while the other two aren’t.
Experiment to determine what works best for you.
Whenever color is lifted from paper, especially if the
artist has used staining paints as I do, the paper will look
cloudy. Many times, I just want to lighten an area slightly,
so I’ll lift out some paint with a damp brush. Th at does
the least damage. If, instead, I’m lifting back to fully white
paper, it’s best to tape off the area. I can then use as much
pressure as needed without disturbing the surrounding
painting. To do this, I use a short, fi rm-bristled scrubber
or a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. If I’m lifting color for the