Artists & Illustrators - April 2016_

fi ll with colour and the defi nition of the stroke will be

lost. It is better to complete drybrush passages with

as few strokes as possible, otherwise the broken mark

is liable to be fi lled in and the texture lost.

What materials should I use?

Watercolour tubes are preferable to pans when

drybrushing – they allow you to use the minimum

amount of water to create a workable consistency.

A round or pointed sable is the ideal brush for

drybrushing – I use a size 6 or 8. Using the tip will

produce a sharper, thinner, broken line that is useful

for expressing the mooring lines from boats or

telephone wires. Scuffi ng the side or belly of the brush

against the paper’s surface gives broader, wider marks

e.g. texture in a distant landscape.

A fan brush is also useful for creating the effect of

weathered wood. Pull the tips of the brush across your

paper to describe the wood grain simply yet effectively,

keeping the brush’s hairs splayed and suitably damp.

http://www.moortoseaarts.co.uk

Why drybrush?

I fi nd a drybrush stroke is one of the most useful

in my armoury of watercolour brush techniques,

often employed to convey the texture of wood, fl aky

paintwork, distant hedgerows or foreground grasses.

How do I do it?

Skimming or dragging the brush lightly over the paper,

the aim is to transfer the minimum amount of paint

onto the surface. If one considers the surface of

watercolour paper as a series of peaks and valleys,

the aim of the drybrush stroke is to apply colour to

the peaks and not to fl ood the valleys with wash.

More textured papers will result in more effective

drybrush marks.

As the term suggests, the brush should not be

loaded with paint. I will often have some kitchen roll to

hand to either take away any excess moisture directly

from the brush or dab away any excess paint from the

painting surface. Working on dry paper is better too.

If the valleys of the paper’s surface are damp, they will

ROB DUDLEY DEMONSTRATES A NEAT WAY TO

CREATE EXCITING TEXTURES IN WATERCOLOUR

Drybrush

2. Thin, sharp marks
   For a sharper, less broken
   mark, raise the angle of
   the brush so more of the tip
   (and less of the side) comes
   into contact with the paper.

TOP LEFT Rob Dudley,

Netton Breakers,

watercolour on paper

“I used multiple layers of

drybrush to suggest the

texture of the rocks, making

sure that each layer was

completely dry before the

next was added.”

TRY SOMETHING NEW

1

2

1. Wide, broken textures
   Hold the brush at a low angle, so the sides of the
   bristles touch the paper. Sweep briskly across the
   surface to leave a broad, broken mark that refl ects the
   texture of the paper.

WWW.WILDTEXTURES.COM

Artists & Illustrators 69

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