One of the joys of watercolor painting, aside from its popularity and portability, is its diversity. As artists and craftspeople, we are always on the lookout for different methods to create something new. With the myriad of mediums available, the options for experimentation are pretty much endless!
Wood has a natural grain that adds interest, texture, and elegance to a work of art. Its durability and natural appearance can perfectly complement various styles of art, including – you guessed it – watercolor.
Does watercolor work on wood? You’ll be surprised to know that watercolor and wood can work well together, as long as you choose a lighter colored wood and prepare it properly before painting. This includes cleaning, sanding, and priming the wood.
In this article, let’s take a look at how you can effectively use watercolor on wood to create your next masterpiece.
Preparing Wood For Painting With Watercolors
Depending on the wood surface that you have, it may not always be ready to be painted – with any type of paint, not just watercolor.
This is especially true if there are cracks that need to be filled in and textures on the wood surface that need to be removed. It is important to smooth out the rough surface that can cause lumps and bumps in the finished artwork.
Cleaning is another important step in the prepping stage. If you have ever painted anything, you’ll know that paint doesn’t stick well to greasy, dusty, or dirty surfaces. A clean wood surface will ensure that your colors go on smoothly and will stay on the surface.
Here are the steps for preparing wood for watercolors:
1. Cleaning
Any grease, dust, or dirt on the surface should be removed. You can easily do so by wiping down the surface with a wet towel. If there’s stubborn grease or sap on the surface, you can wash it with soap and water to remove it.
After cleaning, allow the water to evaporate completely before doing anything else. Wood can actually absorb water and expand, so if you work with the wood while it’s still wet, it won’t look the way you want when it is dry, and it shrinks back down.
2. Repairing and Sanding
If your wood surface has any cracks on it, the first step of creating a smooth surface for painting would be to fill in the cracks.
We recommend using a wood filler that will dry hard so that it can be sanded later for painting. If you use a wood putty (which will not dry to form a hard surface), it will not allow sanding later.
After filling in the cracks, allow the filler to harden before sanding completely. To smooth out the wood’s surface, you can use fine-grit sandpaper (350 – 600 grit) to create an even surface.
Although fine-grit sandpaper will take longer, using coarse-grit sandpaper will create a very tough texture that can show up in the final artwork. However, you should avoid using sandpaper that is too smooth. Otherwise, the watercolor won’t have anything to grab onto when it is applied.
While sanding wood, it’s best to work in a well-ventilated area so that you don’t inhale too much sanding dust. It’s recommended that you wear safety goggles and a mask to prevent the sanding dust from getting into your mouth, nose, and eyes, which can cause irritation.
3. Cleaning (again)
After sanding, there will be sand dust all over the place. If you want a smooth surface before painting, you should vacuum up all the sand dust and use a towel to wipe down the entire surface to make sure that it is completely clean before priming.
Priming Wood For Painting With Watercolor
Will watercolor stick to wood? You can try painting on wood using watercolor right after sanding, but you will be disappointed.
While the gum arabic content of watercolor will allow it to adhere to wood, and wood is a porous surface that will absorb the paint, you will find that much of the fluidity that is characteristic of watercolor will be lost this way.
You won’t be able to manipulate the paint the way that you do when working on canvas or paper, so while painting straight on wood is possible, the result may not be what you desire or expect.
Because of this, we recommend priming the surface with a primer that will allow the watercolor to stick better to the surface, as well as make painting easier for you.
In most arts and craft stores, you can find pre-primed canvas or wood for painting, so if you are opting to buy a pre-primed option, you don’t have to worry too much about priming.
However, if you are working with a bare wood surface, priming is highly recommended.
Let’s take a look at two popular primers for this purpose:
1. Gesso
Gesso is a great primer for artists who love working with water-based paint. It’s a popular primer for acrylic paint, but because gesso can stick to almost any surface, it can also be a useful option for priming wood for watercolor.
When you work with a canvas surface, gesso prevents the paint from getting soaked in the fabric. This allows the paint to be manipulated and moved freely on the surface, and since it prevents the canvas from soaking up the paint, it can save you a lot of paint (any money), too.
The only problem with gesso is that it can create a very opaque, white layer of primer over the wood that can completely cover the wood grain.
If you love the natural wood grain, then using gesso can totally take away the unique wood grain underneath. One solution to this is to apply the gesso in very thin layers so that it doesn’t completely cover up the wood.
Because gesso will dry hard, you can also lightly sand the surface after it is completely dry to reveal the wood grain underneath.
If this is not what you want to do, there is another option that can be a useful primer for using watercolor on wood. Let’s take a look at watercolor ground.
2. Watercolor Ground
Watercolor ground is another great primer for artists wanting to paint with watercolor. It’s a highly effective primer if you want to use watercolor on non-traditional surfaces, such as wood, fabric, or even glass.
While gesso is mainly available in white, watercolor ground actually has quite a few color options, including a transparent option that would allow you to play with the wood grain underneath while painting.
You can also find tinted watercolor ground in titanium, iridescent gold, pearlescent white, mars black, etc. The tinted primers won’t completely cover up the wood grain, but instead, apply a beautiful ‘color filter’ to the wood that can complement your painting well.
If you are working with watercolor on wood for the first time, you can use the translucent option first to see how you can play around with this new media. Then, you can experiment with the other color options to see how they will work with your art!
Tips And Tricks For Painting With Watercolor On Wood
We’ve mentioned a few times that using watercolor on wood isn’t exactly the same as using watercolor on paper or canvas. Because of the paint’s consistency and the wood’s hard surface, there are a few things you should do to control the paint and create a better result.
1. Use a Flat Surface for Painting
Painting on wood is often done on an easel. However, watercolor has a very thin and runny consistency. If you try to use this paint on a vertical surface, it can cause uncontrolled runs and drips, and the paint won’t spread around the way you want it to.
While the primer and a thicker paint can reduce the running and drip, when working with watercolor, it’s best to lay the piece of wood horizontally to prevent this issue.
2. Use Thicker Watercolor Paint
A primed surface will help the paint adhere better, but the primer can also prevent the paint from being soaked into the wood and cause pools of water to collect on the surface of the wood as well.
Because of this, it’s better to use thicker watercolor paint than you usually do with paper or canvas. When activating the watercolor, use less water to avoid creating a runny consistency, which can prevent the water from pooling or running.
Alternatively, if you want to use thinner paint, it will serve you well to use very thin layers so that the water doesn’t collect on the surface.
This method will definitely take longer because you will have to use more layers to create the same result, but you will be able to generate the watercolor look on wood without creating pools of water on the surface.
3. Traditional Watercolor Techniques
Do traditional watercolor techniques work on wood? Yes, they do! You just have to be mindful of the wood’s low absorbent qualities and adjust your technique while working.
A very popular watercolor technique is ‘wet on wet,’ which means you apply water on the surface first and then apply the color later to add pigment.
Because wood will absorb less water than paper (and even less so when you are working with a primed surface), you will need to use much less water for this technique to work.
This technique works best when the surface is slightly damp, so you should use a very controlled amount of water. If you see a puddle of water on your surface, you’ve gone too far!
If you are creating washes of the same color, ombre colors, or variegated colors, you can also do the same as you would on paper, as long as you use thicker paint to create the washes to adjust to the wood’s characteristics.
There are a ton of other fun techniques that you can try on wood. For example, you can use wax to create designs on your surface, and when painting, the waxed areas will become negative spaces that the colors cannot cover.
There’s a variation to this technique that combines wood carving with watercolor. Before priming, you can carve your design on the wood, and the outline of the carvings will act as the ‘border’ for the watercolor, adding next-level depth to your artwork.
If you want to ‘erase’ an area, you can use a towel to absorb the water from the surface. Some pressure will also lift the pigment from the page, allowing you to correct your mistakes too.
There are a ton of other fun techniques to try. If you are familiar with watercolor, you’ll know that you can experiment with salt to create designs or use alcohol to push out the pigment on the page. You can try these techniques on wood as well and see what will work for your next artwork!
Sealing Watercolor On Wood
After you are happy with your artwork, the next step to ensure its longevity is to seal it with a sealant.
Why? While it is not absolutely necessary, sealing the artwork will allow the pigments to stay on the page. Since watercolor isn’t as strong as other types of paint, it needs all the help it can get to ensure the color’s longevity.
Wood is also especially fragile, so it’s always good to seal every surface of the wood, not just the painted surface. Since wood can soak up the moisture and water that it is exposed to, it can be a breeding ground for molds and even rot over time.
That’s why it’s highly recommended to seal the wood to protect your artwork. For watercolor paint, the popular sealant options are either varnish or wax. Let’s take a look at each of them below.
1. Varnish
Varnish is a waterproof sealant that is often used to enhance the natural grain of the wood. While varnish is often associated with strong, toxic fumes, that’s not always the case.
This is because there are a few options for varnish out there. Oil-based varnish is often toxic, but you can also use a water-based varnish that can have a low odor and fewer VOCs.
Varnish is a highly convenient option because it is available as a brush-on application as well as with a spray-on application. You can also find a clear or tinted varnish that is suitable for your artwork. Whatever you prefer, there is a suitable varnish option for you.
However, there are a few downsides to using varnish. The first is that it can yellow over time, which is undesirable if you are planning to sell your artwork. Some newer varnish formulas don’t yellow, but they are often more expensive than what you can find in the store.
Varnish is also quite toxic, so you will need to wear protection (a mask, goggles, gloves) and work in a well-ventilated space. This is an undesirable characteristic that many people want to avoid.
2. Wax
Wax is a great, non-toxic option that can provide a lovely layer of waterproof protection over your artwork.
After applying wax, you’ll see that there is a clear, thin layer of wax that can add a little bit of depth to the overall look of the artwork. Wax is a great sealant option because it will not yellow over time, so you can easily apply it whenever your artwork is ready.
The only downside to wax is that it can take a lot of elbow grease to apply since you really have to buff it into the artwork. However, if you don’t mind this step, then it is a great option for a sealant that can provide long-lasting protection for your art.
Painting With Watercolors On Wood
If after all this you still have some questions and would prefer a visual tutorial, we’ve found this awesome tutorial from the Natasha – Artist Explores channel on YouTube explaining some great tips.
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