Watercolor Techniques and Tips with Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Markers!

The new Albrecht Dürer artists’ Watercolor Marker is the modern definition of watercolor painting: a high quality drawing instrument that supports spontaneous sketching as well as painting in watercolors. The water-based ink is always ready and is excellently usable with water. 

Quality is our maxim. So the artists’ watercolor marker stands out because of high pigmentation and high lightfastness. The colors follow the Faber-Castell color system and are therefore reliably combinable with other artist pencils from Faber-Castell. The versatility of the Albrecht Dürer watercolor marker convinces above all on its travels. Whoever likes to capture impressions while on the road will reach for this pen with relish. Two nibs – a brush nib and a fiber-tip – offer the artist flexibility in the personal drawing style. The ink lends drawings and preliminary sketches a high dynamic that is intensified through painting with water.

The Correct Paper

Good drawing results depend on the paper being used. For an optimal result we recommend watercolor paper from Canson Montval (300g/sqm – fine grained) and Hahnemühle Fine Art Britannia (300g/qm hot pressed). These watercolor papers consist of cellulose paper and support good water solubility of the ink. Watercolor pads have glued edges which allows the paper to be smoothed out. Individual sheets should be fixed onto an underlay before painting with watercolors. The higher the grammage of a piece of paper, the better the flatness for painting with watercolors. The Albrecht Dürer artists’ watercolor marker does not bleed through the paper, so both sides of the paper of a sketchbook are usable.

Mixing Colors

Layering colors dry on each other produces color blends with sharp edges and shapes. The transparency of the ink lets layered color surfaces shine through and thus allows for extravagantly mixed color tones. Depending on the order in which the colors are overlapped, various mixed colors can be produced. Thus, yellow over blue produces something different than blue over yellow.

With brush and water layered colors can run into each other and mix. The edges and lines of the drawing blend when get watercolored and leave picturesque surfaces with a typical watercolor appearance.

Tip 

If the nib is dirty and shows residues of other colors, it can be easily cleaned with a paper towel.

Hatching

The light intensity of objects are artistically defined when hatchings are used. Line strength, gaps and dynamic determine the appearance. The closer the lines are to each other, the darker and more intense the color effect is.

For cross hatching, hatchings are overlapped at different angles. Various mixed tones and shadings define the thickness and color of the cross hatchings.

Watercolor Techniques

The Albrecht Dürer watercolor markers give the artist the freedom to use any current watercolor techniques. The ink pigments dissolve and distribute themselves perfectly in the water film and change surfaces and lines in no time into impressive watercolor pictures.

Applying two colors on areas adjacent to each other and then blending the two areas with a wet brush in the middle will produce flowing bleed patterns and brilliant mixed colors.

Extravagant effects as well as interesting mixed tones are created when spraying a drawing with water from a spray bottle. The selectively dissolving colors provide immediate spontaneity and vitality in the picture.

Lovely watercolor effects can also be produced by using a wet brush to dissolve colors that have dried slightly.

Here, several thin color layers are laid on top of each other. Each layer of color applied must dry before overlapping with the next color. As watercolors are transparent, the overlapping colors mix visually to create new colors. Painting with glazes gives a picture layer-for-layer depth.

Every watercolor painter knows and loves this painting technique. First the paper is well dampened with clear water. The color pigments are dissolved on the paper when the drawing starts and immediately they spread out across the wet surface.

The salt technique provides wonderful textures. Sprinkled on a wet picture, coarse salt intensely absorbs water and color and is easily removed after complete drying.

Special Water Brush Techniques

The Faber-Castell water brush is the perfect companion for the artists’ watercolor marker to realize all the techniques described when on the go. Additionally pictures can become lively and individual with further techniques.

An exciting appearance occurs together with undissolved and dissolved ink. Partially liquidized color can be blurred with the water brush and lends the picture a special dynamic.

The paint is applied superficially using an almost dry brush, the pigments remain on the top layer of the paper grain. A structured paper surface is an advantage for this technique.

With the v-shaped side of the cap, the dissolved paint can be moved easily over the paper to create unusual structures like with a paint knife.

The integrated grooves on the cap are perfect for creative effects: The damp paper can be scored to add strong highlights to the picture with line patterns in various forms.

Masking

The masking fluid protects areas which should stay the same colour as the paper. Using a brush, it is applied at the very start to parts of the picture which should be protected and must then be left to dry. After drawing and painting, carefully remove the masking fluid with a finger once the picture is dry.

Art supply shops offer white and blue masking liquid. The difference lies only in the better visibility of masked surfaces. It is thus a matter of pure taste as to which masking color the artist prefers.

Mixed Media

By combining the Albrecht Dürer artists’ watercolor marker and other painting and drawing media, amazing picture compositions develop.

The lightfast India ink pen Pitt Artist Pen is perfect for setting clear lines and accents on dried watercolors. Since the ink is waterproof, sketches prepared with Pitt Artist Pen remain clear upon subsequent watercolor painting. The Pitt Artist Pen fineliner in different nib sizes and the Pitt Artist Pen brush with its flexible brush nib enrich the drawing style of any Artist.

Watercolor pictures combined with graphite pencils impress with a classy appearance. The drawing lends the watercolor picture “elegance and subtle vibrancy” when set on a dried watercolor.