This Trick Makes Watercolor Sparkle
Today I want to show you a fun technique: wax resist.
The idea is simple, wherever you used wax crayon, watercolor can't grab onto the paper, so that spot stays light when you paint over it.
The materials:
In today's video, I use Caran d'Ache Neocolor I wax crayons for this, but if you have Crayola's or other wax based crayons, that will work too. And if you don't have any of that, maybe you have a candle. You can totally use that for wax resist!
Materials I used:
Hahnemühle 100% cotton watercolor sketchbook
Watercolors
Waterbrush pen
Caran d'Ache Neocolor I wax crayons (white, light yellow, black)
The process:
I started with a green watercolor base, then added light yellow and white wax crayon for the skin texture once it dried. At first, it's barely visible, but the moment watercolor goes over it, the marks pop right through. It's a great technique for anything textured or full of movement. Think: grass, fabric, scribbly surfaces... I also like using it before any paint at all, letting white paper and crayon marks suggest sparkle or splashing water for example.
To add more depth, I mixed a darker green and also used bold black crayon for drop shadows. The watercolor edges were sharp enough, so I didn't need much line. Just a few wobbly lines for clarifying here and there.
Since wax marks are permanent, there's no erasing, which keeps the whole thing loose and spontaneous.
I added writing. Then I accidentally wrote down the wrong word, a funny side effect of working in two languages and getting lost in the flow. I didn't try to fix it, just added the right word and made the mistake part of the page. Silly mistakes are part of the process, and worth showing.
Click the image to watch the video
I always feel like a kid when I see the "magic" appear when adding watercolor on top of wax crayon scribbles. Yet, the effects can look very accomplished!
I mentioned a recent video on how to use watersoluble crayons. If you haven't watched it yet, you can find the video here.
