Choosing an Opaque White to use over Watercolor
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- Opaque white options for use with watercolor are numerous with advantages and disadvantages for each. In this video I go through several options and categories to help you make an informed choice or possibly identify something you already have that might work.
Jetpens White Ink Guide - www.jetpens.co...
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Ink Nib Brause B361 - amzn.to/2DiUrFs
Tachikawa Nib Holder - amzn.to/2rkYgbI
White Water Soluble Rewettable
M. Graham Zinc White Gouache - amzn.to/2DMjIZr
Winsor Newton Permanent White Gouache - amzn.to/2DKbDod
Dr. Martin's Pen White - amzn.to/2DKbDod
Aqua Cover (Arches) - amzn.to/2DNYOt5
Aqua Cover (Fabriano) - amzn.to/2DJtcol
Daler Rowney Pro White (not shown) - amzn.to/2Dpj9Hx
Dr. Martin's Bleed Proof White (not shown) - amzn.to/2BcUl02
Deleter Ink 1 (not shown)- amzn.to/2mLyGHa
White Permanent
Holbein Acryla Gouache - amzn.to/2DrRQMB
Winsor Newton Professional Acrylic - amzn.to/2mNNmp5
FW Acrylic Ink - amzn.to/2DgSr09
J. Herbin Calligraphy Ink (this link pigmented)- amzn.to/2EUHEct
Dr. Martin's Bombay India Ink - amzn.to/2DLmtud
Gelly Roll White Gel Pen - amzn.to/2DoEL6X
Prismacolor White Colored Pencil - amzn.to/2DexMdd
Pitt White Artist's Pen - amzn.to/2FUaBH4
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Can you advise when you would use white watercolors like titanium white or chinese white? I don’t really see many artists using these since colors are lightened with water for watercolors, yet most pro brands have these on their assortment?
Good question! Right, not many artists use Chinese white. Its a mixing white and not for opaque additions, highlights or corrections. Artists that use it, like to mix it into paint to give their color a milky or pastel-ish quality. Its often used in skies or water or maybe fog. Chinese white is not very opaque. Its a poor correction or highlight medium.
What about titanium white? It seems more opaque
Actually Titanium White is more opaque and unlike so many tubes that will dry out, M Grahams wont and its the best Ive found. It works as well as some brands of gouache.
Yes, Titanium White is more like gouache and suitable for corrections or highlights.
Fantastic - really helpful
So very helpful, thank you! Based on your videos, I've tried both the white gouache and Gelly Roll pen and have found them incredibly helpful in putting whiskers and fine white hairs on animal paintings in particular. I also greatly appreciate that your expertise extends beyond watercolor and that you pull all of those pieces into your tutorials. I enjoy your videos so much!
Thanks, Steve! I can always count on you to answer my questions before I even know I have them, and for taking the time to thoughtfully and clearly provide information that is non-biased and no nonsense....I continue to be thrilled that I found you online and want to tell you how refreshing it is to tune in...I learn so much everytime I do!!!
As I read this, I realized that this is the exact phrase women everywhere have been waiting to hear from a male. There is literally no way to not be flattered by it. Not being snarky and saying that's what you intended, I was just caught by the beauty of the way you arranged the words and then I realized why. :)
Really terrific topic to cover, Steve. So much information here for both beginners and newcomers!
Thanks Mark! Been taking an informal poll. As an illustrator do you have a brand or type of white you like for corrections, revisions or just for opaque white?
Thanks for asking, Steve. I've been a fan of Windsor & Newton white gouache for years, using it with brush, airbrush, dip pens, and even Q-Tips. It's great for all the reasons you described in the video. I use their black much the same way when I don't want any translucency. A lot of times it comes down to convenience and whether the project is for fun or experimentation. I've been known to use White Out, toothpaste, and even draining a Jelly Roll onto a palette just to get quick results. Currently, I am fond of the Sharpie line of white pens that come in a variety of sizes, as well as a new brand I just came across called Craftsman fine tip white paint pens. My recent grab, tho, was a tube of Daniel Smith Chinese white watercolor. I'm looking forward to seeing how it works in this kind of application as well as mixing. I'll tell you, I went through the video again and it is arguably the best out there on this topic. You nailed it shut! Great job on this one! :)
Awesome thanks! Yeah, you can't go wrong with W&N white!
The pun cracked me up! Whoops... Looks like I just made my own :)
This is so helpful as some of us do not know solutions to problems. Plus think of someone trying to figure out what products can be used and what is the outcomes. This information is really valuable not only in times but money. Thank you for sharing all that stuff you have in your mind.
Out of sheer desperation I tried the white in my Masters Touch aka. Hobby Lobby brand, semi moist palette for snow. Much to my surprise and delight it created an opaque paint. Granted I mixed it to be mostly paint with water and it worked! Knowing full well that it would mix with the under paints and didn't scrub. I let it air dry as is and coming back later an hour + later there wasn't any cracking. Bonus: In the sun there is a slight shimmer to the dried paint. I couldn't be more thrilled! Just thought I would share. BTW, love your channel.
Singer Sergeant I think is one of the greatest watercolorist, loved white paint. Many don't but he did. I love it too.
Another alternative are pitt pastel pencils.. for white as well as other pastel highlights. They are softer than traditional colored pencil and blendable as well. Paul Clark uses them in many of his tutorials for really nice results, if you would like to see how they perform.
I use a Posca pen and blend it out when needed to make shiny/ reflective areas. Love this video!!
Wonderful video, Steve. I ordered the Kuratake 30 ink after seeing you use it in another older video, and I love it. I also like the P.H. Martin Bleed Proof White, and the Daniel Smith Watercolor Ground, and the gouache. I have found I can correct most mistakes with one of these. You teach me sooooo much.
Good selection. Yep with that group you can pretty much handle any thing that come along!
I find your reviews, as well as your tutorials, extremely helpful. I would like to hear more about dip pen nibs, the ones that are your favorites, how to use them and why. If you have already done a video on this, please let me know. Thank you for all of the time and effort you spend on these videos; they are very helpful, and I have learned a lot from you.
In this video you're seeing one of my favorites for putting paint or viscous fluid on to work. Its the Brause 361. Nicknamed the Blue Pumpkin. I put a link in the video description. For black ink drawing I like the Zebra G nib best. I did a video on that and other ink options back during InkTober.
Don’t forget, you can also tint gesso. I love using it because it doesn’t look plasticky. Even if you match the white of the paper perfectly, if the finish reflects more light than the paper, it will be obvious. Gesso is matte, so no shine. 😊
Steve-the most thorough video I have ever seen on whites!! Thank you.
Personally, I have had really good luck with the Copic Opaque white. It is water soluble and comes in a container similar to your Kuretake.
What’s your favorite method for painting whiskers? I can’t ever seem to get those really fine lines!!!
Thanks so much! Honestly I would probably just use a gel pen for those. Quick and easy. Gelly Roll now comes in a fine and a bold which is nice. This is the fine. amzn.to/2DPwk20 Second choice would be to pull out the dip pen and thin out the Kuretake White Ink 30. If you don't care if its waterproof just use gouache through a dip pen.
Hello Rita Gjefle, I am new to watercolors, so I hope I'm not presuming here. I found a "real-time" painting of a cat (including whiskers) by Christine Karron th-cam.com/video/S3y4SsSmKxg/w-d-xo.html . Here is the title of the TH-cam in case the url doesn't work: Cat Watercolor portrait REAL TIME painting demo by Ch.Karron.
I'm adding this because at the end, she lifts whiskers. Move to about 1:03:00 in the video to see. I wish I knew what brush she used; she gets amazing results ( I think). take care, --nina from Chicago.
Thank you for the thorough demo and review! I am a mixed media artist coming in sideways to watercolor and that was all very useful information that I can use immediately. Great channel!
You are such a wealth of information! I had no idea India ink had shellac in it or that my Uni-Ball Signo's are water soluble. Thank you for that information and for all of this because white and watercolor have been an issue for me from the start. I bought a tube of M. Graham Gouache Titanium White hoping to find a transparent to have on hand but if there is a better choice I'm open to recommendations... and I love that pen nib. Nice. You get all the good stuff and know how to use it.
Nibs come with an oil on them to protect the metal. They must be conditioned before using. You may use dish soap/shampoo and warm water to remove it (if the ink beads, keep cleaning). One of the most opaque gel pens is the Signo Uniball (although it isn’t as fine tipped as the Gelly Roll). The best white colored pencil I have found is the Caran d’Ache Luminance. Thanks for showing such a variety!
I've only been using white gouache and white gel pen so far. Thank you so much for sharing this with us and recommending jetpens! I will definitely try some of the inks. Thank you again!
I didn't know about using paint with dip pens. Thank you!
Wow that’s great assortment of things to use for whites. So far I have been using the Chinese White & Titanium White in my watercolor sets, along with the Uni-ball Signo Pens. Thanks for sharing this wonderful information with us.
Thank you for this, it always confused me as to why they companies would include the white paint in the set whether tube or pan, and typically they are not use. My thought then what is the use of doing that. Thank you for showing us how to use white paint in watercolours. I really enjoy your V-logs. Always informative, and interesting. Cheers to you.
This is one of your best ! You are so good to keep us up to date on what is available, and I really appreciate all the work you do to show us? Thank you
Daler Rowney Pro White is an opaque watercolour. Use with brush, pen and airbrush. Stir well. It was quite liquid when new but now is thicker. Does a good job for whites in the eyes, etc.
Thank you! This was so helpful. I have seen people use white gouache or Dr. Martins Bleedproof white. This was so complete and had great options. I appreciate your time.
This is such a wonderful thorough review. I learned about products that I didn’t even know existed! 😁
Wow! Such an awesome comparison for us! Thank you so much! You've save me lots of time and probably money.
Brilliant! Answered all my questions about white in watercolor. Thanks Steve!
Excellent advise! Thank you so much Steve:) Your tutorials are so thorough and well taught. I love listening to you whilst I paint or draw:)
Great info I've been looking for, wow! All still valid in autumn 2022!
Great video & review Steve! I am familiar with gouache but I really appreciate you evaluating other options. It's been drummed into me to avoid white with watercolors. But I'm feeling brave enough now to "sneak" in a bit here and there in moderation. My art critics (ie. my wife & cat) won't object too much.
This is a fantastic list of options all together in one place....really helpful!
Very cool video. I would just say that when some inks and paint dry completely in a dip pen does not have to lead to a disaster. Shellac thinner (denatured alcohol) will dissolve both waterproof ink (Shellac based) and the latex acrylic paint. If it is really stubborn you can put it in an ultrasonic cleaner. Acetone will also dissolve both but do that outside in a windstorm because the fumes are deadly. Or you can wear a gas mask. Not so good for brushes, it will um...change them
Hi Steve, this was a great review on using whites in watercolor painting. I really enjoyed the video and now have a broader understanding of using whites. Thank you so much. 💞💫
Super thorough and helpful. It’s great to hear some of the pros and cons, and your best use suggestions. Thank you so much.
Hi Steve, I wanted to recommend another white opaque product (I believe it may be an ink, but I am not sure). It is called Dr. Martin’s Bleed Proof White. At $13.00 per small bottle, it is expensive, but it was recommended to me by Stan Miller as a truly opaque white that is as white as the Arches paper. He used it in a beginner class where some students had completely painted over their whites. Anyway, thanks for the video and I appreciated learning about all the other options!
Yes, used it many times. Good stuff. It fits in the gouache category I looked at here.
I tried white ink, gouache, and acrylic. I ended up using a white jellyroll.
Yep, quick and convenient and takes care of most needs. Gelly Roll recently came out with a fine and bold version of their white. amzn.to/2Duasf8 amzn.to/2mTxEck
Did you try shellac white ink or acrylic?
That was excellent! I am trying to incorporate in a painting a technique I see used in 18th cent. Chinese wall-paper, where the foliage (usually bamboo) is painted in white upon a solid coloured ground, giving it an etherial quality. I know the Chinese traditionally used water-colour, gouache, and tempera for these panels. From your tests, it seems as though the water-colour ground might be the most forgiving in terms of going back and adding shading and detail without having the white start to dissolve., and the gouache a good second--IF one has a light hand... Thank you again--Franklin John Kakies
Awesome video, thank you for going over all these options, so informative!
This is wonderful. Thank you for all this information. I will go back to it often. 😊
My (small) set of Faber Castell Albrecht Duerer watercolor pencils seems to have take legs, but when I find (or replace) it I will try that in various ways. For now, gouache if need be.
Thanks so much, these whites are so complex and you summarized them so well. I was just about to start doing this for 🐦 birds feathers, and layering over. I also want to try the Schmincke White guache seeing their watercolors are so good. Thanks, Murray, South Africa
I use Arches bright white liquid paper for extreme/glowing highlight areas glazed over with my most transparent yellow/orange. I love the effect and can't get it any other way as masking will be the color of my paper when removed and I want something brighter. I discovered it as I'm an oil painter of so many years that my brain just wouldn't make the light-to-dark leap and it was so frustrating. I have all the paper tints I do use for correcting but reach for the bright white most often for my intense final effects just as I did with oils. Thank you for showing this array of whites. And, I just can't help myself here: Purists just drive me up a wall with their "no white or black rules"... these pigments are already in premixed convenience pigment combos these same "purists" recommend. Once I got over that indoctrination hump, I was on my way to mixing much as I did with oils.
Well said!
great deals - very informative - lovely art work
Wonderful! So much excellent information. I learned so much from you. I appreciate you posting this video. Thanks for sharing.
This video, as so many of yours, inspired me and gave me some new ideas to try.
Such an interesting video, the best "white comparison" I've ever seen, thanks !
Thank you for all the information. This was a really helpful video for comparing the different products and how they perform. I am sure I will refer back to it in the future :)
Another recommendation is airbrush paints. Createx makes outstanding paints. Especially the wicked white.
Excellent explanation, demonstration and comparison!! Can't thank you enough!! Most appreciated.
What a superb guide, many thanks
Thank you so so much for this tutorial. This is very very helpful! I do a lot of things like calligraphy so this is great!
Very helpful video! Thanks for sharing your knowledge so generously. With the trend in varnishing over watercolor instead of framing under glass, can you say how the color pencil/wax, and other permanents would be ok or not?
This answered so many questions I had!
Hi, Thanks. This really solves my issue. I've been trying to find a proper white for my watercolours.
Let me give you a example of why these videos are useful. I wanted to buy an opaque white pen，almost bought Sakura but signo pens are actually whiter than the Sakura pens . I'm going to use this to give myself an idea of what I want
Thank you so much for doing this! I've been trying to figure out what kind of white's to add to my watercolor supply arsenal! This helped so much :D
Cool, glad to hear it and thanks for stopping by Carrie!
Love your lessons on watercolors. Angelica in New Jersey
Jam-packed with great info. Thank you very much for doing this it's a great help.
I love jelly roll pens- for the 2mtimes they work🤪. If I don’t use it for several weeks I cannot get the danged thing to write, or even make dots. Any tips? Also. The Postman’s Knock ( Lindsey) recommends putting a fresh nib in a plain raw potato for 15 min or so to get rid of the factory oils on nibs. She says do t forget to remove it because your nib will rust! Thanks for another informative session😉
Rolling a Gelly Roll tip on a wet paper towel usually frees the tip for me. Sometimes they dry out. I always have 2 or 3 on hand when one gets stubborn. The potato trick for nibs works sometimes. Not always. It should be thoroughly cleaned of all oils initially. Sometimes it just takes a few uses to break in. A new trick I've tried is bath powder. Sounds weird but it works most times. Another is coating the nib with thick paint (watercolor) and letting it sit overnight before rinsing it off.
Higgins Super White non-permanent calligraphy ink is good in a pinch.
Ahh so helpful! Thank you very much! 💕 I was surprised you showed the white Kuretake 30 ink! I use that! haha ❤
Thank you Steve, great explenation and very useful,
I'm still looking for a white fountain pen ink that I can use to refill my pens.
Lots of great info here. Thanks for the video! 👍
The best color pencil white is luminance it is expensive but fantastic.
I love your channel! Thanks for your work.
My Winsor and Newton gouache cries slightly yellow compared to the whiteness of the paper.
My aqua cover hardens in the bottle too.
VERY useful video. Thanks for sharing!
Great, informative video. Thank you Steve. This really helped. Hugs!
Thank you , I always learn so much from you
thank you so much steve,you are so informative.Thank you Toni/Aust
Excellent information! Thank you
AWESOME video Steve! 😁 I could of used this one 6 months ago. 😆 Funny story, I was trying to put white whiskers & fine white highlighted hairs for the Eddie the cat paper pyrography. I was looking for a white that the burning didn't show through. I bought the Dr Martin's pen white and the Dr Martin's bleedproof white. I had also tried the Dr Martin's Bombay white & the FW white. I was trying to use a dip pen & brush and from my test swatches settled on the bleedproof white. I ended up over doing it & got extremely upset. 😮 Jason came into my studio to calm me down... I kept telling him (as I was getting tearful) that I ruined it. 😭 I was like see I can't take it back & touched the bleedproof white with a wet brush. I was shocked that it lifted. For some reason I wasn't expecting it to... i got "bleedproof" and "ink" stuck in my head. 😆 Needless to say I busted out laughing because I dont freak out like that, but this time I did. Definitely a lesson learned and now I know. I think my reaction was hilarious. I had watched videos on the bleedproof white and no one mentioned it was rewettable. Anyway, I thought you might get a kick out of this... I still do. 😂
I do have a question, with the kuritake white can it be thinned & used in a fountain pen? I have some pilot metropolitan fountain pens with converters that I have been using during plein air Sundays. I have the uino signo but I'm not caring for it because of the skipping. I have tried a Bombay India ink in one of these pens and as I'm sure you are aware, it doesn't work because of the shellac in the ink... I don't realize this until I did some research. Now I would like a nice white that I can use in a fountain pen with no issues. I hope you are doing well my friend & a great live last night. Take care! 🤗
Hey Val! Thanks. I know what you mean. When stuff happens that might ruin hours of work or reacts unexpectedly it can definitely freak us out. Been there, done that! The Kuretake white ink 30 can be thinned. I would use it in a dip pen only though and not a fountain pen. Its like acrylic when it dries and may foul up a nice fountain pen. I'm not sure there is a white fountain pen ink that is not rewettable.
Thanks again for your help last night on the live!
Great videos! I am after a really bright white to use in watercolour. Which of these would you say is the most dramatic white?
thank you so much its very detailed informational video.
This video is great! So detailed and informative ^_^ thank you
Your paintings shown are beautiful :)
Great video Steve!
Thanks for a very informative video Steve. I think I'll invest in a tube of the M Graham white as I tend to only use M Graham watercolour paints nowadays.
Great choice!
Thank you very much for your wonderful videos. I really like the ease of gel pens but i wonder how archival they might be? I suppose acrylics or guache are best for a long lifespan without destroying the paper or other pigments?
I have yet to attempt to use these 2 mediums together, but your video got me wondering. Watercolor and colored pencils are used together quite frequently. With colored pencils, I use a product created for use with colored pencils, so it won't flake off or crack, etc., (it's best with oil-based pencils like Polychromos rather than a wax-based colored pencil,) which is a titanium white powder. You can it dry, but for the purposes of this, I'd try it wet, (my preference,) before trying it dry. You mix it with a bit of water, get a paint - like consistency, and with a brush, utilize it for larger areas/brighter areas, corrections if you'd like, to an extent. It is very opaque.
This system of colored pencil products is called "Colored Pencil Powder Blender", (but don't worry; you can order the titanium white on its own,) & is for use with sanded or gessoed paper, but I've seen it used on papers like Arches & Fabriano Artistico with dry Inktense - and so had the thought it could probably be used with watercolor, like a gouache, acrylic paint, or a white ink for highlights. (Alyona Nickelsen wrote 'The Colored Pencil Painting Bible' which has been one of my favorites for years and now has a book out on portraits.)
I also wonder if it's a product Marty might like to play with!
Thank you, Steve.
Best,
-Barbra
Hmm, interesting. Thanks for the input Barbra.
Morning Steve - The Ph Martin's is the stuff Stuart was talking about I think. I love the W&N white marker you showed at the end. Of all the whites you demonstrated, which was your favorite?
Thanks Marty, you anticipated me I was going to ask you what you liked best. I've been polling artists on it a bit. For versatility I think I like just the white gouache. The Bleed Proof White Stuart mentioned is essentially the same as gouache and mixes well with gouache colors. Great stuff! For quick convenient lines I use the heck out of the Gelly Roll pen. So useful in so many ways, and they just added a fine and bold version.
Yeah that's perfect. Was hoping you'd say the white gouache, because I have that and want to use it more. You mentioned the Gelly Roll as well, but I like the Uniball Signo UM-153 a tiny bit better. Don't know which one is more lightfast or any of that, but it just seems to mask a little better. Everything you showed was great though. I need to try the dip pen you sent me with some of these. :-) Thanks Steve.
Signo is great if you don't mind it being watersoluble. Gelly Roll is permanent which is nice for glazing. Both are lightfast I understand.
Ah ha!!! I didn't know that about the Gelly Roll. Okay so that makes a big difference to me, because I like to glaze. Thanks Steve!!!
Owingok4gkhynms I will gwatetcolor Artist or gateway recolor artists mind of wate4rcolo.jpkji, owww
I didnt know I could do that with dip pens. Mind blown.
WOW What a great demo! I learned so much! Thanks.
Very useful review. thanks.
Winsor & newton!!!!! love your vids!
You are my favorite artist on TH-cam! Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents! I live in NC and recognize a lot of the places you visit. Do you give art lessons locally? Also, I miss the Scripture verses. That is one of the things that drew me to watch more of your videos.
Hi Donni, thanks! Glad you enjoy the videos and the verses. I still put the verses in. My last video had a verse. From the beginning I've always had two formats. A longer format and more abbreviated format. The simpler format has no verse. God's word is precious to me so I don't plan on stopping.
Oh, and sorry no, I don't do local lessons.
Great video! Thanks so much
Isn't there a white fine liner pen that isn't a ballpoint or bullet type tip? I have a Gelly Roll pen but I hate it. It's too blotty and gloppy like in your example to use on very fine detail. I can find the pens I want in black and other colors all day long but not white.
Gelly Roll has about the finest point you'll find (their 05 specifically). They do tend to clog easily but wiping the point with a damp paper towel frequently usually works. I keep several pens on hand for when one clogs a lot. They will also loosen watercolor and clog that way, so yeah a bit finicky. There are non roller types but not as fine. The only thing as fine or finer would be a dip pen nib and some white ink or gouache.
Just what I needed
Thanks for the video! Very insightful! I am a colouring enthusiast and was wondering which white ink you’d recommend to use as a base for colouring over with or layering over with coloured pencils? I am looking for a white ink that can help camouflage black lines of an illustration to be able to colour over it with colour pencils. Any advice from your end would be great! Thanks 🙏🏼
hmm,, for that specific purpose I don't know, maybe absorbent ground since it has the most tooth.
Thank you! This was very helpful:)
I learned a lot...thank you
Thank you!!! Great video!
Thank you, so useful!
Great video. Thanks.
can i use white acrylic in the first coat and after i use gouach and watercolor ?
Please, what is the gray pallet that you used here? This Vlog is as interesting and informative as usual. Thank you.
Hi! I am trying to find your amazon link for Kuretake White ink 30.
With watercolor paper having a bit of texture, does the dip pen and nib not have any type of issues in application?
Not usually but depends on the amount of texture. Generally I don't have a problem.