Getting Good, Soft Edges in Your Paintings May 4, 2000
Several terms are used for getting good soft edges. Some artists call it “losing edges,” others us the term “feathering edges.” This technique is essential in doing paintings of sand and snow. It is also needed when we do loose fitting clothing in which there are many folds. For that reason of course it is handy for doing draperies. When we make a stroke of Pigment across dry paper, we get a hard edge on both sides.
In order to loosen, soften or feather one or both edges we must do it while the paint is still wet. We dip a clean flat or angular brush into water, then remove enough water from the brush to leave it moist but not wet. We move our moist brush along one hard edge with the brush perpendicular to the hard edge. We should remember to turn the outer edge of the brush up so it doesn’t contact the paper. Brushes are rarely completely clean and this will help keep us from creating a secondary edge on the outside. Of course the slant brush is designed to stay up off the paper if we turn the brush with the short side away from the painted area. Two things can tell us we aren’t doing it right. If the paint just sits there and its edge doesn’t soften, we don’t have enough water on the brush. This method can be used to “Vignette” around objects you have painted such as flowers, etc.
A quick review. Edges can be lost, softened or feathered only while the paint is still wet, so it behooves us not to paint too far without stopping to lose soften or feather edges successfully, we should remove the sizing from the surface of the paper. This may be done one area at a time (as in sky). If almost all the area of a painting requires soft edges, we remove the sizing from the entire surface of the paper all at once. To remove the sizing we need to wet the paper thoroughly using a large brush like a 1”, 1.5” or 2”. Make sure all the paper has been wet and the surface stroed with the brush enough to break up the sizing. Tissues should be attached four in a stack. This stack is then placed on the wet surface to remove the sizing. This process is repeated until the sizing is all removed using traditional tissues as needed.
If you have questions email us at rlwatercolor71@aol.com.
Enjoy painting!
Robert and Sharon
Robert Long Watercolors
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