Hello!
As well as a lot of artists know, there are those moments of inspiration when we grab something that we have and express what needs to be expressed, not really thinking about technique, compatibillity of materials and so on…
Basically we do what me must, and worry afterwords. 🙂
One of those moments for me was recently, when i did graphite drawing on Fabriano Unica Paper (which is 250 gr paper made of 50 % cotton and ideal for printmaking, graphite,charcoal) and painted over that with Gouache.
Is it a problem to use water media over graphite and on paper that is not best suited for it, but rather for dry techniques, but it is 250 gr paper and is Acid Free ofcourse?
Thank you!
Marko Karadjinovic
Thank you Brian and Matthew for your answers.
The paper is 250 gr , it is relatively thick and acid free.
Since i didn’t use excessive amounts of water, just enough to do these needed effects i actually haven’t noticed much difference from some smaller paintings done on watercolor paper.
The colors were pretty much the same, the paper didn’t buckle at all, it is straight as it was at the beginning. And when it was all dry i have touched the surface and there is no color powder at all .
These works look really fine, but i was concerned about it’s longevity .
So i guess everything is fine…
Thanks once more!
That would always depend on the specifics of the situation. The difference between papers intended for dry vs wet media is simple one of weight and sizing. Technically, there is nothing wrong applying wet media on a paper intended for dry media as long as the paper can withstand the weight of the paint and is not so absorbent that too much binder is leached from the paint. You should be able to assess this as soon as the paint is completely dry (do not move the work until it is dry especially if the paper is thin and/or very absorbent). Does the paint readily powder off when touched? Is the paper severely buckled and likely to tear? If not you are probably fine.
I agree, if the paper is sufficiently heavy and composed of high quality fiber content, there should be no technical problem with using it for wet media. In terms of appearance, however, transparent watercolors can look a bit lackluster on unsized paper. Also, the soft, easily embossed surface of some printmaking papers doesn’t stand up to the rigors of harder drawing media. A sensitive artist can leverage those properties, though, especially in mixed media where “sparkling” color might not necessarily be the desired effect. The soft, velvety look of watercolor on, say, Stonehenge paper might be perfect in combination with soft pastels and charcoal.
