Watercolor wet-on-wet methods produce soft colors that move in and around each other.
Andrew Wyeth is famous for his use of drybrush watercolor technique. He used a dry paintbrush dipped lightly in water and then in pigment. The technique produces uncharacteristic hard lines in an otherwise soft medium. Watercolor is better known for its softly blended colors and shades within those colors. Those skilled in drybrush, however, bring sharp edges and build up a depth of color and intensity uncommon in the medium better known for misty edges and drifting pigments. This drybrush technique is not the same as "drypoint," which is a method for engraving to make color prints that look like watercolors.
Hard Edges
Watercolor paintings are more often thought of as softly rendered color variations.
Because Andrew Wyeth began using watercolor drybrush techniques, he was able to develop paintings more quickly. Drybrush uses very little water and therefore dries quickly. This quick drying property allows the artist to layer brushstrokes one on top of another to build up crisp, deep color patterns without the drying time typical watercolor techniques require. Because of the quick progress of this painting method, Wyeth was able to develop quick studies that revealed a depth of emotion.
Layering Process
Keeping the brush dry enough so that the pigment dries quickly is important in drybrush technique. "Do not worry about diluting the paint a little too much. It is better to work with paint that is too diluted rather than too thick. Thus, you reach the right consistency by applying layer upon layer," advises artist Ottorino de Lucchi. When your previous layer is completely dry, you can add the next layer without great risk of wiping the pigment off the paper. Use enough light that you can check for dampness before applying more layers on top of early layers.
Brushes
Brushes of varying sizes may be used for the drybrush technique. The trick is to allow the bristles to separate so that fine sections of brush will individually make thin detailed markings. The brush is very dry and is loaded with paint in such a way that each bristle is capable of drawing a pigment-rich line. These lines are stacked upon one another to create texture and depth of color not found in other watercolor methods.
Scraping, Cutting, Scumbling
To add more texture, Andrew Wyeth was known to remove paint using the handle of the brush or other tools to remove pigment and even layers of paper. Heavy textured paper was used so that the abuse inflicted upon it would not destroy it completely. If you wish to use the drybrush technique as Andrew Wyeth did, it is recommended that you find a textured paper of about a 400-lb. dry pressed weight and that you be prepared to cut, gash and scrape to get the desired effect in your painting.
