One of my absolute favorite artists is English watercolorist, William Henry Hunt. Hunt and his contemporaries revolutionized watercolor in their use of bodycolor or gouache to create stunning detailed paintings believed to be the exclusive territory of oil painters. The detail is his paintings is magnificent. Even as a watercolor artist myself, I find it hard to believe that these are indeed watercolor paintings.
I’ve long wondered how he worked, what was his technique. I came across a reference in an art book that explained the process. Mixing gouache with gum arabic, he painted in the penciled forms of his still life objects and let it harden to a porcelain-like finish. Then, he carefully stippled and developed the form, taking care not to disturb the white. That would be the difficult part. Gum arabic is used in watercolor to impart sheen, but also to make lifting color of different effects easier. I decided to give it a try. Here is my attempt at Hunt’s technique and other techniques I gleaned from studying Victorian watercolors
“Through the Shadows”, watercolor on paper, 6″ x 4″
Available at Weborg Lodge Studio
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It will look like this: Through the Shadows