{"id":992,"date":"2021-01-04T15:28:19","date_gmt":"2021-01-04T15:28:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbansketchingworld.com\/?p=992"},"modified":"2023-06-09T20:47:55","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T20:47:55","slug":"what-is-white-watercolour-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbansketchingworld.com\/what-is-white-watercolour-for\/","title":{"rendered":"What is White Watercolour For?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If, like I was, you are confused about why white watercolour exists, why it is included in some watercolour sets (most often watercolour sets at the budget end of the market) and how to use it properly then this post is for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First of all, let\u2019s address something I found very confusing in my initial quest to find out what the hell white watercolour is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

What is White Watercolour? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Knowing this one important difference is the key to unlocking how to work with white in watercolour painting: all<\/strong> white watercolour pigments are opaque<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, white watercolour is not technically watercolour. It is gouache.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gouache is the term for opaque watercolour. It took me a while to find the answer to this particular query and now I know, it makes things a bit clearer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obviously, the label we use for white watercolour is not really that important but knowing how it behaves is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Side note: if you are interested in urban sketching with gouache, check out this post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact that the white ‘watercolour’ pigment is opaque and all other watercolour pigments are pretty much translucent is actually where the pain point arises when using white with other watercolours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Different types of white watercolour<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n

There are many different types of white pigment on the market. Generally, you will see names such as \u2018Zinc White\u2019, \u2018Titanium White\u2019 and \u2018Chinese White\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Do you want to learn how to sketch your own adventures in ink & watercolour?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

GET 50% OFF FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I will show you my exact sketching process in ink and watercolour<\/strong>. I have travelled around the world in the last 3 years and this is my go-to system of creating beautiful yet quirky illustrations to capture the magic of my discoveries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will work through 3 projects, step by step<\/strong> (pictured below), all of which are real-life examples of things I have sketched along my travels. I provide the photo references you can work from.
We will start by choosing a composition, laying in the initial pencil sketch, adding ink lines, layering watercolour and adding the final touches.
This and much more are included in my course, Sketch Your Adventures<\/a><\/strong>, click the button under the image to find out more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FIND OUT MORE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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What do these names mean?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Titanium White<\/strong> is the whitest and most opaque white and should not be used for mixing as it can effect the lightfastness of your watercolours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Side note: Buff Titanium<\/strong> is a warmer variation of Titanium White – prominent urban sketcher, Liz Steel, uses Buff Titanium, it\u2019s a staple on her palette I believe.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zinc White<\/strong> is a cooler more transparent white, intended more for mixing with other colours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese white<\/strong> was introduced by Winsor & Newton in 1834, it is semi-opaque with a blue undertone. Most Chinese Whites are made from Zinc White.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which white watercolour should I use?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

All of this being said, not all whites are made equal, even if they are called Titanium White, one brand of Titanium White may be quite different to that of another brand. I have not tested many brands myself and the only whites I won are both by Winsor & Newton, however, artist Jamie Williams Grossman has a handy swatch reference of different whites here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found this a useful reference to assess which brands are whitest and most opaque.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Check out my ebooks with hundreds of ink & watercolour travel sketches from all over the world. Get some inspiration for your next trip…
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FIND OUT MORE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why Use White Watercolour?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n

In traditional watercolour painting, it is taught that the white of the paper should be preserved to achieve the colour white (rather than using white paint). However, there were watercolour masters such as John Singer Sargeant<\/strong> and J.M.W Turner<\/strong> that used white within their paintings. Used correctly, white watercolour can be very handy to achieve certain effects that would be difficult to do without it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will talk you through some of the pros and cons of using white and show you some examples from my sketchbook to demonstrate how white can really make your own sketches pop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, let\u2019s tackle what you should be doing if you intend to have areas of white in your watercolour painting, namely preserving the white of your paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

How to preserve the white of the paper in watercolour painting?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n

There are a few ways in which you can preserve the white of watercolour paper which is commonly the way in which to achieve white areas within a watercolour painting or sketch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preserving the white of your paper can be quite challenging and requires some planning. This probably explains why it\u2019s not a particular skill of mine!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can use one of the methods below to help you preserve the white of your paper:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– carefully paint around<\/strong> the area you want to keep white<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– use masking fluid<\/strong>, sometimes called frisket or liquid rubber<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– use artists tape<\/strong> to mask off areas you want to keep white, this is especially useful for delineating a sky from the ocean for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Reasons To Use White Watercolour<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Ok, let\u2019s move on to look at some reasons why you may want to use white watercolour and when it\u2019s appropriate to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n