Lynn Moore

Sorry folks. I should have put this information in the last one but didn’t think of it. This is how you can make your own liquid watercolor paint and another tip from Maxine Masterfield.

Bottle for rubbing alcohol
Maxine Masterfield found that the best spray bottle for alcohol is the Chloraseptic sore throat spray bottle. She had tried many others she said. I thought, “Well, she ought to know so I went out, bought a bottle, poured the chloraseptic down the drain, rinsed it well and filled it with rubbing alcohol and that is the spray bottle I use.

Bottle for liquid watercolor and how to mix the paint
To experiment with spraying liquid watercolor, you put a bit of tube watercolor paint in a spray bottle, add distilled water, this is evidently important, shake well and spray! Just experiment by adding more or less paint until you get the color you like. It also really helps to add half a cap of Wagner brand Paint Easy. This thins paint without diluting it and helps the liquid paint from clogging up. If you find the paint is still clogging up, add more Paint Easy. It is available at Wal-Mart.

The best bottles I have found for spraying paint (and believe me I have tried every spray bottle I could get my hands on) are from Hobby Lobby. They are tall and see through so you can view the color inside. The little short ones they sell at Dick Blick (holbein brand) always get clogged and it is very frustrating to have to keep switching paint from bottle to bottle.

This is a great way to find out if you like the spraying technique before investing in more expensive watercolor paints that actually come premixed already in liquid form.

This is a piece done with my mixing my own tube paint with water:

This is a piece done with professionally premixed liquid watercolor paint:
(Robert Doak paint)

I think the difference is night and day. Both are beautiful, my own mixed paint is more soft pastel and the professional is obviously much more vibrant and strong. It depends on what you like better or you might like your own paint for certain works, and the professional for others.

It helps to try mixing your own before investing in the professional paints so you know you like the technique enough to invest more money.Whether you mix your own or use professional paint, you will probably need the Paint Easy to prevent clogging of the bottle.

There you go. Experiment to your hearts content. It is a whole different way of painting, and very freeing and expressive, in my humble opinion. Enjoy!
Lynn