Judy Mizell Poured on the Charm

Judy Mizell answers question from Ron Fields

The results from the poutings

Paper, paint, towel, various bottles, but very little brush action

Great turnout for first MAG meeting at the MAC

Judy Mizell creates beautifully detailed watercolor subjects with equally beautiful, colorful and sparkling backgrounds. How does she do it? Pouring. That's right. Not a brush in sight. Just pour diluted paints on the paper and movie it around by tilting the paper. 

But before you go off and attempt this there are considerations:

Paper- make sure it is good quality such as Arches or Kilimanjaro with at least 140 weight.

Watercolor Paint- Use professional artist grade paints and (1) check for transparency... should be very transparent (2) Staining quality... should be strong and able to stand up to rewetting (3) Sedimentary or Granulation Quality... some paints have light particles that stay with the wash while others are heavier and sink or bind to the paper leaving a grainier appearance. Know all these qualities before applying the paints.

Before applying the paint to paper, draw a sketch of your subject and mask it.

Put diluted paints in pill bottles mixing 1/8th of an inch of paint to 6 squirts of water. Stir it well. This keeps for 2 weeks.

Soak paper in a large container of water and brush off any bubbles.

Pour paints onto the wet paper and tilt. Keep applying colors using the pill bottles or with an eye dropper for specific spots. You can use the spray bottle to further manipulate the paint and create a pathway of light with lifting.

Put the paper on a towel to dry. After it is dry, rewet again and repeat the process for deeper colors. Make sure you preserve that path of light!

Keep working it until you are satisfied. When it is fully dry and you're pleased with the effect, then you can unmask and paint your subject.

Other tips:

Don't use a brush... it will streak it.

Avoid the hair dryer... especially when it is really wet.

Try using the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for lifting.

Avoid mixing complementary colors... you'll get mud!

Thank you, Judy, for the perfect presentation for the opening of MAC.

If you wish to know the quality of your watercolor selections you can go to Winsor & Newton's Resource Center.