With watercolour, you can't cover up the marks. There's the story of the construction of the picture, and then the picture might tell another story as well. - David Hockney
Coinciding with their latest exhibition at the Tate Britain, the Tate has been doing a fantastic job over the last month promoting Watercolour paining as a medium to take seriously. I have to admit I have always had my own prejudices against water colour, finding them too "wishy washy", but the Tate has put together some really inspirational short films (see below) which have really inspired me to give them a go. I have definitely changed my opinion to them and now appreciate the strength the translucency can add to an image.
One of the things that has inspired me the most, is the range of substances that artists have mixed into watercolour paints to affect their colour, from coffee grounds to the artists own blood. So if you have never tried paining in watercolours or just want some inspiration, check out the following videos below.
Alison Smith's (curator) tour of the exhibition
Source: Tate Shorts: Watercolour
John Squire (Stone Roses fame) does some neat stuff with muslin
Source: John Squire – swaps his guitar for watercolours