Stippling Watercolor Painting Technique

Stippling Watercolor Painting Technique

Article by Vladimir London, Watercolor Academy tutor

The stippling method is applying splattered spots and drops of paint onto an artwork.

It can be done in more accidental as well as in well-controlled ways.

Small drops of paint can be sprayed from a short distance with a stiff bristle-brush or a toothbrush by rubbing it with a thumb or simply shaking it over the artwork. A small amount of gum water can be added into the mix to enhance body and brilliance.

"Accidental" stippling should be applied among the final steps of the painting on top of color layers. Splashed drops will look less attractive if they are covered with transparent washes or brushstrokes. Darker paints work better for this job.

There are innumerous ways of doing accidental stippling, like flicking paint with fingers, using bird feathers, blowing paint from sticks, and so on. I will let you experiment with discovering how much fun you can get from finding ways of spraying an artwork with paint. The key is not to overdo it.

If more control in stippling is required, dots can be made with a well-pointed brush. This is a very time-consuming method but some artists have turned it into a creative style called pointillism. Pointillism is based on optical mixing, which is when multiple dots of various pure colors become blended visually into new colors with enhanced brilliance.

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