How to Reuse Leftover Watercolor Paint
There’s one thing artist Yong Hong Zhong (Ep.71) does not skimp on: Paint.
He has good reasons to lay out more paint than he thinks he'll need.
Those big, fresh piles encourage him to use the amount he needs to create rich, deep colors in his work. And in that he’s a watercolorist, thick (ie dry) paint is how he will create his darkest darks.
However, this means he will almost always have left over paint when he finishes a painting.
But he doesn't get rid of it. And you don't need to either.
Here’s what you can do instead.
Put it to Practice
If you’re a watercolor painter, you’ve got a medium that is built to use leftover paint.
Take a page from Zhong and here’s how you can approach this.
When you’re ready to start your next painting, head first to your palette. Use water and spritz your leftover tube paints.
Now leave them while you go and get everything else set up. Find your paper towels, maybe transfer your drawing, etc.
By the time you're ready to paint in 10-15 minutes, there'll be no difference between your fresh tube paint and the leftover paint.
This works best when you’re a consistent painter and it hasn’t been a ton of time between sessions.
If you find that your paints are really hardened up even after you’ve spritzed them and left them, it may be time to lay out fresh paint. You can still work with hardened paint, but you may not be able to get colors that are as rich and deep as when working with soft paint either reactivated or fresh from the tube.
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