Soft Edges - Hard Edges

                     "Tying Up" by Maine Artist, Carol Jessen

In this painting of a lobsterman tying up his dinghy, the sky area provides a foil for the hard edged shapes of boats.  Creating soft edges requires speed so the transition areas are still fully wet and not just damp or else a hard edge or jagged edge will result.  It also helps if you have some courage when hitting a wet area with a fully loaded brush of pigment.  Remember that if the paper is fully saturated, you need not bring more water to the paper when you dash in the color in that area.

You can also wait until the paper is completely dry and then re-wet it with a light stroke before hitting it again with a darker color.  The paint will spread and create a soft edge.

This takes quite a bit of practice to understand the ratio of water to paint.  It's like practicing the scales.  Skip at your own peril!