Wet-Into-Wet Glazing

When you want a soft edge, painting wet-into-wet works well.  What never occurred to me was that once your first wash is completely dry, you can still achieve a soft edge by glazing wet-into-wet.

In this painting of rocks at Boothbay Shores, I painted the colors of the rocks and the beach first.  When completely dry, I lightly re-wet the areas that I wanted to paint in the shadows.  Be careful not to brush hard and disturb the paint underneath.  Then, while completely saturated with clear water, brush in the glaze.  Don't apply paint up to the wetted area or you'll get a hard edge.

This technique would also work well with shadows on trees where you want a soft edge.  Paint the local color of the lighted area of the trunk, let it dry completely, re-wet the areas where you want the shadows, then drop in the paint.  Be sure to make it dark enough, too.