Ask Ali: How do you do… soft edges?

After a couple of weeks looking at ‘why’ we make art and what inspires me, I thought it would be good to get back to a week discussing the mechanics of my paintings, this time the tricky technique of creating a vignette that watercolour technique where the background has lots of lost edges so that it seems to blend into the white of the paper.

I’m not going to lie, it has taken me years to get my backgrounds to work in the way that I like - plenty of white paper showing, colour that seems to dissolve into it and a balance of tones to keep my subjects strong and I still don’t get it right every time. Days that I’m not concentrating or am distracted by something will see me revert back to my default setting of hard lines or even, horror of horrors, a cauliflower!

Just in case you are starting out, I don’t want to assume you know what I mean by a cauliflower, it’s when the water and the paint get out of balance and the water runs back into the pigment and creates a shape that looks a bit like a cauliflower, it’s technically called a back run. Lots of artists do a brilliant job of making back runs a part of their mark making and spontaneity but they make me twitch, I just don’t like them so have spent many hours working out what creates them and how to avoid them.

For me, avoiding back runs and being able to create soft edges starts with my paper choice, I’m a bit picky about what paper I choose and what it can do for me, there isn’t one paper I prefer as there are so many out there that will help me to achieve the look I am after and so you will need to eperiment with what your paper can do for you. Purchase a trial pack where you have a selection of different surfaces to try and put them through their paces to see what works and what doesn’t.

Here’s an example of a painting that is working towards a successful conclusion by utilising the soft edge technique, the background has had more than one layer and you can see that not all the edges are ‘lost’ so that shapes can be seen. My advice if you are struggling to get your paint to soften at the outer edges is that you CANNOT paint too wet, I realise it’s a bit scary as it seems to run away with you but what wet paint will do is buy you time to move it around. If your paint goes on dry or sticky then it meets the paper and sets up camp, not wanting to budge.

Therefore when you start your background, use plenty of water, either on the paper first or used to soften the edges when the colour goes down. Gosh that makes it sound so simple doesn’t it? I remember when I was first learning to paint, I was painting in the quiet moments of running a shop and hoping that someone didn’t come in because I’d have to stop and my background would be ruined! If you feel you need a bit more instruction then do have a look at one of my YouTube demonstrations, this one might help: DORSET SEAHORSE

Are backgrounds your nemesis or do you have a good tip for others who are struggling? Let us know in the comments below as I would love to hear from you, Ali