13tweaked

Most of the Modern Venus’s are done on paper. The majority are on 300+ pound watercolor paper, either Arches or Fabriano.   I experimented with number 13, tried an Indian watercolor paper whose name I can’t remember, and some of the weird stuff commonly associated with the number occurred.

The paper was quite strong and dense; I think it may have been rated at over 500 pounds.But it was unsized and  I didn’t realize that when I started.  Not that I ever really understood exactly what sizing does, but I figured it out after this. Sizing keeps some of the paint on the surface and when there’s no sizing, the paper just soaks up any liquid (in this case, gouache).

I started painting this thing and the paper just soaked up my colors. They disappeared. So I put more on, and more on; and eventually, after applying 5 times the usual amount, it finally  looked like there was paint where I had applied it. I liked the way the picture came out. But the paper made it seem  like I was working in a completely unique medium that I didn’t really understand. So I never tried it again.

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