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Art Tip: Mist Effects in Watercolor

One month from now, I will be at Mount Sutton for my summer work-
shops. It’s hard to believe that summer is almost here.

From the balcony of our chalet, Sutton valley and the mountains be-
yond are visible on a clear day. In the early morning, the valley is
“socked in” with fog. Nothing is visible except the tops of the furthest
mountains. When we are in the valley in the early morning, we cannot
see Mount Sutton. The atmosphere of mist or fog lies between us and
the ascending mountain. balcony view

I know that while I’m at Mount Sutton, there will be many different weather conditions including
mist and heavy fog.

I’ve been asked to explain how I paint foggy effects. First of all, I think of fog as wet atmosphere.
That means water in the technique.

On very wet paper, I cannot create solid shapes. There is too much
water to allow for edge control. Every-
thing is fluid and glossy.

On the moist paper, I can create soft-

edge shapes. There is still a sheen
on the paper and the water is evenly
distributed.

Weak transparent colors are suitable for an overall misty quality. The shapes emerging from the
mist should be painted with weak transparent colors, also. These shapes can be painted as a
pale glaze on the dry first wash with a gradated bottom edge disappearing into the first wash.

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Mist Effects in Watercolor continued

First I paint a flat delicate wash and then, a second delicate application is painted on dry to show
the objects in the mist. But this is not enough. What happens to the color of the atmosphere and
the shapes in that atmosphere?

Muted colors are the answer. Colors can be muted by adding a small portion of their complement
to the mix.

How do I illustrate that this is a misty atmosphere and not a poorly

done watercolor? I use the contrast of a shape that is not in the fog,
perhaps in the foreground or the middle ground of the painting.

If I am planning a localized patch of fog, the technique changes. The

shapes that are not in the fog bank are painted and before they dry, a
clean wet brush is moved upwards into the bottom edge of the shape.

I can add some soft edge shapes into the still moist fog shape to show its volume. In the fog
patches, I choose not to have very much color. It is the white of the paper with tints of color de-
rived from the shapes above the fog that give it its foggy thickness.

These techniques can be used for subjects other than fog. Think about it.

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