March 2013 Demo

Carol Spohn – Batik Watercolor Painting

Trained as a decorative artist, Carol Spohn showed more than 120 NorthStar Watermedia Society members how to create a watercolor batik using her step-by-step method.

Supplies required for this process include Ginwashi rice paper, transparent watercolor paints (she uses Mission Gold), waterproof black pens, brushes, wax paper, an iron, electric fry pan, canning wax, newspaper, and water soluble crayons.

Carol began by tracing her pattern on rice paper with a waterproof pen. She uses Identi, Micron, or a fine Sharpie. A sheet of wax paper is placed between the rice paper and the pattern to prevent the ink from bleeding into the paper.

It’s important to move the pen quickly. Carol gets ideas for her line drawings from coloring books, stickers, anything with a simple line design. Her first layer of wax blocks out areas that will remain white. She splatters wax over the design so that possible mistakes will not show.

After the first waxing she begins to apply watercolor to the design and covers those areas with wax to preserve the color. This process is continued with other colors followed by waxing. Carol brushes over the completed design with purple paint to give a batik-like finish. Then she applies the final waxing to the entire paper to set the design. Finally, she puts five layers of newspaper over the design and irons it which pulls the wax into the newspaper.

This process is repeated two more times with fewer layers of paper until the paper comes away clean. She then uses water soluble crayons to make corrections or add interesting lines.

The finished design on rice paper is then mounted on watercolor paper with double stick tape. “Painting is my happy spot,” Carol exclaims. It takes me away from my job as a paralegal. “ I love painting and teaching.”