DANIEL SMITH Watercolour Grounds

The DANIEL SMITH Watercolour Grounds are available in:

• Titanium White: 4oz and 1-pint jars
• Buff Titanium: 4oz and 1-pint jars
• Mars Black: 4oz and 1-pint jars
• Transparent: 4oz jar
• Pearlescent White: 4oz jar
• Iridescent Gold:  4oz jar

DANIEL SMITH Watercolour Grounds create a soft, absorbent watercolour surface with a slightly cottony texture similar to cold press paper.  With these archival-quality and lightfast Grounds, artists can create new work on any surface, rescue flawed paintings, lift and scrub without damaging the painting surface, and frame without glass after spraying with an archival aerosol MSA varnish. There’s no limit to what can be done!

The beauty of watercolour is transparency, which gives watercolour paintings remarkable clarity, luminosity and realism. Now, with DANIEL SMITH Watercolour Grounds, artists can get this unique visual quality on any surface they choose:

• All types of paper & board
• Stone & Masonry
• Glass & Plexiglas
• Canvas & Fabric
• Wood & Masonite
• Metal
• Plastic
• Plaster

DANIEL SMITH Watercolour Grounds:

• Archival and lightfast.
• Creates a soft, absorbent surface similar to cold press watercolour paper.
• Excellent surface for all watercolours.
• The Watercolour Grounds surfaces hold up to vigorous scrubbing without damage.
• Heavily pigmented with a thick, brushable consistency.
• Easy Application.
• Repair and rescue paintings.
• Transparent watercolours can now be painted on any surface.
• Frame without Glass after spraying with an archival varnish.
• Fantastic for multi-media work, combined with decorative papers, collage material, acrylics, pencils, and pen and ink.
• Nothing else like them on the market. 

DANIEL SMITH Watercolour Grounds are easy to use; here are a few tips for getting the best results.

Preparation: Absorbent or semi-absorbent surfaces require no special prep before brushing on DANIEL SMITH Watercolour Grounds. These include paper, canvas and other fabrics, wood, plaster, shells and hardboard. Non-absorbent surfaces such as metal, plastic or glass should be lightly abraded with sandpaper or steel wool before brushing on the Watercolour Grounds.

Application: The Watercolour Grounds have a thick, brushable consistency, and we recommend using them straight from the container.  Apply thinly with a foam brush or roller for a smoother finish or more thickly with bristle-style brushes for a more textured finish. The Grounds are highly pigmented, so one coat will cover most surfaces unless applied thinly.  Very absorbent surfaces such as unfinished softwood may require two coats, allowing the first coat to dry before adding the second. Wash brushes immediately after use.  The Pearlescent White and Iridescent Gold are transparent, so for more opaque coverage, apply additional coats, drying between each one.

TIP - when using Titanium White Watercolour Ground to Rescue a Painting, thin some Watercolour Ground in a small dish with up to 10% water, use a soft brush like a hake brush, and feather the edges.

Curing: Let the Watercolour Grounds dry and cure, after the last coat, for at least 24 hours if the humidity is high.  This allows the Grounds to attain the right degree of absorption.

Painting: DANIEL SMITH Watercolour Grounds work beautifully with watercolours and thinned acrylics.  Because they create surfaces more absorbent than paper, you will want to use less water with your paint.  Experiment and see what works best for you.  They also work beautifully with DANIEL SMITH Masking Fluid.

 Finishing: As with all watercolours, your work on DANIEL SMITH Watercolour Grounds will need to be fixed if it is not framed behind glass.  GOLDEN Archival Aerosol MSA Varnish with UVLS is an excellent spray varnish that will protect your work on any surface.  Use it at room temperature in a well-ventilated area.

DANIEL SMITH Watercolour Grounds give artists more freedom to paint with their watercolours on almost any surface, rescue a watercolour painting and add more creative opportunities for painting with watercolours!