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The beauty of watercolor is transparency – it gives paintings a distinctive clarity, luminosity and realism. With DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Ground, you can get this unique visual quality on virtually any surface – wood, metal, ceramic, plastic, canvas, plaster, glass, stone and more. Adding a layer of ground gives these surfaces a light, cottony texture that looks and feels similar to cold press watercolor paper. The beautiful medium of watercolor has been confined to a paper-behind-glass niche for too long!

Available in 4oz jars in six different colors:

Titanium White

Paint your colors on bright white no matter what color the original surface is. This ground also acts like a “white out” to rescue a watercolor painting by covering mistakes or other unwanted areas and starting over. For best results when repairing, blend some ground in a small dish with up to 10% water and use a soft brush to blend the edges. Also available in pint jars (16oz).

Buff Titanium

Give your work a cozy, warm undertone – perfect for soft pastels and graphite, too. Also available in pint jars (16oz).

Mars Black

Luminescent Watercolors really pop on black, plus it’s an exciting, unexpected background for all your standard watercolors. Also available in pint jars (16oz).

Iridescent Gold

This luminous gold is semi-transparent, so the original surface color and/or pattern will slightly show through the sheen. For a deeper gold, apply 2 to 3 thin coats. Add a glaze of color when painting on top with transparent and semi-transparent watercolors. This ground also works well for adding special iridescent effects to specific areas you want to highlight.

Pearlescent White

This color is semi-transparent, so the original surface color and/or pattern will slightly show through the sheen. Apply 2 to 3 thin coats for a deeper shine. Add a glaze of color when painting on top with transparent and semi-transparent watercolors. This ground also works well for adding special pearlescent effects to specific areas you want to highlight.

Transparent

This ground allows the surface of your substrate, like a wood grain or decorative paper, to show through when you paint.

Additional features of DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Grounds:

• Archival and acid-free
• Excellent lightfastness
• Holds up to vigorous scrubbing without any damage to the surface
• Heavily pigmented colors – one coat is usually enough
• Thick consistency that’s easy to apply with a brush
• Perfect for mixed media work as well as watercolor painting
• Made by hand in Seattle, Washington (USA)

Tips for use:

Preparation
No special preparation needed for absorbent and semi-absorbent surfaces including paper, canvas, fabric, 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 with Watercolor Ground. Be sure your surface is clean and dry first.

Application
Use Watercolor Ground straight from the container with a foam or synthetic soft-hair brush. Use a foam roller for a smoother finish, or a hog bristle brush for a more textured finish. One coat will cover most surfaces, but highly absorbent surfaces like unfinished wood may require two coats. Allow the first coat to cure before adding the second. Wash brushes immediately after use.

Curing
Let Watercolor Ground dry and cure for at least 24 hours so it will attain the best degree of absorption.

Painting
DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Ground works beautifully with watercolors and thinned acrylics. Because it creates a surface that’s more absorbent than paper, you may want to use less water with your paint. It also works beautifully with DANIEL SMITH Masking Fluid.

Tinting
A tinted base color is a terrific way to set the mood for your artwork and gives you the option of matching your foundation to the subject matter. For example, try tinting Watercolor Ground with Aureolin for a golden glow when painting sunny landscapes.

Finishing
Your work will need to be fixed if you do not plan to frame it behind glass or plexi. Spray it with a high quality, archival aerosol MSA varnish (with UVLS) following the manufacturer’s instructions.