Iridescent Gold Watercolor Ground (Daniel Smith): Watercolor on Wood

Watch as I paint this wooden box with watercolors, watercolor pencils and acrylics to look like a decorative lacquer box. Learn how to use Daniel Smith Watercolor Ground on wood. Learn watercolor painting, how to use fixative and acrylic varnish to finish the project.
Visit me at kellydrakeart. Also, see my Instagram account @kelly.drake or @kellydrake_kidlitart

[@n0nc0mp0smentis]

I just bought the same watercolor ground and was looking for a demonstration. This is unbelievably gorgeous. Thank you for the demo inspiration!

[@apikmin]

Beautiful & very informative. Thank you for sharing 🎨✨

[@arlenemurphy804]

Beautifully done. Thank you so much Kelly

[@marionwigzell7334]

This is so beautiful and a great demonstration of the gold watercolour ground (-: Marion

[@deannacullen5775]

Beautiful

[@sanayavg]

Thank you! I’m going to buy! Your moms lucky to get that piece. It’s so so gorgeous!

[@suebridges9397]

Beautiful!

[@65sunnyday]

Your mother will love this (who wouldn't?) I think I'll copy this idea, and make one for my daughter for Xmas. Thank you for sharing!

[@donnaeturner]

So beautiful! And so exciting, too. Gonna get some of that!

[@CourageousCreatives]

Lovely! I just got the watercolor ground and am excited to work with it.

[@bevroberts8440]

Beautiful gift for your mom; very interesting watching your process. Thanks for sharing!

[@ArtontheBrain]

Thank you, Bev! ♥️

[@jackiegarroutte8970]

Gorgeous!!

[@michemman]

Wow I didn't know you could layer your top coats like that with different products. Eliza in Sydney.

[@LibellulaGlass]

Gorgeous. The colours would be good for painting an icon.

[@angela14962002]

So very pretty!

[@gailolson707]

Beautiful! Thanks for all the tips and inspiration.

[@ArtontheBrain]

Thank you...so glad you enjoyed it 😊🙂😊

[@aoutsky]

Beautiful. Looks like an oil painting. Such a wonderful mother's day gift!

[@ArtontheBrain]

Dave N Thank you! ♥️

[@pattyhandy]

It turned out beautiful, I love the colors

[@ArtontheBrain]

patty hand Thank you! 🌷

[@las174]

Awesome, it's beautiful. I like the way you did the final finish in different directions instead of just straight across. It adds a lot. Thanks for sharing.

[@keagandanny7235]

i know im randomly asking but does any of you know a way to log back into an Instagram account? I was stupid forgot my password. I appreciate any help you can give me.

[@kendrickreign8560]

@Keagan Danny Instablaster :)

[@keagandanny7235]

@Kendrick Reign Thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site through google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff atm. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@keagandanny7235]

@Kendrick Reign It worked and I finally got access to my account again. I am so happy! Thank you so much you saved my ass :D

[@kendrickreign8560]

@Keagan Danny happy to help xD

[@doralevitt2879]

Absolutely beautiful!! I want so much to get the black gesso because I have 5 large canvases and want use a few of them to do watercolor paintings, but I can't find the black watercolor gesso in larger sizes- like a gallon- anywhere! I'm going to have to call the Daniel Smith company to see if I can get it from them, I have regular acrylic gesso but it won't work well with watercolors, would you know if there are other companies that make large sizes of black watercolor gesso?

[@marleenferguson277]

Beautiful. Love the finish didn’t realize so many different coats were necessary, but worth it. Can you add gold paint to the ground instead of buying the gold ground. Love Daniel smith products.

[@ArtontheBrain]

I guess you could try tinting the WC ground, but only with watercolor. I haven't tried it, so I'm not sure if it would work. I think acrylic paint would ruin the absorbent nature of the ground.

[@empress_craft]

Gorgeous work, Kelly! I know you made this video some time ago, but I'm wondering if you have tried the DS titanium white, transparent, or titanium buff grounds? I'm considering making a bunch of thin birch panels with watercolor ground for plein air painting this summer, and have been very confused as to which one I should pick. I've already decided that I will be giving the Golden Absorbant Ground a shot, as it's pretty popular and I can get a big container of it for a reasonable price. But I still wanted to try some of the Daniel Smith products and see how they perform in comparison. I like to use lots of glazing and charging, and especially like to play with granulation in the finish of many of my paintings at this time. I'd prefer to take the panels with me when I'm out and about, as it will work better with my pochade box than a watercolor pad... plus from what I've read, watercolor ground is very forgiving if you make a mistake, unlike paper. So if you have any information you can share, it would be such a huuuuge help!!!

[@ArtontheBrain]

Amaya Sinenomine Hi Amaya! Thanks so much for your comment. In the DS absorbent ground, I have tried the black, iridescent gold and the titanium buff. I have also used Golden in white. The DS buff is nice if you like paper that is not bright white, but more of a natural color. Keep in mind, that whenever you leave "white", it won't really be white, but buff. I also have to confess that as a long-time watercolor painter, although I love to experiment, I still love to work on Arches 260 or 300 lb. cold press paper the best. Maybe this is because it's what I've used the most, so that everything I do is more reliable...or it might be just the awesome feel of paper. At any rate, you should do some tests on the watercolor ground-covered panels first before committing to them for the Summer. I think the reason the absorbent ground is a bit more forgiving is that you can lift paint off of the surface easier, because it is not as absorbent as watercolor paper (with glazing, this can be tricky, depending on the color, because some colors will lift up when you try to glaze over them). However, you can make the ground more absorbent by 1. adding more coats and 2. letting it cure for a few days. I think it's really fun to be able to use watercolor on a wood panel or a box, and that's why I like it. You still can't frame it without glass unless you coat it well with a fixative. The end result is unique. It's not quite like Yupo (not absorbent at all) or like normal wc paper. It's its own thing, and definitely worth giving a try. Have fun with it!

[@empress_craft]

@@ArtontheBrain Thank you so much for your in-depth response! I'll definitely experiment. It kind of sounds like working on vellum, which is very delicate and quite easy to lift and move colors in underlying layers.

[@cheriesmith5140]

Beautiful! Where did you get the box or did you make?

[@ArtontheBrain]

Hi there & thank you! I believe I picked up that little wooden box at Michael's (arts & crafts store).

[@janetwalsh7025]

I really enjoyed this technique and video! Is your pattern available for a traceable? Thanks!

[@ArtontheBrain]

Thanks! ♥️🌷♥️ Sorry, no traceable. That's not something I've gotten into yet. Do artists publish traceable designs online?

[@janetwalsh7025]

A few artists have supplied a sketch... Your box so pretty! Thanks

[@ArtontheBrain]

Janet Walsh If you want to, you could take a screenshot of my tulip photo at the beginning of the video & trace that. Hope this helps! ♥️

[@janetwalsh7025]

Thank you!

[@helendownie3594]

Janet Walsh Thank you so much for your time..much appreciated.

[@ArtistWizardry]

What's a good base for a mixing area if I wanted the box to also be my portable palette?

[@ArtontheBrain]

Do you want to finish the inside of the box to use as a palette? Then I would use primer on the wood and then paint it with an acrylic or an enamel paint (at least 2 coats). This would give the inside of the box a waterproof coating that you could use over & over.

[@ArtistWizardry]

@@ArtontheBrain Great! Thank you so much. :)

[@ArtontheBrain]

Any time ♥️

[@karenzywina9534]

Beautiful

[@PureXLR8tion]

Beautiful!

[@LynnePriceStudio]

Beautiful!