MODERN WATERCOLOR – is a relatively new term, from what I can gather. I started to see this term used more frequently in the late 2000s. But technically (no pun intended) it is a more “modern” way of saying MIXED MEDIA WATERCOLOR – which has been around for countless years. So it’s not a very new form of art – but it has gained more popularity online in recent years.
Okay – now that we’ve clarified that modern watercolor is a form of mixed media watercolor – what does that mean? How is modern (also known as mixed media watercolor) different from regular watercolor?
Before we can really answer that question – first we need to look at what modern and traditional watercolor have in common.
The Commonalities of Modern + Regular/Traditional Watercolor
There are four main ways modern and traditional/regular watercolor are similar:
- #01: They both use watercolor as their primary supply
- #02: They both use the core supplies of watercolor (paper, brushes, paint, palettes, etc.)
- #03: They both use the same techniques for watercolor (washes, wet on wet, wet on dry, etc.)
- #04: They both paint similar subject matters and styles
So What Makes Modern + Traditional Watercolor Different?
After reading the previous list – you might think – okay, so what makes these so different? Well, there is one very crucial key difference, and it lies in their supply list and how they use it.
The Traditional Watercolorist
A watercolorist who holds to the traditional view of watercolor will ONLY use watercolor, and sometimes a bit of gouache to add some accents to their piece. They also use their paints in a looser, more watered-down format.
The Modern Watercolorist
The modern watercolorist uses watercolor as well as a slew of other mixed media art supplies. Below I’ve listed a few common supplies used by modern watercolorists…
- COMMON MODERN WATERCOLOR SUPPLIES USED IN ADDITION TO WATERCOLOR…
- INK
- GOUACHE
- ACRYLIC PAINT
- OIL PASTELS
- CHALK PASTELS
- COLORED PENCILS
- GOLD/IRIDESCENT ACCENTS/PAINTS
And that’s just to name a few…
Another interesting tidbit is that modern watercolorists tend to use their paints more vividly, or in a thicker, more acrylic-paint-like consistency. Which is a big no-no for a traditional watercolorist.
So Why Does It Matter to Understand the Difference Between Modern and Traditional? Well, for two reasons…
The first – it’s good to understand what type/form of art you enjoy. There is nothing wrong with either, and you can learn a lot from both art forms. However – even though both art forms (modern and traditional/regular watercolor) are very similar, they are also extremely different. So you might be able to learn from a teacher whose style differs from yours, but you won’t feel fulfilled in the long run.
And second – it’s good to understand who you are learning from. Like I said earlier – there is nothing wrong with learning from either art form. However – if you are being instructed by a traditional watercolorist, they might have different expectations compared to a modern one.
In all honesty – most art teachers won’t care which camp you align with – but there are some who are super rigid and might rain on your parade for being in one or the other. This is what happened to me in high school, and it really confused me for a bit in my art journey. At the time, I couldn’t understand why my art exploration was always “wrong.” Looking back now, it was because I was a modern watercolorist, whereas she was a very strict traditional watercolorist. In the end, I actually did learn a lot from her – but I kind of wish it had come without the baggage of hurt feelings.
Needless to say – I learned, and now I have a name for why I paint just a bit differently with my watercolors.