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aeonsiege — Notes on Coffee Painting
Published: 2012-08-04 23:56:35 +0000 UTC; Views: 7714; Favourites: 8; Downloads: 0
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I have people ask me about how to do coffee painting and I apologise that I cannot teach people how to coffee paint. I am also learning. I am afraid you have to do that on your own as I did, even when I had not done paintings before, and I mean in general. However I collected my notes and I am willing to share what I have learned in the process. I hope that this is helpful
By the way, English is not my first language so I also apologise if the sentence is vague, redundant or in any way difficult to understand. Some of the notes are connected or maybe the same to a point. I wrote them down randomly as I work. I would welcome questions if you need more clarification
NOTES ON COFFEE PAINTING
1) The smaller the picture, the easier to detail.
2) The bigger the picture, the more difficult to even out the color/value of the coffee.
3) To do darker tones, do it layer by layer and not in one time.
4) Do not wash too much or put a lot of water. The way has the tendency to seep in and produce a grayish tone.
5) The darker you get, the shinier the coffee.
6) The darker you get, the more it looks burnt.
7) Cook the finish piece by blow drying to prevent the coffee from being too sticky.
8) Coffee is sticky. Do not just cover by any material to protect it.
9) Older coffee has dark brownish color; new ones have reddish color. (or maybe it depends on the type of coffee...)
10) Coffee is best rendered wash if you want to avoid making the piece sticky, burnt.
11) Wash the paper with water with a little amount of coffee first so it doesn't look too light or bright (but that's just me).
12) It is easier to wash mistakes when coffee is still wet.
13) To draw a white line on a dark area (helpful when doing gray hair), wet brush and carefully wash coffee using no. 1 brush. This will of course not be totally white.
14) As with wash water color painting, light first before dark. If you add lighter tones of coffee, it will wash the darker tone which gives an abrupt change in color/value/grade.
15) When 'erasing', use clean water. Change water regularly.
16) When using instant coffee, do not attempt to do darker tones on the first mix. It won't be dark enough. Allow the water to seep to the coffee until it looks sticky. That way you can get darker color (similar to Prang watercolor).
17) To create even values, wash paper with lighter coffee tone. Let it dry then apply another coat. Let it dry again then put on another coat until the tone desired is achieved. If you're lucky you can get an even tone in the second application.
18) As with all other paintings, composition is still the most important. It is the framework, the foundation of any painting. Do studies first before starting the first stroke of brush. Then you can decide which area goes darker and which are not. You can start with a light washed coffee.
19) The thicker the coffee, the darker the color -from the Internet.
20) Avoid trying to brush briskly using darker colors for greater coverage. This will create bubbles on your painting.
21) Coffee painting has the tendency to look stiff especially when doing opaque realistic drawings, I am not sure whether it's because of the difficulty to achieve tone values. Doing wash painting would perhaps help.
22) For lighter shade (that is the very light one), instead of mixing more water to coffee, paint a very dark shade or a very thick layer of coffee on a piece of paper. Then with an already wet brush, use this to create a lighter shade. Try it first on the extra paper before using it on your actual drawing. This will eliminate excess water and therefore can help even out your shade.
23) In making realistic drawings (especially photorealistic portraits), there is no such thing as white. White only happens on highlights or reflective objects in the drawing. In doing lighter tones, do a wash with a very light coffee tone.*
24) One of the most important thing in rendering (in general) is to train the eye and the stroke to even out colors and to shade in such a way that is not abrupt. There are two ways in watercolour that can be put to use in coffee painting. To wash or use dry brush technique. It is easier to even colors in dry brush.*
25) Avoid adding too much water before you brush your stroke. If the intent is to create a darker tone, water will erase the first coat.*
26) Test your shade first in a separate paper, ideally similar to the one you're using before you use it in your work to ensure that it is the desired shade.
27) you can never go too dark on coffee.
28) Be patient. When putting coffee on the brush, do not brush briskly as to get a dark color. This will create bubbles. Brush with slow strokes until you get the desired tone/value.
29) Avoid exposing your work on too much light/sunlight. It will wear off the color.
30) If possible, fix your work right away so it won't fade.
31) Coffee can be dissolved and be mixed even when already dry. So when adding another shade, take into account that it can mix with the adjacent shade and can make the tone darker than intended.
31) As with watercolour, it is easier to mix when coffee is still wet.
32) Be careful not to get your hand stick on wet coffee as it will stain other parts without your intent.
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Comments: 11
thanks for the help. now i have more thinks to experiment with at school! your tips are really helpful. can i print them out and use them?
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By the way, in case anyone asked, I hope to get the credit somehow. I hope it's understandable
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
of course! i kinda have to credit all sources anyway. thanks again!^^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Wow, you are indeed an inspiration! And very generous too, to share your knowledge
Thank you so much for giving your support to #TheFavouriteShowcase !
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I find this very helpful! Some of those things I've found out by myself too, but I found some interesting facts I hadn't known before (: thanks.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Glad this is helpful 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
you're welcome 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1