Day 2 – Lichen & Bark

Dry Brush Texture Study

Technique level: Intermediate
Duration: ~20–30 minutes

Objective:
Learn how to use dry brush technique to create rough, organic textures by lightly dragging pigment across textured paper. This mimics natural irregularities like bark, lichen, or cracked earth.

Materials:

• Rough or cold press watercolor paper (texture is key!)
• Stiff or worn round or flat brush (size 4–8)
• Earth-toned pigments (e.g., Burnt Umber, Yellow Ochre, Payne’s Gray, Undersea Green)
• Paper towel (for blotting excess moisture)
• Reference photo of bark or lichen, or collect a sample if you’re near trees

Steps:

1. No Pencil Needed: Go in without sketching today—let the brush do the sculpting. You’re building texture, not sharp edges.
2. Prepare Dry Paint: Mix thick paint with minimal water. Blot your brush thoroughly—you want the bristles barely damp.
3. Drag, Don’t Paint: Lightly drag the brush sideways, diagonally, or in short jerks across the paper. Let the texture of the paper “grab” the pigment and create broken marks.
4. Layer It Up: Once the first layer dries, switch colors and vary brush angle to add more dimension. Keep your touch light.
5. Details (Optional): Use the tip of a small brush (or even a dry sponge or toothbrush) to add dots, cracks, or spores—hinting at lichen patches or knotty wood.

Focus:

• Observe how much pressure is needed to break up the stroke.
• Try switching from side-brush to tip-brush drag to see textural differences.
• Stay loose—aim for texture, not literal representation.

Bonus Tip:
Take a corner of the page to experiment first: Try one pigment at several moisture levels and drag each across the paper. Watch how quickly too much water kills the texture.