Technique
Wash
A thin, transparent layer of diluted ink, watercolour or paint used to build tone and depth.
- Category
- Technique
- Index letter
- W
Understanding the term
A wash may be laid evenly, graded or built in several transparent layers. The paper's light shines through and forms part of the effect. Uneven edges, pooling and transitions may be deliberate traces of the wet process.
When Wash is given as a technique, it describes the process that created the work's impression, structure or surface. Technique and subject are distinct: very different images can be made using the same method.
The process can often be read in edges, lines, layers and surface. It can also explain natural variation between examples and offer useful evidence about workflow, edition and appropriate care.
Related entries
Continue through the glossary with terms from the same field.