Mackerel on a map Because this transparent watercolour ground is colourless, it is ideal for using on top of printed papers, allowing their pattern to show through when watercolours are painted over it, as shown strikingly here
Watercolour grounds have been quite a revelation for me, and have taken my work forward to another level. They are a manufactured primer medium that allows artists to use watercolours on otherwise unpaintable surfaces. Canvases and boards are normally meant for the use of oils or acrylics and are primed accordingly with gesso, but when re-primed with this medium, you can paint on them using watercolours. Other surfaces, including plastic, wood, metal, ceramics and even leather can be primed and painted on using watercolour with this primer. It really is so versatile.