Here are some examples of late Cotman watercolours in the British Museum. His use of paste is mostly to give body rather than the opportunity for scratching out. But scratching out can be seen in this first example at lower right foreground and in the tree trunk on the right.
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| At Whitlingham |
It is commonly said-on the web-that Cotman used rice paste rather than flour paste but older authorities such as Kitson says that it was the liquid from rotting flour paste-or possibly something involving egg. Stainton has said that it may be flour paste or size. Rice flour would surely work-it is used inJapanese printmaking-but from practical experience I find that flour paste works well. Why use rice flour when every household had plain flour to hand? Everyone at that time would have known how to make flour paste. As I have never seen a chemical analysis of the medium used by Cotman-and doubt if I ever shall, I am sticking to my idea of flour paste as the most likely. I have not yet seen a reputable source suggesting that Cotman used rice flour.
Cader Idris
The Cader Idris above is surely painted with flour paste.There is a grainy look to the paint quality which is found in paste work.
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A Mountain Tarn
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This one also seems to have the characteristics of paste medium. I think that there are traces of scratching in the highest blue mountain and that it is possible that the posts in the water were made by removing paint-by scoring into the medium when wet.They would then be reinforced.
I have just done a post on how to make flour paste and use it in watercolours.The post is here.
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