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Daniel Smith Watercolour Ground

Let your imagination soar!

For too long, the beautiful medium of watercolour has been confined to a paper-behind-glass niche. Now, with this exciting new ground, anything you’ve dreamed of painting with watercolor can become a reality. It’s easy to use—just brush it on—and incredibly versatile.

Daniel Smith Watercolour Ground creates a soft, absorbent watercolour surface with a slightly cottony texture that's similar to cold pressed paper. With this breakthrough archival quality ground, you can rescue flawed paintings, create new work on any surface, lift and scrub without damaging the painting surface and more.

Here are a few tips for getting the best results.

Now you can paint on...
Any Paper Plastic Sea Shells Metal & Plexiglass Cloth
Canvas & Masonite Wood Aluminum Glass Tin
Watch our Demonstration Video!
  • Preparation
    Absorbent or semi-absorbent surfaces require no special prep before brushing on DANIEL SMITH Watercolour Ground. These include paper, canvas and other fabrics, wood, plaster, shells and hardboard. Non-absorbent surfaces such as metal, plastic or glass should be lightly abraded with sandpaper or steel wool before brushing on the Watercolour Ground.
  • Application
    We recommend using Watercolour Ground straight from the container. It has a thick, brushable consistency. Use a soft-haired synthetic brush for a smooth finish or a hog bristle brush for a more textured finish. Since the ground is pigmented with Titanium White pigment, one coat will cover most surfaces; very absorbent surfaces such as unfinished soft wood may require two coats, allowing the first coat to cure before adding the second. Wash brushes immediately after use.
  • Curing
    Let Watercolour Ground dry and cure for at least 24 hours. This allows it to attain the right degree of absorption.
  • Painting
    DANIEL SMITH Watercolour Ground works beautifully with watercolours and thinned acrylics. Because it creates a surface more absorbent than paper, you will want to use less water with your paint. Experiment and see what works best for you. It also works beautifully with DANIEL SMITH Masking Fluid.
  • Finishing
    As with all watercolors, your work on DANIEL SMITH Watercolour Ground will need to be fixed if it will not be framed behind glass. GOLDEN Archival Aerosol MSA Varnish with UVLS is an excellent spray varnish that will protect your work on any surface. Use it at room temperature in a well-ventilated area.
A Demonstration - DANIEL SMITH Watercolour Ground to the Rescue!

I liked this painting, but I lost the "lights" in the foreground rocks and tree trunks. With Watercolour Ground, I was able to rescue this painting, add more depth and separate the foreground from the background.

Watch our Demonstration Video!

I painted the Watercolour Ground directly to the are I wanted to fix. As I completed this stage, I feathered or softened the edges where the ground met the painting with a dry brush. The Ground is set and dries completely in 24 hours.

Now I added colour and brought back the light edge of the rocks and added a few more trees keeping their light edge. AND... with Watercolour ground, reductive work is so easy, the new surface holds up to vigorous scrubbing without damage.

  • £20.83 Daniel Smith Watercolour Ground 473ml
    Daniel Smith Watercolour Ground creates a soft, absorbent watercolour surface with a slightly cottony texture that's similar to cold pressed paper. With this breakthrough archival quality ground, you can rescue flawed...
    MOQ:4
  • £9.16 Mars Black 4oz Watercolour Ground
    We're thrilled to offer Buff Titanium and Mars Black along with our Titanium White Watercolor Ground. It used to be that watercolour painters had few options beyond white paper or a few coloured boards. Now you can turn...
    MOQ:3
  • £9.16 NEW Buff Titanium 4oz Watercolour Ground
    We're thrilled to offer Buff Titanium and Mars Black along with our Titanium White Watercolor Ground.     It used to be that watercolor painters had few options beyond white paper or a few colored boards. Now...
    MOQ:3
  • £9.16 NEW Titanium White 4oz Watercolour Ground
    We're thrilled to offer Buff Titanium and Mars Black along with our Titanium White Watercolour Ground.  It used to be that watercolour painters had few options beyond white paper or a few coloured boards. Now you can...
    MOQ:3
  • £9.16 NEW Transparent 4oz Watercolour Ground
    It used to be that watercolour painters had few options beyond white paper or a few colored boards. Now you can turn almost any surface into a toned or black ground for watercolour painting, as well as collage, pastels,...
    MOQ:3