Non-fiction: Forms of Art - Watercolor Forms of Art Watercolor Watercolor painting is very popular among artists of all skill levels. Watercolor paint is hard in form. When water is added to it, the painter can apply the paint easily to paper. Thick types of paper are often used when watercolor painting. The thickness allows the water from the paint to be absorbed1 and not run or soak through the paper. Artists can control the intensity2 of watercolors by adding more or less water to the paint. The more water you put on your brush, the lighter the color will be. For darker colors, you should use only a little bit of water. Watercolor equipment is light and easy to use outdoors. The paintings also dry quickly. For these reasons, many artists use watercolor paint to make quick sketches or studies of nature. Believe it or not, water-based paint has been used since ancient times. Throughout the ages, artists have used water-based paint. Watercolor painting started to become popular in the mid-1700s. Since then, artists have tried different papers and different water levels. Maybe you should take up watercolor painting and experiment with it. 1 absorbed – soaked up 2 intensity – the strength of something © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Questions: Forms of Art - Watercolor Name: ____________________________ Date:______________________ 1. Watercolors are popular among a. experienced artists. b. inexperienced artists. c. struggling artists. d. artists of all skill levels. 2. Why is there special paper for water coloring? a. Watercolors are very thick. b. Normal paper wouldn’t absorb watercolors. c. The colors aren’t as good on other paper. d. Watercolors need thin paper. 3. Which of the following is not mentioned in this passage? a. mixing colors b. using different amounts of water c. how long watercolors have been around d. watercolor paper 4. When you use only a little water on your brush, the paint is a. runny. b. lighter. c. darker. d. difficult to work with. 5. The passage “Watercolor” is mostly about a. experiments with paint b. types of paper c. the color of water d. a type of paint and painting technique 1 © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Questions: Forms of Art - Watercolor 6. Imagine you are trying to convince a friend to experiment with watercolor painting. What would you tell them about the technique to get them to try it? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 7. How long have watercolors been around? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 8. Choose the word or phrase that best completes the sentence. _______ water-based paints have been used throughout the ages, they became popular in the mid-1700s. a. Before b. For example c. Although d. Therefore 9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below. Artists make the paint color lighter by adding more water to it. Who? artists (do) What? _______________________________________________________ How? ___________________________________________________________ 10. Vocabulary Word: intensity: very great or extreme in strength or degree. Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: ________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 2 © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. .