Understanding paint transparency and opacity

ArtistAssistApp shows the paint opacity next to the color. It allows you to choose the most transparent or opaque color mixture.

Types of paints by degree of transparency

We divide paints into various categories based on their degree of transparency.

• Transparent: very transparent.

• Semi-transparent: slightly less transparent.

• Semi-opaque: the ground is not completely hidden.

• Opaque: none of the ground is visible.

Paint with an opaque pigment will hide the ground from view when applied in a certain thickness.

Paint with a transparent pigment is transparent at the same thickness.

Paint transparency and glazing

Glazing is a painting technique based on applying thin, transparent, and semi-transparent colors to each other.

Beautiful, vibrant colors and saturated shades emerge after that.

Watercolor paints are relatively all transparent. They make it possible to create a beautiful transparent layer through which white paper shows.

The rays of light, reflecting from its surface, seem to illuminate the painting itself, which makes it seem so luminous to us.

Opaque paints are difficult to use in watercolor paintings with glazes. When applied in multiple layers, they acquire a muted tint. It is better to apply opaque paints in one layer, immediately gaining all the saturation of the shade.

Opaque paints

Opacity and transparency as properties of pigments are only visible if no opaque filler is added to the paint.

An example of an opaque paint is gouache.

Every color of gouache paint is opaque, irrespective of what pigment has been used.

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