Rendering in Watercolor

[JTad]

Unfortunately the university i attend doesnt offer much in the terms of rendering technique after the first year and I have been wanting to get back into one of my favorite art mediums. I say "back into" it because it has nearly been 4-5 years since i've finished a painting in watercolor, what i'm looking for here is if anyone's school offers this or is it a lost technique? and suggested reading on the basics of watercolor w/ architectural applications. Also i have a few basic colors koi set of watercolors, would you reccomend sticking with this or would you suggest i buy a thousand different colors like markers and colored pencils (ouch to the checkbook).

information is appreciated, thanks.

[SalAzad]

Just as a suggestion, don't ever overlook any form of graphic communication as each has it's place in a presentation.
But watercolor especially is a technique which holds its own in many different graphics (with an emphasis on landscapes). Once mastered it can be quite versatile for almost any thing you want to communicate. Your school does not offer it, but perhaps you should look into taking a class at a local community college as it would probably not only be a great hobby to take up, but would dramatically add to your portfolio and would add another tool to your arsenal. In my architectural Graphics course about a quarter of the second semester was dedicated to refining watercolor techniques, and it's application in an office.
However more than anything, watercolor has a tradition in the architectural field and for a long time it's mastery has been a test of the pedigree of the architect.

Sal

[MD]

Hi SalAzad !
You do not need a thousand colors.
You REALLY need the 3 primary colors and 2 aditional shades of each one (warms and cools) and at least 2 greys, warm and cool. You can get gray mixing the primary colors but sometimes is hard to get the right hue.
The withe color is optional. When showing white I prefer the color of the paper.
I would invest in a good quality paper and lately I have been using Miskit (masking) and is useful.
Hiere is one of my favorite sites for getting ideas of architectural watercolors and sketches
http://www.robertbecker.com/Biog.htm