Poster colour

Correct answer: B. Apply an opaque white base before adding yellow

Explanation: The governing concept is opacity and underpainting. A dark dried layer absorbs or visually overpowers a bright yellow, reducing its apparent saturation. An opaque white base blocks that dark underlayer and provides a light ground from which yellow can retain its brightness; therefore option B is correct. More water makes coverage weaker, while black or a darker underlayer makes the yellow duller. Let the white base dry before applying yellow.

Correct answer: B. Work continuously while maintaining a wet edge

Explanation: The governing concept is the wet-edge method. If one painted section dries before the adjoining section is joined, the overlap becomes darker or lighter and forms a visible band. By preparing enough poster colour and working continuously from one wet edge into the next, the strokes merge before drying. Option B is therefore correct. Painting disconnected patches encourages seams, washing after every stroke interrupts the flow, and sunlight speeds drying.

Correct answer: B. A muddy neutral colour will form

Explanation: The governing concept is complementary-colour neutralisation. Complementary colours contain opposing colour tendencies, so mixing them in equal and excessive amounts reduces chromatic intensity. The mixture generally moves toward a dull brown, grey, or muddy neutral colour, making option B correct. It does not become brighter or white; transparency depends mainly on the medium and dilution, not on complementary colour mixing alone. Limited mixing is useful when a subdued neutral is wanted.

Correct answer: A. White paint being too thin and insufficient on the brush

Explanation: The governing concept is opacity and coverage. White poster colour must form a sufficiently dense film to hide a dark underlayer. If it is over-diluted or the brush carries too little paint, the dark base shows through in gaps, making small letters appear broken. Option A identifies both causes. A completely dry base is normally helpful, a pointed brush can improve small details, and thick paper does not inherently produce broken lettering.

Correct answer: A. Repeatedly rubbing the same spot with a wet brush

Explanation: The governing concept is reactivation of a water-based layer. Poster colour may soften again when exposed to water, especially if a wet brush repeatedly scrubs the same place. This action lifts and mixes the dry lower film, so option A is the likely cause. A thick correction layer can cover the surface, mounting provides support, and a clean brush is generally helpful; none normally causes the lower layer to lift by itself. Use fewer strokes and allow drying between corrections.

Correct answer: A. Add a little green or dark violet to red

Explanation: The governing concept is chromatic shadow mixing. Black can lower value abruptly and make a red shadow look flat, dirty, or visually heavy. A very small amount of a complementary colour such as green, or a related dark violet, can reduce the red’s intensity while preserving richer colour variation. Therefore option A is the best alternative. White creates a tint, yellow shifts the hue toward orange, and water changes dilution rather than producing a naturally coloured shadow.

Correct answer: A. Stirring the paint too vigorously

Explanation: The governing concept is trapped air in a paint film. Vigorous stirring can incorporate many small air pockets into poster colour. As the layer dries, those bubbles rise, burst, or collapse and leave tiny pits, making option A the likely cause. Slow mixing reduces air entrainment, while a thin even application and dust-free preparation generally improve the surface. They do not normally create bubbles inside the paint. Mix gently and let the paint settle before application.

Correct answer: A. Insufficient paint load and flow in the brush

Explanation: The governing technical concept is continuous paint flow. A long, fine line can be drawn only when the brush holds enough poster colour of workable consistency and releases it steadily as it moves. If the brush is underloaded, or the paint is too thick to flow, the line runs out before the stroke ends. Stable paper, a pointed brush, and a straight direction do not cause this break. Thus option A is correct.

Correct answer: A. Different underlying surface or underlayer colour

Explanation: The perceived appearance of a poster colour depends not only on the mixture but also on the surface beneath it. A different paper tone, previous layer, or uneven underlayer can influence the final colour, especially where the paint is not completely opaque. Thus option A is correct. Equal area size, using the same brush, and a clean palette do not by themselves create this difference.

Correct answer: A. The brush being too broad or the paint spreading too much

Explanation: Small counters, or inner negative spaces, remain open only when the letter strokes are narrow and controlled. A brush that is too broad, or paint that spreads beyond the intended stroke, reduces these spaces until they appear closed. Therefore option A is correct. Guide lines and mounting do not alter the stroke width, while opacity alone does not cause the problem when application is controlled.

Correct answer: A. Apply two thin even layers of proper consistency

Explanation: A flat poster colour finish is improved by applying controlled layers of suitable consistency. Two thin, even coats can gradually cover the paper texture while allowing each layer to dry, reducing the risk of cracking, ridges, or uneven drying. Therefore option A is correct. One thick coat may crack or pool, a dry brush reveals texture, and adding sand makes the surface rougher rather than smoother.

Correct answer: A. Colours may become contaminated and muddy

Explanation: The governing concept is colour contamination during painting. When a brush still contains warm paint and is dipped into a cool colour, the leftover pigment mixes into the new colour and reduces its clarity. Repeating this without washing transfers both pigments, so the mixture can become dull, greyish, or muddy. Therefore option A is correct. The other options describe effects that do not result from an unwashed brush.

Correct answer: A. The shadow may appear richer and more natural

Explanation: The governing concept is complementary-colour mixing in shadow modelling. A small amount of the complementary colour lowers the intensity of the original hue and can create a deeper, more varied shadow while preserving colour character. By contrast, black alone may make the mixture look flat or dull, although it can darken it. Too much complementary colour can also muddy the mixture. Thus option A is the precise benefit.

Correct answer: A. Dust or excessive grease on the lower layer

Explanation: The governing concept is surface preparation and adhesion. A new poster-colour layer needs a reasonably clean, dry surface so that it can contact and hold onto the layer below. Dust, oil, or excessive grease creates a separating film; the upper paint may then peel, crack, or fail to cover evenly. A dry lower layer, a clean brush, and opacity do not normally weaken adhesion in this way. Therefore option A is correct.

Correct answer: A. Add a small amount of the original colour back

Explanation: The governing concept is control of tint, intensity, and saturation. White lightens a pigment, but too much white can weaken its colour strength and produce a pale, chalky appearance. Adding a small amount of the original pigment restores colour intensity gradually without making the mixture unnecessarily dark. More white increases the chalkiness, much black can make the colour muddy, and water mainly changes flow or concentration rather than restoring pigment strength. Hence option A is correct.

Correct answer: A. Regularity of spacing and line thickness

Explanation: The governing concept is visual rhythm through repeated, consistent elements. In parallel-line work, rhythm depends first on an even interval between lines and reasonably uniform line thickness. If spacing or width changes unexpectedly, the eye notices a break in the sequence. Paper brand, water temperature, and palette size may affect general working conditions, but they do not directly explain a broken repeated pattern. Therefore option A should be checked first.

Correct answer: A. Use a light contrasting coloured line

Explanation: The governing concept is value contrast and visual legibility. A black outline placed inside a very dark area has nearly the same lightness value as its background, so the boundary disappears. A light contrasting line, such as pale yellow or white, creates a stronger value difference and makes the form readable. Increasing the thickness of black does not create the needed contrast, while removing or diluting the area does not solve the outline problem. Therefore option A is correct.

Correct answer: A. Excess paint or water pooling at the edge

Explanation: The governing concept is edge pooling and pigment concentration during drying. When too much wet paint or water collects at the boundary of a flat shape, liquid movement carries pigment toward that edge. As the moisture evaporates, the pigment becomes concentrated there and dries as a darker border. Opacity, paper thickness, and a clean brush do not by themselves create this ring effect. The painter should remove excess liquid and distribute the paint evenly, so option A is correct.

Correct answer: A. Sharper edges in the foreground and relatively softer edges in the background

Explanation: The governing spatial principle is edge hierarchy. Strong, clearly defined edges attract attention and suggest that an object is closer, whereas softened or less definite edges reduce attention and suggest distance. Therefore, option A creates a convincing foreground-background relationship. Equal sharpness gives little separation, reversed sharpness weakens the depth cue, and removing all edges destroys form clarity.

Correct answer: A. Residue of a previous dark colour in the brush

Explanation: The governing technical concept is colour contamination. Even when the paint has suitable consistency, dark pigment left in the brush can mix into white, lowering its brightness and apparent covering strength. Option A is therefore correct. Flat paper does not normally weaken coverage, a clean palette prevents contamination, and a dry lower layer generally provides a stable surface rather than causing this specific problem.

Correct answer: A. Poster colour is water-based and oil may disrupt mixing and adhesion

Explanation: The governing medium principle is compatibility. Poster colour is generally water-based, so adding oil can interfere with uniform mixing, drying behaviour, and adhesion to the surface rather than creating a reliable varnish finish. Option A is correct. Oil does not act like water, does not necessarily make the paint more opaque, and does not dry it immediately. A suitable separate protective medium should be chosen instead.

Correct answer: A. Overall impact first then colour evenness edges and finally small stains

Explanation: The governing assessment concept is systematic review from large features to small corrections. First judge whether the whole poster communicates effectively, then inspect colour evenness, edge quality, and finally minor stains or accidental marks. Option A follows that logical order and prevents wasted effort on tiny repairs before major problems are noticed. The other sequences omit essential visual checks or include irrelevant information.

Correct answer: B. Add a tiny amount of red or brown

Explanation: The governing concept is controlled neutralisation. Red is complementary to green, so a tiny amount of red reduces excessive saturation; a little brown can also make the mixture earthier and closer to foliage. Therefore B is correct. More pure yellow usually makes green brighter, much white makes a pale or chalky tint, and water changes transparency or consistency rather than reliably reducing the pigment’s vividness.

Correct answer: B. Keep it slightly darker above and lighter near the horizon

Explanation: The governing concept is atmospheric value gradation. In a simple landscape treatment, a sky can read as deeper overhead and lighter toward the horizon; this gradual value change gives the surface spatial recession. Therefore B is correct. One uniform dark blue removes variation, black across the sky makes it heavy, and a red horizon introduces an unrelated colour shift rather than a controlled depth cue. The transition should remain smooth, not banded.

Correct answer: A. Add a tiny amount of red or orange

Explanation: The governing concept is controlled colour mixing: brown can be made visually warmer by introducing a warm hue such as red or orange. A tiny addition is safest because it changes the hue gradually while preserving the existing value and saturation; the mixture can be checked after each small addition. A large amount of yellow may make the brown too bright or yellow, white mainly lightens it, and blue cools it. Therefore, option A is the most controlled correction.