Watercolour

Correct answer: D. When wetter paint or water enters a partly dry area

Explanation: A backrun, also called a bloom or cauliflower, develops when extra water or wetter paint flows into an area that has begun to dry. The moisture movement pushes pigment toward an irregular boundary, leaving a pale or dark-edged mark. Even moisture does not create this defect, and dry-on-dry painting normally produces a controlled mark rather than a bloom. Thus option D is correct because it describes the sudden wetness imbalance that causes the effect.

Correct answer: A. Avoid applying a very wet brush to a partly dry area

Explanation: Backruns result from a sudden difference in moisture: very wet paint or water enters a neighbouring area that is partly dry and pushes pigment toward its edge. The most reliable prevention is therefore to avoid placing a very wet brush on a drying area and to keep the moisture of adjacent passages reasonably consistent. Adding water everywhere increases risk, white paint changes colour rather than moisture flow, and tilting alone cannot correct the imbalance. Option A is correct.

Correct answer: B. Lift excess water with a clean, lightly damp brush

Explanation: When a backrun is just beginning, the immediate goal is to reduce the excess moisture that is driving pigment outward. A clean, lightly damp or ‘thirsty’ brush can touch the pooled water and lift it without adding another wet source. This may limit spreading, although the result depends on timing and paper condition. Adding more water usually enlarges the bloom, black paint hides rather than corrects it, and folding the paper damages the surface. Hence option B is best.

Correct answer: A. Grain size changes the area from which pigment is drawn

Explanation: In the salt technique, grains are placed on a still-wet watercolour wash. Salt attracts moisture and pigment around the grain, so a large crystal influences a larger area and usually leaves a broader, stronger mark, while small grains create finer and more closely spaced marks. The final effect also depends on how wet the wash is and how much pigment it contains. Salt does not permanently fix the paint or create water. Thus option A is correct.

Correct answer: C. Use sharper edges near the focal point and softer edges in other areas

Explanation: The governing design principle is emphasis through contrast in edge quality. Sharp or clearly defined edges attract attention, so placing them near the focal point makes that area visually dominant. Softer edges elsewhere reduce competition and suggest less importance or distance. Option C is correct. Making every edge hard creates equal emphasis, while making every edge soft removes direction; leaving the focal area unpainted is not a general solution.

Correct answer: A. Water control then values then edges then colour cleanliness

Explanation: A useful technical review moves from the basic handling of the medium to visible results. First check water control, because it affects transparency and spread; then inspect values for light–dark structure, edges for focus and softness, and finally colour cleanliness for unwanted contamination. Option A gives the only meaningful sequence. A title, brush count, or paper size may be recorded, but none evaluates the painting’s technical quality by itself.

Correct answer: B. Planning then sample testing light washes layers dark values and final details

Explanation: The governing concept is controlled, gradual watercolour development. Planning establishes the composition, and a sample test checks colour and drying behaviour. Light washes are then built in layers, with darker values added later because transparent paint cannot easily restore a lost light. Final details belong after the main layers are stable. Thus option B is correct; the other choices risk muddiness, loss of light, damaged paper, or poor control.

Correct answer: A. Keep mixture brush load and stroke speed consistent

Explanation: The governing concept is uniform deposition during a flat wash. Keeping the paint mixture, brush load, and stroke speed consistent helps each stroke place a similar amount of pigment and water, so the value remains even. Option A is correct. Changing the water or colour between strokes creates visible shifts, while repeatedly drying the paper interrupts the wet edge and can produce bands, blooms, or hard joins.

Correct answer: B. The edge of the previous stroke had partly dried before the next stroke was applied

Explanation: The governing concept is maintaining a continuous wet edge. In a wash, the next stroke should overlap the preceding stroke while its edge is still wet. If that edge partly dries, fresh pigment cannot merge evenly; it collects along the boundary and forms a dark band or hard line. Therefore option B is correct. Thick paper, excess clean water, or binder may affect handling, but they do not best explain this characteristic boundary band.

Correct answer: C. Gradually increase clean water while moving downward

Explanation: The governing concept is value control through pigment dilution. Begin with the strongest pigment mixture at the top, then move downward while gradually adding clean water and using overlapping strokes. The pigment concentration therefore decreases, producing a smooth transition from dark to light. Option C is correct; adding black downward would reverse the intended effect, an unchanged mixture would create an even wash, and a dry sheet would prevent smooth blending.

Correct answer: D. Both the surface and brush contained excessive water

Explanation: Wet-on-wet painting depends on controlled moisture: the paper should be evenly damp and the brush should carry enough, but not excessive, water. If both the surface and brush are flooded, the pigment loses resistance and travels far beyond the intended area. Option D is correct. Dark pigment affects value, brush size affects coverage, and paper thickness alone does not normally cause uncontrolled spreading.

Correct answer: A. Leave that area unpainted from the beginning

Explanation: Watercolour is generally transparent, so the clean white of the paper provides the brightest and most luminous highlight. The artist should plan the highlight before painting and leave that area unpainted, or reserve it carefully while applying surrounding washes. Option A is correct. Added white can look opaque and unlike the paper, scratching may damage the surface, and extra water cannot restore a clean untouched highlight.

Correct answer: B. Use less water and light limited strokes

Explanation: A glaze is a transparent layer placed over a dry layer, but excess water or repeated brushing can reactivate the underlying pigment. The controlled correction is to use a less-wet brush and apply the glaze with one or two light, purposeful strokes, allowing it to dry without disturbance. Option B is correct. More force or rewetting increases lifting, black changes value rather than solving the adhesion problem.

Correct answer: C. Distant mountains lighter, less intense and softly edged

Explanation: The governing concept is atmospheric perspective. As forms recede, moisture in the atmosphere reduces apparent contrast, colour intensity and sharp detail. Painting distant mountains with lighter values, less saturated colour and softer edges places them behind a stronger foreground. Option C is correct. Dark sharp mountains appear closer, equal values flatten the scene, and a light blurred foreground reverses normal depth cues.

Correct answer: D. Lift the excess colour with a damp clean brush

Explanation: A bead is a pooled accumulation of watery pigment, often formed at the lower edge of a wash. A clean, damp brush works like an absorbent tool: touch it to the bead, lift the excess colour, and wipe the brush before repeating. Option D is correct. Letting it dry leaves a hard dark edge, adding black worsens the value, and rubbing risks damaging the paper.

Correct answer: A. Gradually increase clean water

Explanation: In transparent watercolour, value is mainly controlled by the ratio of pigment to water. Adding clean water gradually spreads the pigment more thinly, allowing more white paper to show through while retaining the colour’s transparent character. Option A is correct. White paint generally makes the mixture opaque, reducing black is not a complete lightening method, and a complementary colour changes hue or lowers saturation rather than simply creating a transparent lighter value.

Correct answer: B. Increase working speed and continue from the wet edge

Explanation: A continuous wash requires a wet edge so that each new stroke merges smoothly with the previous one. If the sky wash starts drying, work efficiently from the still-wet edge, maintain a consistent direction, and use the prepared mixture without scrubbing the drying area. Option B is correct. Hard rubbing creates blooms or damage, black changes the value, and folding the paper cannot restore continuity.

Correct answer: C. Increase a little base red and test a new dry sample

Explanation: Watercolour often appears lighter or less saturated after the water evaporates, so correction should be gradual and tested after drying. Adding a small amount of the same base red increases pigment concentration while preserving the intended hue. Option C is correct. More water weakens the colour, green is complementary and can dull red, and black lowers value rather than restoring clean saturation. A dry sample confirms the final result.

Correct answer: D. Colour may lift and the paper surface may be damaged

Explanation: Dried watercolour remains water-soluble to some degree, so repeated wet brushing can reactivate the pigment and lift it from the paper. Continued friction may also disturb the paper fibres, producing a rough, abraded surface. Option D is correct. Rubbing does not purify the colour or strengthen paper, and it usually makes edges muddy or uneven rather than cleaner. Corrections should use minimal moisture and gentle, limited strokes.

Correct answer: A. Wet-on-wet for clouds and wet-on-dry for the building

Explanation: Watercolour technique is chosen according to the desired edge quality. Wet-on-wet lets diluted pigment spread softly into a damp surface, which suits rounded, hazy clouds. Wet-on-dry places paint on a dry surface, so the pigment remains more controlled and produces defined architectural edges. Very wet paper would blur the building, dry brush would not create soft clouds effectively, and the final option reverses the appropriate effects. Therefore, A is correct.

Correct answer: B. The amount of water suddenly increased at that stage

Explanation: A graded wash should change gradually from a stronger value to a weaker value. If extra water is introduced suddenly in the middle, the pigment concentration falls at that point, so the area appears unexpectedly pale and interrupts the smooth transition. Increasing pigment or using a brush containing dark colour would normally make the passage darker. Paper sizing can affect absorption, but it is not the most direct cause described. Thus, B is correct.

Correct answer: C. Glazing

Explanation: Glazing is the controlled application of a transparent colour layer over a previous, fully dry layer. Because watercolour remains translucent, the upper layer visually interacts with the colour beneath it and produces a new combined appearance without physically mixing both paints on the palette. Dry brush creates broken texture, a flat wash creates an even area, and scratching removes or disrupts paint rather than combining transparent layers. Therefore, C is correct.

Correct answer: D. Excess water carried pigment toward the edges

Explanation: When a watercolour passage contains too much water, the liquid moves outward as the surface dries. Suspended pigment is carried with that movement and can settle along the boundary, producing a darker rim or a bloom-like edge. Brush size, white paper, and a light starting colour do not by themselves explain pigment collecting at the perimeter. Keeping moisture reasonably even and lifting excess water helps prevent this uneven drying effect. Therefore, D is correct.

Correct answer: A. Apply a transparent glaze of the same hue over the dry layer

Explanation: A transparent glaze of the same hue over a dry watercolour layer increases the depth of the value while allowing the original colour to remain visible. Repeated transparent layers can create a rich dark without the dulling effect that black may produce when mixed carelessly. More water generally dilutes and lightens the colour; rubbing can damage the paper; and white raises the value and reduces transparency. The controlled sequence is therefore A.

Correct answer: B. Broken strokes with a low-moisture brush

Explanation: A low-moisture or dry brush carries relatively little liquid, so it skips across the raised tooth of the paper and leaves irregular broken marks. Those interrupted strokes imitate the cracks, ridges, and uneven surface of tree bark. Wet-on-wet and a flood of water spread smoothly and tend to reduce visible texture, while a flat light wash produces an even tone rather than a rough surface. Thus, B is the most suitable technique.