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Watercolor Tips Ep. #1: Scanning Oversized Watercolors (Patreon)

Published:
2024-08-13 23:11:51
Edited:
2026-09-22 21:20:47
Imported:
2026-10
Tags:

Content

Hello everyone! Welcome to the first episode of my new series, "Tuesday Tips," where I'll be sharing advice and insights on some of the trickier watercolor issues we all encounter. These will be based on the excellent questions I receive from you in my DMs, as well as the knowledge I've accumulated while writing my upcoming watercolor book ( which is now available for pre-order on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4csebpP ).

Problem:Today, I want to address a common issue: scanning and preparing oversized watercolor paintings for digital display (this can include your portfolio website, online art competitions etc). This challenge often arises when working with larger sheets of paper that don't fit traditional 8.5 x 11 inch scanners.

Solution:To tackle this, I scan my oversized pieces in sections, typically starting with each corner. To seamlessly merge these sections, I use two Adobe applications: Adobe Bridge and Adobe Photoshop.

Step-by-Step Guide (Images Are Attached):

Step 1:Open Adobe Bridge and navigate to the folder containing your scanned pieces. Select the "PhotoMerge" function from the menu.

Step 2:In the "Layout" option, ensure that it's set to "Auto."

Step 3:Click "OK." Adobe Bridge will automatically merge your selected fragments into one piece and transfer it to Adobe Photoshop. From there, you can make further adjustments, such as increasing contrast or removing the white background.

Happy Scanning!

I hope this tip is helpful for anyone looking to digitize their paintings. Feel free to submit your questions in the comments below or via Direct Message feature here on Patreon. Be sure to tune in every Tuesday for more tips to enhance your watercolor journey!

Files

Comments

Gaby Dorough

Yes! Thanks!! Could you share info about ways to display our art? I know watercolors require a uv resistant glass, but what other options are there? I'd love to learn about ways to display our paintings at home vs at a more formal setting. Thank you!!!!

Peter Rossin

Hello Anna, I am new to your channel and watercolor! What colors and brushes would you recommend starting out with. I have some Holbein that I was about to order unless you recommend differently and the Daniel Smith 24 half pan.

Ms-Kari

How would scanning work if you use Procreate? I can’t afford the subscription required by Adobe, so my iPad is my tool.

Anna Bucciarelli

Good question. I am debating whether to cancel my Adobe subscription at the moment (due to cost + all the recent AI related scandal). I love Procreate but am yet to test merging images manually. I suspect it is possible but would require some extra precision. If I come across another method - I will share!

Anna Bucciarelli

Daniel Smith is an EXCELLENT choice - you really can't go go wrong. If I were to keep one brand on the market that would be it. I supplement with QOR and W&N just for fun, but really - DS is all you need. THey have every hue under the sun, always top quality, and offer fantastic dot charts to test before investing in full tubes. Not to mention they have an amazing granulating and iridescent range if you are into having some fun and experimenting with texture. Brushes are really up to you - I don't think they make that much of a difference to be honest (what I mean by that is paper and paints are way more important in terms of practical impact on the quality of our work). I am very familiar with Escoda range, mostly because they specialize in affordable high-performance synthetics. Full-disclosure - I recently became an ambassador for this brand, but I've been using them for over 10 years and love most of their lines, particularly Escoda Chronos. W&N is also an excellent choice, they make high quality real sable, although very expensive. I still use them occasionally when I feel like working with sable. The third brand I am very familiar with (but evidently is hard to find in NA) is Isabey. Very good, in my opinion, but I only saw them once in Europe and once in New York in a random art store. If you ever come across size #2 or zero in Isabey - I would get it for sure. Hope this helps!

eli

Thank you Anna, I just purchased a scanner and was planning to research this asap,

eli

!

Anna Bucciarelli

Oh I am so glad this was timely! A bit of a niche topic but important for those of us who share work digitally 😊

Donna Brownell

This is extremely helpful. I was going to do a gallery show for my local watercolor group, but I had no idea how I was going to submit scans. I am fairly handy with Adobe but I haven't used Bridge in a bit. This is a great tip! Thank you

Xoriat

If I can suggest, Affinity’s app are awesome and cheaper than Adobe (im graphic designer and I’m on the way to make the transition) They have 6 months of free try and they have app for ipad too! (Sorry for my english)

Xoriat

Hello, how do you ensure that the grain of the paper is not too visible? I've tried different method but each time, the grain create wierd texture.

Ms-Kari

I have Affinity Designer. It was a free back several years ago, but never used it. Will try. And when I have time I will “tinker” with Procreate to see if recent update will do the section merging.

Anna Bucciarelli

Hi Helene, The grain stays as is on the painted parts, but I do remove the white background with a stylus using Procreate app, so at least the backgrounds are "clean". Its a long process but worth it if you want to keep the texture out. I believe there might be a way to do it in Photoshop using magic lasso tool (faster), but I prefer to do it by hand to keep everything super crisp. Thank you,

Anna Bucciarelli

I must investigate Affiniti! Thank you PS: English is my 2nd language too no worries:))))

Tania

Thank you Ana! I tried and it worked very well!

Perga Fey

Hello from France. I have no idea if this comment is landing in the right place so it may be random. Your book, are you able to make of available in Amazon France please ? It’s not currently listed there. Thank you so much for the tips. Extremely useful and helpful. 💕