Watercolour is a medium associated with transparency, fluidity, and the soft, luminous quality of washes laid onto white paper. What it is not traditionally associated with is surface texture — and that is precisely where this medium opens up new creative territory. Winsor & Newton Texture Medium contains fine particles that, when applied to the paper or mixed with watercolour paint, create a genuinely rough, textured surface that adds a sense of depth, dimension, and physical presence to a painting.
The effect is subtle but striking. The fine particles disperse across the surface and dry to create an irregular, granular texture that catches light differently from a smooth watercolour wash, giving areas of the painting a three-dimensional quality that cannot be achieved with paint and water alone. It is particularly effective for suggesting natural surfaces and materials — the roughness of stone, the grain of wood, the texture of sand, the bark of a tree, the dry earth of a landscape — where the actual physical texture of the medium reinforces the visual impression rather than relying on marks and tonal variation alone.
The medium can be used in two ways. Applied directly to the paper before painting, it creates a textured ground onto which colour can then be washed over — the colour settling differently across the textured surface to create natural variation. Alternatively, it can be mixed directly with watercolour on the palette and applied as a coloured textured layer. Additional layers of colour can be applied over dried texture medium, building up a painting in stages. The medium is re-soluble when wet, though as with all watercolour washes some colour will remain on the paper once dry. Shake well before use.
What does Winsor & Newton Texture Medium do? It adds fine physical texture to watercolour paintings by introducing particles that create a rough, granular surface when dry. This adds a sense of depth, dimension, and structure that cannot be achieved with conventional watercolour washes alone.
How do you use it? It can be applied directly to dry paper with a brush, sponge, or palette knife before painting, or mixed directly with watercolour on the palette and applied as a coloured textured wash. Further washes and layers can be applied over dried texture medium.
What subjects or techniques is it best suited to? It is particularly effective for suggesting natural textures and surfaces — stone, sand, earth, wood grain, bark, rough plasterwork, and similar subjects where surface texture is part of the visual character. It can also be used more abstractly to add physical interest and visual complexity to areas of a painting.
Does it affect the colour of the paint? No — when mixed with watercolour it carries the colour of the paint without affecting the hue. The particles themselves are colourless and simply add texture to the surface.
Can you paint over it once dry? Yes — further washes and layers of watercolour can be applied over dried texture medium. The medium is re-soluble when wet, so some care should be taken not to over-work dried layers, but additional colour can be built up over the textured surface in the normal way.
What size is the bottle? 75ml. Shake well before use.
