Term: Wash

A wash is created using a brush that is loaded with solvent and a small amount of paint. The diluted paint is applied to a wet or dry surface leaving a thin transparent film of color. A wash can have one uniform tone (called as an even, smooth, or flat wash) or it can have lighter and heavier sections (called a graded wash). A wash can quickly cover a large area to be used as part of the underpainting or as part of the finished scene.

Washed paints can be fragile because the binder in the paint is spread so thin. However, when watercolor washes are applied to a highly absorbent surface, such as paper, the effects are more or less permanent. This is one of the reasons why watercolor is the medium most often utilizing washes.