<center>![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmf4WeWPjyEU8k2CrGpRE1gY4qjDk7BwFWAwd9eBR7pAon/image.png)</center>

<center><a href="https://leegordonseebach.com/workszoom/2419730">”Prickly Pear Cactus”</a> 11”x15” (#3361) watercolor and Chinese white on Arches paper
 by Lee Gordon Seebach</center>

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### Chinese White
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"What the heck is that?" you may well ask.  Good question!

Here's the answer:  It is a semi-opaque watercolor white (actually Zinc white).  It can be mixed with transparent watercolor to achieve various colors and degrees of opacity.  I used it here to illustrate the spines on the cactus with a brush called a "rigger."  The hair of this brush is long, thin, and does not taper to a fine point.  Therefore, it holds a fair amount of pigment and is capable of creating nice, long lines.  It's also a very fun brush to use and it's very, very easy to get carried away with it.  Painting in the lines on this picture, I was dangerously close to doing just that!

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### Lifting
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There's another technique I used here.  It's called "lifting."  This is accomplished by using a "flat" brush, which has a squared end (like a housepainter's brush only much smaller).  Using a flat that is damp, it is applied edge-on to the paper on a painted, dried area and then run along the paper sideways.  This re-wets the pigment and soaks it up into the brush, like a sponge, creating a lighter, long, soft-edged line.  Hmmm...I hope that makes sense...maybe it requires a video demonstration.  But I think you get the idea. 




I hope you enjoyed seeing this watercolor and learning a bit about how us mysterious artist-types create our nice pictures.

Have a stupendous day, wherever you are on our beautiful planet!  😀  ☮️  ❤️





<center>http://i.imgur.com/sBYnOWR.jpg?1</center>

<center>Here I am creating another nice picture in my studio.</center>

<center><p>My website: <a href="https://leegordonseebach.com"> Seebach Fine Art</a></p></center>