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Watercolour, also known as aquarelle in French, is a painting method in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-based solution. It refers to both the medium and the resulting artwork. Watercolours are usually translucent and appear luminous because the pigments are laid down in a pure form with few types of filler obscuring the pigment colours. In the past in East Asia, watercolour painting with inks was referred to as brush painting or scroll painting. In Chinese, Korean and Japanese painting it was the dominant medium, often in monochrome black or browns, often using ink-stick or other pigments. India, Ethiopia and other countries have long watercolour painting traditions as well. American artists in the early 19th century seemed to regard it primarily as a sketching tool in preparation for the finished work in oil or engraving. It also played a major role in the Renaissance era.
