Watercolor, light to dark水彩：由淺到深
Follow the watercolor apple alone. Each wash makes it darker, and the highlight is never painted at all.
只看水彩的蘋果：每疊一層就暗一點，亮點從頭到尾沒有塗。
Art · Unit 3 · Lesson 10 · 美術 單元三 第十課
How Are Watercolor, Oil Paint, and Ink Different?水彩、油畫、水墨有什麼不同？
One apple, painted three ways side by side. Step through watercolor, oil paint, and ink, and see why each one is painted in a different order.
同一顆蘋果，用三種方式並排畫出來。一步一步看水彩、油畫和水墨，看看為什麼每一種的畫法順序都不一樣。
Big idea · 一句話看懂
Watercolor, oil paint, and ink differ in how they treat light and water. Watercolor is semi-transparent, so the white of the paper gives the lights, and painters often work from light to dark. Oil paint covers well and dries slowly, so lighter paint can go over darker paint and changes are easy. Ink is one black, made into many grays with water, on paper that drinks it in, so a stroke cannot be taken back.
水彩、油畫和水墨，差在它們怎麼處理光和水。水彩是半透明的，亮的地方靠紙的白，畫家常常由淺畫到深。油畫顏料遮蓋力強、乾得慢，淺色可以蓋在深色上，也容易修改。水墨只有一種黑，靠水調出許多種灰，畫在會吸水的紙上，所以一筆下去就收不回來。
Interactive · 互動模型
One Apple, Three Ways 一顆蘋果，三種畫法
Move the slider or press Next to go through four steps. The same apple is painted in watercolor, oil paint, and ink at the same time, and the text under each picture says what the painter is doing and why. This lesson has no 3D, on purpose. The difference is in the order of the layers on a flat surface.
拖動滑桿或按「下一步」，一共四步。同一顆蘋果同時用水彩、油畫和水墨畫，每張圖下面的文字說明畫家在做什麼、為什麼這樣做。這一課刻意不用 3D：差別在於一層一層塗在平面上的順序。
Step 1 of 4 · 第 1 步（共 4 步）
What this model leaves out 這個模型簡化了什麼
- Each medium is shown with one way of painting. Painters use many others. Watercolor can also be painted opaquely by mixing in white, and oil painters do not always start with dark.每一種只示範一種畫法，畫家還有很多別的畫法。水彩也可以加白色畫成不透明的；油畫也不一定從暗色開始。
- The way each layer changes the color follows simple formulas we chose: watercolor and ink only darken what is underneath, and oil paint covers it. Real paint is more complicated.每一層怎麼改變顏色，照的是我們自己選的簡單公式：水彩和水墨只會讓底下變暗，油畫則把底下蓋住。真的顏料複雜得多。
- The soft edges of the ink apple stand for ink spreading into absorbent paper. Real spreading depends on the paper, the water, and the speed of the brush.水墨蘋果柔和的邊緣，代表墨在會吸水的紙上暈開。真實的暈開程度，要看紙、水量，還有運筆的速度。
- There is no texture here: no paper grain, no brush marks, no thick paint. Those matter a great deal in real paintings.這裡沒有質感：沒有紙紋、沒有筆觸，也沒有厚厚的顏料。真的畫裡，這些都非常重要。
So try it with real paint. Classroom Activity 1 paints one apple in watercolor and one in ink, so you can compare real paper and water with the screen.所以請用真的顏料試試看。課堂活動一用水彩和水墨各畫一顆蘋果，拿真的紙和水和螢幕比一比。
Pictures made for this lesson. The colors are computed by shared code and covered by automatic tests. · 圖為本課自行繪製；顏色由共用的程式計算，並有自動測試。
Reading · 英文閱讀
10
Unit 10: How Are Watercolor, Oil Paint, and Ink Different?
Give three painters the same apple. One uses watercolor, one uses oil paint, and one uses Chinese ink. Their pictures will look different, but the bigger difference is in how they work: what they paint first, what they paint last, and what they can change.
給三位畫家同一顆蘋果：一位用水彩，一位用油畫顏料，一位用中國的水墨。他們的畫看起來會不一樣，但更大的不同，在於他們怎麼畫：先畫什麼、最後畫什麼，以及什麼可以修改。
Watercolor is semi-transparent. Each layer lets the layers and the paper beneath it show through. So the white of the paper becomes the light in the picture, and white areas are often simply left unpainted. A pale color comes from adding more water, not white paint. Many watercolor painters work from light to dark, laying one thin wash over another.
水彩是半透明的。每一層都讓底下的層和紙透出來，所以紙的白就成了畫裡的光，白色的地方常常乾脆不塗。淡的顏色是靠多加水，不是加白色顏料。許多水彩畫家由淺畫到深，把一層薄薄的顏色疊在另一層上面。
Oil paint covers well and dries slowly. A thin layer may be dry to the touch in a few days, and a thick one takes longer. Because it stays wet, the painter can blend colors and make changes. One traditional way is to work from the darkest colors to the lightest, and a light color can be painted right over a dark one.
油畫顏料遮蓋力強，而且乾得慢。薄薄的一層可能幾天就摸起來乾了，厚的就要更久。因為顏料一直是濕的，畫家可以調和顏色、修改畫面。有一種傳統的畫法是從最暗的顏色畫到最亮，而淺的顏色可以直接蓋在深色上面。
Chinese ink painting uses black ink, made mostly of soot and glue, and water. With one black, the painter makes many grays by changing how much water is in the brush. Chinese painters speak of ink having five colors, meaning its many tones, from dark to pale and from dry to wet.
中國的水墨畫用黑墨和水；墨主要是用煙灰和膠做的。只有一種黑，畫家靠改變筆裡的水量，調出許多種灰。國畫講「墨分五色」，指的是墨色從濃到淡、從乾到濕的各種變化。
Ink painting is usually done on xuan paper, which is very absorbent. Raw xuan paper drinks in water so quickly that ink spreads and blurs. Once a stroke is painted, it cannot be changed or erased. That is why ink painting asks for so much planning and practice before the brush touches the paper.
水墨畫通常畫在宣紙上，宣紙非常會吸水。生宣紙吸水吸得很快，墨一畫上去就會暈開。筆畫一落下，就改不了也擦不掉。所以畫水墨之前，要先想好、多練習，才讓筆碰到紙。
None of these is better than the others. Each one invites a different way of thinking. A watercolor painter plans where to keep the white, an oil painter can build up and change the picture over many days, and an ink painter decides each stroke before making it. Try all three, and see which way of thinking suits you.
這三種沒有哪一種比較好，每一種都帶來不同的思考方式。水彩畫家要先想好哪裡留白；油畫家可以花很多天慢慢堆疊、修改；水墨畫家要在下筆之前就決定好每一筆。三種都試試看，看看哪一種想法最適合你。
Read aloud · 課文朗讀
Questions · 閱讀理解
In watercolor, where does the white in a picture usually come from?
From the paper itself. White areas are often left unpainted.
Why can an oil painter make changes more easily than an ink painter?
Oil paint dries slowly and covers well, so it can be blended or painted over. An ink stroke on xuan paper cannot be changed or erased.
How does an ink painter make light and dark grays with only black ink?
By changing how much water is in the brush. More water gives lighter ink, and less water gives darker ink.
Words & Phrases · 生字及片語
transparent(adj.)透明的A transparent wash lets the paper show through.透明的一層顏色讓紙透出來。opaque(adj.)不透明的Gouache is opaque, so it hides what is under it.不透明水彩是不透明的，會把底下蓋住。wash(n.)一層薄塗的顏色；渲染She laid a pale wash over the sky.她在天空上塗了一層淡淡的顏色。layer(n.)一層Oil painters build up the picture layer by layer.油畫家一層一層地把畫堆疊起來。absorbent(adj.)會吸水的Xuan paper is very absorbent.宣紙非常會吸水。blend(v.)調和；混合Wet oil paint is easy to blend.還沒乾的油畫顏料很容易調和。highlight(n.)亮點The highlight makes the apple look shiny.亮點讓蘋果看起來亮亮的。stroke(n.)一筆；筆畫Each stroke of ink is final.每一筆墨都改不了。
Quick Check · 小測驗
1. Why can the white of the paper act as the light in a watercolor?
2. How does a watercolor painter usually make a pale color?
3. Which paint dries slowly, so the painter can blend and make changes?
4. What does “ink has five colors” (墨分五色) mean?
5. What happens to an ink stroke on raw xuan paper?
Try It in the Model · 在模型裡試試
Four things to try 四件值得試的事
Then compare step 1 with step 4 for each medium. Which one changed the most? In which one did the brightest spot never change at all?
然後比較每一種的第 1 步和第 4 步。哪一種變化最大？哪一種最亮的地方從頭到尾都沒變？
Oil, light over dark油畫：淺色蓋深色
Follow the oil apple. It starts dark, and each new layer covers what is underneath, even the light highlight.
只看油畫的蘋果：一開始是暗的，每一層新的顏色都蓋住底下，連淺色的亮點也是。
Ink, one black, many grays水墨：一種黑，很多灰
Follow the ink apple. Light, middle, and dark ink are the same black with different amounts of water.
只看水墨的蘋果：淡墨、中墨、濃墨是同一種黑，只是水量不一樣。
All three together三種一起看
Watch all three at once and compare what each painter does first and last.
三種一起看，比較每位畫家先畫什麼、最後畫什麼。
Game · 小遊戲
Which Way Was It Painted? 這是用哪一種方式畫的？
Six close-ups of the finished apples. Look at the highlight, the edges, and the colors, and decide whether each one is watercolor, oil paint, or ink.
六張畫好的蘋果的特寫。看看亮點、邊緣和顏色，判斷每一張是水彩、油畫，還是水墨。
Close-up 1 of 6 · 第 1 張特寫（共 6 張）
Right · 答對 0 / 0
Real paintings give more clues than these: paper grain, thick brush marks, and the shine of oil.真的畫還有更多線索：紙紋、厚厚的筆觸，還有油畫的光澤。
Game · 小遊戲
What Comes Next? 下一步該畫什麼？
Four unfinished apples. Choose the step that fits the way each one is being painted.
四顆還沒畫完的蘋果。選出最符合這種畫法的下一步。
Question 1 of 4 · 第 1 題（共 4 題）
Right · 答對 0 / 0
These answers follow the ways of painting shown on this page. A painter who works differently might choose differently.這些答案照的是這一頁示範的畫法；用別種方式畫的畫家，可能會有不同的選擇。
Stories Behind the Brush · 筆背後的故事
Leaving the paper white, waiting days for paint to dry, five colors of ink, and paper that drinks 留白的紙、等好幾天才乾的顏料、墨分五色，以及會喝水的紙
Four short stories about how each medium shapes the way a painter works.
四個小故事：每一種媒材怎麼影響畫家的做法。
Watercolor · 水彩
The paper is the light紙就是光
The Tate in London explains that because watercolor is semi-transparent, the white of the paper gives the washes of color a natural glow, and white areas are often just left unpainted. Some artists even cover parts of the paper for a while to keep them white as they paint around them.
倫敦的泰德美術館說明，因為水彩是半透明的，紙的白讓一層層的顏色自然地發亮，白色的地方常常乾脆不塗。有些畫家甚至會先把紙的某些地方暫時遮住，讓它在四周上色時保持白色。
Oil paint · 油畫
Time to change your mind有時間改變主意
Oil paint dries by reacting with the air, not by losing water. The Tate says a thin layer can be tack-free in a few days, while thicker layers take longer, and the paint keeps hardening for decades. That slow drying lets a painter develop a picture gradually and make corrections.
油畫顏料乾，是靠和空氣起反應，不是靠水分蒸發。泰德美術館說，薄薄的一層幾天後就不黏手，厚的要更久，而且顏料會在幾十年裡持續變硬。乾得慢，讓畫家可以慢慢發展畫面、隨時修正。
Ink · 水墨
Five colors of ink墨分五色
Chinese painters say ink has five colors. The Ministry of Education dictionary explains that the five may be listed as burnt, thick, heavy, light, and clear, or as thick, light, dry, wet, and black. Either way, the idea is that one black ink, used well, can show all the tones of a thing.
國畫講「墨分五色」。《重編國語辭典修訂本》說，五色指焦、濃、重、淡、清，或濃、淡、乾、溼、黑等濃淡乾溼不同的墨色；「墨分五色」就是用墨色的濃淡乾溼，生動地表現物象的色調。
Paper · 紙
Paper that drinks會喝水的紙
Xuan paper first came from Xuancheng in Anhui. Raw xuan paper absorbs water so well that ink on it blurs, while treated xuan paper is sized with alum, which makes it stiffer and less absorbent. Painters choose the paper for the effect they want.
宣紙原產於安徽宣城。生宣紙很會吸水，墨畫上去會暈開；熟宣紙在製作時加了礬，比較硬，也比較不吸水。畫家依照想要的效果來選紙。
In the Curriculum · 對應課綱
Where this lesson fits 這一課對應的課綱
The arts curriculum does not name watercolor or ink painting, but it asks students to try and learn different media and techniques. These entries fit this lesson, and their links to it are our reading of them.
藝術領域課綱的條文沒有點名水彩或水墨，但要求學生嘗試、學習不同的媒材與技法。下面的條目和這一課相關；它們和這一課的連結，是本教材的解讀。
1-Ⅱ-3藝術領域 學習表現（國小三、四年級） · Arts, learning performance (grades 3–4)
能試探媒材特性與技法，進行創作。
Painting the same apple in watercolor and ink is a way to explore what each medium does.用水彩和水墨各畫一顆蘋果，就是在試探每一種媒材的特性。
1-Ⅲ-3藝術領域 學習表現（國小五、六年級） · Arts, learning performance (grades 5–6)
能學習多元媒材與技法，表現創作主題。
Knowing the order each medium needs helps students choose one for their own subject.知道每一種媒材需要的順序，學生就能替自己的主題選擇適合的媒材。
視 E-Ⅲ-2藝術領域・視覺藝術 學習內容（國小五、六年級） · Arts, visual arts, learning content (grades 5–6)
多元的媒材技法與創作表現類型。
Washes, layers that cover, and ink tones are three different techniques.渲染、覆蓋的層次，以及墨色的濃淡，是三種不同的技法。
視 A-Ⅳ-2藝術領域・視覺藝術 學習內容（國中） · Arts, visual arts, learning content (grades 7–9)
傳統藝術、當代藝術、視覺文化。
Ink painting is a traditional art that is still practiced today.水墨畫是一種到今天仍有人在畫的傳統藝術。
Myth vs. Fact · 常見迷思
Four things people get wrong 四個常見的誤會
✗ Myth · 迷思To make a watercolor lighter, add white paint.要讓水彩變淡，就加白色顏料。
✓ Fact · 事實In transparent watercolor, a paler color comes from more water, so more of the paper's white shows through. Mixing in white is a different, opaque way of painting.在透明水彩裡，淡的顏色是靠多加水，讓更多紙的白透出來。加白色是另一種不透明的畫法。
✗ Myth · 迷思Oil paint dries in an hour.油畫顏料一個小時就乾了。
✓ Fact · 事實A thin layer may take a few days to stop being sticky, thick layers take longer, and the paint keeps hardening for decades.薄薄一層可能要幾天才不黏手，厚的要更久，而且顏料會在幾十年裡持續變硬。
✗ Myth · 迷思Ink painting is just black and white.水墨畫只有黑和白。
✓ Fact · 事實One black ink makes many grays, depending on how much water is used. Chinese painters speak of ink having five colors.同一種黑墨，看水量多少，可以變出許多種灰。國畫講「墨分五色」。
✗ Myth · 迷思In ink painting, you can fix a mistake by painting over it.畫水墨畫錯了，再塗一層蓋過去就好。
✓ Fact · 事實On absorbent xuan paper, a stroke soaks in at once. Once it is painted, it cannot be changed or erased.在會吸水的宣紙上，筆畫馬上就吸進去了。一落筆，就改不了也擦不掉。
Remember It · 記憶口訣
Three media in a sentence 一句話記住三種畫法
Watercolor: save the white水彩：留住白
The paper is your lightest color.
紙就是你最亮的顏色。
Oil: cover and change油畫：蓋過去，改得了
Slow drying gives you time.
乾得慢，給你時間。
Ink: water makes the gray水墨：水調出灰
One black, many tones.
一種黑，很多深淺。
Ink: think, then stroke水墨：先想再下筆
The paper keeps every stroke.
紙會留住每一筆。
Before You Start · 動手之前
Paint, ink, and clean hands 顏料、墨，和乾淨的手
- Oil painting often uses solvents such as turpentine and paint thinner. Children should not use them, so this lesson's activities use only watercolor and ink.畫油畫常會用到松節油、稀釋劑這類溶劑。兒童不應該使用，所以這一課的活動只用水彩和墨。
- Ink stains clothes and skin. Wear an old shirt or an apron, and cover the table.墨會弄髒衣服和皮膚。穿舊衣服或圍裙，桌上先鋪好。
- Never put brushes, paint, or ink in your mouth, and keep food and drinks away from the painting table.不要把筆、顏料或墨放進嘴裡；食物和飲料遠離畫桌。
- Wash your hands with soap and water when you finish. Do not use solvents to clean your skin.畫完用肥皂和水洗手。不要用溶劑清潔皮膚。
Classroom Activity 1 · 課堂活動一
One Apple in Watercolor, One in Ink 一顆水彩蘋果，一顆水墨蘋果
You need · 準備材料
- A real apple, or a picture of one一顆真的蘋果，或一張蘋果的照片
- Watercolor paper, school watercolors, and a brush水彩紙、學校用的水彩和筆
- Xuan paper (or thin, absorbent paper), black ink in a dish, and water宣紙（或很薄、會吸水的紙）、盛在碟子裡的墨，以及水
Steps · 步驟
- Look at the apple and find its brightest spot. On the watercolor paper, decide where that spot will be and do not paint it.看著蘋果，找出它最亮的地方。在水彩紙上決定那個點的位置，不要塗它。
- Paint a pale red wash over the rest of the apple. Let it dry, then add a second wash on the shadow side.在蘋果其他地方塗一層淡淡的紅。等它乾了，再在暗面疊第二層。
- On the xuan paper, make three test strokes: a lot of water, some water, and very little water.在宣紙上試畫三筆：水很多、水一些、水很少。
- Paint the ink apple with those three tones, from the palest to the darkest.用這三種深淺畫水墨蘋果，從最淡畫到最濃。
- Put the two apples side by side. Write down one thing that was easy and one thing that was hard in each.把兩顆蘋果並排。各寫下一件容易的事、一件困難的事。
Compare your apples with the ones on this page. The screen makes color with light, and your paper and ink reflect the light in the room, so they will look different. Trust what you see on the paper.
把你畫的蘋果和這一頁的比一比。螢幕用光做出顏色，你的紙和墨則是反射教室裡的光，看起來會不一樣。請相信你在紙上看到的。
Classroom Activity 2 · 課堂活動二
How Fast Does It Spread? 暈開得多快？
You need · 準備材料
- One sheet of xuan paper and one sheet of ordinary drawing paper一張宣紙和一張普通的圖畫紙
- Black ink, water, and a brush墨、水和筆
- A ruler and a clock or timer一把尺，和時鐘或計時器
Steps · 步驟
- Load the brush with watery ink and touch it to the xuan paper for one second.筆沾上加了水的墨，在宣紙上點一下，停一秒。
- Do the same on the drawing paper.在圖畫紙上做一樣的事。
- After one minute, measure how wide each spot has grown.過一分鐘，量量每一個點變得多寬。
- Repeat with thick ink that has very little water.換成水很少的濃墨，再做一次。
- Which paper spreads ink more? Does the amount of water matter?哪一種紙讓墨暈得比較開？水的多少有沒有影響？
Your results will depend on your paper and your ink. Some xuan paper is treated to absorb less. Write down the kind of paper you used.
結果要看你用的紙和墨。有些宣紙經過處理，吸水比較少。請記下你用的是哪一種紙。
Go Further · 延伸閱讀
Paint, ink, and what comes next 顏料、墨，以及下一課
Art · Lesson 9 · 美術・第九課Where Do Paint Colors Come From?顏料的顏色從哪裡來？Watercolor and oil paint can share the same pigments. That lesson shows how the binder makes them different paints.水彩和油畫顏料可以用同樣的色粉；那一課說明黏著劑怎麼讓它們成為不同的顏料。Go to the lesson · 前往這一課 →Calligraphy · Lesson 1 · 書法・第一課What Are the Four Treasures of the Study?文房四寶是什麼？The brush, ink, paper, and inkstone of ink painting are the same as those of calligraphy.水墨畫用的筆、墨、紙、硯，和書法用的一樣。Go to the lesson · 前往這一課 →
Art · Lesson 11 · 美術・第十一課How Does a Print Make Many Copies?版畫怎麼印出很多張？Next comes printmaking: carving, inking, and pressing one image onto many sheets.下一課是版畫：刻版、上墨，把同一個圖像印在很多張紙上。Coming soon · 製作中
Sources · 資料出處
Names, dates, numbers, and quotations on this page were checked against these sources (October 2026). The colors of the apples are computed by the page itself and covered by automatic tests; the way each layer changes the color is a simplified model of our own · 本頁的人名、年代、數字與引文依下列資料查證（2026 年 10 月）；蘋果的顏色由頁面自己計算，並有自動測試；每一層怎麼改變顏色是本教材自訂的簡化模型
- Watercolor is semi-transparent; the white of the paper gives luminosity; white areas left unpainted; wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry水彩半透明；紙的白讓顏色發亮；白色的地方常常不塗；濕中濕與乾上濕Tate, Art Term “Watercolour” ↗
- Transparency is the main characteristic of watercolor; masking preserves the white of the paper; wet-on-wet透明是水彩最主要的特性；遮蓋可以保留紙的白；濕中濕Wikipedia “Watercolor painting” ↗
- Leave the highest highlight unpainted; work from high value to darker color; lighter values by adding water, not white最亮的亮點不塗；由淺往深畫；淺色靠加水，不靠加白Trinity University, theatre graphics handout “Watercolor” ↗
- Oil paint is slow-drying; changes and corrections; thin layers tack-free in a few days; hardens over many decades油畫乾得慢；可以修改、修正；薄層幾天不黏手；幾十年裡持續變硬Tate, Art Term “Oil paint” ↗
- Oil paint dries slowly; gouache is opaque; glaze and impasto油畫乾得慢；不透明水彩是不透明的；透明畫法與厚塗The National Gallery, London, glossary: Oil paint, Gouache ↗
- Oil dries by oxidation; dry to the touch usually within two weeks; one traditional method works from darkest to lightest; fat over lean油畫靠氧化乾燥；通常兩週內摸起來乾；一種傳統畫法由最暗畫到最亮；肥蓋瘦原則Wikipedia “Oil painting,” “Fat over lean” ↗
- Ink wash: tones by varying ink density; inksticks of soot and animal glue; xuan paper highly absorbent; a stroke cannot be changed or erased水墨：改變墨的濃度得到深淺；墨條由煙灰和動物膠製成；宣紙非常吸水；一筆下去改不了也擦不掉Wikipedia “Ink wash painting” ↗
- Raw xuan paper absorbs water so the ink blurs; treated xuan paper absorbs less生宣紙吸水，墨會暈開；熟宣紙吸水較少Wikipedia “Xuan paper” ↗
- 水墨畫, 墨分五色, 宣紙, 渲染, 水彩畫 (transparent and opaque ways)「水墨畫」「墨分五色」「宣紙」「渲染」「水彩畫」（透明畫法與不透明畫法）教育百科〈墨分五色〉等條目（教育部國語辭典） ↗
- Standard Chinese terms: aquarelle, gouache, oil paint, xuan paper, wet-on-wet, glazing, impasto, underpainting, splashed ink, texture strokes學術名詞：透明水彩、不透明水彩、油畫顏料、宣紙、濕中濕畫法、透明畫法、厚塗、底色、潑墨、皴法國家教育研究院 樂詞網（視覺藝術名詞） ↗
- Children through grade 6 should avoid solvents such as turpentine and paint thinner; wash hands; do not clean skin with solvents國小六年級以下避免松節油、稀釋劑等溶劑；洗手；不要用溶劑清潔皮膚U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Art and Craft Safety Guide ↗
- Learning performance 1-Ⅱ-3, 1-Ⅲ-3; learning content 視 E-Ⅲ-2, 視 A-Ⅳ-2學習表現：1-Ⅱ-3、1-Ⅲ-3；學習內容：視 E-Ⅲ-2、視 A-Ⅳ-2十二年國教課綱 藝術領域（教育部，2018） ↗