Ms. Dryer's distinctive painting method involved applying diaphanous washes of either casein or acrylic paint to big squares of wood, creating veiled, undulating patterns that could suggest an open landscape, the sea or a soft freehand tapestry.

Applying thin washes to large sheets of paper and, for the first time in a decade, to canvas, she creates broad areas of luminous color often accented by horizontal stripes, bands or blocks that imply landscape.

With colour pictures, he would then apply multiple washes of colour until translucent tints were created.

As a photo-artist, Dorskind is best known for her handpainted photographs or photopaintings, predominantly of landscapes and of children, in which she applies washes of oil paints and glazes of watercolors and pastels, a technique she has worked out experimentally over time.

Again, working with very wet paint onto dry paper, I apply successive washes of burnt umber and Prussian blue, burnt sienna and yellow ochre with a little more care, pulling diagonally downwards from top right to bottom left.

Blake's home-grown etching method involved drawing on a copper plate, then applying washes of acid, which left the words and images standing out in low relief.