What is a watercolor characteristic involving its binder and reworkability after drying?

• A. It is defined by using gum arabic as a binder and can be re-wet after drying.
• B. It uses egg yolk binder.
• C. It uses oil binder.
• D. It uses acrylic binder.

Answer: (A)

Watercolor is defined by a water-soluble binder that keeps pigment suspended in a film you can rework with water even after it has dried. Gum arabic is the binder that makes this possible, allowing areas to be re-wet, lifted, or blended as you work. This re-wettability is what gives watercolor its distinctive ability to fade back or rework layers without leaving a stubborn, permanent film. Other binders, like egg yolk (tempera), oil, or acrylic, form films that aren’t readily re-wettable once dry, which is why they don’t match the watercolor behavior described here.