I like to get to the bottom of things. To find the explanation to artistic mysteries.

Well, this is one of them. 

And you’ve probably noticed this yourself if you’ve read your paint labels (You have, haven’t you?!)

So… Why is it that some paints all have the same single pigment in their formula, but they have a completely different color appearance?

I’ve had this question several times from readers and members of my course. So I thought I’d lay it out for the benefit of everyone (even if you’re not a boffin).

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, take a look at this:

The pigment known as PBr7 is used to produce paints such as Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, and Raw Umber. Each one has a very different color appearance, and yet, they all use the same pigment.

Yes… Just one pigment!

This makes color choices based on pigment numbers alone very tricky!

So what’s happening?

Color index names, such as PBr7, are not actually a precise description of the color appearance of a paint, but rather information about the chemical composition of a pigment. 

As a quick reminder… The color index system is a standardized method used to identify and categorize pigments. In the case of PBr7, “P” stands for “Pigment,” “Br” represents “Brown,” and “7” is a numeric identifier for the pigment. 

The “real” color appearance of a pigment can vary depending on certain factors…

The effects of particle size of pigment on color

The more aware you become of the pigments you’re using, the more you’ll notice slight differences in color between paints that contain the same pigment.

This difference is often because of the pigment particle size.

Pigment color can change with particle size.  Smaller particles are typically lighter in value, and a different hue. In fact, manufacturers can tweak the color of a pigment by adjusting the size of its particles, making them either bigger or smaller.

So milling the pigments to a smaller size makes them lighter in appearance. 

Pigment color and the effects of heat

Sometimes the pigments are also heated to obtain variations in hue, which gives paint a slightly different color appearance.

This process is known as “pyrolysis.” 

Pyrolysis is when heat breaks down organic materials chemically. When pigments are heated, their molecules change, which can alter their color.

You’ll notice that whatever process is applied during manufacturing the “foundation color” of a pigment will always remain similar. For example, PBr7 will always be a “brownish” color. This is true of all variations in color appearance in paints that use the same single pigment.

Subtle Variations in Pigment Color – Factors and Effects

The same pigment, with the same chemical composition, can be sourced from different places. This can have a subtle effect on the color appearance of paint.

Once again, the pigment index number PBr7 provides us with a good example.

Traditionally PBr7 refers to pigments from a type of clay that is rich in natural brown iron oxides. 

These include Sienna and Umber, two of the most common earth colors used by artists.

Historically “Sienna” is named after the city of Siena, Italy, where it was produced. And  raw umber pigments were sourced from deposits in Umbria, Italy. Afterwards these pigments were mined primarily in Cyprus.

These days, iron oxide pigments are mostly man-made by synthesis of natural ingredients. Depending on the specific formulation and process, manufacturers can create a wide variety of colors using these pigments, often employing traditional techniques like heating and milling.

PBr7 Raw Sienna Burnt Sienna Burnt Umber Raw Umber

PBr7 can be used to make a large range of colors depending on how manufacturers process it. 

In the past, when it’s in its natural state, traditional sienna-based pigments had a yellowish-brown color, known as raw sienna.  But if you heat it up, it turns into a warm reddish-brown tone, which we call burnt sienna.

Umber-based colors used another clay pigment with iron oxide. Umber colors were darker than Sienna-based paints because they have a higher content of manganese, making them either greenish-brown or dark brown. 

Similarly umber in its natural state is known as raw umber. When heated, raw umber becomes burnt umber, which is a much darker brown.

These days, manufacturers mimic the natural processes through synthesis, allowing them to create a wide spectrum of colors using PBr7.

My favorite colors that I keep in my palette are burnt sienna and burnt umber. They are excellent convenience colors for browns and make good mixing complements for making grays and neutral hues.

PV19 Quinacridone Rose, Violet & Magenta

Another common pigment, PV19 can range in color from bright rose to a more subdued violet or magenta color. 

Quinacridone pigments range from purple to orange, although they’re predominantly seen in pink-red shades. The pigment’s hue is influenced by both its particle size and slight variations in its chemical structure.

Quinacridone rose makes an excellent cool primary red and is an essential part of my mixing palette

Navigating Paint Color Matching: Tips for Success

These are just a couple of examples where pigment names make artist’s life confusing

But how do we accurately judge paint colors, especially when matching paints between brands, if we can’t rely on pigment numbers alone?

Traditional paint names like “burnt sienna” or “french ultramarine” are usually similar in appearance from one manufacturer to another.

This gives us a clue to matching colors between different brands, especially in cases where locating paint colors by pigment alone is challenging.

In fact, color index numbers often have common names.

For example:

• PB29 “Ultramarine Blue”
• PB:15 “Phthalo Blue”
• PG7 “Phthalo Green”
• PR255 “Pyrrole Scarlet”
• PY35 “Cadmium Yellow”

While pigment numbers may not always provide a perfect match across brands, they are still a helpful starting point for locating colors. Here are some additional tips for matching colors between brands:

1. Use Traditional Names: Look for traditional paint names like “burnt sienna” or “ultramarine blue” across brands, as these names often indicate similar color appearances.
2. Compare Swatches: Compare swatches or samples of the colors you’re trying to match under the same lighting conditions to ensure they’re visually similar.
3. Consult Color Charts: Many paint manufacturers provide color charts or online resources that show how their colors correspond to traditional names and the pigments they contain.
4. Try Dot Cards: A quick and relatively cheap way to compare real paint color appearances is to get a “dot card” of the manufacturer’s paints. these are like mini samples of a large range of paint colors. Here’s one by Winsor & Newton – and another by Daniel Smith.

Good luck!

The post Different Colors, Same Pigment  – A Watercolor Paint Mystery first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

This is my favorite grey paint. I always have some on my palette ready to go! 

It’s a convenience mixture, made up of more than one pigment. But I really like the color appearance, and I find it’s excellent for painting shadows!

Keep reading if you’d like to get to know this color better…

What is Paynes Gray?

Payne’s grey is a convenience mixture of two or more pigments (usually black and blue), made readily available by several brands as a pre-mixed paint color.

The idea behind convenience paints of any kind is speed, consistency of color, and of course “convenience” (bet you didn’t figure that out!)

It’s true that many watercolor artists (myself included) prefer to use single pigment paints. But I sometimes make an exception, as with Paynes grey. This is because I tend not to use it for mixing, but rather I apply it directly when painting shade and shadow shapes.

Origins of Payne’s Gray

Originally this color was an invention of the British artist “William Payne”. Born in the 18th century, he progressed the art of watercolor significantly with new techniques and inventions. His most famous innovation was the dark grey paint color we now call “Payne’s Grey”.

It is assumed that Payne created this mixture as a less intense alternative to pure black pigments. (Mixing with black often produces a dull, harsh appearance, since black pigments lack transparency – read more about black watercolor here…).

How to make Payne’s grey

The color appearance of Payne’s grey can be reproduced by mixing black pigments such as ivory black or lamp black with a blue hue such as ultramarine or phthalo blue. The majority of paint manufacturers use this combination, sometimes with the addition of a red or violet color.

The original formula for this paint mixture by William Payne was said to be Prussian blue PB27, Yellow ochre PY43 and Crimson PR83 (blue, yellow and red). 

Most brands now use 2 or 3 pigment combinations using black as the cornerstone pigment. Here are some examples:

• Daniel Smith: PBk9 & PB29
• Winsor & Newton: PBk6, PB15 & PV19
• Holbein: PBk6 PB15 & PR122
• Schmincke: PBk7, PB29, PR101 
• Sennelier: PBk7, PB15 &  PV19

My own personal preference is Daniel Smith’s version.

Making Payne’s grey is pretty simple to replicate. The mixture starts with black, and you add a small amount of blue ultramarine. Here’s a swatch of Payne’s grey from the tube, and a mixture I made myself using ivory black PBk9  and french ultramarine PB29:

As you can see the Payne’s grey swatches have a bluish tint, and look less aggressive compared to the black swatch of Ivory black.

Is Payne’s Grey warm or cool?

This mixture of pigments has a dark blue-grey appearance. Consequently Payne’s grey is a cool paint color, not warm. The blue undertone of this paint gives it a cooler appearance than most black pigment paints.

In some ways the color is similar to indigo which is also a cool blue-grey. But Payne’s grey is darker in appearance.

Why I like Payne’s grey watercolor

The version of Payne’s grey that I use is Daniel Smith’s. Both of the ingredients in their mixture (ivory black and ultramarine) are granulating colors. As a result this convenience mixture produces a wonderful granulating texture. 

I use it mostly for “cast” and “form” shadows. The fact that it has a cool blue tinge is an advantage. Exterior shadows created by sunlight are naturally blue toned (compared to interior lighting which produces shadows with a warm undertone). 

I don’t only use this color for shading and shadows! It’s also great for painting skies since it mixes well with other blues. But I like to have it available when painting shadow shapes. If you need to paint a large area you also get a consistent color appearance without worrying about running out of paint

Keep in mind that this is a mixture of more than one pigment. Shadows are never just grey! They contain other colors from reflected light in the environment. So when I Payne’s grey for shadows I’ll sometimes need to blend it with another color for more vibrant shadows. This is another reason why I prefer the Daniel Smith version with only 2 pigments. (Remember, the more pigments, the muddier the mixes become).

Payne’s Grey Characteristics and Swatch

Here’s a breakdown of the characteristics of Payne’s grey (based on the brand Daniel Smith). This will vary from one manufacturer to another. For example the Winsor and Newton version uses non-granulating pigments in its ingredients. I prefer the granulating version by DS!

• Pigments: PB 29, PBk 9 
• Lightfastness: Excellent
• Transparency: Semi-transparent
• Staining: Low Staining
• Granulation: Granulating

This is why it’s useful to get into the practice of swatching your paints, to get to know the specific properties of your own color palette.

You can see from my own switch that DS Paynes gray isn’t very staining. The white mark at the top of the swatch shows where I lifted the paint with a damp brush after drying. 

Related: Read more about my recommended watercolor paints here…

The post Paynes Grey (Exploring Paint Colors in Depth) first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

And now you’re wondering…

“But what the heck is neutral tint?” 

Why would you need it, and how is it used in painting?

This paint name causes quite a bit of confusion for artists. Depending on your chosen brand, there are a few variations, but this particular shade was designed for a specific purpose…

Let me explain more…

Neutral tint watercolor paint 

Neutral tint is a special kind of gray paint used mainly by watercolor artists. It is a mixture of pigments that produce an unsaturated gray and is intended to gently tone down brighter colors. It is said to be neither warm nor cool in color temperature. Hence the term “neutral.”

Some artists use black watercolor as a way to mix dull or muted colors for shading. But black pigments can be harsh when combined with other paints. Gray paints will desaturate a color more gently. And a lot of artists prefer neutral tint. 

A handful of traditional paint colors are used as a base for painting shadows or to tone down another color. 

Neutral tint is one of these. 

It was developed to easily desaturate (neutralize) any other color in an artist’s palette. 

What are neutral colors in art? 

Neutral colors in art are any colors that have been desaturated to remove the hue. That is to say, they do not appear to have a particularly strong color appearance. White, black, and gray are all examples of neutral colors. 

Neutrals make an excellent background for a piece of art. They do not shout for attention and can provide contrast to stronger, saturated colors. 

Neutral paints can also be used in mixing to create toned-down versions of another paint color. Or they can be used directly to paint shading and shadows.

Pure neutral colors do not have any color information. They are not saturated, so they contain no indications about the hue. But pure neutrals like this are pretty rare. In the real world, muted colors often have a hint of color. For example, shadows are very rarely pure gray.

Neutrals became popular on artists’ palettes to quickly add shade or darken values. Back in the 18th century, artists began using mixtures of various pigments to use as neutrals. 

All these paints are called convenience colors. In other words, they’re a mixture of two or more pigments designed to give artists quick access to a ready-mixed and regularly used color.

Using off-the-shelf paint colors like this is fast and “convenient” – hence the name

But most of these “neutrals” have an underlying color bias. Some lean towards blue (cool), others towards red (warm).

For example, traditional neutral paints include:

• Indigo (Pigments PB60 and PBk6)
• Sepia (Pigments PBr7 and PBk9)
• Payne’s gray (Pigments PB29 and PBk9)

As you can see, these traditional neutrals are a mixture of black pigments (PBk6 or PBk9) and some other hue.

But indigo has a dark blue appearance. It leans towards blue, so it’s a cool neutral. Sepia is dark brown, so this is a warm neutral paint. Payne’s gray is somewhere in between, but it tends slightly toward blue (it contains ultramarine blue, after all). So again, this produces a soft cool gray appearance.

None of these neutral paints are strictly “neutral.”

So what is neutral tint in watercolor?

Neutral tint is the result of many experiments to find a neutral gray color that has little effect on the other colors you mix it with. Therefore, it is designed to be as close to pure neutral as possible.

Neutral tint is neither warm nor cool. We call this “achromatic” (colorless).

Watercolor artists wanted something easy to use as a ready-to-go neutral gray. But as you can see from the examples above, many traditional options were either cool or warm neutrals or some other version of gray. In other words, they are “chromatic” (they contain color).

Using traditional neutrals like indigo or sepia is fine, so long as you take into account the color influence they have on your paint mixture. 

Alternatively, you could try neutral tint…

Neutral tint watercolor comparison 

There are several different versions of neutral tint.

For example, Daniel smith’s formula is a mixture of three pigments:

• PBk6 (Lamp black)
• PV19 (Quinacridone rose)
• PB15 (Phthalo blue)

This is the most popular combination of pigments for neutral tint across several brands. 

Here’s a table of comparison for some of the most popular artist-grade paint manufacturers:

My own personal preference is Daniel Smith…

How to mix a neutral tint with watercolor

Without going into detail, any of the above pigments mentioned in the brand comparison above can be used to mix your own version of neutral tint. The most popular combination is:

• Lamp black, PBk6 
• Phthalo blue PB15 
• Quinacridone rose PV19 

What is a watercolor neutral tint used for?

Neutral tint is used to desaturate or neutralize other paint colors when mixing darker shades. It can also be used as a stand-alone paint color for monochromatic work or as a go-to color for shading.

Any bright color can be muted by mixing with other paints. The amount of desaturation depends on the paint color you choose to mix it with. 

For me, the simplest way to achieve this is by mixing the color with its complement. Remember, complementary hues are the colors on the opposite side of the color wheel. So, for example, if you want to dull yellow, you add purple. Or, to tone down a green, you add red, etc. 

Alternatively, you can mix any color with a neutral tint. 

I often use Payne’s gray for painting shadows because I prefer the hint of blue contained in this convenience mixture. This is because most daylight shadows tend toward blue, so this paint gives a realistic look to most cast shadows.

Neutral tints will work similarly. If you’re using a glazing technique, it will take on some of the color properties of the underlying colors on the paper without affecting the initial color appearance. Or it will retain some of the color properties of the original color when mixed. 

To sum up

Personally, I use neutral tint sparingly. I might pick up a tube to do a monochrome study, but otherwise, I use complementary mixing for muted colors.

The downside with a completely desaturated gray like neutral tint is it can look pretty flat. Whereas dark shades mixed using other colors can produce more lively and harmonious results.

For more about using black and dark pigments in painting, read my article about black watercolor here…

That doesn’t mean this paint is not useful. But remember to have fun experimenting by mixing your own neutral colors too!

You might find the results interesting!

The post Neutral Tint Watercolor (All The Answers!) first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

So, is your watercolor paint toxic?

The quick answer is that the majority of watercolors are classified as having “no substances in sufficient quantities to be toxic to humans”. Watercolor paints generally have a low toxic index, but the level of toxicity can vary depending on the pigments used in the paint ingredients.

Well known paint manufacturers conform to standard practices for labeling art materials and the majority of watercolors are labeled as an “Approved Product” which means that they “contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans”. However a few paints are labeled with a “Cautionary Labeling” seal, which means they are “not hazardous if used correctly”. More about this later…

Just because watercolor paints might contain toxic substances does not mean you should stop painting ! We are all exposed to pollutants in some form or another as we go about our daily lives. The best response is to be aware of any risks and develop good painting habits when you use watercolors !

My own personal approach to watercolors is to use some common sense rules…

Are watercolor paints toxic?

Well… I think the answer to that depends.

The thing is, even if most watercolors are labeled as approved products, repeated exposure to very small amounts of toxic ingredients can have a cumulative effect over a long period.

Given that watercolors potentially have a low level of toxicity but not in sufficient amounts to be toxic to humans, we should perhaps ask ourselves different questions. Things like, “how often do I paint?”, or “what habits should I adopt when handling watercolors?”.

I tend to approach the toxicity of paints with just a few common sense rules.

• Don’t eat or drink when you’re painting.
• Only use dedicated plates or palettes for mixing paint
• Rinse brushes in dedicated jars
• Read the labels of your paints to identify those that require caution.
• If you’re messy, consider wearing protective clothing
• If you paint very often, consider wearing gloves
• Don’t lick your brushes !
• And don’t get your rinse water mixed up with your cup of tea !

You’d be surprised what bad habits we humans can pick up, so developing good habits for safety in the artist studio is probably the best approach.

I have nothing against using an ordinary plate for mixing up watercolors, but once I’ve decided to use it for that purpose, it stays in my studio and isn’t used for anything else. The same thing for rinsing brushes. I use glass mason jars. They’re non porous and easy to clean. And they’re mine ! Nobody else gets to use them for making smoothies !

I don’t bother with gloves but I do know some artists who use them. I quite happily squeeze out my brushes with my fingers so I end up with paint on my hands. So maybe I should consider it…

If you paint almost every day, and you’re concerned about the toxic effects of paints, I suggest using cotton gloves which you can just re-use after washing (Amazon link). Keep in mind, latex and nitrile gloves are non-biodegradable.

Is Watercolor Paint Toxic to Dogs, Cats & Pets ?

In the same way that you probably shouldn’t lick your watercolor paints, make sure your dog doesn’t eat them either !

If your cat accidentally lies in your watercolor palette, wash off the paint before they can lick it off. Similarly, I know dogs that will eat anything. Yep… I do mean anything. So don’t leave your tubes, pans or open palette in a tempting location for pets.

Understanding Watercolor Toxicity Labeling

Look for artist watercolor paints which conform to ASTM D4236 and D5067 which means the paint provides health information as recommended by the “American Society for Testing and Materials”.

The ASTM D4236 is a “Standard Practice for Labeling Art Materials for Chronic Health Hazards”. These guidelines require paints to be labeled toxic, or potential health hazards.

It means that any potentially toxic ingredients in the paint have been clearly labeled on the packaging.

Most paints are labeled “ACMI AP” which means they are an “Approved Product”

This seal of approval is awarded by the “Art and Creative Materials Institute” (ACMI).

An “Approved Product” seal “identifies art materials that are safe when used as intended and that are certified in a toxicological evaluation” that “they contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans, including children”.

By the way, I’m glad they clarified the bit about children – I wasn’t sure if they’re considered humans

Some paints are labeled “CL” which means “Cautionary Labeling”.

A “CL” seal “identifies products that are certified to be properly labeled for any known health risks and with information on the safe and proper use of these materials”. “Products with this seal are not hazardous” but “these products should never be given to children in grade 6 or lower”. (For us non-americans, grade 6 corresponds to 11 years old).

You can read more about this on the ACMI website

A Concrete Example of Toxicity Labeling – Daniel Smith

A lot of you know that I have a preference for Daniel Smith watercolors. I decided to do a quick exercise and look up the toxicity labeling of what I consider to be the most useful paints in my watercolor palette. These are the colors I currently recommend as a minimal palette which allow you to mix a large range of different color appearances.

Just to explain, this table includes the paint name used by Daniel Smith, and the pigment identification number. Then I’ve included the ACMI seal (remember AP = approved / CL= cautionary). And the final column includes “Proposition 65” which “requires businesses to provide warnings to Californians about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer”.

Colors that contain a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer will have a ‘YES’ under the Proposition 65 heading:

(Please note: the links above lead to jackson’s Art Store – If you use these links you will benefit from a 10% reduction on your first ever order).

As you can see all of these paints are considered approved products and contain no cancer causing chemicals.

I recommend you look up your own paint labels, just so you’re aware of the toxic characteristics of your watercolor palette.

You can read the full material safety list of Daniel Smith paints here…

(Look for the color information at the very end of the document which shows whether a hazardous ingredient is used and gives the label “AP” or “CL”)

How to Dispose of Watercolor Paint Water

For rinse water, considering that most paints are labeled with low levels of toxicity, I simply pour rinse water in the sink.

I consider that grey-water like this gets filtered, and paint pigment particles should be sufficiently large for them to be filtered out in the early stages of the cleaning process.

From an environmental point of view I would keep a couple of things in mind.

I’ve heard an environmentalist say that you probably pollute more by taking your car to go grocery shopping than by tipping watercolor rinse water down the drain.

Also, I would be more concerned if I were using acrylic paints. The binders used in watercolors like gum arabic are natural substances, but acrylics use plastic binders.

Finally, if you’re really concerned about putting rinse water in your sink, you could consider watering your flowers with it ! I’ve heard a lot of watercolor artists claim that the flowers actually benefit from the minerals in some of the paint ingredients ! However, I would maybe avoid watering the vegetable patch!

Cadmium Watercolor Toxicity

If you’ve been painting with watercolors for a while you may have heard artists repeatedly being concerned about “cadmium” paints. But why is this particular pigment the center of so much fuss?

Cadmiums are used to produce colors ranging from pale yellow to oranges and deep reds and generally produce a very vivid color appearance which is why they are so appreciated by artists.

In December 2013 Sweden called for a ban on the use of cadmium pigments in paints, claiming that artists were polluting when they rinsed their brushes in the sink. The theory was that cadmium would end up in sewage which was then spread onto crops and thereby causing pollution. The counter argument claimed that the source of cadmium pollution probably came from nickel-cadmium batteries being dumped into landfills. In 2015 the European Union officially rejected Sweden’s proposal, stating that “the presence of cadmium in artists’ paints does not present an unacceptable risk to human health”.

Studies have shown that cadmium pigments can be toxic if inhaled or ingested.

It’s true that Cadmium and other metals like cobalt and nickel are toxic. But I’ve read that cadmium, for example, is mostly dangerous in powder form. During the paint manufacturing process cadmium is amalgamated with the binders. This process renders the cadmium insoluble in water, which greatly limits absorption by the human body.

Alternatives to cadmiums are called cadmium hues. A “hue” is an imitation of an original organic or mineral pigment. They are often created by paint manufacturers as an alternative to the pigment based paints.

For example, Winsor and Newton recently developed a range of “cadmium-free” watercolors, which are considered to “provide true parity in color and performance to genuine cadmium paints”.

Here are a few examples (links go to Amazon):

• Winsor & Newton Cadmium-Free Red
• Winsor & Newton Cadmium-Free Orange
• Winsor & Newton Cadmium-Free Yellow

These are an interesting commercial alternative to cadmium paints which are often labeled with a “Cautionary Labeling” seal.

I’ve never tried them – But I’m sure I’ll give them a go one of these days !

Toxicity of Watercolor Paint for Artists

I hope you now have a better understanding of the issue of watercolor paint and toxicity. With a few good habits and a bit of prudence you can continue to enjoy watercolor painting.

Remember… Don’t drink your rinse water. Don’t lick any brushes. And above all, have fun painting!

The post Are Watercolors Toxic ? (The Truth about Toxic Watercolor Pigments) first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

And frankly, most of those reviews seem to have been written by people who probably haven’t picked up a paint brush in their life !

I have to admit…when I first started watercolors I agonized over my choice of paints. It can be pretty confusing trying to compare different brands, colors, and all the various characteristics of this beautiful art medium.

I totally understand. You want to pick the perfect watercolors to get the most out of your painting experience.

So in the following lines I’ll give you the simple truth about what you need to look for when selecting watercolor paints.

And I’ll give you the complete list of colors in my palette and tell you why I chose them.

Armed with a few good insights I hope you’ll feel confident about choosing the watercolors which best fit your needs.

How to Choose the Best Watercolor Paints

Is it a good idea to choose your paints at random?

Probably not…

I don’t think you should select your watercolors without knowing a little bit about what you’re buying first. And that means you need to understand a few basics about the characteristics of watercolor paint.

When you select your paints, the characteristics you need to take into consideration are the following:

• The number of pigments used
• The paint’s transparency rating
• The Lightfastness ratings
• The Granularity of the paint

To find this information you’re going to have to read the paint labels, or do a bit of research on the manufacturer’s website. Let’s take a quick look at these characteristics so you understand what they mean…

Number of pigments

The ingredients used to make paint include one, two, three, or sometimes more pigments. Pigments are identified by a color index code. For example, if the paint label says “PB28” this means it contains “Pigment Blue number 28”, which is commonly used to make cobalt blue.

Transparency

Certain watercolors are more transparent than others. Of course, all watercolors can be made transparent by diluting them with water, but certain pigments hide the underlying paper (or previous wash of color) more than others. Look at the transparency rating when comparing watercolors – Paints are usually categorized as “transparent”, “semi-transparent”, or “opaque”. 

Lightfastness

Lightfastness is a rating of how much a particular paint will fade or discolor over time when exposed to light. Watercolor paints are rated using the ASTM scale (American Standard Test Measure) which ranges from “excellent” to “very poor”.

Granularity

Granular paints tend to have a grainy texture when dry. This appearance is due to the uneven distribution of pigment particles on the paper surface. Granular pigments react this way because they are larger, heavier, and more irregular in shape than other small, fine pigments. This is a characteristic of the pigments themselves.

How to choose?

Ok… Now imagine you’re looking at a manufacturer’s paint chart. What exactly should you be looking for ?

When choosing paints I look for colors that fit the following criteria:

• Single pigment
• Transparent
• Very Lightfast
• Low granularity

Why is this important ?

Single pigment, transparent paints provide the most saturated and intense versions of any color. They mix well together and don’t create “mud”. I find that opaque or multi-pigment paints have tricky handling qualities. I also chose paints with “excellent” or “verygood” lightfastness because I don’t want my paintings to fade ! Granularity is more of a personal preference. As far as possible I prefer paints that are not too granular because I find granular paints more difficult to handle. But I do use them when I specifically want a granular texture! I suggest you experiment to find out what you like.

You may find it difficult to find paints that perfectly match all your criteria at once. When picking a new color the first things I look for are good transparency and single pigments. If this isn’t possible then I try to get the next best characteristics. Nowadays most modern professional watercolor paints have very good lightfastness, so this criteria should be easy to fulfil. 

Concentrating on these components of watercolor paint will steer you towards the best choices.

Professional or Student Grade Paints?

Student grade paints are cheaper than professional watercolors. This is because the ingredients aren’t the same (something has to make them cheaper… Right?).

So to reduce the price, paint manufacturers use less pigment or cheaper versions which simulate true pigments but have lower manufacturing costs.  Yep… It’s the pigments that cost money. 

There’s nothing wrong with starting out using student grade paints to begin with. However, I suggest you avoid the cheap watercolor sets and stick to a reputable brand.  Sennelier or Winsor & Newton’s Cotman Series are a couple of good examples you can easily find on Amazon.

Later, as you progress you should move towards professional watercolors. 

Tubes or Pans – Which is Best?

In general you’ll find that watercolor comes in two different formats: tubes or pans.

Tubes are filled with liquid paint, whereas pans are little containers with dried cakes of paint in them. These pans exist in two sizes known as “full pan” or “half pan”.

Ok… Great! So that just gives you one more choice to make! But let me make life simple for you – choose tubes!

There are a number of reasons I think you’ll prefer to buy tubes over pans. 

For a start, not all brands of paint are available in pans. So if you’re keen on trying some M. Graham paints for example, you simply can’t buy them in pans! 

You often see pans in ready to go palettes. The problem here is that you don’t get to choose your own colors, which I think is restrictive. For a better range of mixing possibilities it’s best to choose your own hues (more on which colors to choose below).

You can of course find ready made pans of paint that you can purchase individually. Winsor and Newton has a wide range of colors. But these pans cost almost as much as a 15ml tube, which contains a larger amount of paint!

Tubes give you the best of both worlds and in my opinion work out cheaper in the long run. You can either work with fresh paint squeezed from the tubes, or if you want the convenience of a palette of colored pans, you can simply fill up some empty pans with paint from the tube! And on top of that, one 15ml paint tube will fill up your pans more than once!

Don’t worry… The paint will slowly dry out, and can easily be re-wetted without any loss of handling quality. 

Here’s a more in-depth discussion of pans vs watercolor tubes…

You can find some great empty watercolor palettes which you simply fill up with your choice of paint brand and colors. I suggest you get one with a lid like this one on Amazon to keep your paint dust free when not in use (I hate dust on my paints!)

Which Brand to Choose?

Ask five watercolor artists which brand they recommend and you’ll probably get five different answers!

The choice of brand seems to be quite a personal choice. I prefer Daniel Smith. They produce beautiful vibrant colors, lay down smoothly and re-wet easily in my palette. You can read more about what I consider good watercolor brands here…

Whichever brand you choose, I suggest you stick to a reputable manufacturer. Make sure they are clearly labeled with the specifications we discussed above. Well-known brands include Daniel Smith, Winsor & Newton, M. Graham, Sennelier, Da Vinci, Holbein, Schmincke, Van Gogh and Rembrandt.

I’m sure there are others, but these are some of the best known paints – although I still believe that Daniel Smith, Winsor and Newton, and M. Graham count as some of the highest quality paint brands. 

Which Colors to Choose?

Colors create mood and emotion. You want to be able to paint both bright vivid colors or toned down hues. So ideally you need a selection of colors which provide the best range of mixing possibilities and convenience. 

But how do you choose your palette of colors?

Below is a breakdown of all the colors currently in my studio palette. These are mostly single pigment and transparent paints which I selected after long deliberation. I suggest you begin with a set of six primary colors (a warm and cool version of yellow, blue, and red). In theory, you can mix any color using just the primary colors, but in reality you need at least one warm and cool version of each primary color to get a full range of mixable colors. 

Daniel Smith make an Essentials Introductory Set (find them on Amazon) They include six warm and cool primary hues in an affordable package which is ideal for starting out.

You can then expand you mixing possibilities and ease of use of your mixing palette by adding some secondary and convenience colors. 

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Primary Colors:

These are the foundation of your mixing palette – start here. Note that I have more than one primary color in my palette for wider mixing choices. 

Cool Red – Quinacridone Rose: PV19 (Transparent & single pigment). This is a beautiful bright saturated pink color. It mixes very smoothly like all the quinacridone paints that I use. Most artists agree this makes an excellent cool primary red.

Warm Red – Pyrrol Scarlet: PR255 (Semi-transparent & single pigment). This is a very intense warm red color with excellent lightfast qualities. It has consistent handling properties across different brands. 

Quinacridone Coral: PR209(Single pigment, transparent). This is a brightly saturated red and mixes beautifully with yellows and greens to produce a wide range of earthy browns. It has a chromatic appearance somewhere between a warm and cool red.

Warm Blue – French Ultramarine: PB29(Transparent & single pigment). This hue also counts as a blue-violet, almost purple color. The pigment used for French Ultramarine is quite granular but it’s also a very stable, single pigment, warm blue. 

Cool Blue – Phthalo Blue GS: PB15:3(Transparent & single pigment). The “GS” means “Green Shade”. The green shade option is what makes this a cool blue. This is an excellent blue paint with a fine texture and good saturation.

Cobalt Blue: PB28(Semi-transparent & single pigment) This is less granular than Ultramarine and useful for skies. This blue sits somewhere between a cool and warm blue. Some artists use this as their regular blue color but I use it as a “bonus” blue.

Cobalt Teal Blue: PG50 (Semi-transparent & single pigment). This is another beautiful blue-green hue. The paint retains its saturation well after drying. You’ll find the same pigment used in paints with various names, but “Teal” is the pure version of this turquoise color. This paint is quite granular.

Warm Yellow – Hansa Yellow Deep: PY65  (Semi-transparent / single pigment).  This pigment gives a beautifully warm, vibrant, and pure yellow appearance. It only undergoes a very slight color shift as it dries, keeping most of its color saturation. Makes fantastic oranges when mixed with warm reds.

Cool Yellow – Lemon Yellow: PY175(Transparent & single pigment). This is a very light yellow which holds its color value well as it dries. Very useful for mixing bright greens when combined with a cool blue.

Secondary Colors:

Secondary colors can be mixed using primaries. But these are also colors that get used often so it can be quicker and easier to have some ready-to-go secondary colors in your palette.

Orange – I prefer to use Transparent Pyrrol Orange: PO71(Transparent & single pigment), because it is a fully transparent paint with a gorgeous intense orange color. If you mix it with a complementary paint color such as Phthalo Blue or even Prussian Blue you can mix some beautiful “blacks”.

Green – Phthalo Green BS: PG7 (Transparent & single pigment). The “BS” stands for “Blue shade” . You’ll find that the pigment PG7 is used in a large number of convenience green mixes by various manufacturers. When mixed with yellows and earth colors this pigment makes an amazing range of greens. 

Convenience Colors:

Convenience colors are ready mixed colors that you use so frequently it makes life so much easier to have them available in your palette. I use a couple of them – Sap Green and Payne’s Gray (see darks below).

Sap Green:  PO48/PG7/PY150  (Transparent – multiple pigments). Ok I admit it. I include this one because I’m lazy! It gives me a consistent sap green appearance when I want a fast color for vegetation. It provides a natural looking green that can be used straight from the palette.

Earth Colors:

Earth colors are all around us and you’ll make regular use of them when painting. Here are the earthy hues I use in my palette. If you only want a couple of earthy colors I suggest you pick Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna.

Yellow Ochre: PY43 (Transparent & single pigment). This yellow earth pigment is a very useful addition to even a limited palette. I use it all the time. The color remains well saturated even after drying. 

Raw Sienna: PBr7 (Semi-transparent & single pigment). This color has a similar appearance to Yellow Ochre. One of its distinctive qualities is that you can paint superb glowing skies without giving a green tint to you blue sky wash! 

Quinacridone Burnt Orange: PO48 (Transparent & single pigment). This is a beautiful orange earth color. It has a similar color appearance to burnt sienna, and makes some wonderful colors when mixed with blue.

Burnt Sienna: PBr7 (Semi-transparent & single pigment). 

Burnt Sienna is an excellent mixing partner for many other hues. When mixed with Ultramarine you can get some amazing deep blacks.

Burnt Umber: PBr7 (Semi-transparent & single pigment). This is the darkest of the earth colors and has a rich warm earth appearance. I use it a lot to add warmth to shadows.

Darks:

Prussian Blue: PB27 (Transparent – multiple pigments). This pigment mixes easily with others and I find it great for shading and cool shadows. It produces wonderfully saturated darks. I love this low-key color and I often use it on its own.

Payne’s Gray: PB29/PBK9(Semi-transparent – multiple pigments). This hue sits chromatically between prussian blue and ultramarine. Excellent for mixing shades and shadows.

Still don’t know what Colors to Choose?

Confused and undecided?

I know how you feel!

It’s not easy choosing colors, and it can take a while until you become familiar with your preferences. If you’re lucky enough to have a good art store nearby, you might be able to see some swatches of color in real life. Better still, you may be able to get samples of paint from some manufacturers. 

For example, Daniel Smith do a dot color chart of their full color range – again, you can find it on Amazon here… This gives you a reference of 238 different hues so you can test how each color performs before committing to buying a full tube…

Well… this article turned out a little longer than I intended, but I hope the tips above will help guide you so you can find the best watercolors to fit your needs, and start enjoying the wonderful world of watercolors!

Paints are of course just one aspect of watercolor painting. If you’re looking for more general help ​you might find my guide to watercolor supplies​ useful.

Related reading:

What is watercolor paint?

The post Best Watercolor Paints (A Complete Guide) first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

So how do you read the labels on watercolor paints? There are at least four important characteristics to look for on labels: the pigment number, the transparency rating, the lightfastness, and the staining property of the paint. The generic name of the paint is less important.

Why is this information important? Because it can help you choose your paint, and give you a better understanding of color mixing.

Interpreting labels might seem confusing at first but it’s actually quite simple once you become familiar with it. Knowing what’s actually in the paint formula will help you choose your paints with confidence. And it also helps your color mixing skills when you know which pigments you’re mixing.

​Reading Watercolor Paint Labels

You’ve probably noticed the poetic names printed on your tubes of watercolor. You often see names like “Phthalo”, “Quinacridone” and “Sienna”. But those fancy names are just marketing names, and they don’t really tell you anything about what’s inside the paint. Which is why, if you’re serious about watercolors, you need to read the labels and the manufacturers data if you want to learn more about the paints you purchase.

The principle ingredient in watercolor paint is the pigment. This is mixed with a few other things to improve the paint’s handling qualities, including gum arabic, glycerin, and a wetting agent.

Each of these ingredientsvaries from one brand to another, and even if the ingredients between two brands are extremely similar, the marketing name probably won’t be the same! Manufacturers can call their products whatever they want, so don’t rely on it for comparing paints.

​So how do figure out which paints to use?

Ignore the generic name and take a peek at the label! There are a few characteristics which you should look for:

• ​The pigment number.
• ​The transparency rating.
• ​The lightfastness rating.
• ​The staining property of the paint.

Pigment Numbers

To make pigment identification easier to remember, paints use a code known as the Color Index Name. This is a standardized list which is internationally recognized by all manufacturers. And it provides artists with the most trustworthy way to identify colors used in paint ingredients.

This handy color index avoids having to use the technical chemical names of pigments. It’s a pretty simple code and begins with the letter P (for pigment) followed by some letters to indicate a basic color category:

• ​Y for Yellow
• ​O for Orange
• ​R for Red
• ​V for Violet
• ​B for Blue
• ​G for Green
• ​Br for Brown
• ​Bk for Black
• ​W for White

Pigment numbers tell you exactly which pigment was used in the ingredients. For example PB28 is traditionally used for Cobalt Blue. The “PB” means “pigment, blue”, and “28” means that it’s the 28th blue pigment listing in the color index. You also want to look at the quantity of pigments used in the formula. Paints with more than one pigment are generally known as “convenience” mixtures (more about these later).

​Transparency

The transparency rating generally ranges from “transparent”, to “semi-transparent” to “opaque”. Yes… you’ve probably heard me jabbering about how “watercolors paints are transparent”, but different paint formulas can have varying degrees of transparency.

Lightfastness

Lightfastness is also known as permanency. This is a measure of how well a paint stands up to the strains of time, and whether it is likely to fade after a few years. If you intend to sell your paintings or want them to last several years, this is an important quality.

Staining Properties

Paints can also have low, moderate, or high staining properties. This is a measure of how well the paint fixes to the paper. For example, a low staining paint will easily “lift off” the paper (this kind of paint is known as fugitive). Conversely, a high staining paint remains stubbornly on the surface and is difficult to budge!

Putting all this Information to Good Use

My advice if you’re choosing your first paint is to go for single pigment paints which have the highest transparency rating possible. Also, if they have good staining properties then that can be a bonus.

And here’s why…

Color mixing is an important skill to master and mixing with single pigment formulas is much easier than mixing convenience paints which contain multiple pigments. It’s all about getting to know your paints, and mixing with the same single pigments is predictable, and easily reproduced. Different brands which use the same single pigment are likely to be very similar. However, convenience mixtures differ from brand to brand, and manufacturers sometimes use less expensive pigment combinations to match the color appearance of more expensive paint. You know what you’re getting with single pigment paints.

Also, fundamental techniques such as glazing work better with paints which are rated transparent. It makes sense don’t you think? Glazing, or layering, relies on the idea that the underlying washes of paint remain visible. For me, this transparency is part of the beauty of watercolors. Similarly, if you paint in layers like this, good staining properties are useful. With staining paints the underlying layers of paint won’t lift and start mixing with each fresh glaze of paint.

Artists often find that opaque, low-staining, multiple pigment paint mixes can result in muddy colors.

It can be difficult to unite all of the characteristics you seek into a useful palette of colors. If you want some help choosing paints then take a look at my recommendations here…

I’m not saying that convenience mixtures are bad or that transparent paints are necessarily better than opaque. Each has its own advantages. But as a beginner, mixing multiple types of paints with highly varying characteristics and trying to learn about them is going to be very tricky.

Artist vs Student Grade Watercolors

This is another sticking point for some beginners, and understandably, because watercolor paint can be expensive. Student grade kits are often more reasonably priced. And there are so many beautiful pigment colors and paint formulas it can make it difficult to choose. Nowadays artists rely on the reputation of well known manufacturers for the quality of their paints. But these brands often sell two different standards of watercolors which are generally rated as “student” or “artist” grade paint.

Quite simply, the difference with student grade watercolors is they use less pigment or substitute expensive pigments with a lower standard of pigment in their ingredients.

This doesn’t mean that student grade paints are bad. When I was learning I used a set of Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolors and was very happy.

My own preferred brand of paint is Daniel Smith. They mix smoothly and I just love the way these paints handle. A great way to get started with these paints is this introductory set of warm and cool primary colors.  

So next time you buy some paint, think about the above characteristics. You should be better able to understand the paints that you’re using and make an informed choice which watercolors you want to use!

Have fun!

The post How to Read Watercolor Labels – A Beginners Tutorial first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

When you play around with watercolors for a while you’ll soon notice this interesting aspect of watercolor painting.

Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with your paint !

One of the most beautiful characteristics of watercolor is the surprising textures it can produce. And granulation is one of the traits that adds incredible texture.

You’ve probably heard watercolor artists discussing granulating paints (sometimes referred to as flocculating or sedimentary watercolors).

But what is a granulating watercolor ?

Watercolor granulation results from the type of pigments used in the paint formula. Some pigments tend to cluster together creating uneven mottled washes. Granulating watercolors produce delicate textures because of the characteristics of their pigment particles.

Personally I like the expressiveness produced by this effect. The subtle textures created by granulation is something unique to watercolors !

Some watercolor artists prefer smooth even colors and do all they can to avoid granulating paints. Others exploit this effect to produce beautiful dappled effects in their artwork.

Whatever your preference, this is a characteristic worth getting to know !

Granulating pigments

Pigments are the basis of the color appearance in our watercolors.

In the past, artists used organic substances to provide pigments for their paint. These natural pigments are the origin of some of the poetic paint “names” we recognize today, (names such as Alizarin, Sepia, Gamboge etc.).

Today the majority of pigments used in paint are man made(known as synthetic organic pigments).

Many synthetic organic pigments form clumps during manufacturing. These clumps can be broken down by milling before the pigments are made into paints, but not all pigments are equally as easy to grind. As a result the size and shape of pigments varies slightly from one paint to another.

As a general rule, small fine pigment particles will produce less granulation, and these watercolors produce a flat and smooth painted surface.

Larger, heavier, irregularly sized pigments will cause more granulation and these can bring about some wonderful mottled textured effects.

Obviously, given the vast range of different paints, the size and shape of pigments is changeable from one tube of paint to the next. As a result the degree of granulation differs quite a bit.

Granulation on watercolor paper

When you lay down a wet watercolor wash, at first the color pigments are suspended in the water of the fluid paint. As the water evaporates, the pigments settle onto the paper. Granulating pigments are heavier than non-granulating pigments, and so they sink into the paper under the influence of gravity.

The mottled textures of granulation can be observed on all types of watercolor paper. On smooth hot-pressed paper the pigments tend to do as they please and move around randomly until all the water evaporates. On cold-pressed or rough watercolor paper the dispersion of pigments is slightly more even, and the pigments tend to fall into the low crevices and valleys of the rough paper surface.

Remember, you can vary your choice of paper according to the effect you’re trying to achieve.

Which watercolors granulate ?

As you’ve probably gathered by now, whether or not your watercolors granulate depends very much on the type of pigments which comprise the paint. But the brand and grade of paint can also influence the amount of granulation, since the formula varies a lot between manufacturers.

You will also find that cheaper, student grade watercolors will granulate less because their paint formula tends to contain less pigment (pigments are expensive, so lower quality paint uses less of them).

But generally speaking, certain colored pigments have more sedimentary qualities than others.

For example, finding red and yellow hues that granulate is really hard. Whereas blues and purples, have a good range of granulating colors.

Below is a list of some common granulating watercolors (non exhaustive).

Granulating blues

Finding blue sedimentary colors is pretty easy. A lot of the generic paint names of artist quality paint use the same pigment in their paint formula, but it is worth checking to be sure.

French Ultramarine is probably one of the most commonly used warm blues and is very granulating. Ultramarine Blue falls into the same category.

Prussian Blue also tends to granulate quite a bit.

Cerulean Blue and Lapis Lazuli are medium-light hued blues which granulate well.

A medium and warm hued blue would be Cobalt Blue.

Granulating red and yellows

Granulating reds and yellows are pretty rare. The only one which seems to come close is Perylene Scarlet which is a medium semi-transparent paint.

About the only way to get granulation in reds, is by using the Granulation Medium (see below). It takes some experimentation, but you can achieve some dramatic granulating texture effects this way.

Depending on the kind of red you need, you can also try mixing a non-granulating red with another granulating color such as purple or an earth hues. Colors such as Cobalt Violet, Ultramarine Red (actually a purple hue) or Burgundy Red Ochre and Quinacridone Burnt Orange could do the job.

Yellows are similarly difficult to find. Again the only yellow hue I know of is Nickel Titanate Yellow which is a light hue and does not really granulate a lot.

If you’re mixing a more neutral yellow you could try French Ochre or Yellow Ochre. Also Buff titanium mixed with a non-granulating yellow paint may do the trick !

Granulating earth tones

Earthy browns are also among the paint colors which have good granulating properties. Some of my favorites include Raw Sienna, ​Burnt Sienna and ​Burnt Umber.

Granulating black watercolor

You can find some quite good black watercolor sedimentary paints. Payne’s Gray and Ivory Black granulate. But the most dramatic granulating black I’ve found is Hematite Genuine from the Primatek series by Daniel Smith.

List of Daniel Smith granulating watercolors

Like a lot of artists, I’m a fan of Daniel Smith watercolors. They have a huge range of colors to choose from and have a particularly good choice of granulating paints. At the time of writing I counted 111 granulating paints in their “Extra Fine Watercolor” range.

That’s a huge choice !

​Here they are:

​This list does not include the Daniel Smith Primatek series which contains an additional 32 interesting granulating watercolors.

Watercolor granulation medium

Some of you may be wondering how to make your watercolors granulate even if they aren’t sedimentary ?

To achieve the textured effect of granulation you can use granulation medium.

This is a liquid solution which you can add to your watercolors, either by diluting your tube paints directly with the medium, or by mixing on the paper, by brushing medium onto fresh washes.

The most dramatic result are obtained by using this neat from the bottle. You might find the results too strong.

Instead you can try laying down a very, thin wash of a granulating medium first then put on washes of color layered on top of the granulation medium. This usually retains the granulating effect without sacrificing the color you want or producing excessive textures.

Take care when using granulation medium not to mix it with your normal palette, or you may end up contaminating all your colors with granulating fluid. The best idea is probably to keep your color mixing separate when you want to use this product.

This product also seems to increase the drying time of your paintings, so you’ll need to be patient!

How to get granulation effects with watercolor

So how do you make your watercolors granulate.

Personally I get the impression that granulation is better on cold press or rough paper, and also it shows more if the paper is dampened. I often brush a little water on the paper, then add the watercolor mixed with more water. This allows the particles to float until the heavier particles clump and do their thing on the paper.

One method to force granulation is to add a lot of water to your pigment, then go back and charge your wash with more pigment.

Another tip is to keep your paper flat and horizontal. If your paper is tilted the pigments run downward under gravity and the granulation effect is lost.

Often, when you get backruns and blooms the granulation effect is even more exaggerated.

If you don’t have many sedimentary watercolors and as an alternative to granulating medium, my best advice is to try creating your own textures. Try splattering water onto your paint using a hard bristled brush or a spray bottle filled with water.  You can also scatter salt or rice onto your paint, although I would be careful with salt in time the paper will degrade,

Just get some scrap paper and give it a try !

Are your watercolors granulating ?

Why not check you own colors to see which ones granulate !

Depending on which brand of paint you use, identifying which of your watercolor paints have granulating characteristics is more or less simple. Sometimes you’ll find this kind of information on the labels of the paint tubes. Alternatively you can download the color chart of your chosen brand where you’ll find all the properties of each paint. Here for example is what this looks like on the Daniel Smith watercolor chart:

The granulation element is generally indicated Yes or No (Y or N). Some brands such as M. Graham use a “G” to indicate granulation.

You can download their color chart here…

​The same for Schmincke whose color chart you’ll find here…

For Winsor & Newton, finding this information is slightly tricky. You have to consult the individual paints on their website to find out whether they granulate: see this page​ …

For Sennelier, I wish you the best of luck – I couldn’t find this information anywhere !

If you can’t find this information for your own set of watercolors, you can use observation to help you determine their characteristics. If you examine your mixing palette after your paints have dried, you should be able to see clear granulation patterns from colors that are sedimentary. Try observing your palette occasionally to judge which of your colors fall into this category.

Conclusion

Granulating paints can be more difficult to control…

After all they seem to have a life of their own !

Beginners may find this kind of paint more of a challenge, but if you’re looking for amazing textures in your artwork, then it is certainly worth investing some time playing around with granulation…

The post All you ever wanted to know about Watercolor Granulation first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

I know what you’re thinking. 

There’s a huge choice of watercolors on the market and you haven’t got a clue which are good and which are a waste of time. 

I was in the same predicament when I started watercolor painting. Choosing the right ​supplies is a big deal – especially when you’re a beginner. So I did a lot of research! And below I’m sharing the results of what I found.

Just to be clear, I haven’t researched ALL the brands of watercolor paint available. So there are probably gaps in the following article. Also, choosing the best watercolor paint is ultimately a personal choice. I have some favorites, which I’ll explain below, and if you ask a handful of watercolor artists what’s their favorite brand, they will probably all give a different answer!

Finding the best brand of watercolor paint to suit your needs isn’t easy. Last time I looked, I counted over 50 different manufacturers!

That’s a lot of paint!

But it’s worth taking a little time to consider the paint you’re going to use, because it has a big effect on your success as a watercolorist.

My choice of good watercolor brands

1. Daniel Smith
2. ​M. Graham
3. ​Winsor & Newton

This is my quick reply. If you were to ask me what brand of watercolor paint I recommend, and you just wanted some quick advice, these are the manufacturers I would tell you to look at. My first watercolor paints were Winsor & Newton, which I still enjoy – probably because I have an emotional attachment to my first paints! When I first saw Daniel Smith’s range of watercolors I thought “wow look at all those colors” – and then “oh no, now I have to make a choice” ! There’s a huge range of wonderful transparent colors which often have interesting granulated textures. Then I discovered the beautiful pigments and rich creamy texture of M Graham paints – these are made with honey!

I’m afraid my recommendation isn’t very original, since you’ll find a lot of other artists love these brands too!

If you want to know more about how to judge good watercolor paint by yourself, keep reading!

Why should you care which brand to buy?

It’s important to choose your paints carefully, and a little background information about the different brands available can be useful. Also, good quality watercolor paint is expensive! It’s no fun buying expensive stuff only to regret it later.

For the purposes of this comparison I’m only considering “artists’ quality” paint. A lot of brands of watercolors are available in “students” or “academic” grades as well as professional artists grade.

If you’re looking for good watercolors, then you too should only consider companies that offer artist grade paints.

Artist quality paints have a better concentration of pigments, they also have better handling characteristics and they will last longer. I’m also focusing on paints which are easily available and most appreciated by other artists.

​How to choose watercolor paints?

There are a few different criteria that you can use to help you judge the quality of any range of watercolor paints. Most well-known brands provide this information, either on the product labeling, or directly on their website. Below I’ll provide some links to some of these references so you can check the characteristics of the colors you’re interested in.

The main characteristics you should look for when choosing a watercolor brand are as follows.

Pigments

​Look for brands that offer single pigment paints. These result in more vibrant colors.

Pigments are the raw materials of color. If you want intense colors and more vibrant results, as far as possible try to get single pigment paints. Most artists find that if you mix together too many pigments the resulting color becomes muddy and dull.

If you choose the right single pigment paints you can produce most colors you need from just two pigments (mixing two single pigment paints together). This is a more efficient way of mixing and produces better results.

To find single pigment paint you need to check the labels for the color index names included in the paint’s composition. For example, in the Daniel Smith range, the color Burnt Sienna contains a single pigment called “PBr7”. But the convenience mixture Sap Green contains three pigments, “PO48, PG7 and PY150”. You can just as easily produce a sap green color by mixing two single pigment paints together (Phthalo Green and Yellow Ochre).

You may not realize this, but there is an important difference between “color” and “pigments”. A lot of artists describe the color of their work using common color names. You’ll often see names like French Ultramarine, or Burnt Sienna on watercolor packaging.

Ignore the name of the color you see on the packaging!

The color name on a tube of watercolor doesn’t tell you what pigment was used to create that color. A brand’s color name is just the product name of the paint. For example, different brands may use different recipes of pigments to create a tube of Burnt Sienna:

Winsor & Newton Burnt Sienna contains the pigment PR101

M Graham Burnt Sienna contains the pigment PBr7

The final color appearance of each of these paints would be different. It’s good to get into the habit of checking the composition of your paint.

Transparency

Look for a brand that has a good range of transparent paints rather than opaque.

Transparency is an important characteristic of watercolor paint.

A fundamental technique in watercolor painting involves glazing. This is where multiple layers of transparent paint are applied on top of each other. Each layer of paint is left to dry before applying the next wash. Each successive wash alters the final color appearance.

If your paints are too opaque the result will look chalky or dull when used for glazing.

Transparent watercolors are the key to vivid, luminous colors. One of the most appealing qualities of watercolor paintings is their transparency. Using glazing, beautiful colors can be created from carefully layered successive washes of paint. This transparency allows the white surface of the paper to show through and reflect light, giving a more luminous result.

Check the brand’s documentation or labeling to verify the transparency of each paint. Most manufacturers indicate the transparent properties of their paint like this:

transparent / semi-transparent / semi-opaque / opaque

Ideally you want a large range of transparent and semi-transparent products.

​Lightfastness

Choose a brand of paint with lightfast colors if you don’t want your painting to fade over time!

Lightfastness is a measure of how well the pigments in the paint resist change over time when exposed to light, or other environmental conditions. You don’t want your masterpiece to look pale and tarnished after a few years!

Lightfastness is also referred to as permanence. You will also hear people talk about fugitive and non-fugitive colors.

There is an international standard for lightfastness. This is known as the ASTM rating and is normally indicated as follows:

• ​ASTM I = Excellent Lightfastness
• ​ASTM II = Very Good Lightfastness
• ​ASTM III = Not Sufficiently Lightfast
• ​ASTM IV = Fugitive

​It’s a good idea to choose a brand of paint who offer mostly colors with ASTM I or ASTM II rating.

Watercolor Brands

​Following is a summary of my analysis of ​my choice ​of the top 3 brands of watercolors. ​I don’t guarantee the accuracy of the figures below because paint collections evolve all the time, but it should give you a good ​overall idea.

Daniel Smith

The Daniel Smith collection of paints includes a whopping big 251 colors!

That’s more than any other brand that I know of.

Daniel Smith Lightfastness

All paints have a high degree of lightfastness. 89% are rated ASTM I and 10% are rated ASTM II (only 2 colors in the collection are fugitive).

Daniel Smith Transparency

96% of the colors are rated transparent or semi-transparent (only 10 semi-opaque and opaque paints)

Daniel Smith Pigments

Daniel Smith’s range of paints include 168 Extra Fine professional artists colors.

70% Of these Extra Fine artists colors are single pigment paints.

The full collection of 251 colors includes 35 Primatek colors, and there are also 48 luminescent paints. The Primatek range is unique to Daniel Smith and they use pigments unavailable in any other brand. The Luminescent colors have a metallic shiny finish.

​Daniel Smith have some amazing colors you can’t find with other brands. The level of transparency of these paints is impressive. The handling quality of the paint is excellent and they have some gorgeous bright and unique pigments! These high quality watercolors are made in Washington and are appreciated by a large number of watercolorists. I use them myself all the time – check out my recommendations here…

You can download color charts of the watercolors on their website…

M. Graham

A good collection of artist grade paints with 70 colors in the collection.

M. Graham Lightfastness

The collection has very good lightfastness.

88% are rated ASTM I and 10% are rated ASTM II (only 1 color in the collection is fugitive).

M. Graham Transparency

74% of the colors are rated transparent or semi-transparent (18 semi-opaque and opaque paints)

M. Graham Pigments

80% of the paints are single pigment formulas. 15 of their colors have 2 or more pigments.

You may already know that one of the main features of M. Graham paints is that they use blackberry honey in their recipe. This is used as a humectant or moisturiser to help retain water and prevent the paint from drying out. Other brands tend to use sugar syrup.

This gives them a very enjoyable creamy consistency. Applying the paint is smooth and easy, and the honey also helps the paints stay relatively humid, and very easy to reconstitute when you add water.

Those who use M.Graham watercolours speak very highly of them so I’m not alone. However, because they don’t dry out this tends to make them less portable. You could always try using an airtight palette if you want to try plein air painting with them, but I tend to use them in studio situations.

You’ll find color charts and more information on their site…

Winsor & Newton

The professional range of colors by Winsor and Newton includes 96 colors.

Winsor & Newton Lightfastness

The lightfastness of the collection is very good.

78% are rated ASTM I and 22% are rated ASTM II (none of the colors are fugitive).

Winsor & Newton Transparency

Only 58% of the colors are transparent or semi-transparent (41 semi-opaque and opaque paints).

Winsor & Newton Pigments

78% of the collection are single pigment colors. 21 paints contain 2 or more pigments

Winsor & Newton have a very long tradition of making artist materials, dating back to 1832. Overall the amount of transparent paints in the professional range is ​not as big compared to Daniel Smith or M. Graham. There are quite a few semi-opaque and opaque colors, particularly the yellows. Winsor and Newton are still very good quality paints with a highly saturating of pigments. And they are appreciated by a huge range of artists internationally. The pan paints for example rewet very well and are great for plein air painting conditions.

Details of their watercolor range is available on their website…

Other moderately priced brands

Holbein HWC

The brand is named after the artist Hans Holbein, and includes 108 watercolors at the time of writing. Although I haven’t used these paints, they merit your attention for their low cost. Holbein is a Japanese brand of watercolors with some good quality and reasonably priced paints. 50% of the collection includes single pigment paints. And if you like granulating paints, I have heard that they include some interesting granulating pigments in their collection. Pigment composition was difficult to find, so choosing colors could be complicated.

St Petersburg Watercolours

This series of watercolors is also worth mentioning. They have a range of 69 colors and are very reasonably priced. This Russian manufacturer is also known by the brand name “White Nights” and previously sold under the brand name “Yarka”.

There’s a good range of single pigment colors but data about transparency is lacking on their website. I have heard that some of the colors are not very lightfast.

Nevertheless, they have some great low priced pan sets that I would not consider “professional” but would probably be good for watercolor sketches or for students.

Dr Ph. Martin

I was curious about this brand of watercolor paints because of their “liquid” format. They are labeled as “fine art watercolor” but I think you should consider them as a cheap but fun alternative to artist grade watercolors. The technical data about their pigment formulation, transparency and lightfastness is lacking. I contacted the company to try and find out more information but they were unable (or unwilling) to provide details.

Bottom line

I would encourage everyone to read other artists opinions and try out different brands to see what suits you best. Don’t worry about brand loyalty. There’s nothing to stop you trying a few primary colors from a selection of different brands.

These days my favorite brand is Daniel Smith. The colors are gorgeous even when dry and there’s a vast choice​!

If you have difficulty choosing colors, some brands offer spot sample charts so you can try them all!

Go splash some color!

The post Good Watercolor Brands – Which is Best first appeared on Watercolor Affair.

Good for you. 

I remember the first watercolor paints I used at school when I was a kid. It was a huge pan set. The colored bricks were as big as my hand with rounded edges for safety ! To be honest, the results were not very good – but at least none of the kids could swallow the paint!

You’ve probably been salivating at the huge selection of beautiful watercolor paint available to you – but what is watercolor paint exactly ?

Watercolor paint is a translucent art medium. Watercolor is basically a colored pigment in a water-soluble binder. The paint dissolves when you add water allowing the pigment to spread with a brush.

If you’re serious about pursuing a hobby as a watercolor artist you need to know what watercolor is. Knowing something about your paint will help you recognize good paint from bad, and help you choose the best watercolors to suit your preferences.

What is watercolor paint made of ?

Watercolor paint is made of a few simple ingredients, but the two main components are the pigment (this provides the color) and the binder (usually gum-arabic). Watercolor paints also contain some other additives which alter the paint’s appearance, the way the paint performs, and to extend the shelf life of the product.

First and foremost you have the very finely ground colored pigments. There are over 100 pigments used in artists watercolor paint. These can be natural or synthetic. Some of the natural pigments are hard to acquire, which makes certain colors more expensive. The quantity of pigment in the paint can also vary depending on it’s grade or quality. Most manufacturers offer two qualities of watercolor paints – professional grade or student grade. With student grade paint the cost is lower because some of the expensive pigments are replaced with moderately priced alternatives. The proportion of pigment in paint varies between 10% and 20%.

The binder in watercolors is traditionally gum-arabic, but some brands use a synthetic binder. The job of the binder is to help the colored pigment attach and “bind” to the watercolor paper. The binder also helps produce a brighter color by holding the pigment particles together on the surface of the paper. Binder is a transparent substance and in general makes up about 50% of the paint.

Gum arabic and synthetic binders tend to dry relatively quickly. Watercolors made only with pigment and gum-arabic will dry to a hard block. For this reason watercolor paint includes a moisturizer and a plasticizer to help extend the life of your paint but also to make it softer and easier to dissolve. These additives also prevent the paint from drying too quickly so that watercolor washes can be applied more easily. The type of moisturizer used is often glucose (for example corn syrup) or sometimes even honey! The plasticizer used is usually glycerin, and makes up about 20% or less of the paint.

A small amount of brightener is sometimes added to watercolor paint. This is usually transparent or white crystals which enhance the color of the pigment, or adjust the lightness of the paint when dried.

Other fillers enhance the handling or color appearance of the paint. These colorless fillers are necessary to improve texture, and provide a smooth and easy to handle consistency. They also modify the way pigment sticks to the paper to prevent it from ‘lifting off’ the surface when you apply new layers of paint. Sometimes fillers are added just to reduce the proportion of costly pigment in the paint.

Water – yes, depending on the type of watercolor paint supplies you buy, they contain a certain amount of water. Watercolors are available in the form of cakes, tubes or in liquid form. Cakes are hard and have a low water content. Tubes contain soft paint with more water content.

Advantages of watercolor painting

Watercolor is very different to acrylic, oil and gouache. Each of these different paint mediums require different techniques.

With watercolors, the colored pigments remain suspended in the water, until the water evaporates and dries. Water dries quickly, which often means the artist needs to make quick decisions! As a result some people find watercolors challenging.

But watercolor is not necessarily any more difficult than other mediums like oil or acrylic. The oil painter didn’t get it right the first time he started painting, and underneath the final painting are several corrected mistakes. The only difference with watercolors is you’ll probably have to reach for another sheet of paper!

In my opinion, the fluid and transparent qualities, and sometimes unexpected results, are what make watercolors a joy to use. Here are some of the advantages to consider:

• It’s a water-based medium – Err… This seems obvious, but this makes watercolors much less messy than oils or acrylics
• Watercolors do not have a strong smell.
• They dry quickly – Yes this is an advantage, since you can move on quickly to the next steps in your project. A lot of artists (myself included) sometimes use a hairdryer to make the drying process even quicker!
• They are easy to work with – watercolors are pleasant, easy to mix and apply, and one of the simplest mediums for any artist.
• Portability – watercolors are light and easy to transport. Fantastic for sketching “en plein air”
• Your paint brushes can be easily cleaned with soap and water
• Not much waste. If you have paint left over in you palette, it will dry up. But you can easily recover the paint next time by adding water.

How to choose watercolor paints – Some characteristics you should know

Making good watercolor paint is a complex and delicate process. Each ingredient contributes its own benefits and drawbacks to the composition of the paint. This is why the best paints are made by reliable and long-established brands who have considerable manufacturing experience.

There are a few characteristics that you should look for to help you judge the quality of watercolors.

Lightfastness or permanence. This important characteristic indicates the longevity of your paintings. It describes a painting’s resistance to fading when exposed to light. There is now a worldwide standard for lightfastness published by the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials standard)

The lightfastness ratings are:

ASTM I — Excellent Lightfastness

ASTM II — Very Good Lightfastness

ASTM III — Not Sufficiently Lightfast to be used in artists’ paints

Look on the packaging for the rating and only choose paint with “very good” or “excellent” lightfastness. After all, you want your painting to last… Right ?

Transparency. You might be thinking “isn’t all watercolor paint transparent” ? After all, transparency is one of the key aesthetic properties of this art medium. But watercolors paints exist in different levels of transparency. There are four general categories:

Transparent, semi-transparent, semi-opaque, and opaque.

Fully transparent watercolors give a brighter and more luminous result because they allow light to pass through and reflect back off the white surface of the paper. Professional artists recommend using almost exclusively transparent paint for the best results. Opaque paints are thicker and chalky in appearance. Most watercolorists who use opaque paints only use them in moderation. You can normally find this information on the paint packaging.

Colors

There are many many different colors to choose from and there are many beautiful pigments and paint formulations out there. Watercolor manufacturers give their paint some very romantic names – Scarlett Lake, French Ultramarine, Vermilion. But the names are just for marketing purposes. A name does not recommend that you get the same color from one brand to another. If you remember from earlier, what provides the color is the pigment. So the final color of the paint depends on the pigment concentration and the mix of pigments in each paint’s recipe.

Also, single pigment paints produce more lively and vivid colors than several pigments mixed together. This is why, when you mix a lot of different watercolor paints together you tend to get a slightly dull result.

When choosing colors it’s a good idea to select single pigment paints.

Don’t stress about any of this. You now know more about the objective measures and characteristics of watercolor paint. But choosing paint is always a matter of personal preference. Start with a basic but limited color palette and enjoy yourself !

See my recommended watercolor paint colors if you need help.

Now go splash some paint !

The post What is Watercolor Paint? The Things you Should Know first appeared on Watercolor Affair.