Using Tiger's Eye stone as an artist's pigment is a relatively recent development. Either unknown to or overlooked by artists of the past, it is just recently finding its way onto the modern day watercolorist's palette, despite being a commonly available and inexpensive mineral that has been known and used at least ceremonially since antiquity.
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This is polished amber Tiger's Eye with visible bands of varying width.
Tiger's Eye is a stone that possesses a captivating luster as light dances across the surface in characteristics waving bands. This eye-catching characteristic makes it easy to recognize, beautiful in jewelry, and a focal point of any rock collection. Most commonly different shades of brown, gold, and amber, it can also be grey and blue in a variety called Hawk's Eye. Tiger's Eye is a specific variety of quartz that is primarily Silicon Dioxide, and very similar in composition to other varieties of quarts such as amethyst.
While various European gentlemen were busying themselves in their delight over first seeing Tiger's Eye along the banks of a river in the eighteenth century, it has been a stone prized by many cultures for thousands of years.
It was a prized gem to the ancient Egyptians who saw in its shining bands the rays of the sun, and therefore associated it with their sun god. Pharaohs wore it as jewelry signifying strength, and had it buried with them in their tombs to guide them in their afterlife because of its resemblance to an eye.
In ancient China, the tiger was an important symbol, the character for 'king' being said to have been derived from the stripes on a tigers face. Tiger's eye stone was carved into small tigers and believed to protect its carriers.
Even Roman soldiers carried carved Tiger's Eye into battle as protection and to give them strength.
Worn as symbolic jewelry, carried as protective amulets, and guiding talismans buried in graves, the Tiger's eye stone has carried great significance for thousands of years.
Tiger's Eye stone has been associated with both tigers and eyes in many great cultures because of its amber bands and moving luminescent bands. Its name is less an etymological evolution and much more tied to a cross-cultural striking resemblance.
The technical geological name of Tiger's Eye is Pseudocrocidolite Quartz.
This is an unpolished Tiger's Eye stone. Note the parallel striations. This is what causes the light to dance when polished.
Tiger's Eye is a variety of quartz that is considered semi-precious. The lustrous waving bands of light are an effect that is rather unexcitingly called chatoyancy in geologic terms. The formation of Tiger's Eye occurs when crocidolite (a blue asbestos) forms in parallel veins and then transforms to iron oxides, which are then replaced by silica. While the composition changes, a process called pseudomorphism, the structure remains mostly the same, leaving the parallel veins in tact, but colored with iron oxides. (Hawk's Eye or Blue Tiger's Eye forms when the crocidolite is replaced by quartz without the transition to iron oxide.)
Tiger's Eye is rather plentiful and inexpensive compared to other semi-precious stones, and while most often found in South Africa, can be found many other places in the world.
When used as a watercolor, Tiger's Eye handles beautifully. While the chatoyancy or dancing bands are sadly destroyed in the process of making pigment, Tiger's Eye still has some surprises. It has a lovely golden brown hue that adds wonderful subtle warmth to color mixtures. It also has a slight granulation and even hints of variegation, especially in flat washes. The smooth application, fine particle size, and willingness to disperse make it a very dreamy color to paint with.
This is a flat wash of our Japanese Tiger's Eye. It is a rich color that disperses easily, hiding brushstrokes in a wash. Note also the subtle granulation with darker brown particles.
Tiger's Eye has no known toxicity when used as a watercolor.
Tiger's Eye is considered very lightfast. Receiving its color primarily from Limonite, its coloring is very stable.
While many watercolorists overlook browns, they can make wonderful convenience colors, and are an easy way to tone down the high chroma pop of modern synthetics when painting natural subjects. This is a color that continues to surprise me and I am delighted to have it in my palette.
As always, wishing you happy painting,
]]>Some of our most frequently asked questions: What is the difference between student and artist grade paint? Which is the best choice for beginners and why the price difference?
I'm going to dive into answers for each of these questions in this article so that you can decide which is best for YOU.
]]>I'm going to dive into answers for each of these questions in this article so that you can decide which is best for YOU.
Please note: in this article, I am discussing the differences between quality student grade paints by respected manufacturers and professional grade paints. When I mention student grade paints I am not including crafting paints, kids paints, or other budget brands in my descriptions.
My first set of watercolor paints. This set rides the line between lower grade student paints and kids paints. They were recommended by my first watercolor teacher and served the purpose well for my first lessons. However, looking back, there is more I could have learned if I had upgraded my colors after my first year of lessons.
There are many degrees of quality within both of these categories, so the following table is just about generalizing the differences:
Student Grade | Artist Grade |
Less Expensive | More Expensive |
Lower Concentration of Pigment | Higher Concentration of Pigment |
More Fillers | Less or No Fillers |
Lower Quality Pigments | Higher Quality Pigments |
Lower Quality Ingredients | Higher Quality Ingredients |
More "Hues" & Pigment Mixtures | More Single-Pigment Paints |
Less Predictable Mixing Results | More Predictable Mixing Results |
Less distinct pigment characteristics | More distinct pigment characteristics |
Above left swatch: Winsor & Newton Cotman Ultramarine blue, Above right swatch: Greenleaf & Blueberry Ultramarine Blue. Both were painted with the same application process. The point of this comparison is not to throw W&N under the bus or contrast "bad vs good" - I am purely trying to demonstrate the difference between student and artist grade paints (both of which are useful!) and objectively analyze their general differences.
Some student grade colors are very high quality indeed, while others are little better than children's paints. Likewise, some colors labeled as "Artist's" would be more accurately categorized as student colors.
For those of you wondering how to categorize "handmade watercolors", that is a whole separate topic in and of itself, but there is a similar spectrum of quality within that category.
Always remember to be a discerning consumer, that in general you get what you pay for, and that labels are only skin deep - the proof is in the pudding.
$294.70 | $21.12 |
Top quality Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan is very expensive. Processing and purifying Lapis into an artist's pigment is time consuming and therefore expensive. Different grades, concentrations, and processing styles yield very different results. Both of the above brands are considered Artist Grade.
The most expensive component of paints is pigment and labor. In general, the higher the pigment load, the higher the price. This also applies to the quality of the pigment and the quality of the rest of the ingredients. Paint made in smaller batches or with more attention will cost more in labor, but will also generally yield a higher quality product.
For example, there are different grades of gum arabic and some pigments are far more expensive than others. To keep costs down, an inferior gum arabic may be used in the binder, and either a mixture of pigments to approximate the hue of a more expensive pigment may be used, or fillers may be used to bulk out the paint volume without using more pigment.
Pigments with a higher tinting strength can mask fillers well, but the paints won't last quite as long as those that do not have fillers.
This is our palette that I usually recommend to the enthusiastic beginner who has decided to learn with artist grade colors. It contains colors for practicing color mixing - both synthetics and Ochres, secondary colors so that every color doesn't need to be mixed from scratch, and only ten colors in total to avoid overwhelm.
There is no one answer to this question because there are all kinds of beginners in watercolor. Many of us painted in watercolors as children, but not all of us! Beginners can also have a very wide range of goals, from giving something new a try to returning to an old past time, from therapy to becoming a professional painter. We all begin as beginners and our paths diverge from there based on our goals.
For the absolute beginner who is totally new to watercolor: My suggestion is to begin with student grade paint if you are an absolute beginner and just want to try out the watercolor medium to get a general feel for it and see if you like it first. It can be a low pressure way to get your feet wet with minimal investment.
For the serious beginner: I would advise the serious beginner to invest in a small set of artist grade paints, one or two nice brushes, and a quality pad, block, or sketchbook. I would define the serious beginner as someone who has watercolored before, even if it was a long time ago with classroom paints, and has a longterm interest in developing their skills.
For the serious beginner on a budget: If your budget is very tight I would still recommend artist grade paints for a serious beginner. Choose one color, one brush, and one nice sheet of paper. Tear the sheet into small pieces and spend a month painting them. The next month, buy a second color and another sheet of paper. If you begin with Ochre colors, you can keep the cost down on colors. For about twenty dollars per month you can paint every day and slowly build a palette.
Everyone else: I recommend artist grade colors. It is simply about quality and the experience that offers. Higher quality paints will have handling and behavior characteristics that student grade paints will lack. In general, you get what you pay for. More expensive paint will tend to be made with a heavier pigment load, higher quality ingredients, and manufactured with more care.
Exceptions: If your work is not meant to be sold or preserved and you are not focused on skill-building, particularly realistic representations, or especially vibrant colors, then you really don't need to invest a lot of time or money into your supplies, and that is just fine. Many people paint for therapeutic or meditative reasons, or to just be in the moment. Have the supplies that best suit your painting practice!
Do what feels right to do, but try to be informed and intentional when it comes to your art supplies - they are the physical form of your work and the laws of both science and nature apply. If you use fugitive colors your work will fade, if you use improperly formulated colors your work may crack or be sticky.
My best advice is to invest in quality supplies that suit your specific painting practice and then funnel your creativity into how you use them. Find a handful of brands you trust and then make selections within them that inspire you and support your creative vision.
This is a painting I did during the pandemic. It's nothing special exactly, but speaks loudly about a time in our lives. I want it to last so that I can remember what that was like. I used Arches paper, and G&B colors, but I specifically used Afghani Lapis Lazuli in the background to underline the paradox of expensive toilet paper and how much we all found ourselves treasuring it. In this way, the supplies I selected to use will ensure the longevity of this painting and also added some depth of meaning.
I hope you found this article helpful! Please drop any questions in the comments.
As always, thank you for being here and wishing you happy painting,
]]>Most artists, if they are even familiar with Smalt at all, have at best a hazy notion of what it is, and what little is known is shaped by its use in oil painting, which, if you are a watercolorist, will offer a distorted view at best.
]]>Most artists, if they are even familiar with Smalt at all, have at best a hazy notion of what it is, and what little is known is shaped by its use in oil painting, which, if you are a watercolorist, will offer a distorted view at best. Even in artistic manuals, Smalt is often described only briefly as a blue glass pigment with unpredictable permanence, before moving on to describe the celebrity pigments of the archaic past or present in fawning detail. However, there is some good reason for this ambiguity: much about Smalt's origins and chemical inner-workings have only been revealed recently.
Dry Smalt pigment on the slab at G&B studios.
Smalt is a blue glass pigment that receives its color from cobalt, and also contains potassium. In chemical terms it is a Potassium Cobalt Silicate. It is ground to different grades of coarseness, each of which deliver different degrees of blue, the coarsest grind offering the deepest blue and finer grinds being lighter and having less color. However, larger pigment particles increase the difficulty of handling (though present different opportunities as well).
In terms of hue, Smalt is close to Ultramarine, but is lower chroma. While it does transmit red light, it is not as red as Ultramarine, and therefore the hue differs slightly as well from Ultramarine (in addition to the chroma).
In contrast to what was previously thought, Smalt is likely not of European origin, and was first made long before the sixteenth century, the time period previously attributed to its invention.
References to Smalt or zaffre, as it was known to glassmakers, can be found in texts from as early as 1144, 1301, and onward.
An example of Smalt used in a painting: Equestrian Portrait of Charles I by Van Dyck, 1638-9. Smalt is used here in the sky, along with natural Ultramarine and Lead White in places. Painting held by the National Gallery.
In the seventeenth century it became a substitute for Azurite and Lapis Lazuli when neither could be found, or if neither could be afforded. As a pigment that could be synthesized (unlike either Azurite or Lapis Lazuli at that time) with relative ease, and was used in other popular trades such as ceramics, Smalt was plentiful and affordable.
Smalt in a Half-Pan. The fact that it appears nearly black reveals its wide value range, but keeps a secret its transparency.
The name Smalt is from the Italian term smaltare, meaning 'to melt', though its etymological roots can be traced back much further. Before the seventeenth century and the height of its use as an artist's pigment, Smalt may have been a term that merely referred to ceramic glazes (of any color) and/or various types of glass, causing no small degree of confusion when later adopted as a name for a specifically blue pigment.
Smalt has also been known under other names such as azurblau, Bohemian Blue, Dutch Ultramarine, enamel blue, Isenburg Blue, and, hilariously, émail, among many other names. (Hilarity aside, émail translates to "enamel or glaze", and shares etymological roots with the term Smalt.) It was also known by many as Saxon Blue since the primary sources of cobalt ore used to make it were located in Saxony.
Dry Smalt pigment.
Before synthetic Ultramarine was invented, Smalt was used to blue linens and was known as Powder Blue for that application. It was known as Blue Sand in ceramics, and Dumont's Blue and Royal Blue for different grades of artist's pigments.
A detail from the Annaberg Mountain Altar, painted by Hans Hesse around 1500. The altar painting depicts various aspects of ore mining work.
The process for making smalt has remained much the same since at least the late seventeenth century. Cobalt ore, known as Smaltite, was mined in the Erzebirge ("Ore Mountains") of Saxony in conjunction with silver mining.
To make Smalt, the first step is to roast the cobalt ore to remove the arsenic-containing vapors, leaving a residue which is cobalt oxide. This is pulverized and sieved. Next, this product is mixed with quartz sand, potash, and potassium, and heated for a span of hours until it is melted and fused together as molten glass. The vitrified (converted to glass) mass is then plunged into water to make it friable (easy to crumble), where it cracks into pieces that are then ground. Then it is sieved again, ground further if need be, washed, and sorted according to color grade and coarseness of grind.
Smalt being made in Germany according to a nineteenth century recipe. This is after the mixture has vitrified and is ready to be plunged into water.
Over time, the process became more standardized so that the particle size is the main determiner of the color, where previously unpredictable batch results would be the determining factor of the final color.
At the height of its use, it was being manufactured in the Netherlands, where it was of use in other industries too, most notably ceramics.
This is our Combination Swatch of Smalt. You can see from the black lines (the top drawn below the swatch, and the bottom drawn over it) that Smalt is very transparent. Notice also the granulation it deomonstrates (painted on cold pressed Arches paper). Because of the large pigment particle sizes it lifts beautifully, revealing white paper below. See more swatches in our Overview of Pigments.
Smalt is notoriously transparent, and has a weak tinting strength, meaning it is easily overwhelmed by other colors when mixed. It also has a wide value range, which because of its transparency, can only be accessed through the build-up of layers. High quality Smalt pigment has a hue that is a deep, warm or violet blue, that can be by turns bright or haunting, depending on application. Smalt also has a wonderful ability to granulate, a characteristic prized by many watercolorists.
This is a Value Range Swatch demonstrating Smalt's extremely wide value range. If built up in layers, it can appear nearly black. See our Value Scale Chart here.
Watercolor pigments with larger particle sized handle very differently from those that have very fine particles. Today's synthetic pigments contain infinitesimally small particles, which, when combined with the dispersants that many watercolor manufacturers use, give a now-characteristic "bloom" effect that has become closely associated with watercolors. Coarsely ground pigments will not disperse in these ways because the larger pigment particles will not be carried away either by the water or atomic forces in the same way as smaller particles. As a result, these more coarsely ground pigments will exhibit more flocculation (it will feel as if the color wants to cling together or to your brush, rather than disperse). This is not a pigment quality issue. It is simply a physical reality. Many pigments, including but not limited to Smalt, Malachite, and Azurite, exhibit strongest color when ground more coarsely, and will appear as very light or even transparent when ground as finely as one might wish for use in watercolors.
Smalt and Egyptian Blue can be somewhat conflated, both because of their similarities and because of Smalt's rather broad-reaching use (both as a term and a material) and because of its much-debated origins.
Egyptian Blue is also a blue glass pigment, but instead of receiving its blue color from cobalt ore, it receives it from copper. Egyptian Blue is sometimes referred to as a smalt and/or categorized as as such. It is the first known man-made blue pigment, while Smalt is the first pigment to contain cobalt (it was not until many, many years after Smalt was in use that cobalt was isolated and identified as an element).
Smalt predates Thénard's Blue by several to many hundreds of years, which turned up as a result of the French government's famed search for a synthetic version of Lapis Lazuli. The Napoleonic administration appointed Louis-Jacques Thénard to find a substitute for Lapis Lazuli, and instead he found Cobalt Blue. Cobalt had been identified as the coloring agent in Smalt by the early eighteenth century, but Thénard was the first to further isolate it to create a bluer pigment after he began his experiments in 1802. It is a purer and more robust blue than Smalt, Azurite, Indigo, or Prussian Blue, was immediately adopted, and has been in continuous use ever since, though the process of making it has changed and evolved through the years. Ultramarine would be synthesized by Jean-Baptiste Guimet in 1826.
Our Peackock Set, a collection of both modern and historical blues. from left to right, top to bottom: Australian Vivianite, Afghani Lapis Lazuli, Chilean Lapis Lazuli, Ultramarine Blue, Kazakh Azurite, Verditer, Yucatán Mayan Blue, Smalt, Phthalocyanine Cyan, Indanthrone Blue, YInMn Blue. (As of yet we do not offer a Prussian Blue because it is low in chroma, easily mixable, and psychotically messy.)
Smalt's real heyday was from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. Lapis and Azurite were preferred, but both were far more expensive and in much shorter supply. Smalt, whether taken up with gratitude or grudge, was used prolifically, despite difficulties in handling and questionable permanence. After Prussian Blue became available to artists in 1724 (after being synthesized for the first time in 1704 by Johann Diesbach), followed by Cobalt Blue in the 1820's, and then Ultramarine Blue in the 1850's, artists had little inducement to further trifle with the persnickety Smalt.
Smalt is considered mildly toxic because of its cobalt content. Cobalt can be toxic if ingested or inhaled. Inhalation is of greatest concern when handling the dry pigment. Best practice for using Smalt is to wear a proper mask if handling the dry pigment and to avoid eating it, especially in large quantities. While it isn't specifically listed as a skin irritant, it is always a good practice to keep paints off your skin.
Smalt has something of a reputation of being either very fugitive or completely unpredictable as a result of remarkable inconsistency within even the same (oil) painting: sometimes being wholly fugitive and other times very permanent. This baffling misbehavior has only recently been understood to be a result of the potassium concentration in the pigment sample. Smalt has been shown to not fade when the ratio of potassium to cobalt is 1:1 or higher. The Smalt that we use has a ratio of 2:1 and is therefore considered permanent.
As a result of modern research and machinery, and a more standardized, better-understood production process, we have the supreme luxury of enjoying Smalt pigment of great quality, depth, and permanence.
This is a Flat Wash of our Smalt, its granulation on full display.
Just as the automotive industry drives the artist's pigment industry today, so too did oil painting dominate the art world of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and therefore skews the literature. It can be difficult when researching pigments, especially their applications, artist's opinions of them, and their availability, to remove the filter of oil painting, through which they are often viewed. Smalt and linseed oil happen to share a nearly identical refractive index, making Smalt infuriatingly transparent in oil paint. Further, oil has a particularly degrading effect on Smalt as a result of potassium leaching through saponification with the oil and the migration of cobalt ions into the oils. Smalt would seem a downright curious choice for an oil painter if not for it being a well-known siccative (or drying agent), and, well, sometimes the only blue option available.
Indeed, Smalt in watercolors is thankfully a different story altogether, and one worth noting. Smalt is much more stable in water media, allowing it to sidestep the complications that oil media present, and shines in watercolor's unique ability to reveal the granulation of pigments. While the coarser size of the pigment particles give it different handling characteristics than its finer brethren, its jewel-like hue and stunning granulation more than make up for its unwieldiness.
As always, wishing you happy painting,
]]>In this post we will also cover how to make your own value scale swatches and value finder - free templates included!
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Value - Refers to the lightness or darkness of a hue.
Value Range - Refers to the range of lights and darks a color is capable of producing. The full range of dark and light increments is called a greyscale and runs from black at the darkest end of the range to white at the lightest end, with incremental shades of grey in between.
This is a classic greyscale painted using Lamp Black, a neutral black with high tinting strength and complete value range. It shows this color from most concentrated at left to least concentrated at right, with incremental steps in between.
Each pigment has an inherent value range, which varies greatly from pigment to pigment. The darkest value possible for any given pigment will be the value it produces at highest concentration. All watercolors are capable of reaching the lightest value because they are diluted with water (which is clear) and painted (usually) onto white paper.
Potter's Green has a notoriously narrow value range. Notice that even at its most concentrated, the hue is nothing close to black.
So, while all watercolors are capable of reaching white (the lightest value), not all watercolors are capable of reaching black.
Notice that Dioxazine Violet is nearly black at highest concentration. This means it has a range from almost white to almost black, giving it a very wide value range.
At their most concentrated some watercolors will appear black or nearly so, and these are termed as having a wide value range. Other colors will never appear very dark, no matter how concentrated they are (think yellows here), and these are termed as having a narrow value range. The colors that fall in between can be described as having a moderate value range.
Moroccan Red Ochre has a moderate value range. At most concentrated, it certainly doesn't reach black, but neither is it a very light hue.
If you are trying to make a determination of which watercolor to get between similar hues, it helps to assess them for the characteristics that matter most to you. If you prize granulation, then select the most granulating color. If you prefer colors with a wider value range, select the version with the wides range. For an example, click here to view our Value Scale Chart, then scroll to compare our Red Ochres. Notice which one has the widest value range (squint if you need to), which granulates the most, and which is the highest chroma (appears the most red).
The fastest and easiest way to figure out the basic value range of your colors is to take a look at your palette. Colors in the pan are at highest concentration. Those that appear as black or almost black in the pan have a wide value range. Colors that are lighter or that don't appear dark or black will have a more limited value range.
Take a look at these colors. Identify which ones appear black (or very nearly so) - these will have the widest value range. Next identify the very lightest colors - these will have the narrowest value range (whites have no value range). The colors that are left will have varying degrees of moderate value ranges. Eyeballing your colors this way gives you quick information about them. To get a detailed look, you'll have to swatch them out (see below).
There is no correlation between value range and quality. Each pigment's characteristics (just one of which is value range) is determined by their chemistry and the physical shape, size, and nature of their individual particles.
The best way to explore the value ranges of your colors in detail is to swatch them out from most concentrated to least. You can also play with your pigment to water ratios as you paint and note the results. You will quickly learn which colors have a wide range and which are more limited.
Being able to recognize and use the correct vocabulary to define how the value range characteristic expresses itself in different pigments will allow you to make more precise choices with how you paint with them (which gives you more control).
There is no wrong way to explore value range. However, having a standardized approach will allow you to compare your colors with greater accuracy, which will be more meaningful to you longterm.
Click here to see value range swatches for all of our colors organized into a chart. As you scroll up and down, notice how quickly your eyes can pick out the different value ranges on these swatches.
Creating a set of swatches not only allows you to explore a specific aspect of your colors, but it also allows you to compare pigments as you go, AND it also leaves you with a very useful reference tool in the form of a swatch library or set of "flashcards".
Please feel free to use our free downloadable templates to create your own value range swatches (like the ones in the lead picture above and on our Value Scale Chart). Download includes basic Instructions, templates designed to be printed onto 90lb. watercolor paper, and value finder templates (more information on those below.)
In addition to printed and cut-out swatches, your watercolor palette, and a paintbrush, we recommend tape for taping down each swatch while you work, and a waterproof fine tip marker to extend swatch marks onto your tape, so that you can still see them after you have added a few layers.
Most people have no trouble understanding value when looking at a greyscale: black = darkest, white = lightest, grey in between, got it. However, many people can struggle to see value in color. Luckily, there are some convenient tricks to teach your eyes to see value beyond black and white:
This is pretty simple. By limiting the amount of light that reaches your eye, lights and darks will pop out in greater contrast, allowing you to focus less on color. While this works, it can be a strain on the eyes if you do it a lot.
There are two main types of value finders: one is more or less a greyscale with peep holes, and the other one is a rose-colored monocle, again, more or less.
- Type 1: Value Matcher
You can purchase these, but they are such simple tools that you will be better off making your own. Simply create one of the value range swatches detailed above using a true black, then use a hole punch to punch holes in each value increment. You can also create one that has more than five increments if you wish (the free template includes both increments of five and seven).
This is a commonly available Value Finer (or matcher). You simply hold it up to the area of your subject your are working on, decide which shade is the best match, then hold the finder up to your paper and palette and use it to help you mix/select your color.
To use this, simply hold it up to your subject to the area you are trying to paint or color match, and by looking through the holes, determine which increment is the closest match. This will help guide your color mixing and help you get an accurate gauge on what kinds of values your are playing with.
You can also make Value Matchers with any watercolor - not just black. You could even make one for every color in your palette to carry as a small deck in your travel kit.
-Type 2 : Value Finder
This is also a tool you can purchase, but they can be a bit harder to find, and they are also very easy to make or cobble together.
This value tool is just a red transparency. You look through it, and your subject is tinted red. As a result, colors are blocked and you are enabled to just focus on the lights and darks.
Look first at the picture on the left and try to notice the lights and dark areas. Especially concentrate on the sky (they can be deceiving). Now look at the same picture through a red transparency. Notice how the distraction of color has been largely eliminated so that you can concentrate on just your values.
To make or find one, you'll need a piece of red transparency, which you can find at your local art supply store or a theater supply store. Just cut a small square and mount it into a small paper frame. John Muir Laws uses vintage slides: he swaps out the slide for the red transparency in the small frame. This tiny version is great for travel kits. You can also use red glasses, such as you might find at a Halloween store. A simple google search for "red tinted glasses" will yield many results. My pair are no longer in production, so I will recommend a specific brand when I have found a new one. If you have any old 3-D glasses laying around, you can commandeer the red eye piece!
I keep my red glasses for indoor studio work, and I carry a slide in my travel kit.
These are the two tools I have used for years when I am trying to lay in accurate values. I use them to look at both the subject and my painting. I enjoy this style of small lens glasses because I can easily peer over the top of them or look through them when needed. Style must sometimes be sacrificed when there is painting to do!
Also included in the free download is a template for making a simple value finder with composition slider - two size options! You can purchase red film here, or request the large or small size of transparency in your order notes - we will include them for free this weekend while supplies last!
You can easily make your own value finders using the free downloadable templates provided with this post. You can make either a large finder, a small one, or both! Red transparency sheets can be purchased here.
When lightening or darkening colors, the tendency can be to reach for white or black. However, it is important to remember that they are both technically shades of grey, and will therefore grey your color mixture (lower the chroma). This can give your mixed colors a dull or dead-looking appearance.
An alternative is to use colors with wide value range, which can preserve chroma and generally results in more dynamic colors.
For example, if you wanted to darken Malachite, you could use Phthalocyanine Green, which has a very wide value range. Using black for the purpose would indeed darken your color, but it would also make the green very dull. If the Phthalocyanine Green punches up the chroma more than you want you can tone things down with a touch of black or brown or red.
These quickly mixed swatches show Malachite at top, Malachite mixed with Lamp Black at middle, and Malachite mixed with Phthalocyanine Green at bottom. There is a bit of an issue with semantics afoot: when many people say they want to mix a "darker" color, they in fact mean more intense, brighter, higher chroma, etc. Black is dark, but a lighter shade of black is grey. Mixing in black to darken a color will make it more grey. If your object is to tint your color or knock down the chroma, then black is a perfect choice. However, if you wish to maintain chroma while darkening a color, choose a pigment with a similar hue but a wide value range to do the trick!
A composition that contains only one value will look very flat. Varying your values creates contrast, which can accentuate your focal point and otherwise help direct the viewers eyes around the painting. Use your value finder to look at your subject and painting, and notice where the darkest and lightest parts are. Reserve the lightest parts of your painting and then build up layers so that the darkest areas have the depth you see in your subject.
By increasing the depth of your darker values (using colors with a wider value range), you can thereby shift the value scale of your painting. This makes whites look whiter and brights look brighter.
In this way, lower chroma colors appear to be higher chroma than they are. This is exactly how the Great Masters were able to paint such vibrant paintings using such limited palettes of colors (remember they didn't have access to colors like Pyrrole Red or the Quinacridones!).
This is Saint John the Baptist (John in the Wilderness) by Caravaggio, painted in 1604. The red cloak appear rich and vibrant, and the whiteness of his skin makes him appear monolithic. If the nearly-black background was lighter, this painting would have a very different impact, and the red would appear noticeably less vibrant. Caravaggio likely used Cinnabar or Vermillion as his red, which is a very beautiful red, but would appear rather subdued compared to modern pigments such as Cadmium Red or Pyrrole Red. Through the use of value, he was able to make his reds arresting.
Value can also be used specifically to create distance. Landscapes especially can appear very flat without a good contrast in values. Value can suggest light and shadow, but it can also create atmospheric distance. Think about looking out over a mountain range at the horizon line: the farther mountains will appear fainter, and each jagged layer will increase in darkness the nearer it is to you. Ensuring you replicate this effect using value will make your painting appear both accurate and alive.
Notice in this photo how the values change as the distance increases: the closes mountains are very dark, but as the layers recede into the distance they grow lighter. The colors also change, but it is specifically the value changes that make the distance palpable.
I hope this information is useful to you! Please drop any lingering questions in the comments below.
As always, thank you for being here and wishing you happy painting!
]]>[Lead picture: our Horizon Set, a collection of natural, historical, and modern single-pigment paints.]
To dig into this concept, lets start with a parallel example:
Something like the cook's palette...
Let's picture a typical spice cabinet: It's filled with individual spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, thyme, parsley, and so forth. It also contains spice blends such as Italian Seasoning, Winter Warming, Curry Powder, Bouquet Garni, Garam Masala, etc. - only you don't know that they are blends, and instead take them to be other spices.
Let's say you are making a soup and season it using your bottle of Penzy's Bouquet Garni. You taste the soup, and the flavor isn't quite there. You add more Bouquet Garni seasoning. The flavor is intensified, but just isn't quite hitting what you want. You pull out another classic soup spice: thyme. You add it to your soup, then taste the soup again. You taste the smokiness of the additional thyme, but you realize you're really trying to add a touch of brightness. So you add in some dried parsley from another jar in your spice cabinet, and a bay leaf, both classic traditional soup ingredients that should pull it in the right direction. You taste your soup again, and not only does it still have a flavor you aren't loving, the additions seem to have just muddied the flavor overrall. You're now feeling like you need to add some broth to water down the over-spiced mess, or maybe just start over.
It turns out, the ingredients in Penzy's Bouquet Garni spice blend are these: savory, rosemary, thyme, Turkish oregano, dill weed, marjoram, sage, and terragon. And the common ingredients that form the foundation of a traditional bouquet garni are: parsley, bay leaves, and thyme. Additionally, you have never been a big fan of dill or sage, and prefer rosemary with breads and sauces. All three of those spices are very distinct. Further, the eight ingredient spice blend did not contain either parsley or bay leaf.
So, the reality of what was going on is that you were unknowingly fighting against strong flavors you don't particularly enjoy and weren't expecting, and the additional ingredients brought the total spice count up to ten and muddied the flavor profile of the soup, rather than pulling it more in a specific direction as intended.
This is exactly the situation that most painters find themselves in when mixing colors. Often, some of the colors on their palette are single-pigment while others are multi-pigment paints (or pigment blends). As we'll discuss below, knowing which type of paint you are using, and if you are using blends then knowing what pigments are in them, makes all the difference.
So, let's break down the advantages to using single-pigment paints:
Our Natural & Historical Pigments Palette, a collection of natural and historical single-pigment paints.
Working with a single pigment means there is nothing beyond the binder and your paper (or support) influencing its behavior. Each pigment possesses its own innate characteristics (learn more about pigment behavioral characteristics here). When two or more pigments are combined, so too are their characteristics.
If you use a single pigment paint across brands, you will generally get a consistent result (of course this depends on what kind of additives a given company uses; however, these generally effect hue and characteristics less than an additional pigments).
Multi-pigment paints across brands can very widely (just like spice blends from different companies). For example: three of the most well-known artist quality mass production watercolor paint producers offer a Sap Green. However, each one uses a different pigment blend for this color. Therefore, using a common blend across different companies will often yield unpredictable results.
I personally feel more empowered as a painter when using single-pigment colors because it gives me the chance to become intimately acquainted with the colors I use. As I mentioned above, each pigment possesses its own unique set of characteristics, determined by its chemistry. Characteristics are a lot like personalities (or a flavor profile). Better knowing your pigments means having a fuller and more complete understanding of what their full potential is.
Looking over a palette of single-pigment paints can feel a bit like getting together with friends. Characteristics vary greatly from pigment to pigment, and even from pigments that are "the same" but from different regions. This is why we include country of origin in the names of our natural pigment paints. All of this helps to create a connection to your colors.
Knowing your pigments means you can more quickly and more precisely breath life into your painting, rather than wrestling it into existence (which is less fun and far more frustrating).
This is a monochrome (single color painting) painted with our limited release German Pyrite (a single-pigment paint, as are all of our colors). Pyrite has highly unique handling characteristics, most notably a pronounced granulation and variegation. By understanding Pyrite's personality and traits (or unique set of characteristics), I was able to use it creatively for this monochrome.
Color mixing is the area where single-pigment paints really shine and prove their worth. Mixing colors predictably and cleanly is a topic unto itself that you can read more about here. However, even if you have a decent understanding of color mixing, using multi-pigment paints can still be a stumbling block.
Another parallel example for you: When color mixing, it can be helpful to think of colors like variables in a scientific experiment. The purpose of most experiments is to isolate different variables so their influence on each other can be tested. The fewer the variables involved the stronger the results. Too many variables, or worse, lurking variables, will offer less conclusive results that can raise more questions than are answered. So too with color mixing: too many pigments at play can give muddy results.
Carefully selected single-pigment paints will yield clean, predictable mixing results, in terms of both hue, predictability, repeatability, and characteristics.
These effects can be subtle, but once you begin to pay attention more closely to your mixing results, you will likely notice a difference.
Let's look at an example. Our goal is to mix a bright, fresh spring green (a nice high chroma chartreuse). We'll compare two approaches:
Approach 1: Mix Sap Green with Quinoxalinedione Yellow to brighten it and pull the hue towards yellow.
Approach 2: Mix Phthalocyanine Green with Quinoxalinedione Yellow to brighten it and pull the hue towards yellow.
Now, on the surface, Approach 1 probably seems like the way to go to mix a vibrant spring green because Sap Green is a more yellow green while Phthalocyanine Green is a more blue green. Let's take a look at our mixing results:
Notice the split pea soup tones in this swatch. It is warm, but a bit dull. This swatch has three pigments in play.
To understand why Approach 1 yielded lower chroma results we'll have to look at the ingredients of the Sap Green pigment blend, which are: Isoindolinone Yellow and Phthalocyanine Green. Isoindolinone Yellow is a very orange yellow, while Phthalocyanine Green is a very blue green. These two pigments together yield a nice earthy green mixture. However, when trying to pull it in a warmer brighter direction by using Quinoxalinedione Yellow (a cool yellow or green yellow), it has to fight against colors coming at it from two directions: from the orange direction and from the blue direction. This gives the overall color mixture a lower chroma or more brown tone to it.
Meanwhile, in Approach 2, the Quinoxalinedione Yellow was able to pull the Phthalocyanine Green in a warmer direction without also fighting against the too-warm Isoindolinone Yellow.
Additionally, let's take a look at a different Sap Green (one that is a blend of three pigments). We'll swatch it out, and then let's mix it from scratch:
This Sap Green is another blend from a top mass-manufacturer that includes these pigments: PO48 (Quinacridone Burnt Orange), PY150 (Nickel Azo Yellow), PG7 (Phthalocyanine Green). The swatches are painted from most concentrated at left to least concentrated at right.
These are the same pigments used in the Sap Green swatches above, but each single-pigment paint is mixed together in a variety of different ratios. Which hexagon looks most like the Sap Green swatches above?
By mixing this pigment blend from scratch using single-pigment colors, you have to option to play endlessly with ratios, pulling the mixture first in one direction and then another. This dynamic way of mixing can bring a vibrancy and depth to your paintings, where pre-mixed blends can sometimes have a dead look to them.
Contrast the series of Sap Green swatches above with the pyramid of different hues just below it. Both use the same pigments, however, having the single-pigment paints at your disposal is like having access to a third dimension.
The easiest way to discern whether a watercolor (or any paint) is single-pigment or not is to check the label. All artist/professional quality brands should list pigments on their label somewhere with a pigment index code that will look something like this:
PR102 (P for Pigment, R for Red, 102 is the code for Natural Iron Oxide)
You don't need to know pigment codes, just look for how many of them are listed to understand if your color is single-pigment or multi-pigment. Here are the pigments used in three Sap Greens from different top mass-manufacturers:
Sap Green: PG7 (Phthalocyanine Green), PY110 (Isoindolinone Yellow)
Sap Green: PG36 (Phthalocyanine Green, Yellow Shade), PY110 (Isoindolinone Yellow)
Sap Green: PO48 (Quinacridone Burn Orange), PY150 (Nickel Azo Yellow), PG7 (Phthalocyanine Green)
Notice there is more than one pigment code listed.
Our entire line of colors is made up exclusively of single-pigment paints. We have never offered a pigment mixture and never plan to. We also do not use fillers in our colors. This is a significant point because it not only affects how quickly you go through your colors, but it also affects their saturation and sometimes even their hue. A filler by definition has no color really, however it can affect color, and so it is not a factor to be discounted entirely.
Additionally, we never supplement our natural pigments with the addition of synthetic pigments or any other pigments to correct for batch differences in hue or expectations of hue, as is sometimes done elsewhere. On the contrary, we take deep joy in celebrating the subtle differences of natural pigments from batch to batch.
Our colors contain one and only one pigment, no fillers, a minimal binder, and are labeled accurately.
Pigment blends can be extremely convenient and save the time of repeatedly mixing a favorite hue. The issues tend to pop up when using a pigment blend to mix with another color or colors - without realizing you are using a blend or without understanding which pigments it contains.
To use pigment blends effectively and to best advantage, I would suggest you select blends of hues that you use often, and then familiarize yourself with which pigments they contain. This will give you the information you need to make informed decisions about color mixing so that you can avoid surprise and frustration. You can also consider adding single-pigment versions of your favorite blend ingredients to your palette, so that you can make adjustments to your favorite blends without throwing in new variables
I hope this information is helpful and brings deeper joy and understanding to your painting practice! Please drop any questions you have in the comments.
As always, thank you for being here and wishing you happy painting,
]]>Magnetized pans not only hold your colors in place while you travel (if the magnets are strong), but also allow you to quickly rearrange your color layout. Additionally, they allow you to use a very wide variety of different tins - even the beautiful vintage tins from antique shops.
Adding magnets to your tins is straightforward, however, I thought I would share a few pro tips that we have accumulated from over the years of magnetizing thousands of pans.
]]>Magnetized pans not only hold your colors in place while you travel (if the magnets are strong), but also allow you to quickly rearrange your color layout. Additionally, they allow you to use a very wide variety of different tins - even the beautiful vintage tins from antique shops.
Adding magnets to your tins is straightforward, however, I thought I would share a few pro tips that we have accumulated years of magnetizing thousands of pans.
A beautiful old antique tin that I turned into a watercolor palette by using magnetized pans. (Sometimes, if I have a few extra antique or vintage tins I will create single edition travel watercolor palettes customized to each tin.)
Some of the basic supplies I suggest for magnetizing your pans. We offer this as a Magnetization Kit, as well as different quantities of magnets by themselves. Kit includes: tin, 5 Q-tips, 2 finger cots (like fingers to a glove, to minimize contact with glue), 24 magnets in a mini-tin, mini-size E6000, and magnetizting wand.
Suggested Supplies:
We have found that E6000 glue works very well with the magnets we use. However, E6000 sports a robust warning label and smells awful when wet, so at our studios we ask staff to wear a respirator when working with or near E6000 and we have workstations with ventilation systems.
If you choose to use E6000 or an adhesive that produces toxic fumes, please take responsible safety precautions! If you would like to avoid glues all together, scroll down for an alternative.
Lay out magnets so that you can easily pick them up while the glue is wet. This way you don't have to hurry to separate them from the stack.
I lay out about six magnets at a time, spaced several inches apart. This allows you to move quickly when the cap is off the glue, and prevents the magnets from springing back together.
Using my fingernails to help separate a magnet from the stack.
If you are using our strong magnets, I have found it easiest to separate them by sliding a fingernail in between the magnets (I have short fingernails, so this should be do-able for most people).
If you laid out six magnets, apply beads of glue to six pans, then re-cap the glue. If your glue is in a metal squeeze tube, this will prevent it from continuing to ooze out the tip and make a mess. Glue beads should be about the size of a coriander seed.
Large tubes of E6000 and other brands of glue will have a narrow applicator tip. If this is the case for you, you can easily apply glue directly from the tube onto your pan. Unfortunately, our mini tubes of E6000 have a wider opening instead of the narrow applicator tip. If you are using these, squeeze a small amount of glue into a large bead (on a scrap piece of paper), then using your magnetizing wand, pick up a magnet, dip it into the glue, then apply it to the pan, and twist off the magnetizing wand. Again, make sure to be in a well ventilated area and wear a mask if there is no wind - a little pool of glue will be more fume-y!
Magnetized end of the wand is very weak. The glue adhesion point will be stronger.
Of course, you can use your finger tips or finger nails to pick up the magnets and set them on the glue bead. However, this usually results in getting glue on your fingers. It helps tremendously to use what we call a 'magnetizing wand'. It is simply a narrow stick with a scrap of weak magnetic sheet on the end. We have some availlable here, but you can easily make your own using a pencil or dowel and magnetic tape or a magnetic business card from your fridge.
Use your wand to pick up a magnet, press it to a glue bead, then twist gently as you pull the wand away. This can take a couple practice tries to get the hang of.
Then adjust positioning of magnet, if needed, using eraser end of wand or a covered finger, and set pan aside to dry.
Leave all freshly magnetized pans in a place where they can dry completely and off-gas (if you are using a stinky glue).
A ball of sticky tack about this size should do the trick!
If you would like to side-step the mess and fuss of glue all-together, there is a non-toxic alternative in sticky tack. This is available at any office supply store from a variety of brands - just read labels to ensure you have found a non-toxic variety. We also offer a mini pack if you don't want to buy a whole package for just a handful of pans.
While, sticky tack will not allow you to slide your pans around in your palette the same way magnets will, you can still easily rearrange you pans, and you aren't limited to using palettes that are magnetic.
To sticky tack your pans in place, simply pull off a small bead of putty, roll it into a ball, place it on the back of your pan, and place your pan where you like.
Our mini-packs of sticky tack should allow you to attach about 100 half-Pans.
Our individual pans for sale in our shop are not magnetized. We used to sell magnetized individual pans, but stopped when when we decided to offer enamel bijoux boxes as part of our regular lineup. Bijoux box palettes have inserts with brackets that hold pans in place. These brackets negate the need for magnets and aren't compatible with them (the magnets make the pans too tall for the brackets). We did not want you to be stuck in the position of removing magnets from individual pans purchased to replace colors in your bijoux boxes.
We have explored offering both magnetized and unmagnetized individual pans, but that is a logistical nightmare and creates chaos in our inventory and inbox.
We enjoy offering bijoux box travel palettes without the bracket inserts. This allows you to carry more colors, rearrange them more easily, and saves the weight of the insert. We magnetize the colors in these sets. If custom assembling one of these palettes from scratch, you could choose to either magnetize or use sticky tack.
By knowing your options for attaching pans to different surfaces and understanding how to do it, you open up many more options for customizing your watercolor palettes. Please drop any questions in the comments!
As always, thank you for being here and wishing you happy painting,
]]>If you are coming to waterbrushes for the first time from traditional brushes they will probably take some initial getting used to. In this post I will cover the basics of how to use waterbrushes, what their best applications are, as well as some other tips and tricks in the hopes of saving you from frustration and the usual trial-and-error approach.
You can read about different brands of waterbrushes here.
First off, decide which type of waterbrush to use. I have a definite favorite, which I will be demonstrating here. However, if you are curious to have a rundown of a variety of different types on the market, I have already written a post comparing them here.
This is all 6 of the waterbrushes I use: three rounds (fine, medium, and large), and two flats (1/4" and 1/2" roughly). We offer these both individually and as a set. The larger flat has a long handle that can be switched out. Details below under 'tips'.
My favorite type of waterbrush is manufactured by Kuretake and is sold as both the Zig Brush2O and Yasutomo Niji. I prefer these brushes because the brush head itself has a nice point and is not overly long. I also enjoy the different colored handles, which makes it easy to grab the size or shape that I want. Shorter handles are also more convenient for travel. Best of all, I find the water easiest to control with these. All of this is why I only carry the Zig and Yasutomo brands of watercolor brushes in our shop, and of those only the ones I find most useful.
Waterbrushes have six main components:
Arguably the best part of the waterbrush is the cap. The convenience of not dealing with a water cup is not to be down-played, but the cap is a true game-changer, and allows you to toss your brush - water and all - into a pencil bag with no further concern. Even better, the cap has a clip which prevents your brush from rolling.
From left to right: A new waterbrush, my waterbrush (notice the deteriorated point), my young daughter's waterbrush (this could be cleaned up with some brush soap, but is a good example of extreme staining and wear and tear).
This is what you use to paint. When new, the point should be very fine, however with use it will flare and fray to a greater extend and more quickly than a natural hair brush. White bristles mean you can see how much and what color is loaded on your brush. Bristles will get stained over time, especially if you use more staining colors. A bit of brush soap can go a long way though.
This is where the water reservoir and brush head connect - kind of the ferrule of the waterbrush. It contains a sponge which helps control the flow of water. Mind the sponge and your waterbrush will be your friend! (More on that below.)
The reservoir screws onto the rest of the brush with a simple threaded design. Another popular brand of waterbrushes is reverse-threaded, which tends to drive me crazy. These are threaded the way you would expect, so unscrewing the reservoir to refill them is straightforward.
This piece functions both as a plug and part of the water flow control. It only allows water to move through a very small hole. Keep this piece in mind when you squeeze the reservoir for more water - the water is on its way, but moving through a very tiny opening!
The only sneaky thing about this brush is the black pseudo-plug that you have to tediously remove to re-fill the reservoir. I use a fingernail to start to pry it loose so that it can be pulled off. You can also use the Copic Changer Tool.
This is the handle of the waterbrush and is where the water is stored. It unscrews from the transfer point so that you can fill it from a sink, a syringe, a water bottle, or by submerging it. Squeeze handle to moisten brush head.
If traveling by air or backpacking, it is best to travel with your waterbrushes empty. It is easy to fill from a sink and messy to fill from a water bottle. Some people carry a little syringe for the purpose, but if you just fill it by submerging it in a wide mouth bottle (like a Nalgene) or a stream you can avoid carrying the extra gadget.
It is easy to get a little carried away squeezing your waterbrush and letting water dribble out the end. The picture above shows a water-laden brush head. This is just dandy if you are wanting to dilute a color in your mixing palette or work a wash. However, having too much water on the head of your brush can be very frustrating for more detailed painting.
Load your waterbrush with water by simply giving the handle a squeeze. You do not need to drip water out of the tip unless you want to start with a very wet brush. If you prefer to work with a drier brush or are working on a small painting, start with a light squeeze and then wait. If you prefer a very juicy brush then squeeze away!
Use a towel or pant leg to blot your brush to ensure all of the bristles are wet and not too water laden. If you store your waterbrush with water in the reservoir you will not need to pre-wet it in this way.
Dip your brush tip into the color of your choice! (Less is more to start, you can always add more later!)
Especially when starting out with a waterbrush, I encourage you to use a piece of scrap paper before going into your painting. Just make a little mark or line. This will tell you if you have too much water, too much paint, or not enough of one or the other.
Paint as you usually would. The waterbrush head will likely have a different feel, especially if you are used to natural hair brushes. When you feel that you have run out of paint, you can simply go back for more and enjoy skipping the water cup since your brush is ever-moist.
How to rinse a waterbrush? You don't. Just wipe it off on your blotter (paper towel, pant leg, handkerchief, etc.) Wipe your brush back and forth until it seems clean (or clean-ish). Be aware that more staining colors such as modern synthetic will be more stubborn to wipe off. Squeeze the handle so that a few drips come out of the tip of the brush and keep wiping to be more thorough. Of course, you can use a water cup to rinse your brush, but that kind of defeats the purpose of using a waterbrush. Once your brush head is as clean as you want it, choose your next color and resume painting.
The biggest issue when using a waterbrush is control, or in other words: managing flow of water. The key here is to remember the transfer point which contains a sponge, and that pesky reservoir plug with the tiny opening. This prevents water from simply flowing freely from the handle and onto the page. However, it also really slows the transfer of water after you squeeze the handle for more water - by creating a delay. So, when you want a little more moisture on your brush, squeeze the handle gently, and then wait. (Ten, maybe twenty seconds.) Test the brush on your scrap paper and give it a little wiggle so that the fresh water can work its way down through the bristles. If you still need a little more water, then do another gentle squeeze, wait, then another little wiggle on scrap paper.
You will quickly get a feel for how hard a squeeze and how long of a wait you need to achieve the amount of moisture you like on your brush. Be patient. One or two painting sessions and you'll have it.
If you enjoy working with a drier brush and have given your brush handle too hard of a squeeze, you may have to patiently blot your brush for a while to reduce the amount of water being held both in the brush and the transfer point sponge. Again, be patient and keep blotting.
Having accurate and reasonable expectations for what a waterbrush is and is capable of are essential for enjoying one. This is a brush designed for portability, convenience, and casual painting - not fine details. Don't get me wrong, it isn't like using a jumbo crayon or anything like that. Waterbrushes are capable of a lot. But not cat's whiskers. Not hairline strokes. Waterbrushes are best suited to sketching, such as travel sketches, or looser painting styles. Again, they are not blunt objects. I have created some of my favorite paintings with waterbrushes. It is just important to understand these are not fine sable brushes, and that is just fine.
Waterbrushes allow you to skip the step of visiting the water cup while painting. While this does not sound significant, this little detail has a huge impact on the flow of movement and rhythm of painting. Instead of cup to paint to painting, it is simply back and forth between paint and painting. You'll see. It is fun.
They are plastic. All of them. The bristles are a cheaper synthetic that frays and fuzzes more quickly. The disposability and short lifespan is disappointing. However, there are a few things you can do to lengthen their life:
This is a picture of two of the below tips: If you remove the small plastic ferrule of the large flat waterbrush (it doesn't work on the smaller one) you have a larger blunt round brush. If you swap handles between the large flat and the Yasutomo Niji you can have a shorter handle of a different color on your large flat - and a spare medium tip to boot!
Waterbrushes do not replace traditional brushes, and they really aren't designed to. They are an excellent tool to have in your chest, another option to keep at your fingertips. Really the best thing about them is that they can make watercolor painting a more effortless part of your life. Grab a waterbrush, travel palette, and sketchbook and you are set with everything you need. I often have these three items rubber banded together in my purse so that I can do a little painting if the opportunity presents itself - which it more often will if you have your paints (and a waterbrush) with you!
As always, thank you for being here and wishing you happy painting,
]]>
Drybrushing is easily my favorite watercolor technique. Learning how to incorporate it into my practice gave me much greater control, broadened my skillset, and ultimately brought greater enjoyment to the painting process and satisfaction in the final work.
I'm going to explain it from the ground up as concisely as I can, and then illlustrate how it all works with a mini watercolor tutorial where I will show you how to paint a cherry.
]]>This is generally considered at least an intermediate technique because it is best understood in context with a number of other techniques. However, I'm going to explain it from the ground up as concisely as I can, and then illlustrate how it all works with a mini watercolor tutorial where I will show you how to paint a cherry.
In watercolor, drybrush relies on a damp, not dry, brush.
Drybrush is a technique in which a slightly damp brush is used with very diluted paint to layer over previous paint layers. The name is both illuminating and deceiving. Many people assume the technique requires a completely dry brush. Using a completely dry brush in watercolor does not work very well - even when lifting. This is something of a borrowed technique from other paint mediums, where a completely dry brush is what is required. In watercolor, the brush will seem very dry compared to looser, juicier work.
The term 'drybrush' can appear in a number of different forms: 'dry brush' or 'dry-brush' are also seen on the internet and in some books, however I defer to the authority of the American Society of Botanical Artists whose use of the term is what I follow: 'drybrush'.
Using this technique, you can build up as many layers as you wish. Ten to even forty layers are not uncommon in finished botanical work!
The purpose of the drybrush technique is to build up and develop color by creating new layers on top of existing paint layers without disturbing the ones below.
This technique is commonly used in botanical and scientific illustration because of the vivid, luminous, and specific colors that are achievable with it.
Use this technique to create realistic and detailed colors and textures in your work. Depth, volume, luminosity, texture, and some degree of realism are generally the goals when turning to drybrushing. Because of this, it is a technique that is usually brought out for more polished and developed paintings. However, I enjoy leaning on this technique to add depth and brilliance to more casual paintings and even sketches.
For a botanical work, you may rely on drybrush to work the entirety of your painting, or you may just use it to develop the focal point of a quick painting on a postcard or sketch in your journal.
The drybrush technique functions by having your brush just wet enough to allow you to deposit new paint onto the surface of your painting, but not so wet that it reactivates the layers underneath it.
This technique relies on your control of the pigment-to-water ratio on your brush. When starting out, it is best to err on the side of going light on both pigment and water. The other major factor is brush control: pressure and stroke placement.
As you press your brush against your paper it squeezes the water in your brush out onto the paper. Water will sink into the fibers of the paper, being pulled through the existing paint layers. That is what can cause previous layers of watercolor paint to get reactivated. When layers are reactivated they are ready to move and blend - this is what you are depending on when you lift (or remove color from a watercolor painting), however this is precisely what you don't want to happen when attempting to add a layer to previous ones.
A damp brush only has enough moisture to act as a conduit for the pigment you are laying down to reach the paper, (there simply isn't enough moisture there to begin to soak into the paper) and any moisture left behind will quickly evaporate.
You'll generally (not always) want to work with very diluted paint. This helps obscure the brush strokes used to lay down the color and allows a complex area to develop thoughtfully.
You'll want to use your brush lightly, often just the tip! The harder you press on your brush the more surface area of the brush comes in contact with the surface of your paper, the more moisture is squeezed out, and the more likely you are to disturb previous layers (pressure alone can do it!).
In addition to being soft and light, you'll also want your brushstrokes to be somewhat rapid. Rather than the broad, juicy, sweeping strokes of a wash, you'll want these to more resemble hatching work (similar to cross hatching but without the cross!), lots of little lines next to one another, generally in the direction of the form you are painting or reflecting the texture you are trying to achieve.
You will quickly get a feel for when an area has reached its limit of being worked - something might show a sign of lifting or smearing rather than deepening. Once you have worked over an area, move on to a different one so the previous one can dry thoroughly before you begin adding another layer to it.
Testing a loaded brush on scrap watercolor paper is very useful. You will immediately notice if your color is diluted enough or if it is too strong. Also you can watch to see if there are color pools at the beginning or end of your strokes (indicating you have too much water).
Scumbling is really a specific type of drybrushing, which artists define and describe in different ways. In general, it is a drybrush method where paint is applied to the paper using specifically a scrubbing action with a very dry brush for the purpose of creating texture. It generally relies on more textured papers so that color is scumbled onto the raised paper surface and the underlying color shows through on the untouched more recessed areas of the paper.
Drybrush and glazing are both methods for layering. Glazing is much wetter, but still done lightly, quickly, and generally with diluted colors. It uses broader juicier strokes so that a more uniform yet very transparent layer is applied. It is useful to use in conjunction with drybrush as it has a way of pulling things together through its extra moisture.
A photograph I snapped of a Ranier cherry. You can use this as a reference to paint.
In the following mini tutorial I will show you how to apply the drybrush technique to a painting of a cherry. We just got a batch of beautiful local Ranier cherries, and their bright coloration and rounded shape make a perfect project to demonstrate this technique.
All told, this painting took just under two hours, including dry times. Drybrush is not fast. I can best liken it to needlework, and many watercolorists will compare the process of drybrush to weaving. Just remember to take your time, be patient, and recall that less is always more with this technique. You can always add more layers, so luxuriate in moving along gradually.
The supplies I used for this mini project, each listed below.
You can use whatever supplies you have on hand. Giving this a shot with what you have is better than not trying at all! Below is a list of what I used to complete this painting:
Pools of pure color in enamel mixing palette indentations. Once these are dry, the "skins" are really useful for drybrushing because they do not add extra moisture to the brush the way pools of color do.
Make sure you have clean water and a fresh paper towel or handkerchief to blot your brush. Arrange your colors, mixing palette, water, blotter, and scrap paper together on the same side of the paper as your dominant hand (this prevents errant drips on the paper). Next, create diluted color pools of the main colors you will be using for your painting: Pyrrole Red, Quinoxalinedione Yellow, Quinacridone Magenta, Ultramarine Blue, Potter's Pink, French Red Ochre, Ultramarine Purple, and Cassel Earth. I use the circular indentations on our enamel oval mixing palette for this purpose.
Graphite outline of the cherry, done using Graphgear 1000 .9 with HB lead.
Quickly sketch in general proportions, then create more precise lines. I enjoy using my Graphgear 1000 .9 with HB lead for initial sketching. It is soft and wide, but more precise than a traditional wood pencil. Also, the eraser at the end of it is very fine and perfect for refining details. If you would like to skip this step, you can download my drawing here. Either print it or transfer it onto watercolor paper. After your drawing is finished, you can use a kneaded eraser to lighten your drawing. Just use your eraser to dab at the drawing, or roll it into a worm and roll it over your drawing.
Using a kneaded eraser to lighten the graphite lines.
Underpainting that lightly blocks color areas and reserves white areas.
Observe your subject and its colors. Try to visually break it down into different zones of color and value. Take special note of any white areas or other areas that receive reflected light or exhibit shine. I suggest that you avoid outlining these areas and instead use your color blocking to sketch them out.
Next, mix up the hue that is the lightest that you notice. For our cherry, I mixed up a very diluted mix of Quinacridone Magenta with a little Ultramarine Purple. Using my Size 0 Quill, I painted in this color anywhere there was reflected light or red, and left the white areas white. As long as your mixture is diluted enough, you can use your brush to sketch in your white areas now.
Next use diluted Quinoxalinedione Yellow to block in the yellow and orange areas of your cherry, still avoiding the reserved white areas entirely. Then I used Italian Green Earth to block in the entire stem. Let everything dry.
Take stock of your colors so that you can plan out roughly which to use when. I used our Cherry Painting Palette for this exercise.
Next, look at your cherry, take stock of the paints you have on hand, and plan out what colors you will use for which areas and a general order of application. I decided to start with layers of Pyrrole Red and Quinoxalinedione Yellow to develop the main color zones, and then add Quinacridone Magenta, French Red Ochre, Potter's Pink, and Ultramarine Purple to add depth in the darkest areas. I used Cassel Earth to add detail to the stem.
First layer of color in place. It is easy to get frustrated at this stage - keep going!
Using a size 6 round brush, add in a light layer of Pyrrole Red to the red areas and Quinoxalinedione Yellow to the yellow and orange areas. Using your scrap paper, test what is on your brush before you start painting. This will let you know if your color is diluted enough or if you have too much water on your brush. At this stage, you can use a slightly wetter brush (almost a glaze) since you have a lot of ground to cover. Let dry. Using the very tip of your brush, add a layer of Cassel Earth to the stem to delineate the darker areas.
Second layer!
Using drybrush technique, brush on another layer of Pyrrole Red anywhere you see red or orange. Go slowly, go lightly. Make small brushstrokes using just the tip of your brush. When you re-load your brush, dip just the tip quickly in your water cup, dab it off on your blotter, then just tickle the mixing palette where your color is, then test your brush on your scrap paper. If you get a nice light line without any water pooling at either end of the stroke (indicating too much water) and without a ragged or rough stroke (indicating not enough water), then start dabbing away at your painting again.
Third layer!
Keep going, but now switching back to Quinoxalinedione Yellow in all of the yellow and orange areas. Notice how the color builds and develops slowly but surely. Then add more Pyrrole Red.
Fourth layer...
Add another layer of Pyrrole Red to the redder areas, and add more Cassel Earth to the stem.
Add Quinacridone Magenta to the very darkest areas of red. It has a wider value range than Pyrrole and will offer some cooler undertones. This is a very subtle addition, but will help you map out your darker areas - think of it almost as your dark zone underpainting, but drybrush application.
Sixth layer
Add Potter's Pink and Ultramarine Purple to the very darkest areas. Be very sparing here! Use almost a stippling action with your brush here (tiny dots) to add in these darks and keep them well blended. You can add Ultramarine Blue if you need to go even darker.
Finished painting! Remember, the point of this tutorial is to demonstrate how the drybrush technique works to build up color in a controlled way. The object in doing this exercise is to practice drybrush - try to focus on the process more than the outcome!
You are now ready to add the finishing touches, and will want to switch to your size 2 round brush. Examine the white areas. Add in any subtle details and refine their shapes. Most shines do not have straight lines, nor are they entirely white. Add in the subtle red shadow created by the stem. Adjust any of the reflected light areas at the edges. Do any last refinements to the stem.
Then, avoid the inclination to keep fussing. Put your brush down and walk away. Get a drink of water, a snack, take a break. Then come back and look at your painting with fresh eyes. If you feel dissatisfied, try to be objective and instead of fussing with this painting, resolve to keep practicing and make more. Remember this is just practice, not a performance. Think about what you learned from this painting session. It is important to keep your focus on your practice and the process.
In writing this post, my hope is to offer a useful new tool to anyone unfamiliar with drybrush, and offer some thoughtful detail to those who already enjoy employing it in their practice.
The single biggest complaint I hear repeated about watercolor is lack of control - mastering this technique will give that to you. Add in an understanding of color theory and you are rolling!
I hope you found this useful. Please add in any questions you still have to the comments!
As always, thank you for being here and wishing you happy painting!
]]>In this post, I'll be talking about the often-overlooked mechanics of color mixing: where to mix your colors, how much paint to use, how to adjust mixtures, and different mixing methods. I'll be referencing color theory, in particular color temperature, which I have already written a blog post about here. For information about which colors to mix and why, I recommend you take a peek!
There are three main approaches to color mixing, all of which are useful for different applications and all of which will yield slightly different results. Each one is a handy technique to have in your toolbox.
The Sketcher's Bijoux Set: A palette and color collection specifically designed for color mixing. The travel palette features three large mixing areas in the lid instead of the usual two, so that each secondary color mixture has a dedicated mixing space. The color collection includes two sets of primary colors: Ochres & Modern, along with secondary colors for convenience, a brown, and a greyscale. There is no hue this palette can't mix!
This is the classic approach, and the one that will yield the most precise mixed colors. A mixing palette is any surface on which you mix colors: the lid of your travel tin, a plate, an enamel tray, etc. (Note: If using a new enamel surface to mix colors, you can save yourself the frustration of dealing with colors beading up, by priming the surface, which you can read about here.) To mix colors on a mixing palette, you will use your brush to remove color from your pans or wherever you have deposited dollops of tube paints, and deposit it (still using your brush) onto your mixing surface.
Another feature of the enamel mixing palettes (above is our rectangular version) is that they have a thumb loop which allows you to hold your mixed colors (and pans if they are magnetized) and your brushes with one hand while you paint with the other. This arrangement allows you to easily stand, especially useful when painting outdoors.
For the cleanest possible mixed color, you will want to use a clean mixing surface, and rinse your brush well between colors.
Use your brush to deposit two pools of color next to each other (but not quite touching) on your mixing surface.
The size of the pools/amount of the color depends on a few factors:
Two color pools: Quinacridone Magenta & Phthalocyanine Cyan - both about the size of a quarter, at medium concentration, and with space between for the mixed color to emerge.
Once you have your pools of color on your mixing palette, rinse your brush, then dip it into the lower tinting strength color at the edge of the pool, and pull the color into the space between pools. Then (no need to rinse your brush), pull a very small amount of the higher tinting strength color to the space between pools. Gradually, make a mixed pool in the center, pulling in whichever color you need more of until you have the mixture you want.
Start by pulling one of the colors to the middle (it is best to start with the color that has the lowest tinting strength - this helps avoid the mixture getting away from you).
By working with pools of color on your mixing palette, you will be able to keep you pans clean. This is a good way to begin color mixing. However, you may prefer to skip the "pooling process" and dip your brush from pan to mixed pool. This can work very well, however you will end up cross-contaminating your color pans. For some painting approaches, this is no big deal, and many painters delight in a messy palette. Others regard it as sacrilege and depend on clean, crisp, carefully matched colors.
When mixing two different colors (such as primaries), watch for the mixed center pool to turn a distinctly different color. If you are going for a roughly 50/50 mixture, you will want to watch for what I call the "click point". The mixed color will look distinctly different from either of your starting pools of color.
If you need to add more color to one of your original pools, rinse your brush and dip back into your pan to deposit more into your original pool, then continue mixing.
Once you have achieved the color you want, start painting! Make minor adjustments to the mixture as necessary, as you paint. If your mixture dries on your mixing surface, simply re-wet it and keep working. In this way you can return to a mixture if you need to take a break or come back another day.
Each of these colors was laid down one at a time in layers from left to right, each layer being allowed to dry before the next was applied. The transparency of the watercolors creates an optical mix. It is just another approach to color mixing to keep in your tool box of techniques.
Layering is color mixing and it is not color mixing -- at the same time. Layering is really optical color mixing. Instead of using a mixing palette and swirling colors together, you layer them one on top of the other directly on your paper, letting each layer dry before adding the next one on top.
To layer colors, you will need to select transparent colors, otherwise the top layer will obscure whatever is beneath it. In watercolors, most color are transparent, but some are more so than others.
Quinacridone Magenta, Quinoxalinedione Yellow, and Phthalocyanine Cyan, each layered one after the other.
The key to layering bears repeating: you must let each layer dry completely before adding the next one. Simply paint a color onto your paper, let it dry, then paint a layer of a different color. The two transparent colors layered together will create the effect of a mixed color - similar to layered glass or theater gels.
Some notes on layering colors:
At left, both colors had a layer of Quinoxalinedione Yellow laid down first. When it was dry the color at right was brushed over the top. The color at right is a single layer. Note the differences. These swatches were painted on rough Arches watercolor paper, and the yellow layer was allowed to shine through by keeping the top layer light and rapid, as described below.
This approach is very freeform. It allows you to put the watercolors themselves in the lead. It kicks the mixing palette to the curb, throws the waiting-for-paint-to-dry routine out the window, and requires you to get comfortable with letting your colors get a little messy. However, by knowing your colors well, you can still exert plenty of control on your mixing outcomes using this method.
Color were mixed on paper to create the effect of shadows on the underside of clouds. Phthalocyanine Cyan mixed with Quinacridone Magenta to create a beautiful purple shadow color. Armenian Purple Ochre was then added sparingly for texture.
You can mix colors wet-in-wet in a wash to create beautiful blooms and gradual transitions - just create your wash and then begin adding colors. You can add more water, more color, and blend. Just be aware that less is often more and these areas will dry differently than how they appear wet - beware of overworking and surrender to the beautiful effects each pigment creates.
A second variation is putting down color and, while it is still wet, adding to it. The difference is that this isn't really a wash, though it does share some principles. This method may be applied to the underpainting of a leaf in a botanical painting. You may lay down a layer of diluted green, and while it is still wet add a line of darker green to create depth and shape to your leaf. Then when that is dry, you could add the veins and other details over the top.
This method will inevitably leave your pans a bit messy. Simply give your palette a quick rinse under the faucet if your colors are low or no toxicity. If you have cobalt or cadmium pigments you'll want to use a well-rinsed brush to "wipe" off the surface of your colors and then dispose of the paint water responsibly.
Having The Right Colors
First of all, it is important to understand that you can mix any colors you wish. Understanding color theory, particularly color temperature, will help you decide which colors will help you mix the hue you have in mind.
It also helps to understand that single pigment watercolor will mix the most cleanly and predictably. Many watercolors these days are mixtures of two or more pigments to approximate specific hues. Because this can lead to frustration when mixing, we only offer single pigment colors.
Lastly, having a solid set of primary colors can give a palette of colors a good backbone. The addition of a black or dark grey that doesn't have an overpowering tinting strength can allow for easy tinting adjustments of colors. We designed our CMYK & CMYKW palettes especially with these thoughts in mind: to use as a minimalist palette, for a kind of color mixing bootcamp, to add to an existing palette, or use as the foundation of a new palette that will be built from scratch.
Often when we think of color mixing, we think of two colors being mixed together. However, using more than two colors is often necessary, especially when trying to match colors. Here are a few tips to make those minor adjustments to get where you want to go:
You can pull your mixture in a warmer or cooler direction by adding more of a color that is next to it on the wheel. For example, to make a cooler yelllow, add green (or blue), and to make a warmer yellow, add orange (or red). When making minor adjustments, the closer the color is on the wheel the better.
One important detail that is often overlooked on the topic of color mixing: notes! Especially if you switch between a few different palettes or work with a wide range of colors, forgetting which colors you used in a mixture is all too easy! If you plan to resume work on a painting or match a mixed color you enjoyed working with, notes are essential.
It is best to select a system to build your habit around. You can make color notes in the margins of your sketchbook, on the opposite page face of your sketchbook, or on scraps of watercolor paper that you will date and label with the painting they correspond to.
One way to make simple color mixing notes.
I personally use a system of color swatches annotated with color label, optical percentages of color used, and simple mathematical symbols to keep track of which colors I mixed and in what quantities/concentrations.
This simple habit will not only provide an invaluable reference, but offers an opportunity to become more aware of what you are doing and determine which colors are your favorites.
As always, thank you for being here and wishing you happy painting,
]]>This series is designed to bring the color wheel to life, combining history, science, and color theory in a way that is relevant for the watercolor painter.
We are going to begin with the color category of Red. Somehow it tends to be the first color - linguistically, scientifically, and artistically. When listing the primary colors we begin with Red, when displaying the light spectrum we begin with Red, and indeed Red was the first to color to receive its very own name...
First off: why in the world would the etymology of color names really matter to a painter?
The reason is that words give shape to how we express ourselves, how we think, and even how we see. Being precise and intentional with your language not only allows you to express yourself with greater accuracy, it literally lets you see more clearly.
When painting and observing, I try to think in terms of pigment names as a way to practice color matching with my eyes. I like to use specific color terms such as Red, Yellow, Green, and Purple as categories both to organize my colors and create systems for how I think about and mix my pigments. Originally, I only wanted to use names for color categories that referred to color alone - which got me to thinking about the origins of our color names.
For some color names, such as Orange, it is relatively easy to trace their origins (the fruit came first), while others have been obscured by time and linguistic evolution. Such is the case with Red. Color names come into being at very different times over the evolution of a language, yet, from area to area, era to era, and one civilization to the next, color names entered each lexicon in roughly the same order (how crazy is that?!).
Almost unflinchingly, color names have arisen after an item or object of a matching color received its name: Black from ink, White from light, Red likely from blood, Pink from a flower, Teal from a duck, etc. Then, gradually, the term would become synonymous with the color, and then it would migrate to refering to the color specifically.
As civilizations evolved in complexity, so did language and its descriptors, but always on an as-needed basis. This is why the most distinct colors were named first (white, black, and red), and why we only arrived at such explicit terms for subtle hue variations as Teal, Magenta, and Chartreuse much more recently.
The etymology of the word Red can be traced back to some of the earliest languages: Proto-Indo-European (known as PIE, and spoken from 4500-2500 BCE), is the root language of all Indo-European languages (Europe, India, Iran, etc.), and Red is the only color name that can be traced back to a PIE root word. The PIE word was thought to be reudh. From there it entered Old Saxon as rod, Old Norse as rauðr, Middle Dutch as root, German as rot, Sanskrit as raktah, etc.
Originally spelled in Middle English as read, the surname Read still retains the original spelling to this day.
Indeed, reudh is the root of words such as ruddy, rust, russet, and ruby - all red-related terms. It has also long been linked with blood, which is likely where its link to symbologies of danger, passion, revolution, and sacrifice originate.
Interestingly, our blood is red because of the presence of iron and oxygen, not completely unlike iron-oxide rich soils. Even a quick peek behind the curtain reveals so may connections between our bodies, the earth, and pigments.
The electromagnetic spectrum is comprised of the light discernible to the human eye: the colors of the rainbow. We can see red as a result of light that predominantly consists the longest wavelengths in this visible range.
Longer light waves vibrate at lower frequencies and have lower energies than lightwaves with shorter wavelengths (such as blue and purple). This is why sunsets appear red and orange. At sunset, the sun is farther from us than it is at midday, when it appears more yellow. The longer light waves are able to travel farther distances without being quite so easily dispersed by the particles in the atmosphere. (Lightwaves of shorter wavelength, such as blue, have been more dispersed by the atmosphere on their way from the sun to our eyes at sunset).
These longer wavelengths and lower frequencies are also why we use red lights in photography dark rooms.
Understanding specific light wave science for each color isn't a necessity for the watercolor artist, however it can help answer questions about the world around you that you may be trying to paint! A deeper understanding of your subject can bring you closer to it, allowing you to depict it with greater intimacy and insight.
The main red pigments that have been and are still used by artists are:
These pigments all have different chemical compositions, different sources and synthesization methods, different hues, different permanence, and different behaviors - the one thing they all have in common is expressing a hue in the red range.
Over the years I have enjoyed collecting red pigments and adding the ones to our line that have both high permanence and low or no toxicity. These are:
American Pipestone
Potter's Pink
Quinacridone Magenta
French Red Ochre
Moroccan Red Ochre
French Red Ochre Dark
Icelandic Red Earth
Pyrrole Red
Benzimidazolone Orange
I designed a travel palette to contain them all together as a collection - for monochrome painting, for exploring the red color category, for sampling so that favorites can be added to a new or existing palette.
What studying red pigments has taught me is that a single "true Red" does not exist. Red is best thought of as a color category that encompasses a wide range of pigments that hold different positions on the color wheel within the red area of it. Some are warmer, some cooler, some are more grey, and some have an intense high chroma.
In time, sampling and painting with different reds will lead you to your favorites, the ones most compatible with your work and that you most enjoy using.
Red is generally positioned at the top of the color wheel, flanked by orange at the left and purple at the right. When using color names as categories, it is important to remember that their borders blend into one another, rather than being hard boundaries (no matter how much more satisfying and convenient that would be).
This diagram more clearly shows you how to "plot" your pigments on a color wheel, though this one does not distinguish between high and low chroma.
I find it helpful to think in terms of "directions when mixing colors: A cooler (or bluer) red will be towards the right of the red section on the wheel, a warmer (or yellower) red will be towards the left of the red section. Though higher chroma and darker-toned hues are not illustrated in these diagrams, there is one further dimension: ! lighter or higher chroma red will be toward the "top" of the wheel, and a darker or greyer red will be towards the "bottom" of the red section.
"Cool" red is just a different way of describing a blue-red or a purple-red, just as "warm" red is a different way of describing a yellow-red or an orange-red.
Thinking in terms of red's place on the color wheel and these "directions" will help you when color mixing.
In general, and as mentioned above, there are four "directions" you can pull a Red color to mix the hue you want: up (add white), down (add black), right (add blue), and left (add yellow). Of course, there are all kinds of ways to pull your starting pigment in those directions:
There are three ways to lighten or brighten your red pigment: You can add white to it, which will increase the opacity and have the effect of washing it out, you can dilute it with water which allows the white of your paper to shine through, or you can mix it with a lighter or higher chroma red (as you might if you added a small touch of Pyrrole Red to French Red Ochre).
Pyrrole Red at left is gradually mixed with increasing amounts of Titanium White. Another way to lighten or brighten this color would be to increasingly dilute it with water.
If you want to tint your color to knock down the chroma or darken it, mixing in a black pigment is only one way to accomplish that. Another option is to add its color opposite. You can also add a mixed black, a grey, or a brown. All of these are ways to "tone down" your red pigment.
Top: Pyrrole Red is mixed with Lamp Black in gradually increasing amounts, essentially greying it down and creating a series of tints.
Middle: Pyrrole Red is mixed with Phthalocyanine Green, its complementary color (or color opposite on the wheel) in gradually increasing amounts.
Bottom: Pyrrole Red is mixed with Italian Brown Earth in gradually increasing amounts.
If you want to cool off your red pigment to create a purple, magenta, or alizarin tone, you can mix it with blue, purple, fuchsia, or a cooler red.
Top: Pyrrole Red is mixed with Ultramarine Blue in gradually increasing amounts, pulling it in a cooler, more purple direction.
Middle: Pyrrole Red is mixed with Dioxazine Violet, to create a range of alizarins and fuchsias.
Bottom: Pyrrole Red is mixed with Quinacridone Magentas in gradually increasing amounts. This works to pull Pyrrole Red in a cooler direction without significantly dampening its chroma.
If you want to warm up your red pigment to create a more fiery tone, you can mix it with a yellow, orange, or warm red.
Top: Pyrrole Red is mixed with Quinoxalinedione Yellow in gradually increasing amounts, pulling it in a warmer direction, and offering up a wide range of warm reds, oranges, and red-yellows.
Middle: Pyrrole Red is mixed with Benzimidazolone Orange, to create a range of fiery reds.
Bottom: Pyrrole Red is mixed with Pyrrole Scarlet (an as of yet unreleased G&B color) in gradually increasing amounts. This works to pull Pyrrole Red in a slightly warmer direction without significantly decreasing its chroma.
Just remember: When mixing colors, if your starting pigment is high in chroma and you want to retain that high chroma in your color mixture, select a mixing pigment that is both high in chroma and as close to your starting pigment as possible on the color wheel. For example: If you start with Pyrrole Red and your goal is to mix a nice magneta or fuchsia for a floral painting, avoid using a blue. Instead select a purple. Choosing a farther-away color on the wheel has the automatic effect of greying down your mixture.
One of the main challenges painters face is how to make colors pop and glow. After all, our expression is limited to the colors on our palette. However, if you understand how to use them cleverly, you can make them appear as more than they are. Some paintings appear to emanate light. This isn't because the pigments are especially unusual - it's because the artist knew how to use them.
There are two main ways to make your Reds really pop:
Color Relativity: In essence this utilizes the fact that the appearance of colors changes, depending on neighboring hues. To use color relativity to make a red pop in your painting, tone down (or grey down) the rest of the colors in your painting. This is how the Old Masters were able to make Cinnabar and Red Ochre look shockingly vibrant.
Juxtaposing Complimentary Color: Complimentary colors have a way of augmenting one another. You'll be able to give your red a boost by placing a green adjacent to it.
While Red has been somewhat dethroned as an undisputed primary color, it still retains its place on the color wheel and its significance on the artists palette - and in our painted compositions. Understanding its origins across disciplines and how to mix its full glorious range using the pigments within your reach will lend depth and power to your paintings.
As always, wishing you happy painting,
]]>First off, let's briefly go over the effect salt has on watercolors: If you sprinkle salt across wet watercolor paint, it will create a textured or mottled effect that is significantly more noticeable than granulation.
This effect has been used to create stars in the sky, texture on a sandy beach, or even the speckled pattern on the back of a horse. It is a wonderful tool to have un your chest, and one that is unique to water media.
In a nutshell: salt absorbs water. So, when you sprinkle salt onto the surface of a wet watercolor painting it will pull in and absorb the water it touches. (It is essentially lifting the color as it absorbs it.) The effect is that little starbursts are created where color has been lifted from the areas where a grain of salt rests.
Salt absorbs water because it is hygroscopic (meaning it has a tendency to absorb moisture). This attraction is caused by the polarity of the salt and water molecules. (Polar molecules possess regions that have both positive and negative charge.) In the case of water and salt, a water molecule (hydrogen dioxide) contains hydrogen which is negative and two oxygens which are positive. A salt molecule (sodium chloride in the case of table salt) contains sodium which is positive and chlorine which is negative. As a result, water and salt molecules are strongly attracted to each other (just think of the strong attraction between the positive and negative sides of a magnet).
Another useful thing to know about salt and water is that salt is deliquescent, which means that it can absorb so much water that it turns into a solution, which starts to happen above about 75% humidity for salt. Before salt reaches that tipping point, it bonds with water to form a hydrate structure. This is when the salt is still holding the water.
Further, the process of creating a salt water solution is reversible: when the water evaporates a salt residue is left behind.
Understanding each of these facts will allow you to turn using salt with watercolor into a controllable technique rather than just a fun novelty effect.
You can use any kind of salt with watercolors - there is no single correct type. However, different types of salt will give you different effects for different reasons.
Different types of salt absorb different amounts of water depending on their grain size, molecular and crystalline structure, polarisation, and trace mineral content.
Grain size and salt type are the main two variables that you will take into account as a watercolorist. Understanding the rest removes the mystery of what happens on your paper and why.
A selection of different types of salt in our Travel Salt Pinches.
Table Salt
Table Salt has a rather small grain size. It is a highly refined sodium chloride that usually contains potassium iodide (iodized) as well as an anti-caking agent (which is why many of us need not bother with rice grains in the salt shaker).
Kosher Salt
Kosher salt has a rather larger grain size. It is called kosher salt after the Jewish preparation process of meat which requires it to contain no blood. Kosher salts are generally refined sodium chloride without additives (and any other trace minerals), standardized across brands, though different brands have different levels of salinity (saltiness).
Sea Salt
Sea Salt is naturally occurring, unrefined, and generally large-grained. It also contains differing accessory and trace minerals, depending on its source (much like natural pigments).
Himalayan Pink Salt
This salt is a natural unrefined sea salt that receives its striking color from our good friend iron oxide.
Hawaiian Lava Salt
This type of salt has a deep black color that can transfer to your paper for an interesting effect! It is made by evaporating the local waters and receives its color from activated charcoal (which is considered lightfast).
These salts will all behave similarly in watercolors, though you may notice subtle differences between them that depend on grain side, trace minerals, salinity, color, and crystalline structure.
The best way to find your favorite is to sample and experiment. We carry a variety of salts in small tins for use as a travel salt pinch. Shakers can be messy to travel with and give less control than simply using your fingers to sprinkle.
The two very most influential variables at play when using salt with watercolors are grain size and how wet your paper is (pigment and paper types are important too, and we will get into those in just a bit!).
Larger grains of salt absorb more water from your paper (creates larger starbursts), and smaller ones absorb less (smaller starbursts). The wetter your paper is the more work there is for your salt to do. Too much water and your salt can simply turn into a solution, and after it dries you will be left with salty residue across your paper. More commonly, the water will dry before the salt dissolves, but too much water and pigment means the salt will be at absorption capacity before much visible effect is noticeable.
If your paper is too dry when you sprinkle your salt then there isn't enough water for the salt to absorb to have much noticeable visual effect.
In general, you're going for the in-between moment when the water on your page is still wet and active - not too dry and not puddle-ridden. The more you practice, the more comfortable you will feel with recognizing the right moment to scatter your salt - and you will also learn how to push that boundary different ways to achieve different effects. Salt on a wetter (but not waterlogged) page will give you an almost tie-dye effect, where salt on a drier page will have an overall more subtle effect.
After you have chosen your moment and sprinkled your salt (using your fingers to sprinkle will give you more control than a shaker), then wait for your paper to dry.
After you paper is dry, gently brush off the salt grains. It is important to make sure your paper is completely dry before you do this, otherwise you run the risk of smearing any wet or damp patches of color across the rest of your painting. The wetter your painting was when you put down the salt, the more difficult it may be to remove - just remember to be delicate with your painting. Also, while salt can be rough and drying on your fingers, it is best not to use an eraser to help remove salt as it can scratch your paper, smear colors, and make a mess! If you want to protect your fingers use a stiff (clean!) brush or a glove.
Tip: Take care not to brush your salt off into your water cup or colorpalette!
This is a palette that we designed to contain some of the pigments that give them most dramatic results when salted. We named it the Starburst Set, after the shapes and patterns salt makes when added to a light wash.
The pigment(s) you select to use for salting can have a big impact on the final results. Not understanding that different pigments offer different results when salted is one of the biggest sources of frustration for watercolor artists - this is also the main reason using salt with watercolors can feel so unpredictable.
Color characteristics (which you can read all about here) are what determines how each pigment behaves - and these influence the results when they are salted.
Takeaway: colors with finer pigment particle sizes, with a tendency to disperse, and/or with a wider value range will produce the most dramatic effects when used with salt. Granulating colors will have their texture augmented with the addition of salt. Colors with larger pigment particle sizes and/or that flocculate will offer the least dramatic results.
Yes! Paper is a lesser factor compared to the salt itself and the pigment you are working with, but it can still have a noticeable effect.
Hot pressed papers will give you the most dramatic effect when salting. This is because the smooth surface gives the lease resistance to the pigments, allowing them to move more easily towards the salt when it is sprinkled. Rough papers give watercolors a granulated appearance, making the salt effect less dramatic. The rough surface also makes the journey a little longer and bumpier for the suspended pigment particles.
Sizing is the other factor to take into account in selecting watercolor papers for use with salt. Watercolor paper can be internally and/or externally sized. Sizing decreases the absorbency of watercolor paper. A surface sized paper prevents the water from being absorbed into the paper fibers as quickly. As a result, there is more "open" time for a wash to flow - or be absorbed by salt. So, you will notice a more dramatic result with surface sized papers. (Most common watercolor papers are surface sized, so don't worry too awfully much about this factor.)
Salt swatch chart in progress...
The best way to determine how each of the colors in your palette will react to salt is to do some testing. It is wonderful fun to create a salt swatch chart for quick reference, or just for the experience of testing each of your colors with salt.
Just tape out a grid on a sheet of watercolor paper and fill each square with a different color. At the right moment, add your salt, let dry, then brush off the salt. I would suggest using just one type of salt for your chart and trying to keep your timing consistent so that the only changing variable is pigment.
You can always make an additional chart to test different salt types! For this type of chart I suggest selecting just one color so that the salt type is the only changing variable.
The three main factors in play when using salt in your watercolor painting are:
To feel comfortable using salt as a technique in your painting you will need to practice and experiment with each of the factors above, which should be a lot of fun.
There is so much more to say on this topic, however I will end here for now. I hope you found this information useful, and feel inspired to give salt a try if you have never played with it before!
As Always, Wishing You Happy Painting!
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My very favorite two-color palette was inspired by the fascinating fact that only two pigments are responsible for the wide range of colors found in birds' eggshells. All birds apparently have the capability to produce both pigments, but not all of them do - some may only use one, others none.
Scientists believe that different birds have evolved to produce different appearances of eggs as camouflage, determined by nest type, environment, and other factors.
The two pigments are brown and blue, respectively. Biliverdin is a greenish-blue, while protoporphyrin is a reddish-brown. Together they create a shocking range of colors. Sadly, these pigments are not lightfast (believe me, I've looked into it).
So, I turned to our color line to select the most similar pigments. I was curious to see the range of colors that could be mixed, and I also thought it would make a wonderful painting challenge to paint a series of different bird's eggs.
I selected our Phthalocyanine Cyan, a green-leaning blue, and our Italian Brown Ochre, a warm brown that stretches from a yellowish color when diluted to a reddish brown when more concentrated. Both colors ride a line of color transition, which provides both greater depth and range to a palette that includes them.
To view the range of hues possible when mixing two pigments, you need to play with the ratio of one color to the other. More of one color and less of another will yield different hues. For a quick spread of ratios to test the mixing range of two pigments, I recommend using quarter percents, which will give you five swatches:
Using Phthalocyanine Cyan & Italian Brown Ochre, and illustrated below.
Remember, when mixing colors you are going by appearance not volume!
At top is pure Phthalocyanine Cyan, followed by a Cyan-heavy mixture that produces a teal hue, followed by a 50/50 mixture that creates a beautiful olive green, followed by a Brown Ochre-heavy mixture that makes a cooler brown, and finally pure Italian Brown Ochre.
A quick sketch study of a variety of different egg types, done using only Phthalocyanine Cyan and Italian Brown Ochre.
Since we cannot use the exact pigments in birds' eggs, our colors can only be an approximation. Still, it is a fun exercise to paint an array of different colored birds' eggs as a way to see what two colors can really do. Further, the range of different textures, as well as working with the shape of the egg to create volume, makes for wonderful practice and beautiful paintings.
A set of thumbnails quickly painted using only Cyan & Brown Ochre as a way of mapping out composition, value, and color. While these two colors do not offer a full range, they can offer enough of a glimpse to give you an answer about whether you are satisfied with your painting plan.
Another use for two-color palette is as a thumbnail palette. Many artists will do a thumbnail sketch first to establish proportion, composition, and map general values. A thumbnail sketch is usually very small (hence the name of thumbnail), and done very quickly and roughly. Since colors are a very important aspect of composition, it can be very helpful to swipe some color over a thumbnail sketch. This really gives you a complete map before you begin a larger, more detailed painting.
The same two colors we have been using are well adapted for thumbnail sketching because of their wide range of contrasting colors that are useful in land and seascapes. More or less, this little palette contains brown, blue, and green, with the ability to produce shades of each, and decent stand-ins for yellow and grey.
This two-color palette, inspired by the pigments in birds' eggs, has been one of our most popular palettes over the years, and a personal favorite of my own. It has a way of bringing me back to basics, reintroducing the wonder of color mixing through exploration of the variety just two colors can offer. After using this palette for a little while, a palette with twelve colors feels like an embarrassment of riches!
This palette is a wonderful reminder that nature can inspire art at very fundamental levels, and that less can be so much more when it comes to color.
As always, wishing you happy painting,
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It is a lovely little product by Speedball, designed to help re-shape your brushes when their natural shape has gone astray for whatever reason. Think of it as something like conditioner for your hair or hair gel. It helps strengthen and straighten.
Think of it like a little first aid kit for your brushes: it is there to fix brush boo-boos, but not perform surgery or heal chronic disease.
It is considered non-toxic, but contains borax (1% or less), so you don't want to soak your feet in it or anything (which is very far from its intended purpose).
7. Then you are ready to go!
This is a product I have used for years, from time to time when I have a brush that gets a little frustratingly misshapen. It has proven very helpful and set some brushes back to rights. It isn't a miracle product, but one that I am glad to have at hand in my studio. I hope you find it useful to know it is an option!
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This is a question we are asked with unvarying frequency. Ochre pigments are one of the most plentiful natural pigments, encompass a rather diverse range of colors, and have been in popular use since long before it occurred to humans to record their history. However, while Ochre pigments have been in constant use for literally hundreds of thousands of years and are still widely popular today, many artists still struggle to define just what exactly Ochre is…
Ochre is a type of earth pigment that primarily derives its color from iron oxide, while also including an assortment of other accessory minerals, as well as salts and clays, all of which influence the ultimate color of the pigment.
Ochre pigments are inorganic (meaning mineral-based), and are widley considered to be some of the most permanent pigments in existence. (This can be confusing due to to the modern use of the word 'organic' to mean naturally occurring. 'Organic' technically refers to the situation of a substance being carbon-based. Organic pigments (meaning animal and vegetable-based) are generally not lightfast, with the obvious exception being modern synthetic organic pigments, such as the Quinacridones.)
Ochres are formed secondarily in iron-rich soils and as iron ore deposits decay, which can partially explain why they are generally relatively soft and easy to process into pigments. This quality, along with their accessibility and widespread prevalence, are what has made them one of the most used pigments in history.
Cave paintings at Lascaux site, France. These were created using various iron oxide pigments.
Iron oxide, commonly known as rust, is the mineral substance that so generously imparts to Ochres their distinctive colors. It occurs naturally everywhere on Earth in various forms, of which are responsible for determining different colors. Rocks that contain higher percentages of iron oxide are more deeply colored, while those that contain only trace amounts are nearly colorless (such as white clays and limestone).
While the different forms of iron oxides can occur together in various combinations, the mineral occurring in greatest dominance determines the overall color of a pigment sample, though that color is of course influenced in varying degrees by the other forms of iron oxide present, various accessory minerals, and the overall composition of the sample.
Greenleaf & Blueberry Armenian Hematite (unreleased), Cypriot Limonite, and Norwegian Magnetite.
Anhydrous ferric oxide
Greenleaf & Blueberry French Red Ochre Watercolor, demonstrated in a Gravity Wash
Hematite is an anhydrous ferric oxide, and imparts a red color. It is considered to be the pure mineral form of iron oxide. Hematite is from the Greek work hema, meaning blood, referencing the red color of the mineral.
Ferric oxyhydroxide
Greenleaf & Blueberry Cypriot Limonite Watercolor, demonstrated in a Gravity Wash
Limonite, a hydrous ferric oxide, is generally considered to be responsible for the yellow coloration seen in many Ochres. However, Limonite refers to a matrix base made of other minerals. It is not considered a true mineral because it does not have a specific chemical formula or crystalline structure. Goethite (and less commonly lepidocrocite) is the predominant mineral in Limonite, responsible for both its recognizable yellow color and its predominant characteristics.
Iron (II,III) oxide or Ferrous-ferric oxide
Greenleaf & Blueberry Norwegian Magnetite, demonstrated in a Gravity Wash
Magnetite, as you might surmise, is a strongly magnetic pigment. It is an iron ore containing equal amounts of ferrous iron and ferric iron, less popularly called ferrous-ferric oxide. (Ferrous is divalent and ferric is trivalent. An element's valency is a measure of its capacity to combine with other atoms when forming new molecules or chemical compounds). Magnetite is black or nearly black in color, and so is responsible for the darker Ochres.
When it comes to Ochre and Earth pigments, their mineral components, and their history, it is difficult to draw clear, definitive lines when sorting pigments into these different categories. Artists and scientists may use different terms, and the art supply industry's chaotic use of archaic, descriptive, or whimsical names only adds to the confusion.
Generally, the term 'earth pigments' refers to easily accessible and readily processable pigments that can be dug from the earth. Ochres are a category of earth pigments, united by receiving their color primarily from different iron oxides, and encompassing a range of reds, yellows, browns, and blacks.
Green Earths (also known as terre verte) are called 'earths' and not 'ochres' because they receive their coloration not from iron oxides, but from iron silicates (generally glauconite and celadonite). We will get into those another time (however, in the mean time I invite you to read my ode to Green Earth here).
Now that we understand from where ochre pigments receive their color, let's get into what ochre pigments really are - what they are made of.
Primary Component: This component is the dominant color-producing agent, such as hematite, goethite, or magnetite.
Secondary Component: This component is the secondary or modifying coloring agent. This might include hematite, goethite, magnetite, or an array of other minerals. This component influences the overall color (and behavior) of the sample, but is of a smaller percentage than the primary component.
Base Component: This component is the base or carrier of the color, and is most commonly made of some sort of clay. The composition of clays varies widely. (What is clay? In a nutshell: clay usually forms from the chemical weathering of silicate rocks. The type of clay that is formed depends on the source rock and the weathering conditions, such as acid vs. alkaline.) Clays are often light in color (darker colored clays usually receive their color from small quantities of our good friend iron oxide), and therefore they often act as a kind of diluent to the pigment sample. As a result of the base clay component, the overall color of the pigment is generally lightened, made more transparent or opaque, etc.
American Red Ochre Sample
Because of the varieties of factors in each component, you can easily see why Ochre samples from different locations vary so greatly and confound efforts to conveniently categorize them by color or behavior. It is not just the geology that effects a sample, but the climactic conditions that have acted upon it over time, and the resulting chemistry in how these materials interact that determine the final result that arrives on the artist's palette.
In this way, each Ochre pigment sample, like wine, has a kind of terrior, a unique color and set of handling characteristics determined by its source and history.
A Red Ochre from Morocco will be different from a Red Ochre from France will be different from a Red Ochre from America. Each source is different, and even each layer within a source is different. To call a paint simply 'Red Ochre' is the tip of the iceberg at best, and leaves out an essential piece of information for the artist - which Red Ochre. The connection to place isn't just interesting information, it should be considered essential knowledge for painters.
The famous Roussillon Ochre Cliffs in France, historically considered the source of the very finest red Ochres.
Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber, and Burnt Umber are very commonly found in most color lines, and on most palettes. If you have only a narrow experience in painting of any medium, these color names are probably familiar to you. But, like, what are they?
I took the trouble above to denote the different chemical variations of the different iron oxides - not to dazzle you with detailed chemical and geological facts, or put you to sleep for an afternoon nap (if I already have, pleasant dreams!); I shared that because it is necessary information to really understand some of the most widely used pigments on the painter's palette: the Siennas and Umbers.
Raw Sienna and Raw Umber are generally Goethite-based Ochre pigments, meaning they are hydrous iron oxides, meaning that good old H2O (water) is part of their chemical composition. You may have surmised from the terms 'raw' and 'burnt' that a transformation of sorts is involved with these pigments. Indeed, when you calcine (fire or roast) Raw Sienna and Raw Umber, the heat causes them to undergo a chemical change that results in their colors changing. This is because the process of calcining (again, heating) effectively burns away the water, thereby converting goethite (hydrous iron oxide) into hematite (non-hydrous iron oxide), explaining the darker, warmer, redder tones of Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber.
What is the difference between Sienna and Umber?
Besides their historical place of origin, Sienna receives it's yellow from a high concentration of Goethite, while Umber also contains manganese oxide, which expresses a range of browns, dark browns, and blacks.
Now, the original, defining source of the finest Siennas was Siena, Italy. However, that source has long been depleted. Natural Siennas now often come from Sardinia and Sicily, yet the name has remained the same...
There are many Ochre pigments that do not include the word 'Ochre' in their names because they still bear remnants of their history and original source. In many instances, such as the case with Sienna, the name remains but the original source does not - making things just a little more befuddling...
Below I will list some common paint colors that fit into the Ochre category, explain how they fit in with what I have explained above, and demystify their names a bit.
Sinopia - A red iron oxide pigment sourced from the town of Sinop, Turkey on the coast of the Black Sea, beginning in classical antiquity. The pigment from this specific source was so valuable to ancient Greece and Rome that it was sold stamped with a special seal to differentiate it from possible substitution, and was called "sealed Sinope". In the middle ages, this name came to refer to a range of red ochres, and was popular in the 15th century especially. It became recognized for its use as an underdrawing, which became known as the 'sinopia'.
Location of the town of Sinope on a current day map.
Indian Red - Originally imported from the East Indies, it is recognized today as a darker red color with a blueish undertone.
Venetian Red - While the origin story of this pigment has been obscured by time, today there are still sources of red ochre outside of Venice. Venetian Red is now generally denotes a brighter form of red ochre. This may be due to the Venetian source containing gypsum, a white mineral, as a base component.
Caput Mortuum - The literal and somewhat alarming Latin translation is "death's head" or "worthless remains", which would lead you to assume this pigment dates from Roman times, however this term was bestowed upon it by seventeenth century alchemists as a way to refer to unusable leftover residue from experiments (early synthetic iron oxides, most likely), and was only used to refer to a pigment in the eighteenth century. This term generally refers to synthetic deep brown-purple iron oxides.
Pozzuoli Red - Also called Terra Rosa, it is a warm, clear brown-red pigment originally sourced from Pozzuoli, Italy near Naples. It was very popular for use in frescoes during the Renaissance.
All that really remains of many historical pigments in today's paints is the hue and the name, while the pigment has changed - sometimes to a different source, sometimes to a completely different (often synthetic) pigment or even a combination of pigments used to approximate the original hue.
From left to right: American Pipestone (Catlinite), French Red Ochre, Moroccan Red Ochre, French Red Ochre Dark, Icelandic Red Earth
Having a connection to our art supplies helps us understand how to more purposefully use them. The paint industry has gotten rather carried away with whimsy and unnecessarily romanticizes the past as a way to sell colors. Additionally, many fine art schools do not place any kind of meaningful emphasis on materials, instead focusing more heavily on subject and concept.
One company's Venetian Red may contain entirely different pigments from the next. One may be a mix of pigments, another may be synthetic, and another may be natural but not from Venice or even Italy. The only unifying feature across different lines might be a roughly similar hue, which in painting means rather little.
Further, the color index labels all chemically similar pigments with the same code, so there is no differentiation between natural sources, even through pigments from different mines can vary widely in both color and characteristics.
I believe you should be able to understand what pigment is in your tube and where it came from. You will not only begin to distinguish between as well as understand what to expect from pigments from different regions, but you may find you are developing preference of provenance for certain types of pigments. This is why we list country of origin for all of our naturally occurring pigments, and it is why all of our colors are single pigment paints.
Iron oxides have been synthesized since at least the eighteenth century when they were given the brand name of 'Mars'. They generally have a stronger tinting strength, are brighter in color, and have more opacity compared to the natural variety. Many artists will notice the difference between working with natural versus synthetic iron oxide pigments.
There is some speculation as the source of the name Mars, but it likely comes via circuitous route from the Roman god of war and agricultural guardian Mars, whose metal just happens to be: iron. He was ceremonially called upon to drive away rust (iron oxide), which would be especially appreciated by those who wield either weapons or farm implements.
There are two main ways to distinguish natural and synthetic iron oxides: name and pigment index number.
Name - If the the color name contains Mars, then it contains a synthetic iron oxide pigment. Caput Mortuum also generally refers to a synthetic pigment. However, just because the color name does not contain these terms does not mean it does not contain synthetic pigments.
Color Index Number - The color index assigns a basic code to different types of pigments. With all the confusion of naming, this is a very helpful system. However, it falls short in that it lumps pigments from different natural sources together, as well as failing to distinguish between synthetic pigments from different manufacturers together as well. However, any reputable paint company will list the pigment index codes on their paint labels so that customers can understand (at least generally) which pigments they are using. Natural iron oxides and synthetic iron oxide have different pigment index numbers.
Understanding Color Index Codes:
P = Pigment, the first letter in the code
Second letter in the code denotes color category of the pigment.
R = Red, O = Orange, Y = Yellow, G = Green, B = Blue, V = Violet, Br = Brown, Bk = Black, W = White
# = specific pigment within color category
PR102: Natural iron oxide: red category.
PY43: Natural iron oxide: yellow category.
PBr7: Natural iron oxide: brown category.
PR10: Synthetic iron oxide: red category.
PY42: Synthetic iron oxide: yellow category.
PBr6: Synthetic iron oxide: brown category.
Just flip over your paint tube or check your pan wrapper to see which code is listed and you will be able to tell if your color is natural or synthetic.
Purple Ochre receives its color mainly from iron oxide, however its secondary component is a high percentage of silica - not quite so high as to be the primary component, but high enough to significantly influence the color.
Vivianite is an iron phosphate. To be brief: iron oxide is based around the element oxygen, where an iron phosphate is based on phosphorus. There is much more that can be said about it, however I will save that for another day. Technically, Vivianite is not a true Ochre, though there are strong enough similarities and chemical relationships, and categorizations loose enough, that it is a fringe part of the Ochre family.
Greenleaf & Blueberry Ochre Set
Natural Ochres are widely available, and generally inexpensive compared to other pigments. Additionally, and more significantly, they are beautiful pigments. Today they are often drowned out by the louder voices of the high chroma modern synthetic pigments. By comparison they can look rather dull and drab. However, as the softest voices are often the ones most worth listening to, so too the more subtle colors can also be the most interesting.
Ochre and earth colors sing most sweetly when used together - they have a kind of harmony this way. Now that you understand what Ochre and Earth pigments are, this is probably unsurprising to you!
Quick sketch of a robin painted using only Ochre & Earth colors: French Red Ochre, French Orange Ochre, Italian Yellow Ochre, Italian Green Earth, Australian Vivianite, Italian Brown Ochre, Russian Shungite
To make Ochres sing in your paintings, I suggest an all Earth/Ochre or greyed-down tones. In the absence of punchy high chroma colors, these pigments will shine forth. They can also be used as a mixing base and subtly augmented by small amounts of higher chroma colors to dial up the volume here and there, or to more precisely match colors.
Indeed, Ochres are responsible for the soft translucent skin tones of paintings by the Old Masters. Intense colors can often be more than is needed and leave you mixing colors till you go mad. Remember that less is more and enough is as good as a feast. Ochre pigments embody this and are deserving of a place at the table - and in the artist's palette.
Ochres are a somewhat capacious rather sprawling topic. I have tried to distill down and present to you the information that I find most illuminating and necessary to understanding what an Ochre pigment really is, and sharing what is relevant to the painter. I hope you found it useful! Please leave any lingering questions in the comments below and I will do my best to answer them.
As always, wishing you happy painting!
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A quality round brush - no matter the size - should gradually taper down to a fine point of only a few hairs. Those few hairs are responsible for all of the fine lines and details in your paintings. If they become damaged, that brush loses a portion of its range or expression, and you will find it much less useful and maybe need to replace it.
Think of a brush with a damaged tip as working with a blunt instrument - a dull knife, a needle with a bent or blunted tip, or glasses of the wrong prescription so that the world is blurred.
An excellent brush - whether natural or synthetic - is not cheap, and should not be treated disposably.
However, while there are many care steps you can take for your brushes, there is one that is seldom-mentioned and often overlooked:
A watercolor palette that has been lightly misted with water.
Pre-wetting your palette is one of the best things you can do to preserve your fine brush tips. If you work from watercolor pans or hardened watercolor paint, simply mist your palette with water and let it soak for a few minutes before you begin painting.
Your brush tip is the leading end of your brush. When you dip into your colors, the tip is what touches down first, and what gets dragged around most as you swirl your brush on the surface of the pan.
Some watercolors dry harder than others, while others are comprised of pigments with larger particle sizes. Harder-drying watercolors and colors with larger pigment particles are roughest on your brushes. It is these especially that are best to pre-wet and let soak.
The act of swishing your brush back and forth over the surface of your paint acts as a kind of abrasive action, gradually wearing your brush tips over time. Think of how a sponge wears out with use at the kitchen sink, or how a toothbrush becomes flared, or the tips of your hairs split at the ends if you go a while between haircuts.
Try to reserve the miles your brush travels for paper, rather than the palette. This will preserve your beautiful brush tips - and it is a great time saver too!
If wetting your entire palette, hold the sprayer back around a foot from the surface of you colors and give your mister a few pumps to evenly wet the surface with a fine mist.
If only wetting a few colors, hold the mister a bit closer to your palette so that you can focus the spray.
After you spray down your colors, wait a few minutes. When I sit down to paint, misting my colors is one of the first things I do so that they can soak while I lay out the rest of my supplies and prepare my work area. In this way, I rarely sit around waiting for my paints to be ready - I can just dive right in. (A little like remembering to mince your garlic first thing so that it can rest.)
Wetting and re-wetting seldom-used colors over and over again can cause them to get over-dry and crack over time. This is because the binder is slowly drawn out by the wetting action, leaving behind an improper binder to pigment ratio. This isn't something to worry a lot about, and developing a good habit around generally spraying down colors you know you will use, rather than every single one every single time, will allow you to side-step the issue entirely.
Some colors really don't need to be wet ahead of time, and you will quickly learn to recognize which those are. If you have colors in your palette from companies that use lots of honey in their binder, they will usually remain soft always. Other colors simply re-wet with greater ease than others. For example: our American Violet Hematite re-wets very quickly while our Italian Green Earth really benefits from a few minutes to soak.
I have tested and used a variety of different sprayers/misters/atomizers over the years, and decided to carry my favorite ones:
Watercolor Mister With Clip
Cap features clip and prevents rolling. Plastic, lightweight.
Watercolor Mister
Comes in a variety of fun colors. Plastic, lightweight.
I hope this little tip proves useful in helping extend the life of your brushes and preserve the quality of their beautiful points!
As always, wishing you happy painting,
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In use since at least the wee years A.D., Green Earth is beautiful, natural, plentiful, and non-toxic.
Combination Swatch of our Italian Green Earth - See our Overview of Pigments here.
The simple answer is that is has a low tinting strength and high transparency, which are not the same. (You can read more about those are here.) The longer answer is that, in general, people do not have as strong an understanding of art materials these days. When art became divorced from science as it diverged from realistic representation with the invention of photography, and as art supplies began to be mass produced, artists could forgo the previous necessity of having an intimate understanding of their materials, and indeed many fine art schools teach very little about them, instead placing most emphasis on concept development.
Many people who encounter Green Earth will give it a spin and quickly conclude it is "of low quality" or that "it sucks" because they either do not understand what tinting strength is or they have conflated it with quality/pigment load. Our Green Earth has an absolute maximum pigment load, and carries the same pigment concentration as powerhouses such as Lamp Black and Violet Hematite. It just has very different handling characteristics.
This error in understanding partially stems from a common belief that "color" is somehow constant or elemental (such as the idea that there is a "true red"). On the contrary, there are many pigments that fit within the red category, and each color is a chemical substance the reflects different combinations of lightwaves. Because each pigment has a different chemical formula, different crystalline structure, different density, etc, they not only reflect light differently, they also have different handling properties and different color expression (tinting strength and transparency fit into this category).
There is truly no way to talk in any meaningful way about art materials without chatting briefly about science, however I will try to keep it light and readable. (I adore geology, but I will admit it takes a very special author to keep me awake while I read about it.)
Monochrome painting I did of a tomato leaf using only our Italian Green Earth.
This is a very important watercolor characteristic to understand.
When mixing colors, you'll find that some "take over" the mixture very quickly after only adding a very little amount - these are colors with a high or intense tinting strength. Colors that leave you feeling like you have to keep adding more and more and more to make any visible difference in the mixture have a low tinting strength. Colors that have to be built up slowly in layers to get any kind of saturation have a low tinting strength, while colors that you feel like you constantly need to water down or lift out have an intense tinting strength.
Tinting strength is different from how quickly a color re-wets. It has more to do with a color's speed of buildability, how it looks right out of the gate, and how it acts in color mixtures.
Out of the gate, Green Earth is a whisper whereas Phthalocyanine Green is a bellow. Green Earth needs encouragement where Phthalo. Green needs restraint.
Watercolor characteristics do not occur on scales of good or bad, success or failure. It is best to think of them as personality traits. I translate the opposite ends of the spectrum of tinting strength into Introversion (low tinting strength) and Extroversion (high tinting strength). Neither are good or bad - they are just traits that help make up the complex mosaic of a person. It is the same with the colors in your palette.
I like to think of color characteristics as extra tools for your chest. They give you a framework to understand the pigments you use. By understanding which pigments display which characteristics, you can deploy your colors with more precision, expertise, and creativity. Understanding characteristics helps you choose the right tool for the job, more or less.
So, let's give Green Earth a break and start appreciating it for what it is: a gorgeous natural green with a weak tinting strength.
Value Scale Swatch of our Italian Green Earth - See all of our color's Value Scales here.
Green Earth is very plentiful in nature, occurring in abundance on nearly every continent. Some of the most famous sources are near Verona, Italy and from Cypress.
Green earth receives its color from the green minerals Glauconite and Celadonite. They occur in different amounts and ratios, along with a variety of other accessory earths and minerals to give each Green Earth a distinctive terrior, depending on the location of its source.
While Green Earth was not a popular choice in early cave paintings (likely because its extreme transparency made it difficult to discern on a rock wall), it gradually gained in popularity, especially as an underpainting to flesh. Many portraits and nudes have an underpainting of Green Earth, as it helped neutralize red tones and give the effect of translucence. (It is the same reason the cosmetics industry offers green bases to dial down the appearance of rosacea).
Not even kidding. I even enjoy using it for monochrome paintings. I adore it on its own and always as part of an ensemble.
It is buildable. In other words: it has a low tinting strength. Indeed, this is one of the reasons I hold it dear. Watercolors are painted light to dark, intensifying as you go. So, buildable colors are very intuitive to paint with (while colors that have high tinting strengths and require caution and restraint can feel more fussy). I can use soft, subtle washes of it to map out my painting and then gradually build up leisurely layers as I develop volume and detail
Green Earth has the perfect hue. Right off the pan is matches landscapes and foliage. For this reason, I consider Green Earth a "base color". I use base colors (usually natural Ochre and Earth pigments) as the foundation of most of my color mixtures, tweaking them with only very small amounts of higher chroma historical or synthetic colors. Add a dash of Orange Ochre to Green Earth to temper it to a later-summer green. Add a pinch of Quinoxalinedione Yellow for a more sun-soaked spring green. A swipe of Phthalocyanine Green will deepen it and punch up the chroma. But Green Earth is a pigment you can splash all over your landscape, using other colors to pull it in the direction you need.
Harmony. The fact that Green Earth is a natural pigment and mimics natures greens so readily gives painting landscapes with it a kind of harmony. Many natural pigments can give this feeling, which is one of many reasons why painting with them is so special.
Your palette should bring you joy and inspiration, and it should contain the colors you want in your work. Customizing your palette (which you can learn how to do here) is part of the creative journey, and everyone's will be different (both journey and palette).
The point of this post is not to tell you that YOU should have Green Earth in your palette, but rather to help you understand it better so that you can more accurately assess whether it should be part of your collection.
And... I'm just tired of hearing people snub and insult one of history's most beautiful pigments.
As always, wishing you happy painting!
]]>Enjoying group creative sessions, art jams, or swapping supplies is wonderful fun, a great way to grow creatively, an inexpensive way to test drive new supplies, and an easy way to meet other artists. However, it is also a really easy way to lose your favorite supplies!
The easy solution is to personalize your supplies with a unique-to-you marking method. This is something that rock climbers and alpinists do to their gear as a matter of course. After relying on this method to keep my climbing gear sorted, I began doing it to the supplies in my watercolor kit as well. And not only is it easier to sort after painting with pals, it also feels more "mine".
I like to mark my supplies and art gear with a certain pattern of washi tape, though I have also used green nail polish, as well as a variety of other methods. Notice how it is much easier to pick out the supplies above with matching washi tape markings?
Marking your supplies should be quick and easy. Try to keep your method simple and accessible. (This means it won't take much of an investment of time to mark all of your existing supplies, and that you won't put off marking new ones.). Your mark should be visible, durable, and should not inhibit use or function. Once those boxes are checked, just have fun with it!
As a climber trying to really stretch a buck, I opted to use materials I already had on hand: electrical tape and duct tape. Two colors are instantly more distinctive and recognizable than just one - meaning less of a chance of getting your gear mixed up with someone else's (three is simply a little tedious and time-consuming). I use tape for my art supplies, but washi (less sticky residue if it comes off you you need to remove it). But there are lots of options with which to get creative!:
Washi tape is probably the easiest way to mark your supplies. It is easy to carry, easy to use, and easy to remove - without leaving annoying sticky residue behind. I prefer the MT brand. Other brands don't stick very well, or tear too easily while unspooling it. Select a pattern that you enjoy, then keep the roll in your kit or in your workspace.
Nail polish works well in that it feels invisible on your tools - no peeling tape or sticky residue. However, it can be a little messy to carry around in your kit, a little smelly to use, and it of course has a drying time. It can chip as well, so try to paint it on a low wear area.
Very similar pros and cons to nail polish, but with better staying power and less messy to travel with.
Using string to mark your supplies can take a little time. It can also be more cumbersome on your supplies. However, it can also act as a stopper to prevent rolling pens, pencils, and brushes. It can also act as a comfortable grip. To make traveling with it easier, spool some off the roll and wind it into a ball. You can put nail clippers in your kit to cut it instead of hauling around a full pair of scissors.
Rubber Bands act similarly to string for marking supplies, but they generally don't look quite as nice, and they will get brittle and fall off over time. However, they can be very quick and handy to use.
This is one of the reasons you'll want to keep your marking method simple. You'll want your method to be lightweight, small, and packable so that you can keep it in your kit. If you get a new tool or supply on your travels you can quickly welcome it into your kit by marking it. You can also make repairs to existing marks if they wear off, fall off, rub off, etc.
Aside from the simple task of making your supplies recognizable, marking them can also give them some personality, making them feel yours on another level. There is a lot of fun to be had in getting creative with your marking method - you can go wild as long as it doesn't get in the way of actually getting it done!
Think about the beautiful book plates available to customize books and mark them as part of your personal library. A beautiful marriage of form and function. You'll have to make a choice about which method to use, and you might as well make it something you enjoy since you'll be looking at it every time you use your supplies!
I hope you enjoy this little project - and never lose track of any of your beloved watercoloring supplies again!
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Having the right words to describe your color's handling characteristics will not only help you notice and understand these characteristics, but it will also help you to use them to your advantage (rather than fighting against them or being surprised by them).
The colors in your palette are really just tools of expression - the better you know how to use them, the more precisely you will be able to express yourself.
]]>As artists, to truly understand the colors in our paint palette, it is important that we see them as pigments. By doing this we connect the appearance of our paints to the chemistry that comprises them.
Each pigment has a unique chemical composition and origin, whether natural or synthetic, organic or inorganic, etc. Different combinations of elements will exhibit not only different colors, but different behaviors. Therefore, each pigment will behave a little differently from the next, depending on the elemental cocktail of which it is composed.
It is not necessary that you know a thing about the chemical formulas of your colors - only that each pigment has one, and will therefore handle differently because of it.
Now let's get into identifying how your colors act, i.e. defining their characteristics. For this we will need a specific vocabulary. Having the right words will not only help you notice and understand these characteristics, but it will also help you to use them to your advantage (rather than fighting against them or being surprised by them).
The colors in your palette are really just tools of expression - the better you know how to use them, the more precisely you will be able to express yourself.
A color palette is not unlike a group of people, each with a unique set of quirks, behaviors, and traits that make up their personality.
It can be helpful to think of color characteristics as personality traits. Each color has a different combination of them, much like people. You will soon recognize your favorite characteristics, as well as characteristics you find more challenging or less useful to your style of work.
As you become more aware of your colors' personalities, you will probably notice that you start to take that into account just as much (if not more so) than hue!
As you are learning these terms, it can even be helpful to personify your colors, using these terms as or equating them to personality traits. For example: I equate flocculation to introversion and dispersion to extraversion.
The following are a selection of terms that cover a wide range of watercolor characteristics. If you learn how to identify these characteristics, you will not only see your colors more accurately, but also understand the language of watercolor pigments.
Below, I define and explain the main watercolor characteristics, also providing a "nutshell" summary, "scale language" meaning how we describe these characteristics on our Overview of Pigments Chart, and the main watercolor techniques that are effected by these characteristics.
Hue Category: Red, Specifically Described: Magenta
Hue Category: Yellow, Specifically Described: Cool Yellow or Lemon Yellow
Hue Category: Green, Specifically Described: Cool Green or Mint
Hue Category: Blue, Specifically Described: Ultramarine
Hue refers to the appearance of a color - what a color looks like only, without further reference to chemistry or behavior. Technically it is the more accurate word for 'color'. It can be helpful to use hue categories (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black) to start to describe a color, followed by temperature or color-leaning (for example: warm red or orange-red), followed by any other useful descriptors.
In A Nutshell: Appearance of a color.
Scale Language: Hue Categories: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black, White
Main Techniques Effected: Color mixing, color matching, composition
High Chroma
Low Chroma
Think of chroma as color purity or intensity, unhampered by black, grey, or white. Colors can be described as 'high chroma' (intense, bright, or punchy) or 'low chroma' (dull, grey, muddy, or washed out). Chroma is an inherent characteristic of a pigment. It is an important factor to take into account when color mixing. By adding Yellow Ochre (low chroma) to Phthalocyanine Green (high chroma), I can knock down the overall chroma of the mixture, thereby leaving you with a more earthy green for foliage. By adding Ultramarine Blue to Vivianite, I can punch up the chroma.
Chroma is different from (and often confused with) saturation. Saturation is reduced when you dilute a color while chroma is not. Again, chroma is about purity of color, or the absence of white or black from it. If you dilute a high chroma color with water, the dilution will still be high chroma. Whereas a low chroma color diluted will still be just as grey, but less diluted.
Often times, people can mistakenly conclude that they can make a color more intense by adding black, confusing "dark" with "chroma". Similarly, people will add white to "brighten" a color, when they are really trying to punch up the chroma. Adding white will just give a color a more pastel effect, or make it more opaque.
Generally, synthetic pigments and the most prized natural pigments (Lapis Lazuli) are the highest chroma colors on the artist's palette. Indeed, high chroma colors have historically been the holy grail for artists because they cannot be mixed while low chroma colors can.
This can be a confusing concept at first, so here is a hack: If it looks like a color Lisa Frank would use, then it is high chroma. If there is anything grey, earthy, or subdued about a color, it is lower chroma.
In A Nutshell: Color purity or the absence of black or white in the appearance of the pigment.
Scale Language:
5: Very High Chroma (very intense pure color)
4: High Chroma (intense color, but either slightly greyed, washed out, or mixable with other colors)
3: Moderate Chroma
2: Low Chroma (very earthy colors that lean very brown or grey)
1: Very Low Chroma (grey, black, or white)
Main Techniques Effected: Color mixing, color matching, color composition
Very Transparent
Semi-Transparent
Moderately Transparent
Transparency refers to how easily you can see through a layer of paint to what is beneath it. Different pigments are naturally more transparent than others. This can be a confusing characteristic because watercolor is a medium that is almost by definition transparent. So, the important factor here is degree of transparency. Transparency can of course be adjusted by diluting with water (which is completely transparent), however that will effect saturation and hue (diluting a color has the effect of washing it out).
Understanding how transparent each color is will allow you to make informed decision about which colors are best for layering and glazing and which are best for coverage.
Opacity is the opposite of transparency. As a color becomes less transparent it becomes more opaque. Generally speaking, gouache is opaque watercolor, and degrees of opacity are measured, whereas in watercolor degrees of transparency are of greater interest. It's a bit of a semantics issue, but can still shed light on a working understanding of the two terms.
In A Nutshell: Coverage.
Scale Language:
5: Very Transparent (line is clearly visible at all points)
4: Semi-Transparent (line is covered a small amount at most concentrated point)
3: Moderately Transparent (about a quarter of the line is covered)
2: Semi-Opaque (line is about half covered)
1: Very Opaque (most of the line is covered.)
Watercolors aren't assessed on a scale of completely transparent to completely opaque, because really no watercolor is completely opaque.
Main Techniques Effected: Layering
Narrow Value Range
Moderate Value Range
Wide Value Range
Value refers to light and dark, from white at the lightest to black at the darkest. A watercolor with a wide value range will be black - or nearly so at its most concentrated. Watercolors can all reach the lightest end of the value range since they are diluted with water, which is transparent, and generally painted onto white paper.
You can more or less instantly determine if a color has a wide value range, just by looking at it dry in the pan. Colors that appear black or very dark, will have the widest value range. Think of a pan of paint as about 1,000 layers of that color painted at high concentration.
Noting a color's value range will help you make good selections for creating the lights and darks of your composition, and keep your colors looking the way you intend. You can certainly add black to a color with a limited value range to make it darker, but you will be making a chroma sacrifice as well as it will grey considerably. A color with a naturally wide value range will maintain much of its intensity at its most concentrated.
In A Nutshell: A color's range of darkest to lightest translated onto a greyscale.
Scale Language:
5: Complete range (color reaches to very near black at mosts concentrated)
4: Near complete range (at most concentrated color is quite dark)
3: Moderate range
2: Very limited range
1: No Range (whites)
Main Techniques Effected: Color Mixing, layering, composition
Low Tinting Strength
Moderate Tinting Strength
When mixing colors, you'll find that some "take over" the mixture very quickly, after only adding a very little amount - this is a color with a high or intense tinting strength. Colors that leave you feeling like you have to keep adding more and more and more to make any visible difference in the mixture have a low tinting strength. Colors that have to be built up slowly in layers to get any kind of saturation have a low tinting strength, while colors that you feel like you constantly need to water down or lift out have an intense tinting strength.
Tinting strength is different from how quickly a color re-wets. It has more to do with a color's speed of buildability and how it acts in color mixtures.
In A Nutshell: How quickly a color will overtake or become overtaken in a mix.
Scale Language:
5: Very strong tinting strength (color will need to be diluted first for most applications)
4: Strong tinting strength (restraint needed when using it in mixtures or applying directly to paper)
3: Moderate tinting strength
2: Weak tinting strength
1: Very weak tinting strength (great care is needed to preserve these colors if using in a mixture)
Main Techniques Effected: Color mixing, washes
Staining
Semi Staining
Non-Staining
Staining is about how likely a color is to stubbornly cling to your paper. Just like substances on clothes, some are easier to wash away and remove than others. When you lift the color back off of your paper, the degree to which the paper has been stained will indicate whether that color is staining. A color that is very staining will be difficult to lift and will not leave white paper behind, while a color that is not very staining will lift easily and leave your paper mostly white after it has been removed.
In A Nutshell: How removable a color is from paper.
Scale Language:
N: No, does not stain
S: Semi-staining
Y: Yes, it stains!
Main Techniques Effected: Lifting
Very Dispersing
Moderately Flocculating
Very Flocculating
Dispersion and flocculation refer to how much the pigment particles of a color want to clump together (flocculate) or push away from one another (disperse). When you touch a color to a pre-wet area on your paper and the color seems to burst away from your brush in all directions it is dispersing. When you are trying to evenly spread a color and it seems like it just wants to cling to your brush like a reluctant child it is flocculating.
You may prefer to use a color that has a greater tendency to disperse if you are painting a wash with a smooth gradation in color. For fine details, or especially or exercising some control of brush strokes on wet or damp paper, you may want to work with a color that flocculates more.
Many people simply expect watercolors to disperse, though many only do with the addition of ox gall, which many paintmakers add to their formulations to achieve this characteristic. However, excessive or extreme dispersion can make colors difficult to control, and leave painters relying heavily on tedious lifting to make adjustments and achieve their desired look.
In A Nutshell: Tendency of a color to shoot away from the brush or stick to it.
Technical Description: How naturally attracted or repelled pigment particles are.
Scale Language:
5: Very flocculating (color clings to the brush)
4: Moderately flocculating (color is a little clingy, but ignorably so)
3: Not more one or the other (paint goes where you want it to without spreading or clinging)
2: Moderately dispersing (color gently and easily moves away from the brush)
1: Very dispersing (color bursts away from the brush when touched to wet paper)
Main Techniques Effected: Washes, wet-in-wet painting
Granulating
Non-Granulating
A granulating color is one that expresses the appearance of texture or a patterned, mottled look, especially in washes, and especially on textured papers. Granulation is usually (but not always) the result of a combination of a range of pigment particle sizes, textured paper, and a tendency to disperse.
A granulating color can be a frustration if it comes as a surprise when you were hoping for a smooth, even application of color. On the other hand, it can be a very desirable effect that you plan ahead to incorporate into your painting to achieve texture, atmosphere, depth, or interest.
In A Nutshell: The appearance of texture.
Scale Language:
N: No granulation
S: Semi-granulating
Y: Yes, it granulates!
Main Techniques Effected: Washes, color mixing
Variagating
Non-Variegating
This is when a single pigment color expresses itself in a range of two or more hues. It will appear as if you are using a mixture of pigments. This effect is most pronounced in washes, where the color has a chance to spread out. Our Violet Hematite is a color that variegates, expressing warm violet, tones of plum, and even brownish-red.
Intensely variegating single pigments are not very common. If you enjoy this effect it can often be achieved through the application of a non-homogenized color mixture.
In A Nutshell: A single color that has the appearance of more than one color.
Scale Language:
N: No variegation
S: Semi-variegating
Y: Yes, it variegates!
Main Techniques Effected: Washes
Pigment Particle Size (& Texture)
Narrow Range: Large Particles
Wide Range
Wide Range: Small Particles
Pigment particle size can have a huge impact both on a color's appearance and how it handles. Some pigments have a narrow range, mostly containing larger pigment particles. This creates a velvety matte texture on the paper you can both see and feel. Larger particles are noticeable in Gravity Washes by a textured appearance (a little different from granulation) as they catch and then pile up on top of one another on the textured papers peaks of the paper as the paint runs downward.
Some pigments have a narrow range of mostly smaller sized pigment particles, which is recognizable through more even coverage.
Other pigments have a wide range of pigment particle sizes, and are recognizable in Gravity Washes through exhibiting effects of both above mentioned narrow ranges of large and small sizes.
This is a term that some people will use to describe the visual effect of granulation, however particle size and granulation are not directly correlated (as Ultramarine Blue & Chromite prove). Colors with larger pigment particles will have a texture you can both see and feel (like very fine sand), and will have a more matte or velvety appearance on the paper.
Very generally, colors with finer particles are more staining (because they can more easily work their way down into the paper fibers), more dispersing, and have more even coverage, while colors with larger pigment particles can be more difficult to handle but have more unusual effects.
In A Nutshell: Range of pigment particles sizes within one watercolor.
Scale Language:
Narrow Range: Large Particles
Wide Range
Narrow Range: Small Pigment Particles
Main Techniques Effected: Washes, brushwork, fine details, lifting, opacity.
There are absolutely no hard and fast rules about how to use these different characteristics, or what colors they apply to. The most important thing is to learn what they are and how to recognize them so that you can make informed, intentional, and ultimately more creative decisions about how you paint with your colors.
Every color will have a different combination of these characteristics, each characteristic expressed differently on its range.
For example, Violet Hematite has a low chroma, moderate transparency, moderate-to-wide value range, intense tinting strength, is rather staining, disperses readily, a strong tendency to variegate, moderate-to-low granulation, and very little texture. A whole cocktail of traits expressed at different places in their range.
Again, getting to know your colors is much like getting to know a person. The more time with them the more you will learn their secrets.
It is important to remember that these characteristics are highly subjective and relative. Depending on which colors you are used to, you will assess things differently. Two artists might have very different opinions on the same color!
If you are used to using pigments with a high tinting strength and wide value range (like many synthetic pigments), you may mistake one with a low tinting strength and limited value range as inferior.
Not fully understanding color characteristics can lead some to assume a color is of lower quality or low pigment content (this occurs more often when people accustomed to synthetic pigments are exposed to certain natural pigments for the first time).
The truth is that colors with a high tinting strength and wide value range can carry much more filler without the end-user being aware!
Each of the characteristics listed in this post occurs on a spectrum and does not necessarily have anything to do with the quality or density of the pigment.
So, how do you know if a color is "weak" because it has a low tinting strength or whether it is low quality or has been diluted with a filler? By purchasing professional grade paints from a supplier you trust, you will be able to rely on receiving quality paints. Also, take a look at the price - if it seems to good to be true, it probably is! (Example: $10 "Lapis Lazuli" will either be very weak with lots of filler or mostly synthetic Ultramarine Blue.)
Each paint line you encounter is formulated and designed a little differently. Some are designed so that the colors act similarly and predictably. Others (like ours) are designed to highlight the unique differences of each pigment. There isn't necessarily a right or wrong approach, just options for each artist to decide which line and colors are the best fit for their practice. However, if you come across a selection of different pigments that all seem to have the same handling characteristics, you can confidently assume there are a variety of different additives involved in directing their behavior.
These characteristics can only be of use to you if you understand how to recognize them, which is much easier if you can name each of them. For that reason, I have created a free downloadable Quick Reference Guide for you to print out and keep handy while you learn. (And it will save you the time of tracking down this post and scrolling through it.)
Once you have familiarized yourself with these terms, the most important thing for you to do is paint and observe. Taking notes will help reinforce both the language and your powers to recognize each characteristic.
Swatching your colors will help you isolate various characteristics for the sake of easier comparison. Swatches are a sort of visual note-taking. You can learn more about different kinds of paint swatches, how to paint them, and how to read them here. There is a tutorial on how to paint the useful Combination Swatch that includes a free downloadable template here. Adding handwritten notes to your swatches is best of all.
This is a lot of information, especially if you are new to the topic of color characteristics. Try not to get overwhelmed! Tackle one term at a time if that helps. The best thing to do is just keep painting and develop an extra awareness. Understanding characteristics is just another tool in your kit!
As always, wishing you happy painting!
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There are many different ways to swatch out your colors. In this post, I am going to go over how to combine a few of those swatches into what I call a Combination Swatch. It contains a lot of information about each color, and is wonderful fun to create. We will cover supplies, how to paint this type of swatch, and what information it will reveal to you. A free downloadable template is also included!
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A combination swatch is broken up into 5 sections, which are painted in layers, each of which is allowed to dry before the next is applied. First all 5 sections are painted in a diluted layer, then 4 sections are painted with a layer at 75% dilution, next 3 sections are painted at 50% dilution, until the last single section is painted at 100% paint strength. After all layers are dry, a black line is drawn over the top. This line compared to the painted-over line shows transparency of the swatched color. Last, using the < & > symbols on the swatch to guide your line, you will lift a line of color, which will indicate how staining the swatched color is.
This style of swatch packs a ton of information into one little rectangle!
Download this free template. Print the instructions on normal cartridge paper, and print the blank template onto watercolor paper. (Make sure to print on the more textured side of the paper!). Read through the instructions.
Then use a straight edge to either tear or cut your template along the dotted lines into individual swatches. Grab one swatch card, then stack the rest to the side. Keep you instructions at hand for easy reference.
Tape down the edges of the swatch card onto a waterproof surface. Use the edges of the printed box on the swatch as your guide. Tip: Use your marker to make marks on the tape where the sections are indicated on the swatch - this will help guide you as the layers get darker!
Use your flat brush to wet the entire swatch surface - all five sections. Then using your round brush apply your color, diluted to almost complete transparency, evenly over the paper surface. Let dry.
Use your flat brush to wet the left-most 4 sections. Then, use your round brush to apply your color to that same area, diluted by about 75% by appearance. Let dry.
Use your flat brush to wet the left-most 3 sections. Then, use your round brush to apply your color to that same area, diluted by 50% by appearance. Let dry.
Use your flat brush to wet the left-most 2 sections. Then, use your round brush to apply your color to that same area, diluted by only 25% by appearance. Let dry.
Use your round brush loaded with color at full strength and apply it to the final left-most section. You should now see a step by step value range of your color. Let dry. Remove tape.
Use your black permanent marker and your straight edge to connect the black lines below the painted-over line. This line will provide a comparison to the printed line. The purpose is to demonstrate the transparency of the swatched color.
Using your lifting brush, dampen it slightly. Line up your straight edge to connect the > & < symbols on either side of your swatch. Then run your lifting brush along the straight edge. Dab it off, then run it along the edge. Repeat this, being careful not to get the paper wet, until you have lifted away a line of color. Let dry. This reveals how staining the swatched color is.
You can now understand this colors value range, transparency, and how staining it is. You will also get to peek at weather it granulates or variegates, see its hue range, and more!
If you do this with each of your colors, you will be creating a mini visual reference library for your watercolor practice. You will also have a much better idea of how each of your colors handle and how to use them to their fullest potential.
In short, this is one of the very best ways to get to know your colors.
Hope you enjoy this one! And please let me know in the comments if you have any questions.
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A swatch is a sample, whether of fabric, cosmetics, paint, etc. In watercolors, there are a variety of different types of swatches, all of which are a type of shorthand designed to give you different information about a color.
Why take the time to swatch your colors? Why pay attention to swatches that are provided to you? Every pigment has a distinctive personality. A pigment's personality is determined by its characteristics: transparency, chroma, value range, tinting strength, tendency to granulate, flocculate, disperse, the changes in hue the happen as a color is used at different concentrations, and its range in pigment particle sizes.
You can "read" nearly all of these characteristics from just looking at different types of swatches.
The following are the various types of swatches that we use to demonstrate our colors. Indanthrone Blue is used as the primary example for each type of swatch, followed by labeled examples of different results of the same swatching method. All of our swatches are painted onto Arches 140 lb. Cold Pressed Paper.
I will go over how each swatch is made, what each swatch demonstrates, and what to notice about each swatch to recognize the information it is presenting. In this way you will be able to recognize what all they reveal about a pigment's handling, behavior, characteristics, and ultimately... personality.
What It Is: The most common type of swatch. A color is painted from most concentrated to most diluted (usually from left to right). These can be done quickly to test a new palette of colors, or they can be done more carefully and uniformly. We use a round brush to build an even, gradual transition from most concentrated to most diluted. This swatch is painted all at once and then allowed to dry.
French Orange Ochre Concentration Gradation Swatch: Low Chroma
Benzimidazolone Orange Concentration Gradation Swatch: High Chroma
What It Demonstrates: Hue & Chroma This type of swatch can reveal much about a pigment, but most importantly it demonstrates Hue and Chroma.
Hue is the appearance of a color, how it looks. As concentration changes, so does hue. Indanthrone Blue may appear as a midnight blue at its most concentrated and a soft forget-me-not blue at high dilution.
Chroma is the saturation of a color. A high chroma color will be very saturated where a low chroma color will be more grey. High chroma colors are often described as "bright" or "intense", while low chroma colors are often described as "dull" or "muddy".
Value Range, and, to some extent, depending on application of paint, Granulation can also be apparent in this type of swatch (more details on those two characteristics below).
What To Notice: What range of hues do you notice? A Varied Concentration Swatch lays out the range of hues contained in a given pigment. How saturated is the color? A color that appears very saturated or bright is a high chroma color. [High chroma colors are occur as natural pigments less often, and when they do occur they are often toxic, as is the case with Orpiment and Realgar. Therefore, when artists want access to a full range of high chroma colors, they turn to synthetic pigments. We offer a range of high chroma Hybrid Colors, synthetic pigments bound to a natural mineral base.]
Indanthrone Blue Transparency Line Swatch
What It Is: A black line is applied to the paper before the paint layer is put down. An additional black line is applied over the top of the paint layer and below the first line for the sake of comparison to it.
Cypriot Limonite Transparency Line Swatch: Semi-Opaque
Quinoxalinedione Yellow Transparency Line Swatch: Transparent
What It Demonstrates: The extent to which the upper black line disappears demonstrates how transparent or opaque a color is. This characteristic is especially important for layering colors, where transparency is paramount.
What To Notice: Compare the two black lines. If they look more or less the same then the color is very transparent. The more obscured the upper line is the less less transparent (and more opaque) a color is.
Indanthrone Blue Lifting Line Swatch
What It Is: A line of color is removed from a swatch using a damp stiff brush.
Potter's Pink Lifting Line Swatch: Low Staining
Quinacridone Magenta Lifting Line Swatch: High Staining
What It Demonstrates: Staining A Lifting Line Swatch demonstrates the extent to which a color can be lifted, and thus how staining it is. Some colors can be lifted away completely, leaving more or less white paper underneath, giving the artist the ability to "erase" color. Other colors are very staining, and are therefore not the best choice if you plan to employ the lifting technique.
What To Notice: How white is the lifted line? The whiter the line, the less staining the color.
Value Scale Swatch
What It Is: We paint our Value Scales in five layers, allowing each layer to dry before the next is painted. We start with the color at its lightest value (most diluted), and then progressively paint an additional four layers, increasing the concentration of pigment with each one. The fifth layer is the color at its darkest value (most concentrated), being painted over four previous layers. (The Varied Concentration Swatch shows a gradual transition and is painted all at once.)
Phthalocyanine Green Value Scale Swatch: Wide Value Range
Potter's Green Value Scale Swatch: Narrow Value Range
What It Demonstrates: Value Range The value range of a color is its range from lightest to darkest. Each color has a different range. Watercolors are diluted with water (which is completely transparent) onto white paper (generally), thus all watercolor paints can be diluted to complete transparency (or white), and therefore are capable of reaching the lightest end of the value scale. At their most concentrated, some watercolors appear black, or nearly so, while others are never very dark, even when painted very thickly. Colors with a wider value range can be more versatile, though they can require more precise handling to access that versatility. Understanding the value range of each of your colors will help you make more intentional choices when painting.
What To Notice: How dark is the leftmost square? The darker that square the wider the value range of the color.
Indanthrone Blue Gravity Wash Swatch
What It Is: To create this type of swatch, we wet an area of paper, tilt the paper vertically at a steep angle, then apply color to the top of the wet area, allowing it to run down the wet area. This is essentially a wet-in-wet wash, applied specifically, and held at an angle.
Phthalocyanine Cyan Gravity Wash Swatch: Flocculating
YInMn Blue Gravity Wash Swatch: Dispersing
What It Demonstrates: Flocculation/Dispersion Gravity Washes show a color's free flowing behavior in water. As the pigment flows down the wet paper, it may show it has a flocculating tendency (pigment particles are attracted to one another and pull together), or it may reveal a tendency to disperse (pigment particles repel one another and shoot outwards, away from one another).
Gravity Washes can also demonstrate pigment particle size range and density. Larger pigment particles will tend to pile up on top of one another as they run down the textured paper, creating a mottled or granulated effect. Finer pigments will usually show in a bloom at the edges of where a color flows. Pigments that flow downwards in a straighter line are heavier, more dense pigments (as is the case with YInMn Blue above - notice how it differs from Indanthrone Blue's Gravity Wash Swatch - both have a tendency to disperse, but YInMn Blue's pigment particles are heavier, running down the paper more directly).
What To Notice: A Gravity Wash that resembles a jelly fish with dangling "legs" reveals a color that flocculates, while a Gravity Wash that resembles a distant rainstorm shows a more dispersing tendency.
Indanthrone Blue Graded Flat Wash Swatch
What It Is: A simple wet-in-wet wash. We like to add a gradation of color to our Flat Wash Swatches. Water is applied the the paper, followed by color applied with a flat brush. Color is brushed across the surface of the paper - not dabbed, or allowed to pool. The wash is kept flat while it dries.
Ultramarine Purple Graded Flat Wash Swatch: Moderate Granulation, Low Tinting Strength
Dioxazine Violet Graded Flat Wash Swatch: Low Granulation, High Tinting Strength
What It Demonstrates: Granulation & Tinting Strength A correctly applied Flat Wash Swatch shows you how a color will stretch out in a wet-in-wet wash, one of the techniques most commonly used in watercolor painting. You will particularly notice the extent to which colors granulate, and you will also be able to determine a color's tinting strength
What To Notice: Because of the way color is applied to make this swatch (in broad strokes with a wide flat brush), if a color appears densely concentrated at the top of the swatch it indicates a stronger tinting strength. There isn't time to build up a color on this type of swatch, so those that come out of the gate with guns blazing indicate a more intense tinting strength. Colors that appear more highly textured are more granulating.
Once you know how to read the different types of watercolor swatches, through understanding how they are made and what they are designed to demonstrate, you can start making more intentional color selections.
Think about your favorite characteristics: you might prefer colors that granulate or colors that contain larger pigment particles, colors with a wide value range or colors that disperse, or maybe it is a specific combination of characteristics with which you prefer to work. By understanding how to read swatches, you will now be able to identify those favorite colors with ease and confidence.
For your convenience, we provide a variety of swatch types within in each color listing, as well as tables for comparing them.
We combine Varied Concentrations, Transparency Lines, and Lifting Lines into one single swatch for our lead color listing pictures to provide with with an abundance of information.
Greenleaf & Blueberry Indanthrone Blue Listing Picture
We believe this makes available to you a more thorough introduction to each of our colors, so that you can select pigments that are to your taste - no need for a new color to feel like a blind date!
Greenleaf & Blueberry Natural & Historical Pigments Set
One of the best ways to become more intimately acquainted with your colors is to swatch them out, and thereby put them through the paces. You will see details that had previously escaped your notice and begin to analyze and understand your palette in new ways. Your tools are only as good as your understanding of them, after all.
While swatching colors can be incredibly informative, very relaxing, and a whole lot of fun, they can also be a little bit addictive! They are a useful exercise to return to again and again, but ultimately a tool to help you enjoy a deeper and more rewarding watercolor practice.
Wishing you happy painting!
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This is the year to take back our time. No one has enough of it, yet it is being taken from us each time we look at our screens - whether television, monitor, laptop, tablet, or phone.
I am starting to feel a little like Frodo when he puts on the ring. When I pick up my phone it is eery how I just disappear, and I see other people do it too.
Our minds and our time are precious, and time is one of the few things that cannot be fabricated or purchased as a commodity. Are what we are doing with them making us happy?
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I am starting to feel a little like Frodo when he puts on that ring. When I pick up my phone it is eery how I can just... disappear, and I see other people do it too. I think we can all relate to times when you are in the middle of a conversation, the other person's phone makes a bing-bong sound, they pick it up to take a quick glance - only to get sucked in, and then they are just.. gone. When they pop back to the conversation it is as if coming from a distance or waking up - usually a reminder of the topic you were discussing is necessary. We have all experienced that, and are all probably guilty of it as well.
[Lead photo by the amazing Jillian of The Noisy Plume]
Now, to clarify, I am specifically referring here to that aimless browsing and scrolling, when there is no goal of a particular task being accomplished and no particular stop time planned. I of course understand that most of us depend on our electronic devices to get our work done and make necessary communications, but the time spent engaged in those tasks is not what I am getting at here.
1. As I mentioned above, screens steal time.
They are designed to. Everyone is clamoring for your eyes, attention, mind, time, and money. The current currency and cache is measured in clicks, likes, follows, and integrated statistics. This is why short-form video is a "thing" now. The competition has intensified and our attention spans have grown shorter. Videos are designed to grab you and suck you in within a matter of seconds because people know that is all they have before you scroll past. And it works. We are all rubberneckers at heart in varying degrees. We can't resist a transformation or a "what will happen" or a "how will it turn out" or a "LOL". Most of us don't enjoy videos, but will still sit there slack-jawed watching them if we happen to glance at one when it begins. This happens to me too - all the time. And I really hate it. I feel the manipulation.
When scrolling, surfing, browsing, or whatever it is you do on a screen when not engaged in a specific task related to your life - it is strange how time simply disappears. How many minutes or even hours can pass, while peering into a glowing screen? I sometimes wonder what I would think if I could watch a video of me on my phone or tablet - how often do I even move? How strange would it look to an observer from another time to see someone peering so intently and sitting so still for so long. Do you ever check your screen time statistics? It can be very unsettling. It can even tell you how many times you've picked up your phone. Most of us whine wistfully of having more hours in the day - not less. So why do we keep rubbing a lamp that makes it disappear instead?
The quiet moments of life where you get to just... be have slowly disappeared as the devices have encroached. Those moments where you notice the afternoon light, maybe a bit of dust floating through a sunbeam coming through the window, noticing the sound of the breeze and feeling it calm you when sitting outside. It is often in these times that we do our best thinking, and replenish ourselves with stillness. The shower is one of the last quiet refuges, though now you can even get waterproof speakers and tablet stands for the bathtub.
So many artists feel the increasing pressure to produce on a daily basis - or even present their audience with "content" multiple times per day across multiple channels. That is unsustainable for anyone and inevitably leads to burnout. The pressure to produce at that rate and within narrow, specifically prescribed formats is absolutely absurd and, I would argue, very damaging. We are being asked to reduce our creative practice in a contrived presentation and mass produce it. And what for? Our connection to our audience is held in the balance. Produce or they don't see you. Produce ever increasing "quality content" by ever-changing mysterious standards or your work will be buried. Artists from every different media and approach are being forced to translate and present through video, photo carousels, and pithy text captions. All artists are beginning to think in video! Writing must be limited to a series of short paragraphs, if that, and topics translated into hashtags... or wait, does anyone still use those or are we past them now? Art takes time, ideas need space, technique needs practice, not all practice should be public, process should be protected, and every artist needs time to rest. How warped are today's ideas as a result of only being allowed to grow in the same hot house?
Compare how you feel after having gone for a hike, taken a shower, taken a nap, spent time in the garden, sat on the front step, cleaned the kitchen, spoken to a friend, read a book, or scrolled your phone. Does scrolling really make you feel better than the other pastimes?
It may sound like a conspiracy theory, but it's not. It's in the fine print on the posters on the walls of cell phone shops for anyone to read. Radiation causes cancer. I read warnings in multiple pregnancy books about cell phone use and proximity to the fetus. Don't take my word for it though, do your own research, maintain your skepticism, and make the right decision for your body. Your health is your responsibility.
Who do you talk to every day? Likely your significant other if you have one, your children if they still live at home, and your pets of course - in other words, probably your direct household. Even talking to a close friend every day (if you are no longer in school) might seem a bit much. But on social media, we have gotten in the habit of keeping in touch daily - or even more often. The idea of constant contact has not born the scrutiny it should. There is a popular email handling platform of the same name that we opted not to use based on the name alone - no one needs to be in constant contact with their watercolor supplier.
I've noticed that it can easily happen that I've seen more updates from people I have never met on social media or in the news than from people I actually know. In this way, screen time can rob us of our real life relationships.
If you are interested in reclaiming your time (or finally throwing the ring into Mordor), below are the strategies I am using. Each is specifically for the purpose being more present in the current moment or because it gives the feeling of stretching time like good taffy:
Videos steal the most time. It might not seem like much, but 15 seconds here, 30 seconds there, a minute, it all adds up... like a lot. So if something starts to move (when I realize it's a video), I pause it, X out of it, scroll past it. This saves so much time.
My phone volume is always down all the way. I do not like my train of thought being interrupted by rings and bings. And I really don't like the cacophony of song snippets the result from scrolling Instagram Reels or Stories. You can always turn up the sound if there is something you want to listen to, but defaulting sounds to off keeps your world a little more peaceful.
If you need to leave your ringer on, you can at least minimize interruptions from app notifications and texts. All of that is customizable, but default the the noisiest possible options without your interference.
This might be too much information (or TMI as the kids say), but I quit using the phone in the loo after my stroke. Sitting on the toilet is such a human moment, but also one I don't necessarily want to prolong, which is inevitably what happens when you start scrolling your phone. I know some people use the bathroom as an escape of sorts, but consider if that is really where you want to spend extra time. I don't miss it.
It's fun to blare some oldies in the showering is an excellent time to be present and quiet. The feel of a light breeze is amplified by wet skin, and hearing the birds chirping outside your window over the sound of the water is a reminder that bathing is a ritual as ancient as anything.
Or at least reduce how many, and be intentional about when you do, rather than clicking habitually or reflexively. How many life events have you watched through the screen of your phone even though they were happening right in front of you? How much digital clutter are you paying to save in the cloud? Does having so many pictures and videos make it more difficult to view the ones that mean the most? Pre-smartphone, my digital camera broke on my way to climb Mt. Rainier. It was almost a relief that I just got to experience the climb rather than trying to document it.
Somehow this has become something of a luxury - to talk to a person in real time. There is so much nuance that is missed in text messaging, so much joy, humor, mirth, and meaning that is missed or edited out. Facetime is one of the things I adore about modern technology. To get to see the familiar expressions of a parent or dear friend that live at a distance can be a real balm for the soul. This isn't just staring at a screen - you are staring into the real-time face of a person you care about. Your brain chemistry will react to it differently than a text.
If you are a slow texter like me, your letter may actually reach the recipient at a similar time as a text! If you enjoy trading emails with someone, consider a letter. Typing may be faster (and I know spellcheck can be a real life saver), but it is so much less personal. Much more can be communicated by handwriting, and it is special to receive something that has been touched. The surprise of receiving a letter in the mail also has a real specialness and magic about it, as does composing a letter, using a nice pen to write it, and then there is of course the joy of choosing the right stamp. If you still think it will be too much time, think about how you feel after writing or reading a letter versus emailing.
Not many people even know this function exists. To favorite an account, click on the Intagram icon at the top left of your home feed, select Favorites from the drop-down menu. This take you to a feed of only the accounts you have favorited. To add a new Favorite, tap the lines and stars icon in the top right of your favorites feed. From there you can search for and add any other account you wish or remove accounts from your favorites. What does this do? It helps quiet the noise. It helps you be intentional with your Instagram use. Instead of mindless scrolling or sifting through the chaos, you can open the app with the intention of checking on those you wish to keep up with.
8. Browse at only an appointed time and use a time limit.
It can be surprising how many times per day we simple browse, and how much time can be spent at each session. It has helped me tremendously to limit idle browsing to once per day and to limit the time. It helps you both focus on what inputs you are allowing in, and reclaim a significant amount of time during the day. If browsing is no longer an option, you mind will naturally shift to whatever is next - you might grab a book, decide to cook a new recipe, your house might get a little cleaner, or you may find you have a moment to write a short thank-you card.
There are so many upsides to this one change: Less screen time, more control of the sources from which you are drawing information, directly supporting publishers and journalists you trust, time spent turning pages instead of scrolling. Also, have you ever been frustrated (or honestly a little creeped out) when a story changes while you are reading it? That doesn't happen with physical print. There is a frenzy to the modern day 24/7 news cycle that is not just exhausting, but grueling. It is important to stay up-to-date on current events, but you don't need to be harassed by them. They world is not served in any way by "doomscrolling" the news into the wee hours each night. I am researching which publications I would like to receive, and when the decision is made, I will delete my newsfeed app on my phone.
Using a bluetooth earbud and microphone is a great way to keep the phone away from your head. I like the one-ear variety because it allows me to stay attuned to the world around me - hear a knock at the door, my baby cry at the end of nap time, or my husband say something. These devices are inexpensive and freeing. You can be on a phonecall with a friend while doing the dishes, rather than waiting to text later.
These decisions will also help you reclaim your creativity. Often our most creative ideas come to us in the quiet moments, when our minds are at liberty to run. You may be surprised by what tasks you take to when you don't reach for your phone, and how those inspire deeper happiness - and your art.
Also, creating art takes time and mental space. By clearing up a block of minutes here and there, you may find that extra slice of time to paint that you have been longing for.
Most of us never regret time spent creating, whether painting, cooking, in the garden, etc. However, I think most of us know what it is to feel that time has been wasted on a screen.
The more time I spend off my screen, the less I miss it.
By adopting any of these strategies, by "disconnecting", you might feel that you are going against the grain, or doing something that isn't normal. What what is normal anyway? Seriously. The way many of us live today, and what is considered "normal", would be considered completely strange and fantastical by the standards of most of human history, or even a sizable portion of today's current world population.
You get to define what normal is - or should be - in your life.
We can so easily spend time doing things that do not make us happy or healthy, despite tremendous opportunity to do otherwise. I do not think it is because we are bad or stupid, no. We are all fighting to survive in various ways, fighting against the constructs that we were born into, and fighting against our minds being harvested by big business.
Our minds and our time are precious, and time is one of the few things that cannot be fabricated or purchased as a commodity. Are what we are doing with them making us happy?
I would very much like to know if you have any strategies on how to protect your time, or what recommendations you have for real newspapers or magazines!
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This is how color appears in a brand new enamel Bijoux Box mixing area, even after adding more water and rubbing the brush across the entire surface many times.
Enamel is considered one of the best surfaces on which to mix watercolors, but that is after it has been broken in, which takes time.
The good news is, you no longer need to patiently suffer through those first months any longer furiously rubbing your brush into the mixing area in hopes of catching a quick glimpse of the true color you're mixing.
If you take the time to prime your palette before first use, you can save yourself all of this frustration, and essentially skep ahead in time to enjoy using a freshly broken in enamel palette.
You can immediately notice the difference as a result of priming. The first picture in this post of the enamel oval mixing palette, shows the results of applied French Orange Ochre on a palette that has been half primed, half left new. The top was primed using the steps listed below. Paint was applied across the entire surface of the palette in the same way.
What you want to do is rub down your enamel watercolor mixing areas with a priming pad to gently buff the surface.
The secret: microabrasion.
You want to abraid the surface of the enamel on a microscipic level. It creates nicks and channels that give your watercolors some traction and thereby helps break the surface tenstion of the water that causes beading on very smooth and nonporous surfaces.
A priming pad is the tool that can best help to do this. A priming pad is nothing more than melamine foam, which is the same material used in magic sponges. If you have one of these under your kitchen sink that will do just perfectly. (Just make sure not to use the kind with additional cleaners inside.)
It's pretty simple, but just follow the step-by-step instructions below, and you'll be set to mix away:
1: Wet your priming pad with water.
It is easier and more effective to buff with a wet priming pad.
2: Rub down your white enamel mixing areas using a circular motion and only moderate pressure for 5-10 minutes.
3: Rinse your palette with clean water. Then, dry off your palette with a clean rage or paper towel.
It will be immediately apparent whether you have done enough buffing to break the surface tension of the water.
In the above picture, there is a similar amount of water in both mixing areas. The mixing area on the left has been buffed, while the other size has not been treated. Notice how the water beads up on the right, and how it is relaxed and spread out on the left.
After you rinse your palette and before you dry it off, observe how the water sits on your mixing surface. If it beads up, you will likely need to do some more work. If it spreads nicely, you can expect yours watercolor mixtures to behave similarly.
4: Test where the surface is at by spreading a neautral (non-flocculating and non-dispersing) watercolor (such as an Ochre) across the mixing surface.
In the above image, the mixing area on the left has been buffed once, and the mixing area on the right has received no treatment and is like new. Both received the same application of French Red Ochre.
Some areas may bead more than others, which will indicate which areas to continue treating. If there is still a lot of beading, repeat the process.
With every enamel Bijoux Box and enamel mixing palette you purchase from us, we include a complementary Priming Pad. We also have them available individually, for your convenience. Price is simply to cover the time and materials (we're not getting rich off of these).
I hope this little secret helps decrease your frustration and increase your enjoyment in your painting practice - and helps you get on with the business of painting!
Do you already have a preferred method of breaking in a new watercolor palette, whether enamel, plastic, or otherwise? Let me know in the comments below.
As Always,
Thank for being here and wishing you Happy Painting,
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The world of fountain pens is quite a rabbit hole, and purchasing one can seem overwhelming and intimidating. There are a lot of options, a huge range of cost and quality, and oh... then there are all of the inks. In this post I am specifically going to talk about choosing and using fountain pens with waterproof ink for watercolor painting.
]]>I'm not going going to pretend I'm a fountain pen expert - I'm not. But I do enjoy having them as a component of my travel watercolor supply kit.
In this post I am specifically going to talk about using fountain pens with waterproof ink for watercolor painting.
Using waterproof ink will allow you to watercolor over your sketches or writing. This is a technique used a lot in Urban Sketching, Illustrated Journaling, and mixed media. Also, if you enjoy embellishing envelopes or hand-written letters with watercolor, waterproof ink is a must.
If you are using water-soluble ink, which is generally the standard in most fountain pens, it will run the moment water touches it. It is extremely frustrating to complete a drawing and go to add color - only to have the ink lines bleed all over the place. Using waterproof ink solves this problem, but it needs special attention in your pen.
First, think about how you will be using your pen. In our case, we want something that can survive traveling around in an art kit and that is compatible with waterproof ink. Here are some points to consider:
Disposable fountain pens are available, but you lose the luxury of switching out your inks. Copic makes a decent waterproof fountain pen, which I have used. This is my recommendation if you are on a tight budget.
If you have a flexible budget, I would suggest a fountain pen in the $50 - $200 range. You want it to be high enough quality that it works beautifully, but the extra status-symbol frills are only a liability when traveling and using your pen for art (as opposed to document signing).
The flexibility of the metal nib is what determines the line width variation possible. I like a nib that is reasonably stiff for sketching, but with a broad tip so the line is more juicy than scratchy. A 'Medium' or '0.7' tip seem to work best.
I feel most comfortable selecting a pen that is known to be compatible with waterproof ink. Look to see if the manufacturer offers waterproof ink options.
Waterproof ink is just that: waterproof. This means it is more difficult to clean up than regular ink - or your watercolors. A fountain pen containing waterproof ink needs some extra awareness to stay in working condition. Here are a few tips:
Really, using waterproof ink in your fountain pen is just about awareness. You don't have to do much differently, just remember that cleaning up waterproof ink is more of a hassle and take a few small actions to avoid it.
I am rather hard on my art supplies. I USE them. And so I learned all of this the hard way when I stored my fountain pen point up with an empty waterproof ink cartridge in it for months without touching it. If you go to use your fountain pen with waterproof ink and it won't write, here is what to do:
My fountain pen of choice is the German-manufactured Super5 with .7 tip and gray waterproof ink cartridges. After taking apart the section, feed, and nib, running them under hot water, gently cleaning them with a brush, and blowing water through, I had it up and working again after my neglect and mistreatment of it. The fact that this pen was able to withstand my abuse AND be restored to working order meant that it gained my ultimate approval.
Anything that isn't disposable will require some extra care if you want it to last. Prepare to get to know whatever fountain pen you choose so that you can keep it in working order. Again, this is all really just about some awareness and really isn't very complicated.
Fountain pens are beautiful tools that are a joy to hold and draw or write with. Using waterproof ink in them gives them even more dimension and can transform them into an integral part of your watercolor tool kit.
This post is intended to be a quick crash course on getting those of you who are interested up and running with a fountain pen to incorporate into your painting practice. This is by no means exhaustive, but just a place to start.
I hope you enjoy blending your sketches and watercolors together using waterproof ink!
Please share with me your favorite pens, inks, and pen rescue stories! Thanks for being here,
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In this post, I will speak directly to customizing the colors in your palette, and how to adapt your choices to your practice and preferences, by walking you through the way I assemble my own watercolor travel palettes.
There are six main considerations to take into account when customizing the colors in your watercolor palette:
1) Color spectrum
2) Mixing options
3) Convenience colors
3) Colors for specific purposes
4) Personal color preference
5) Color sizes
6) Color Layout
All of these colors (both mixed and straight from the pan) come from a 14 color travel palette (The Sketcher's Set).
This is an excellent place to start when initially assessing the capabilities of your watercolor palette. The color spectrum for painting encompasses the general color categories of: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple plus Brown, Black, and White. The point isn't to have a color for every category. (For example, lot of watercolorists do not carry a White, Brown, or Black because those colors can be achieved by other means than making room for pans of them in their palette). Just consider whether the various colors and combinations thereof in your palette can touch each category. It's more about determining how well the colors in your palette cover the spectrum. However, having a color "blind spot" that's flown under the radar can be a source of frustration when you discover it mid-way through a painting.
Mixing together the primary colors in your palette will reveal what colors may be hiding inside your existing palette. This is what I mean by determining if the colors in your palette can touch each part of the spectrum. You don't need to fret about carrying a green if your primary colors mix one that suits your purposes.
Your color mixing options are the next aspect of your watercolor palette to consider. Does it contain a set of primary colors that mix good secondaries? A good set of primaries provides a reliable backbone to any palette. However, not all primary color combinations will yield clean, bright secondaries. (You can read all about Modern Primary Colors here and using Color Temperature here, which will guide you in making informed decisions about color mixing using primary colors.) This is a good place to do some quick mixing tests to make sure you have a useful, flexible set of primaries that behave the way you intend and mix the secondary colors you want to use. (I have also created a Paintable Project all about putting your primary colors through the paces.)
But color mixing isn't just about primary colors. Do you have other colors that are useful for mixing the hues you enjoy using? For example, I always keep some Orange Ochre in my palettes because it is an easy way to make overly bright colors (especially Greens) more earthy and less artificial-looking.
This is our CMYK (or Modern Primary Colors) Set. It contains a Magenta (Quinacridone Magenta), Yellow (Quinoxalinedione Yellow), Cyan (Phthalocyanine Cyan), and a Black (Grey Ochre). These three primary colors mix bright, clean secondary and intermediate colors, as shown above. Grey Ochre allows for tints to be made so that this palette can match nearly any hue. These colors have come to form the backbone of nearly all the palettes I use and design.
It can be wonderfully useful to just skip over mixing certain colors - it will save you time and paint! For me, Green is one of these. So is Purple. Various shades of green are pretty easy to mix up, but especially if you are a landscape or botanical painter (or enjoy painting frogs eating pickles on pool tables), you'll find that mixing up that much Green will quickly run you through your primaries, and can leave you spending more time mixing your colors than painting with them! Having some "base" convenience colors will allow you to make quick adjustments with small amounts of your primary (or other) colors. I carry Italian Green Earth and Phthalocyanine Green for convenience, as well as Ultramarine Purple. I can make little adjustments to these base colors to adapt them to a wide array of subjects and hues.
A collection of six different green colors: Brazilian Fuchsite, Chinese Malachite, American Green Opalite, French Celadonite, Russian Green Earth, and Phthalocyanine Green. Though these are all Green watercolors, they are each very different. Phthalocyanine Green is more useful in landscapes when tempered with Italian Yellow Ochre or French Orange Ochre. Italian Green Earth can sometimes benefit from a boost by a having a small amount of the higher chroma Phthalocyanine Green mixed in. All of our Greens are contained in our Frog Eating A Pickle On A Pool Table Palette.
These are colors you find indispensable for your subjects or style. They are colors whose hues could technically be mixed, but maybe they have a specific characteristic you only get from a certain pigment. I always carry a Slate for shadows and values - I love how subtle and buildable it is. I know other artists who carry Purple Ochre specifically for natural shadows and shading. I also enjoy carrying Lamp Black for a color that mimics the intensity of ink, and Chromite for its stunning tendency to granulate, something I can't get from mixing.
South African Chromite is a color that is is nearly every palette I carry. While its hue can be easily mixed, it's characteristics are unique, beautiful, and impossible to mix. It has a distinct granulation and also variegates in a lovely way. I enjoy using this color to create depth and texture in my paintings, especially in areas where a darker value is needed. Another artist I know relies on this color for sidewalks.
This part is especially fun, and where you get to gleefully chuck the rule book and spend a few minutes of your adult life with a legit excuse for seriously pondering your favorite colors. After assessing your palette for useful things like spectrum and mixing options to make sure it has a practical range, it's important to consider if you actually like the colors in your palette! After choosing my "workhorse" colors that offer flexibility and convenience, I then add in my "special favorites". These are colors that may not be particularly "useful" for mixing, may not have a wide range, or even a ton of applications, but they are colors that I am simply drawn to. For me, this is Malachite, Smalt, Chilean Lapis Lazuli, and Violet Hematite.
Thing is, as an artist, you are not bound to depict anything in any particular way, and you are certainly not obligated to realism. Once you are free of "supposed-to-be's" for your color choices, you'll find that these favorites have a way of sneaking into your paintings, and can even become a signature of your work.
These are the colors of the Horizon Set, which I designed around this principle. It contains a solid backbone of the modern primary colors, covers the color spectrum well, offers a plethora of mixing options, but includes some more unique additions, such as Chinese Malachite, Smalt, Violet Hematite, American Green Opalite, and South African Chromite. By selecting these more unusual pigments the collection is transformed from something that includes merely the usual suspect and seems more generic into something fresh and more stylized. Daring to carry the colors that you like and use them in your painting can be similarly transformative!
This is one of the most often overlooked choices you have. Many artists don't feel worthy of larger sizes (don't fall into this trap!), and many aren't aware of the wide variety available.
Watercolor paints generally come in Half-Pans, but there are also Full Pans (which are usually a better value), and we offer our colors in natural seashells, and even small metal pans. (You can read in more detail about our color sizing here.) I recommend a selection of either Half-Pans, Full Pans, and Shells or a selection of metal Quarter and Eighth-Pans (as they are compatible only with thinner palettes that don't accommodate Half, Full, or Shells).
Here is my guide for matching your colors to the appropriate pan size:
Full Pan - I choose Full Pans for colors that I go through quickly, and colors that have a low tinting strength (often, these are one and the same). In my current palette, I have Full Pans of Yellow Ochre, Green Earth, and Eggshell. Full Pans are also an excellent choice if you enjoy working with larger brushes.
Half-Pan - This size is my default size, so most of my colors are in Half-Pans. They are a great size for small and mid-size brushes, and for travel. Half-Pans are also a good way to try out new colors - once you've used up a Half-Pan, you'll know if you want to buy more of that color or not.
Shell - I think Shells are just plain fun to paint from. I choose Shells for colors that I seldom use but still opt to carry, colors that have a very strong tinting strength or that take me a long time to go through (usually, one and the same), and I will often use Shells of my "special favorites" (unless I go through them very quickly).
Now that you have your colors selected, it's time to arrange them in your travel palette. It helps to have an underlying structure or method to your layout as it helps you locate the color you want quickly when painting. Colors with a wide value range can appear black in the pan, regardless of hue, making them especially difficult to identify if your colors have been randomly arranged.
Approach 1 - Spectrum
I find it useful to arrange my colors in spectrum order, starting with Red, then Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black, Grey, and White. This makes for natural neighbors and intuitive progression, and locating the right color is always easy. (Note: try to avoid storing your Black and White side-by-side, as your White will quickly turn into a Grey!)
Approach 2 - Use Category
Other times, I'll arrange my colors by type or use. I group primaries together. If I have more than one group of primaries, I'll group the Reds together, the Yellows together, and so forth. Then I'll cluster secondaries and convenience colors. Then tertiaries and greyscale colors together. Any others are fit in either near color equivalents or just where they physically can fit into that particular palette.
There isn't a right or wrong for color layout, it's really just about what works well for you. Try to use a layout that doesn't keep me guessing about which color is which. Ultimately, arrange your colors in a way that is not only useful, but that makes you excited to paint!
A painting I did early in the pandemic with my own customized palette.
At each step of the way, as you assemble your watercolor palette, you have the chance to be intentional about which colors are not only useful to you, but also inspire you and speak to your specific preferences. The result will be a unique palette that no other artist carries. I've always thought of the artist's palette as a kind of accidental self-portrait.
Whether you begin with an existing palette or build one from scratch with individually selected colors and a vintage tin, no one else will make the same color decisions or use them in the same way as you.
Creating the "perfect palette" is a bit of a fluid art form (within a fluid art form!). Your watercolor palette will change and evolve along with your work. Certain colors will take you back to certain times and certain paintings, almost the way songs can transport you to different times in your life.
Stay tuned - I'll be following up this post with tips and suggestions on how to choose and customize your palette box itself!
As always, thank you for being here.
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In this post I'm going to go over some basic supplies you'll find useful, how to pack them, a few environmental and safety considerations, and a couple tips and techniques to help you get started.
]]>There are so many benefits to painting in nature that you just don't get inside a studio - and there are plenty of challenges to keep it exciting too!
In this post I'm going to go over some basic supplies you'll find useful, how to pack them, a few environmental and safety considerations, and a couple tips and techniques to help you get started.
Whether you're heading out to a local park, going on a day hike, a backpacking trip, or wanting to climb a mountain with watercolors in tow, these tips will serve you well.
This is a kit I always have at the ready to grab and stick in my purse or backpack. It doesn't take up much space and contains everything I need to spend some time painting on the go.
When assembling your plein air painting kit, there are essentials, items that are extremely useful, and then a few more things that are great but not necessary. I like to tailor my kit to the occasion based on organizing my supplies into these categories.
1. Color Palette - There aren't any magic colors for plein air painting - you can just use what you have. If you're excited to assemble an outdoor or landscape specific palette, I would recommend going heavy on the greens, have a few browns for convenience, and of course a handful of blues. Here is my favorite assortment of colors when packing light:
I prefer using natural pigments for landscapes, plants, and natural subjects - the colors just match more effortlessly. I also use these as a base if I need to mix a brighter color. I also carry the modern primaries so that I can punch up the volume on the natural pigments, or if I want to match a color I see more exactly. However, using a purposefully limited palette will give your paintings a wonderful effect. Remember: You do not need to match colors exactly, or even a little bit. The best colors to pack are ultimately the ones you have or are most excited to use.
2. Paper/Support - Choosing your support depends on the purpose of your painting. If you are creating a travel journal for yourself, just pack a sketchbook. If you are interested in creating a painting for sale or display, you'll want to pack some paper and a board. I recommend gator board, as it is lightweight, rigid, and water-resistant. However, it can be expensive. You can also use a piece of cardboard laminated with shipping tape.
3. Brushes & Water - There are wonderful travel-specific brushes on the market (my favorites are made by Da Vinci), but any brush can be adapted for travel with al little forethought. The most important thing to remember when traveling with brushes is to mind the tips! Ensure that no harm will come to your brush tips when packing them, and the rest is just preferential details. Likewise, use whatever water cup you would like - just make sure it does not leak! I would generally recommend against glass as it is heavy and breakable. Choosing to pack waterbrushes will erase your need for a water cup, and they also very conveniently have caps! So, they can be treated quite casually. These are my favorites, and you can read more about waterbrushes here.
A selection of some of my favorite travel art supplies. It's not at all necessary to bring all of these. I will generally choose from this collection and tailor the selection to the kind of outing on which I'm going.
1. Carrying Case - Again, you don't need anything fancy! Just something that will contain all of your supplies, so they are bundled and at the ready. You can use an old fishing tackle box or tool bin, a purse, small backpack, or zippered bag of any kind. Search for these at thrift stores and you're sure to find something that will work.
2. Pencil Bag - I say bag here on purpose. I suggest a bag over a box or a tin, as they are easier to pack and actually better at protecting your pencils. Tins can leave pencils to rattle around as you move, which can crack their core. A soft bag cradles them better. You can purchase a pencil bag from all kinds of different vendors or shops. A cloth napkin wrapped in a rubber band will also do the trick! And, of course, they aren't just for pencils - I store all of my plein air drawing and writing tools in my pencil bag.
3. Pencils - Bring a medium-hard pencil for sketches that will stay light so that you can paint over them. Or, bring a light water soluble pencil so that your drawing will wash away as you begin to paint.
4. Viewfinder - These are wonderfully useful, and oft overlooked. This is my number one hack on how fight overwhelm when facing a vast landscape and wondering how on earth to fit that onto your sketchbook page. Pull out your viewfinder, start zooming in and out and moving it around until you spot the composition you want to focus on. Here is the thing: you don't have to buy one. You can use your fingers, or cut a rectangular hole (or whatever shape you prefer to work with) into a piece of cardboard.
5. Erasers - I like to carry a few: a kneaded eraser for lightening my basic sketch, a large white plastic eraser for erasing large areas without damaging paper, and a detail eraser for making tiny adjustments. However, the eraser on the end of your pencil is better than nothing!
6. Valuefinder - This may sound sophisticated, but once you understand what it is and how to use it, you'll see it's basic. You can of course buy one, but making one is really simple. Do you have an old pair of 3-D glasses laying around your house? Tear a pair in half and pack the red eye in your kit. All you need is a red transparency to peep through when you look at the view you want to paint. Why? The red tint allows you to concentrate on value as it blocks out most colors.
7. Binder Clips - These are useful for anything and everything. I carry a few different sizes. Use them to clip your palette to your sketchbook, clip your sketchbook pages in place, hold a reference picture in place, as a paintbrush holder, etc.
8. Rubber Bands - Like binder clips, these are useful for all sorts of things, but only if you remember to pack them!
9. Handkerchief - Paper towels work too. A handkerchief can be tied around your wrist, and of course washed and re-used. You can always tuck it into the back of your hat to block the sun from your neck, or wet it to keep yourself cool when painting in warm weather. It's wonderfully multi-functional.
10. Mister - Use a pocket mister to quickly spray down your color palette a few minutes before you start painting. It will give you colors a chance to soften up and be nice and juicy. This little trick can also save your brushes some miles. The friction and rubbing of your brush tips as you activate you colors can cause a lot of wear and tear over time. Pre-moistening your colors both saves you a little time and the point of your brush!
11. Tape - Weather you are taping sheets to a board or using it to frame out an area of a journal page, a small roll of tape is endlessly useful. Not only does it hold things in place, it can give your paintings a crisp border that adds an extra "finished" feel. You can also use tape to mask out areas of your painting to preserve some white or to control washes. There are lots of different types. It's best to find something archival and low-tack (so it won't tear your paper or leave a residue), and smaller rolls are of course more convenient for a travel kit.
1. Chair - The outdoor industry offers all sorts of foldable, collapsable, and packable lightweight chairs and stools. Often, it is easy enough to find a natural perch, like a stump or a rock, but if you're planning to paint for more than thirty minutes your bottom, back, and legs will be much happier parked on something specially designed for sitting, whether you work at an easel or in your lap. If you choose to pack one, just make sure it's lightweight and not to cumbersome - a large or heavy chair can make a long hike seem even longer!
2. Brush Holder - If you opt to pack traditional brushes instead of travel brushes, then this piece is essential. A brush holder should first and foremost protect the tips of your brushes. Secondly, it should allow some air circulation. If it doesn't allow air movement, just make sure to let your brushes dry later on.
Two of the biggest hazards to your supplies are caused by traveling with traditional brushes. They can be easily ruined if not stored properly, and if they aren't allowed to dry they can mold. A moldy brush can inoculate your paints with mold spores and cause them to mold. Moldy brushes and paints are easily remedied by some washing and rinsing, but best to just develop good practices and avoid the hassle.
3. Easel - This is truly a personal preference. Easels are a wonderful way to free you up so you feel less like a table when you paint. There are many options from the heavy, complicated, and costly to the homemade. You can assemble one pretty cheaply using an old camera tripod and a pice of gator board with a nut on the back. For watercolors, I suggest you find an easel that allows your painting to lay horizontally, unless you really love the drippy look. Plenty of plein air painters work out of a sketchbook and skip the easel entirely - still others attach a sketchbook to an easel.
4. Umbrella - As long as it's not too windy, an umbrella can be a handy way to keep harsh, direct sunlight off your painting. Really, it allows you to have a little more control on your lighting, as that is one of the most unpredictable aspects of plein air painting.
Pairing a tiny color palette and a single waterbrush with a small sketchbook makes an extremely lightweight kit, while also providing everything you really need!
Depending on the length and type of trip, I pack my plein air kit a little differently. A short hike up a trail to your painting destination is very different from a multi-night backpacking trip where you'll be stopping multiple times to both paint and camp.
Short Approach - Excursions specifically to paint outdoors that don't involve a long approach allow you the most latitude in terms of what you pack. You can even make several trips to your car for supplies, so you really don't have to concern yourself with the logistical limitations of schlepping supplies around, and can really focus on the painting and outdoor experience (and less on weight and transport).
Day Hike - Think about the distance you will be hiking and determine what weight you're comfortable carrying for that distance (and incline, if there is any). A day hike allows you more weight latitude than a backpacking trip, where you would be carrying things like a tent, sleeping bag, camp stove, and water filtration system. You still want to keep the weight manageable, but you can throw in a few more extras, and if you overpack your regret will only last for a day (or for as long as you have sore muscles).
Backpacking Trip - I'll pack only the essentials to minimize the weight I'm carrying on my back. You'll quickly find that every little bit matters as your pack weight ticks up, as each gram has a way of making a mile stretch a little longer. This is where you can get crafty to shave weight - pack only as much as you will use. I've even transferred tape to a smaller roll, cut ends off of my brushes, pulled Full Pan colors out of my palette, ditched my pocket mister entirely, and packed a plastic water container instead of my favorite glass one.
Car Travel - If you are on a multi-day trip by car, you can pretty much pack what you want. Road trips afford plein air painters a wonderful opportunity to experiment with lots of different supplies and concentrate more on the changing landscape.
Air Travel - If you are traveling by air and just carrying suitcases, you will of course want to be space and weight-conscious. You will also want to avoid packing anything that will be mysterious and suspicious to airport security - leave your nice scissors at home! Pro Tip: refer to your watercolors as just that: watercolors. Avoid calling them "paints". To non-artists, especially those working at the post office or the airport, "paint" is assumed to contain solvents, which can be flammable or explosive. Watercolor paints are not in that category of concern. I pack for air travel similarly to how I pack for a day hike.
Finishing a climb with Matt in Washington State. When you're carrying very little it's essential that you pack intentionally and carefully!
It is too easy to be cavalier about nature, especially for the inexperienced enthusiast. Whenever you venture outside, always try your best to be prepared. It is surprisingly easy to equip yourself to deal with situations that otherwise could become dangerous.
Notify someone of your whereabouts. If you become lost or something happens to prevent your planned return, this is your lifeline. Let someone know where you are going, when you are leaving, when you plan to return, and what exactly they should do/who they should call if you don't return or contact them at the appointed time. It is easy to shrug off this precaution for a short trip, but it is so easy.
Make a permanent packing list. It saves so much time if you're not always having to re-invent the wheel by thinking through what you need to pack every time you head out - and it ensures you won't forget anything important! It can also remove a key barrier that prevents people from even going. Type up or write out a packing list and post it or keep it somewhere handy. Take this a step further and keep your plein air gear together in one place and at the ready - that too will save the time it takes to round it all up each time.
While you are out, keep your wits about you and remain aware. Storms can roll in quickly, animals can approach, other people can surprise you, and sunburns can slowly sear you. It is wonderful fun to be engrossed in your painting, but try not to take your safety for granted. Keep an eye on the sky, your surroundings, and your watch, and you should be fine.
Respect nature. Not only for the sake of maintaining a pristine environment, but for your own safety and comfort. Stay on designated trails, don't underestimate the weather, and for the sake of all that is good, don't try to take a selfie with wild animals.
Whether we wish to acknowledge it or not, we have a reciprocal relationship with our environment. When you enjoy the outdoors, try to leave the space as you found it so that other visitors can enjoy it, its inhabitants can continue to thrive, and so that you can enjoy the space again another day. Avoid creating new trails, disturbing local flora and fauna, pack out your poop and trash. And if you are in a drier region, try to be aware of the deceptively delicate landscape - cryptobiotic soil can look just like dirt, but takes thousands of years to form and is a part of that fragile ecosystem.
Here are the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace:
1) Plan Ahead & Prepare
2) Travel & Camp On Durable Surfaces
3) Dispose of Waste Properly
4) Leave What You Find
5) Minimize Campfire Impacts
6) Respect Wildlife
7) Be Considerate of Other Visitors
The above is from the National Park Service. You can read in more detail about them here.
This photo was taken about 90 miles in on the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier in Washington State. My pack averaged around 30 lbs. on that trip. While I didn't end up needing all of the 10+ Essentials, I had them all packed!
The 10 Essentials are the backbone and foundation of outdoor travel. Even if you're not backpacking, it is good to be aware of them and carry these things with you. Do you have to carry all of these things every time you leave the house? No. But they are all generally small and lightweight, and are an excellent insurance policy to help you out if you end up in some unexpected trouble in the outdoors.
1. Navigation - Map, compass, GPS, smartphone (check ahead of time to ensure you'll have coverage in the area you'll be visiting).
2. Hydration - Bring enough water and some extra. You can also carry a water filter if you're concerned you will run out or if you don't want to carry the extra water weight. Packing electrolyte tablets to put in your water can really help on longer hikes and trips!
3. Nutrition - Make sure to pack snacks! Bring more food than you think you'll need. It's amazing how quickly your body burns through calories when you're moving around over terrain.
4. Insulation - Even if it's a hot day, pack a wind-breaking layer. Even on mild days, wind can really sap you of body heat. Also, while the weather might seem just lovely, when you're standing still painting or sitting on a rock, you body can really cool down when it's not moving. Layers can also block the sun and protect your skin on hot days, so insulation isn't juts for cold areas and seasons.
5. Illumination - You never plan to get stuck out overnight. Sometimes the sun can set while you're racing to finish a painting, and other times the return trip can just take longer than planned. Pack a headlamp or flashlight with fresh batteries (or charge).
6. Sun Protection - Hat, sunscreen, and/or light layers. I'll often wear thin wool layers in summer because it has a high UPF (the textile equivalent to SPF). Sun protection isn't just a vanity thing - too much exposure can dehydrate you, exhaust you, and even leave you with medically serious burns.
7. First-Aid - Just pack a kit of things you understand how to use. Bring any medications you need and supplies for treating minor scrapes and cuts. If you feel insecure about extended outdoor travel, sign up for a basic first aid class. It will build both skills and confidence, and you'll learn exactly what to do with a more extensive first aid kit. This knowledge and supplies can literally be a lifesaver. Here is a link to a relevant class finder through the Red Cross.
8. Fire - Matches, flint, a lighter. Outdoor stores carry very small, packable options. Consider this just for emergencies. If you plan to make a campfire, just check ahead of time to see if there are any burn bans in effect where you will be traveling.
9. Knife - Does not have to be fancy, but you'll want it to be safe to carry and sharp enough to use. Useful for all kinds of things.
10. Shelter - You don't need to pack a tent every time you go out. This is for emergencies. An emergency bivvy is more or less a lightweight sack, but one you'll be extremely grateful to have if you get stuck overnight. These can pack down to be as small as a reusable shopping bag.
There are a few extra items, in addition to the Ten Essentials, that I consider essential as well:
1. Bug Repellant - Or a bug net. If you end up out on a beautiful day, only to be harassed to the point of insanity by flies or mosquitos, you'll really wish you had these!
2. TP Etc. - Everybody poops. There is no shame in packing toilet paper and a blue bag (for poop). If anyone tries to give you grief about this, just act concerned and suggest they make an appointment with their doctor if they aren't pooping regularly. Ladies: If you don't already know, there are funnels on the market made just for us so that we can either pee more discreetly or use outhouses without sitting down. You can also wear a skirt to help you pop a more discreet squat.
3. Hand Sanitizer - You'll want some after using an outhouse.
4. Communication - Pack a phone or satellite communication. These days it's too easy to be in touch to not be. It's much easier to call for help if you need it, rather than wait for it.
Of course you can hike yourself out to an epic vista and choose to paint anything you want, but I'm just going to suppose we're out there to paint what we see. When painting outdoors, you are facing unique constraints and parameter: you've brought only what you can carry, you are subject to quick changes in light and weather, and will only have a limited time to take it all in before you pack up and head on your way again. There are certain tips and techniques that you can employ to make the most of your time outside painting.
1. How To Pick Your Subject - Just knowing where to start can be hard! Grand vistas can be very overwhelming. I suggest you carry a viewfinder (a small piece of paper with a rectangle in it). Peer through it like you're looking through the viewfinder of a camera and pan around the landscape. Move it closer and farther away from your eye to "zoom" in and out. Wait for a composition to come into frame that appeals to you. You can go big or focus on a detail. You can even choose to paint some of the local flora if the horizon line isn't calling your name. Just because you're outdoors don't mean you have to paint a sweeping landscape. Look for what interests YOU.
2. Quick Sketch - Once you've chosen your view, it's time to begin translating it to the two dimensional world of your paper. Use a pencil to lightly and quickly sketch in the main features. Try to work from the shoulder or elbow to keep your sketch light and gestural. Make sure you're looking at your subject just as much as your paper, if not more so. Now is not the time to get overwhelmed by the details. Try to focus on speed, observation, and the experience.
3. Block In Colors - Once you're ready to pull out your paints, use light washes to block out the main areas of color on your paper. This can really help give you the feeling of having dove in. Just make sure to keep the colors really light at this point - it will keep your painting flexible.
4. Work Light To Dark - In watercolors, it is much easier to build and intensity your colors as you grow your painting. Establish and work on the lightest areas first, then gradually intensify colors and depth.
5. Build Color & Detail - Rapidly! - Try to maintain some speed and keep your painting loose - remember, you are trying to capture something that is maybe quite fleeting. You can always develop a more finished painting later. If I helps take the pressure off, you can think of paintings done outdoors as note-taking, a chance to study the volume of landscape, the texture of clouds, sketch in shapes, and accurately match colors. Many artists will record lots of notes on work done in the field to help bring them accurately back to that place when they are no longer there.
6. Take A Picture - If you run out of time to complete your painting or you want to develop it more fully later, then snap a quick picture. I would urge to to take a quick peek and compare you picture to the landscape - photos can have a flattening effect and colors can look more faded. Also the light settings, especially on phone cameras can do funny things. If you can, quickly edit your photo to make sure it resembles what you see as much as possible.
7. Keep It Loose - If you're having trouble keeping your painting loose, try holding your brush farther back on the handle, and even extending your arm farther out in front of you. If it helps to keep you moving, try to work the whole painting at once - it will keep you from hyper-focusing on one area and ending up with a half-finished painting.
8. Lifting - Did your light areas somehow disappear in a wash or in you haste? No worries, just lift out the areas that you want to dial back. Wipe your brush off to remove as much water as you can and it will act as a sponge or a straw to pull paint off your paper. You'll need to wet the area for this to work. Play around with your brushes before you head out to get the feel of this technique if you are new to it.
9. Bring Vodka - Painting in freezing temperatures? It's frustrating when you watercolors and washes start to freeze up on you. If this is an issue for you, try painting with vodka instead of water. It has a much lower freezing temperature and is completely clear! This tip comes from Maria Coryell-Martin from her time painting in the Arctic on scientific expeditions.
Painting is as much a practice as it is about production. While it is extremely satisfying to create finished paintings that we find pleasing, focusing solely on that outcome can come to rob us of the joy of reaching it. By intentionally placing our focus on the process then we win whether we are satisfied with the final painting or not. This is also the key to making your painting practice into a habit. Plein air painting is a wonderful dimension to add to that practice.
Below, I have just a few final tips and ideas to help you form that plein air habit:
Storing Your Supplies - Keep a painting kit at the ready at all times. This is separate from your at-home or studio supplies. This eliminates a whole host of items that you'll have to run down otherwise. By having the option to grab-and-go, you'll really increase the ease and convenience of bringing along your supplies when you leave the house. After all, you can't paint if you don't bring them!
Just Paint - You do not have to go anywhere "special" to paint en plein air. You can build skills in your yard, in a park, on the sidewalk, next to the side of the road, in a pasture. It's up to you and your eye to make what you see special. That is the essence of the role of the artist. Try to avoid only painting when you are inspired, and instead to think of your painting practice as just that - practice. Practice involves simply logging hours. Just like with running or playing an instrument, both your skills and your enjoyment will increase as you practice.
Benefits of Plein Air Painting - There are particular benefits to the practice of plein air painting. There are scientific studies that show spending time in nature is good for your brain. It has a way of refreshing our soul. The act of observation can be a kind of meditation. But transferring what you see onto paper leads you to observe in a particular and more minute way. You first trace every line of the landscape with your eye before you transmit it to your hand, then your hand transmits that to the paper. That right there is the magic. And that act right there is your purpose for being there in nature observing. It's a very alchemical type of relationship between landscape, artist, and tools. The painting is your reason and the practice is your medicine.
Make The Experience Yours - It's easy to get caught up in what other people do or the way you think you should be doing something when you begin a new pursuit. Try to avoid that. If you're outdoors holding a paintbrush you're doing just fine. Don't feel pressure to paint in a certain style, a particular subject, or with certain tools. Do keep mental notes of what you are drawn to and what excites you and move toward that. For example: You don't need a fancy, expensive portable easel to be a plein air painter. However, if you think having an easel like that is just the neatest thing since sliced bread, then get one and start going on adventures with it! Similarly, don't feel the need to paint grand, sweeping landscapes if it seems like a giant snooze-fest to you - if you'd rather paint rocks or do cloud studies or even something abstract, then do that. One other point: don't be afraid to set goals. If you want to paint sweeping landscapes, but feel that you lack the skills, then that is something you can work towards. Just try to be very self-aware about what you are drawn to and what you are not. Ultimately, the practice and the experience are yours. You'll find your joy in it by doing you.
This post is a long one, but it contains so many of the things I wish I would have learned at the beginning of my watercolor journey. I've accumulated all of this from my time in the mountains and on trails, and from my years with a brush. I hope you've found it useful, and that it can bring you some joy.
As always, thank you for being here and wishing you happy painting!
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For those of us with gardens, be they in beds in the backyard or in pots on the fire escape, this time of year finds us sorting through our seed collections, thumbing seed catalogues, and inventorying our stocks of soil amendments as our gardens come together and the weather warms.
As your seed orders arrive, as you unearth your collection from last season, and as you frolic home with the new varieties you scored from your local seed exchange, inevitably, the excited conversations begin. My mother and I compare varieties on FaceTime and trade tips on our favorite varieties, hedging bets on how they will fare in the different planting zones if we do a swap. Gardeners will do this with just about anyone who has a houseplant and the patience to listen.
One of the things I love even more than talking about different varieties of heirloom vegetables is sharing and exchanging heirloom vegetable seeds with friends and neighbors. If you have a backyard garden or anything smaller, then you know typically sized seed packets go a long way, and generally contain more than you need in any single season (especially if you are a glutton for different varieties, like me). So, I plant some and give the rest away in little hand decorated seed packets. This is a project I always look forward to and take great delight in.
So, I'm going to share the details of this favorite springtime project of mine with you this year. It's a great way to get out of a creative slump. It's also a wonderful gift that spreads beauty and deliciousness. In the process, I'll also be divulging some of my very favorite varieties of heirloom vegetables.
I keep a store of tiny glassine envelopes to transform into hand-decorated seed packets to share pinches of this and that variety of seeds. You can of course just scribble the type and variety on the envelope, but seed packets are always so exciting and lovely - and the tinier they are the cute factor increases exponentially. (It's a scientific fact). For the label designs, I use a digital file I made to save me a few extra steps and expedite the process (I make a lot of these). (I've added my templates to a new Paintable Project so that you can use them too if you wish!). After printing out my label template, I draw out each design with pencil, ink the designs with a permanent liner, then use watercolors to for pops and splashes of color. Then, I cut out the labels and glue them to the envelopes. Lastly, I fill them with seeds!
This is a creative project, so there is a multitude of different supplies you can use. I'm listing the ones I have found useful for this particular project. I'll describe how I use them, why they are useful, and list my favorite brand. I'll also link to their listing in our shop. Just to be clear, I'm not choosing these brands because we sell them - I've chosen to sell these specific supplies because I use them.
I have also created a kit (called the Gardener's Kit), so that all of these supplies are available under a single listing. It comes with a handmade bag for easy storage and so that you can travel with this project (more the designing and painting portion - you can fill the packets with seeds when you return home).
Stack of Envelopes - You can purchase these through our shop, elsewhere online, or even make your own! (Our Seed Packet Paintable Project also comes with a 2x2" envelope template, in addition to an assortment of templates for different label designs sizes to fit that envelope). I enjoy using glassine envelopes for this project. I just love the way they crackle, and I like to be able to quickly see the amount of seeds in each one. Just remember, if you're using glassine you need to take extra care to store your seeds in a dark place (which you should do anyway).
Graphwood HB Pencil - Any moderately hard graphite pencil will do. This is to keep your sketches loose and light! (2Bs and softer are darker and will smudge.)
Non-Photo Blue Pencil - This kind of pencil is useful if you know you'll be scanning your designs to save. These pencils are often used for underdrawings because the blue is less distracting and harder for scanners to pick up because the light blue has a much lighter value than dark grey pencil graphite. This is a non-essential tool for this project, but a useful option! I use the Non-Photo Blue Sketcher by Caran d'Ache.
Sketch & Wash Water-Soluble Pencil - If used lightly, this pencil gives you lines that will more or less wash or blend away as you paint. You can also use this pencil for your illustrations instead of using watercolor paints. It will give your packet designs a more monochrome, minimalistic look.
Copic MultilinerSP 0.1 & 0.3 - I use these for inking (or outlining) my illustrations. These are wonderful because they contain waterproof ink, and have replaceable nibs and ink. I find the two different sizes useful - I use the 0.3 for any writing and major outlines and to create emphasis, and the 0.1 for any details or very fine lines.
T-40 Dip Pen & G Nib - The T-40 dip pen is wonderful for using to letter the names of the different seed varieties. You can use calligraphy or different types of hand-lettering where varied pressure plays a part. You can load your nib with watercolor and use it just like ink! You can also use this tool for sketching, outlining, and adding colorful details to your design as well. I like this particular dip pen because it is compatible with both a crow quill nib (smaller) and regular-sized drawing and calligraphy nibs (larger), it has a cap so you can travel with a nib in place without getting poked, and the cap fits on the end of the handle so you don't loose it. The Tachikawa G Nibs are my favorite moderately flexible nibs for both simple calligraphy and sketching.
Waterbrush with Fine Point - I like to use the fine point waterbrush because this project is on such a small scale. Having too large a brush can be frustrating. Waterbrushes are convenient (since you don't have to use a water cup), and they can also help keep your painting fluid and loose. For this project, you'll want to keep your brush on the drier side so it doesn't deposit more water than you need on the tiny designs. If you're having trouble controlling the flow, empty the water reservoir - the brush will still be moist, but less wet. Used this way, you can also treat it more like a traditional brush.
Kneaded Eraser - Kneaded erasers are wonderfully versatile. Roll it into a fat worm and roll it over your sketches to lighten your pencil lines before inking. You can also twist it into little points for detail erasing. Just remember you want to more dab, roll, and lift with this eraser, rather than scrub.
Large Eraser - Use a large white eraser to remove pencil lines after you ink and before you scan your designs (if you plan to scan them - more on that below). You want this eraser to be soft and non-smudging. My favorite eraser for this use is by MOO.
Watercolor Paints - Use whatever you have! This is more of a craft project than fine artwork, so feel free to pull out your student paints. However, if you're making a keepsake, I would suggest at least making sure your colors are lightfast or using your artist grade set. As for colors, I like to use a combination of natural and synthetic pigments - just a small assortment for quick painting. Colors like Green Earth and Orange Ochre are very handy, and I like Slate for shadows for a little depth and detail. I tend to use the high chroma synthetic colors in very small amount, just to mix into the natural pigments to make minor adjustments to the hue. For example, Green Earth is what I use for the base of nearly all my leafy greens, and then I will add a dash of Phthalo. Cyan to make it more cool, or a dot of Quinox. Yellow for that bright, warm green of fresh growth. I have collected the colors I most frequently use for this project into a Travel Palette called the Gardener's Set.
Pocket Mister - A non-essential, but it's always nice to spray down your watercolor before you dive in. This saves your brush and can just speed up your painting, so you don't have to wet your colors one by one. It just makes the painting process more fluid. Any brand will do.
Scissors - Especially if you're doing this project while traveling, scissors will probably be the way to go, however they will be much slower. If you're cutting up a bunch of labels at once, I recommend a straight edge, craft knife, and cutting mat (or thick piece of cardboard). I enjoy using Wescott Titanium Scissors, but as long as they cut smoothly, any brand will work.
Glue Stick - For sticking your finished labels to the packets. I like to use a colored non-toxic glue stick - UHU makes a great one. The color makes it easier to see where you've put down glue, but it dries clear. Just make sure to really get the corners, especially if you're using thicker paper for your labels! Since you're making something to be used, those corners will stick out if they aren't glued in place.
Washi or Rice Tape - For sealing your envelope. Even if your envelopes come with adhesive flaps, washi tape is still the way to go - you don't want your beautiful envelopes to get destroyed after their first use! There are lots of washi tapes with fun prints, but using a plain print leaves you with a removable place to clearly write the year. That way these packets can be re-used!
Permanent Marker - I use this to write the year on the tape holding the packet flap shut. That way the person I gift the seeds to will know what year they were given. It's best not to save seeds for too long, otherwise germination rates begin to decrease. I use a Sakura Identipen for this - it has two different tip sizes.
Now. There is no wrong way to do this (as long as you're labeling your seeds correctly). I'm going to share the general method I've developed so you can use that as your starting place.
Assemble your seeds and count how many varieties you'll be sharing and how many people you'll be sharing them with. This will help you determine how many labels you'll be making and if you'll be making any duplicate labels.
Print (or make) your label templates. I've created a Paintable Project that contains a variety of different styles of label templates for you to print out, sized for 2"x2" envelopes (which are what I use). Why do I use that size? Because they are cute! And that's as large as you really need if you're sharing a single seed packet a couple different ways.
If you want to start from scratch, don't have a printer, or are working with a different size of envelope, just figure out what size you want your labels to be, use a pencil and a ruler to create a grid with boxes that size on a piece of paper, and there is your template! It's a little more labor intensive, but then you probably enjoy working with your hands if you're reading this post!
It's time to pencil in your basic design. I generally write what type of seed and what specific variety below each label. Then I do a little sketch of what it is you'll be harvesting. You can be as ornate or simple as you like! If you're doing a whole bunch of these and are tight on time, a simple sketch with a dab of color will end up looking wonderful - don't worry about creating a masterpiece here. This project can be a quickie or a long labor of love.
Tip: If you really dislike errant pencil lines, or you know already you will be scanning your designs to reprint them, consider using a non-photo blue pencil for your sketches. The light blue has a much lighter value than pencil graphite, which makes it more difficult to see, less noticeable on a scan, and easier to erase!
Once you've finished penciling in your designs, it's time to ink them in! After you've finished inking, you can erase any errant pencil lines. Especially if you'll be painting on your master copy, make sure you are using a waterproof ink! Otherwise, you're ink will run when you apply watercolor.
If you're planning to create multiple labels for your seed varieties (or wish to use these designs again next season), scan your sheet of inked designs to your computer. That way you can print as many as you wish to paint on, and retain a saved copy of your basic designs for any future use.
Now it's time for color! Any set of watercolor paints will do, though if these little packets might become keepsakes, I suggest you use quality lightfast colors. Here also you can use whatever brushes you have on hand. Since this is very small scale painting, I would suggest a smaller size brush. I like to use a waterbrush with a fine tip to keep my painting fluid with some details. I like to work in two steps, adding a first base color, then adding a second on top that quickly captures values and depth. You can add some quick shadows to make your designs pop!
Using a pair of scissors, or a craft knife, cutting mat, and straight edge, cut out each label. You can also get creative here and use pinking shears or other craft scissors that give you a more creative cut line.
Pull out your glue stick and some scratch paper - old newspaper or something from the recycling bin will due. Make sure to get glue on all the corners, then place the label where you want it on the envelope.
As your envelopes dry, consider placing them under weight (like under a dictionary) for them to dry fully. This will help prevent them from curling.
Once all your labels have been glued to your envelopes and fully dried, it's time to fill them with seeds! I find it's most efficient to cup both envelopes and simply transfer as many seeds as you wish from your original seed packet into each envelope. You'll want to handle the seeds as little as possible and keep the oils from your skin from touching the seeds, which can inhibit germination later.
After you fill each envelope, make sure to tape them shut. I like to use washi tape for this because it is pretty and because its medium tack makes it easy to remove for use, but secure for storage. Use a decorative washi, or a blank type. The blank tape is great for writing the year the seeds were given, while allowing the packet to be reused if desired. Just remove the tape and add a new piece with the updated year for another season of use.
Idea: A quick google search will offer your giftee all they need to know about planting the different varieties you've given them. However, if you want to take the time, you can create labels for the backs of your seed packet envelopes with planting and care instructions, a little bit of history, days until harvest, etc.
Idea: Create a Google Sheet to keep track of your seed varieties and who you have shared which ones with. If you share the document, this is also a way people can request certain varieties too, and even share notes about their successes and experiences with each variety. It's also useful to keep track of your own planting notes.
Idea: A handful of small seed packets has a tendency to be a little out of control. I like to present the packets I make in a pretty little box. You can look for one at an antique store, thrift shop, your basement, or even make one from scratch (recycled cardboard covered in decorative paper works beautifully). You can label it in all kinds of creative ways. Here are a few of my favorites: Garden In A Box, A Year of Salads, Soup in a Box, Belly Fillers & Compost Fodder.
You can take this project in so many different directions. Adapt it to different size seed packets, to garden markers, pot labels, decorating your annual garden notes, etc. I just want to give you a springboard to dive in a little deeper:
- Do a google image search for beautiful seed packet label ideas. You can also create a pin board to keep track of your favorites and return to for inspiration for your label designs.
- Keep a dedicated garden sketchbook. Along with noting what varieties you planted and when, you can sketch them at each stage of growth. You'll not only learn a lot about each plant as it grows, you can also reference your own sketches for next year's seed packet designs. (I also like to add harvest dates and flavor notes.)
- Vintage and antique seed catalogues are also wonderful sources of inspiration. Search you local used bookstore or do a Google image search.
Did you know many varieties of heirloom seeds are either extinct or on the edge of extinction? Heirloom seeds are our collective inheritance, adapted for flavor, nutrition, and climate compatibility (which includes natural pest resistance). The modern day varieties of fruits and vegetables you see available in most supermarkets have been developed for transport, storage, pesticide resistance (very different from pest resistance), and generic "beauty" standards. It's no surprise then that heirlooms are both more delicious and nutrient dense! Seeds unfortunately don't last forever, even when stored carefully. The very best way we can preserve these varieties is by keeping them alive in our gardens and by sharing them back and forth within our community - and of course by eating them!
I purchase my seeds from a number of different places. I look for a wide offering, for businesses in a similar climate to where I am, and of course organic or at lease non-GMO seeds.
Here are my favorite seed sources:
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds - This is where I purchase most of my seeds. They are located in my home state of Missouri, and offer an exceedingly wide selection of heirloom varieties. And their annual Whole Seed Catalogue with its sumptuous pictures and descriptions is something I look forward to reading all year.
Grand Prismatic Seed -
Seed Savers Exchange - I haven't personally used this community, but my mother does regularly. Some excellent and rare seed varieties can be found here.
I hope you have a wonderful time with this project. In the comments, please share your favorite sources for heirloom seeds! I'd also love to hear what location/gardening zone you hail from, and, of course, I would be delighted to hear about some of your favorite varieties and why you love them!
And, please, pretty please, tag me on Instagram if you post pictures of this project - I can't wait to see your results (and tagging me is the only way I'm able to see!). (@greenleafblue or #greenleafblueberry)
As always,
Thanks for being here and wishing you Happy Painting!
]]>In this post I'll go over the different types and sizes of watercolor pans, what types of travel boxes/tins they are compatible with, and offer tips on how to match the right size with the right color.
Standard Plastic Full Pans and Half-Pans are made of polystyrene, a durable (and recyclable) white plastic. Our metal Quarter-Pans and Eighth Pans are made of steel and manufactures specifically for use with watercolor paints by Art Toolkit. (Beware of cheaply made knock-offs that will corrode!) Our natural Shell Pans are simply natural seashells, sorted to a narrow size margin, and hold roughly the equivalent volume of paint as our Eighth-Pans.
Where did these sizes come from? Lots of places, and then I organized them into the sizing system that we use. I collected the pans I found most useful, precisely measured the volume of each, and named them appropriately so that you would be able to use them intuitively and knowledgeably.
Our Modern Primary Colors in Full Pans, a very minimalist set!
First Use: Watercolor pans came into use as watercolor cakes fell out of use. Watercolor cakes were the precursor to pans; they needed no container, but were very hard and needed to go through a process of "rubbing out" before they were wet and soft enough to be used. The newer moist watercolors needed a container, thus was born the watercolor pan. Early pans were made of an assortment of different materials, the most durable of which have proved to be the plastic ones we use today.
Size: I think of Full Pans as roughly equivalent to a tube of watercolor paint, but in portable form. Half-Pans are (you guessed it) half the volume of a Full Pan.
Compatibility: Standard Plastic Full Pans and Half-Pans are compatible with most travel watercolor tins, cases, and boxes on the market. Specifically, they are compatible with the metal enamel bijoux boxes which have metal inserts with brackets that pans click into. You see these boxes from companies such as Lukas and Schminke. These pans are also compatible with the range of Windsor & Newton plastic and metal palettes. All of the plastic Full Pans and Half-Pans that we sell come with a small magnet fixed to the underside, which helps hold them in place in your travel palette as you move around. This allows you to quickly move your colors into different configurations and layouts as well. You can also add them to pretty vintage tins, or to enamel bijoux boxes with the inserts removed to save both room and weight. You'll have to remove the magnets to click them into brackets or slide them into place in other types of travel palettes. To remove the magnets, simple use a pair of pliers and twist the magnet off.
A handful of Full Pans
When To Choose Full Pans: I suggest choosing Full Pans if you enjoy using large brushes, paint on a large scale, for a studio set you won't be traveling with, for your favorite colors that you do travel with, for a travel set that only contains a few colors, and for colors that you tend to go through quickly (colors with a low tinting strength like Whites, Greys, Earth Greens, and Yellows). Full Pans are also going to give you the best financial bang for your buck.
When To Choose Half-Pans: I suggest choosing Half-Pans for well-used travel sets, for those who paint with small to medium sized brushes (sizes 2-8, respectively), for sketchbooks and smaller scale paintings, and as a default size. Half-Pans do an excellent job of balancing space and quantity of paint since they are small and lightweight, but hold a decent amount of color. I would suggest, unless you're wanting to travel very light, building your palette with mostly Half-Pans.
A handful of Quarter-Pans and Eighth-Pans
First Use: Metal pans in the form we are using are a very contemporary addition to the watercolor pan lineup. The first artist I am aware of using metal pans is Maria Coryell-Martin, the founder of Art Toolkit. She began using metal pans and developed her Pocket Palette as a result of her time spent as an artist accompanying scientific expeditions in the Arctic and Greenland. She needed a travel palette that was tiny, light, and portable. Metal pans on a different scale came into use around the turn of the nineteenth-century before plastic was as widely available and after watercolor cakes had fallen out of favor.
Size: Quarter-Pans are one fourth the volume of paint of our Full Pans, and Eighth-Pans hold one eighth the quantity of paint as our Full Pans, as you might have imagined. These pans are both a different material (metal) and a different proportion from our Full Pans and Half-Pans. They are much flatter and therefore have more surface area for their volume, which allows your brush the area it needs to maneuver while saving space and weight in your palette.
Our Field Sketch Pocket Palette in Quarter-Pans
Compatibility: Metal Quarter-Pans & Eighth-Pans are most compatible with Art Toolkit's Pocket Palette (about the size of a business card and almost as thin!) and Demi Palette (which we refer to as a Micro Palette in our Travel Palette lineup). These palettes have a white mixing area in the lid, and a thin magnet inside that the steel pans naturally stick to. These pans can be used in other palettes if you are creative. You can add in magnets to another tin or container, or can even fix them in place with sticky tack.
When To Choose: I recommend these pans to add to your existing Pocket Palettes, to replace colors you have used up from your Pocket Palettes, for the ultra-light traveler who is really wanting to save space and weight (thru-hikers, this is the watercolor system for you!), and for miniaturists or those who enjoy painting on a very small scale. More specifically for the sizes: I recommend Quarter-Pans for the ultralight traveler as the equivalent of Full Pans (for your most used colors and colors that have a weak tinting strength), and Eighth-Pans for colors that have a stronger tinting strength or that you use less of.
Natural genuine pure Lapis Lazuli in our natural Shell Pans
First Use: Seashells were the very first paint holder, the true original pan. Shells with paint residue have been found at the foot of prehistoric cave paintings. There are also records of medieval monks using mussel shells to hold the colors they used to illuminate manuscripts.
Size: As mentioned above, our natural Shell Pans hold about the same amount of paint as an Eighth-Pan. Why are they a little more expensive than our Eighth-Pans? They are just more time-consuming to create! Proportionally, our Shell Pans are between our plastic pans and our metal pans in height (or thickness).
Compatibility: As a result of their dimensions, our Shell Pans will not fit into the Art Toolkit Pocket and Demi Palettes. However, like our plastic pans, we fix a magnet to the underside of each Shell Pan, so that you can easily add them to your Travel Tin of magnetized pans. If you remove the insert of your bijoux box you can fill it with Shell Pans, and if your travel tin is deep enough, you can add Shell Pans to the inside of the lid to squeeze a little more out of your space.
A Travel Palette full of Shell Pans in all different colors
When To Choose: I recommend Shell Pans for those looking to avoid plastic, for small-scale painting, for colors that you don't use much of but still prefer to carry along, for colors that tend to go a long way (colors with intense tinting strength), and for those looking to inject a little fun and fantasy into their travel palette.
One of my personal travel palettes, full of my current most-used colors.
For your Travel Tin, I would recommend a combination of Half-Pans and Full Pans, with some Shells mixed in when compatible. For your Pocket Palette, I recommend a mixture of both Quarter-Pans and Eighth-Pans. As a result, your palette will be well-suited to your subject, style, and purpose, and it will be completely unique!
A Pocket Palette containing an assortment of both Quarter-Pans and Eighth-Pans
However, if there is nothing that delights your eye more than a collection of Half-Pans arranged in lock-step standing at attention, then go with that! This is YOUR palette. So worry less about "should", enjoy trying out a few different color selections and layouts, and concentrate on what will add delight and convenience to your process.
As always, thank you for spending a little time in this colorful little corner of the internet, and wishing you happy painting!
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I could never find a sketchbook line that checked all of my boxes. So, for years I made my own. Those because prototypes, each one better than the previous.
At last, we at G&B are delighted to share our own line of sketchbooks with you. Each sketchbook is made by hand in our studios using the highest quality materials and traditional techniques.
Our sketchbooks are designed to provide you with lots of options so that you can choose, very specifically, which size, orientation, paper finish, and thickness is right for you. They are designed to be uncompromising in quality, allowing you to sketch, experiment, and practice on the same quality of paper you do finished work on. They are also designed to be durable, carried around wherever your journey takes you, meant to be worn and used. We've sought to create a top quality sketchbook that is hell-for-stout instead of being too precious to besmirch.
We currently offer Accordion and Codex Sketchbooks. Accordion Sketchbooks have no binding, but are a single folded piece of Arches watercolor paper that allow you to work with either Landscape or Portrait orientation. Codex Sketchbooks are bound at the spine. Both feature durable yet flexible covers with a cloth wrapping.
For Accordions, we currently offer these options:
Size: 4x6"
Paper Finish: Hot Press, Cold Press, or Rough
For Codexs, we currently offer these options:
Size: 5x7"
Paper Finish: Hot Press, Cold Press, Rough
Orientation: Portrait, Landscape (Coming Soon!)
Thickness: Backpacker (58 page faces), Dayhiker (94 page faces)
More sizes will be available soon in both sketchbook styles.
Greenleaf & Blueberry is a small handmade business located on the Western Slope of Colorado. We offer handmade artist/professional quality watercolors and sketchbooks, along with a selection of carefully curated top quality accessories. We use natural materials wherever we can and treat our highly trained employees with gratitude and respect. Our products are made slowly and carefully by hand in small batches. We prioritize quality over quantity and we always will.
Again, we work in small batches. One week we may do a run of Accordion Sketchbooks, the next week will be a run of Codex Portrait Sketchbooks. Quantities are always limited because our products are handmade and our skilled staff is small. We generally re-stock our online shop every two weeks. The best way to learn what we will have available coming up is to subscribe to our Newsletter, published every two weeks, just ahead of our shop re-stock.
We hope you love these sketchbooks as much as we do! Please, please send us pictures of your sketchbooks as they get broken-in, go on adventures with you (even if it's just to the backyard), and get filled with images brought to life by your brush. It delights us to no end to see our products in use!
Happy Trails,
]]>Magenta, Yellow, and Cyan
Upon being exposed to this new information, artists tend to fall into one of the following camps:
Camp 1: "Yah, I know, like, duh"
Camp 2: "Yes, and it means your ENTIRE CHILDHOOD WAS A LIE!"
Camp 3: "Wait, what?"
Camp 4: "You know... Red, Yellow, and Blue really never did mix ALL of the other colors, now that I think about it..."
Camp 5: "No, you're WRONG"
Me? I’ve moved through most of the camps and have finally arrived at a state of acceptance (I'm not much of a 'yeah, duh' sort of person though, and I've never thought ill of my elementary school art teachers.).
It's difficult and strange to rethink such a foundational lesson. The primary colors are practically the ABC's of art!
If you're new to this theory, it helps to think more in terms of an addition to basic color theory, rather than a dismantling and rebuilding.
While some painters are abundantly aware of this take on color theory, to many others it is breaking news. When I learned these, it revolutionized the way I painted and saw color, so I want to make sure to share it here in the way I wish I would have learned it:
The modern primary colors are Magenta, Yellow, and, Cyan. With these three colors (and Black) you can truly mix nearly any hue. With the three modern primaries alone you can mix an exciting array of beautifully vibrant secondary and intermediate colors (which are mixed from a secondary and a primary).
But here's the real shocker: these colors can mix both Red and Blue.
So, it really is time to re-think the color wheel!
If you still don't believe me, just check under the hood of your printer. These are the same colors your printer uses to reproduce all of the colors you can see on your screen!
So next I naturally wondered, "Can these modern primary colors really mix the dazzling array of natural pigments that we produce in any kind of faithful approximation?" (Hint: the answer is yes!)
To put these modern primary colors through their paces, I wanted to see how closely they could match the natural pigments in our color line, and how closely they measured up to the results of my printer!
Of course, there are noticeable differences between the printed scan, the painted pigments, and the hues mixed with CMYK colors. Primary colors are tools of approximation. But to have a leap in accuracy and ease is something to take note of and celebrate!
First, I painted swatches of a spectrum of our colors made with natural pigments (center). Next, I scanned them and printed them out to see how the printer would do reproducing these with its limited four ink cartridges (left). Last, I pulled out the CMYK Set (see below), which contains our new Magenta, Yellow, Cyan, and Grey Ochre to quickly paint up some mixtures to match each swatch (right).
To be clear, when you mix colors you are creating an approximation or hue (which refers to the appearance of the color). Color characteristics can't really be mixed. There will always be a difference when painting with, say, a mixed Malachite Hue or Malachite Genuine. Paint made with pure, genuine, natural Malachite will always appear and handle differently than a mixed Malachite Hue. Why? They are different materials and therefore have different handling properties. The molecular structure is different, giving different shape to each individual pigment particle, and pigment particle sizes can vary widely. Malachite pigment will catch the light differently and spread across the page differently. Which option is best for you depends on your preferences and your work.
Since last year, we have been testing pigments and mixing up test batches of paint to create our own versions of the three modern primary colors: Magenta, Yellow, and Cyan.
To be in the G&B color line, these new colors needed to be lightfast, very low toxicity, useable with natural pigments, and gorgeous.
Unfortunately, the natural palette does not yield a natural true Magenta, Yellow, or Cyan. Our new colors contain synthetic single pigments bound to a natural mineral base.
Introducing the G&B Modern Primary Colors:
Quinacridone Magenta
Quinoxalinedione Yellow
Phthalocyanine Blue
Our colors are always named for the pigment that makes them. Synthetic color names are often unruly enough that they benefit greatly from abbreviation, or nicknames. So, we refer to these as Quin. Magenta, Quinox. Yellow, and Phthalo Blue.
When in stock, they can be purchased individually, in a trio called the Modern Primary Trio, in a quad (that includes black) called the CMYK Set, in a quintet called the CMYKW Set that includes the addition of the opaque Titanium White to offer you a full range of tinting options to your primary set, and a more multipurpose palette called the Sketcher's Set. (Each of these sets is available in Full Pans Sets too.)
Finding that hues we typically label as "Red" and "Blue" can be mixed has cause some people to conclude that Red and Blue are actually our Secondary colors instead of Orange and Purple, which I believe is demonstrably inaccurate (examples below).
Color terminology is specific enough that we have a better way of describing the rightful places of Red and Blue on the wheel: not as Primary or Secondary colors, but as Intermediate colors. Intermediate colors are made by mixing a Primary and Secondary color together.
So Red's rightful place is between Magenta and Orange, and Blue's is between Cyan and Purple.
But rather than just taking me at my word, let's mix up some colors:
Below is a color pyramid using our modern primary colors, with Red and Blue in the Secondary color positions (usually occupied by Orange, Green, and Purple).
Is there anything you notice about this color pyramid?
It is imbalanced, displaying color transitions that are incrementally uneven. As you move from one hexagon to the next, the degree of change from hue to hue should be consistent. But you notice that the transitions from Magenta to Red and from Cyan to Blue are so gradual that some of the changes are barely recognizable, whereas the transitions from Red to Yellow and Blue to Magenta are very pronounced.
Now, let's take a look at another pyramid:
What do you notice here?
These transitions are all quite consistent. Red and Blue are in the intermediate color position, leaving the traditional secondary colors in their traditional places (and the world can keep making sense).
So, nothing has really been turned on its head, we have just improved the accuracy of an older model by adding in new information. Most elementary color wheels do not portray Intermediate colors. By having more accurate terms (Magenta, Cyan, and Intermediate), and slightly expanding the basic portrayal of the color wheel, we have a working model that is applicable to color mixing, where the older model showing only Primary and Secondary colors with Red, Yellow, and Blue in the primary positions has left many budding and experienced artist on the brink of despair.
To summarize:
The Modern Primary Colors are Magenta, Yellow, and Cyan.
Red and Blue are Intermediate Colors.
Orange, Green, and Purple are secondary Colors.
And I'm going to take it a step further with this diagram and name the rest of the oft-overlooked Intermediate Colors to complete our vocabulary and our color pyramid:
The naming of colors is a fascinating but confusing topic. Color names can describe hue, a material, or what a material looks like. You can say a daffodil is yellow or you can describe a certain yellow as daffodil. It would help if there was a bit more of a standardized system for the most basic color names. Above is is the one I use.
I find it most helpful to have hue-specific names, such as the ones on the pyramid above, and then accurate pigment names. When mixing my watercolors, I make selections of pigments to create different hues, thinking of each by their names. For example, if I wanted to mix a Chartreuse, I would think to myself, "let's begin with a pool of Quinox. Yellow, and add just a touch of Phthalo. Cyan."
Many of the basic color names we use today (such as Red, Blue, Purple, Orange) are understood to refer specifically to color, which can eliminate the subjectivity and confusion of my above daffodil example. But, it should be said that all color names originate in description once you get into the etymology. Red came from the word for blood, black from ink. For orange, which came first the color or the fruit? Indeed, the fruit came first!
As a person who deals with the minutia of color on a regular basis, I standardized the basics for my own sake. I hope you find it useful!
The good news? You do not need to throw out everything you learned about the Traditional Primary Colors. Just add the new lesson to the file. I find that it helps to think in terms of Red, Yellow, and Blue as color categories instead of as specific colors. If you think of Magenta as a color that falls under the category of Red, and Cyan as falling under the category of Blue, then the traditional theory still holds. Just know that if you really do want to mix "all of the other colors" as the song says, then you will need specifically Magenta, Yellow, and Cyan (any Red, Yellow, or Blue-hued colors will not yield the same clean, bright results of Magenta, Yellow, and Cyan). If you have other versions of the primary color categories you will still be able to mix all kinds of different colors though!
Color Temperature is a system all about guiding you through using different varieties of Reds, Yellows, and Blues. (I wrote a blog post all about it here.) If you understand color temperature then you will be able to quickly and predictably mix the hues you want with a wide variety of different primary colors. The thing to remember here is: there are many different "primary" color combinations. You can use Red Ochre, Yellow Ochre, and Vivianite (Blue Ochre), or Pipestone, Limonite, and Mayan Blue, or Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, and Ultramarine Blue. Maybe you have all of those colors in your palette. Understanding color temperature will help you understand how to mix all of those different colors to achieve the results you want.
These different theories and systems aren't mutually exclusive. They work together nicely. If you don't happen to have Magenta, Yellow, and Cyan in your palette or you don't enjoy working with synthetic pigments, then that's okay! By understanding this concept and color temperature, you'll be able to use the colors you have in your palette already to great effect.
How did color theorists of the past "miss" these colors? As I mentioned above, Magenta, Yellow, and Cyan don't really exist on the natural color palette. The pigments for them have only been invented more recently, so the old masters, scientists, and color theorists of the past simply didn't have access to them. I could get into more detail about light waves, the physiology of the human eye, and a dash of chemistry, but I'll save that kind of fun for a future post! The moral of the story is that color theorists of the past weren't wrong, they just didn't get to work with all of the information that was yet to be discovered. We stand on their shoulders.
These modern primary colors are perfect for creative minimalists, artists who prefer to travel light, and anyone really wanting to take a dive into color theory. They can also be an excellent foundation to a new palette you build from scratch. If you begin with these three primaries you can then add the other colors that you use most to save you the trouble of mixing them (called convenience colors, often Greens and Purples, or colors with specific handling characteristics you enjoy, such as Ultramarine Blue with its granulating properties). You can also tuck them into your current palettes as a way to fill in any holes in a pinch!
Here is how I have them nestled into my current palette:
In addition to Quin. Magenta, Quinox. Yellow, and Phthalo. Cyan, I have Ochre colors, Minerals, some Historical colors such as Potter's Pink, and even Faux Gold. Colors with a more intense tinting strength are in little Shells, while colors with a weak tinting strength or that I use a lot of are in Full Pans. I enjoy using my Modern Primary colors more to adjust and tint hues when mixing, and use other colors, such as Ochres as the mixing base. For more on how to build a palette from scratch, click here.
No matter where they fit in for you, I hope you have a good time getting to know these new colors.
As Always,
Thank you for reading, and Happy Painting!
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Most people are familiar with color wheels, to which a color pyramid is very similar, but organized and presented just a little differently. Tobias Mayer, a German mathematician and astronomer active in the eighteenth century, devised a color triangle in the pursuit of identifying the exact number of colors the human eye is capable of seeing. Mayer's triangle was three-dimensional and contained 910 different color combinations. Later, Georg Lichtenberg, a German experimental physicist, developed a simplified two-dimensional version of Mayer's color triangle based on 28 hexagons.
For this exercise, we will be using a still yet more simplified version that is comprised of just 15 hexagons (any more than that and it quickly turns from a straightforward exercise into more of a grueling color odyssey).
The beauty of the 15-hexagon color triangle is that the combination of concise systemization and visual appeal make this exercise both satisfying and useful. It displays Primary Colors, Secondary Colors, Tertiary Colors, and Intermediate Colors. Going through the process of systematically mapping out all of the mixing variations will present you with the vast array of options three colors can afford you. The painting you are left with can then become a solid reference tool for color matching while you work. And personally, I love filling in the hexagon shapes, while imperfect blended circles for color wheels can really kick my OCD into overdrive.
To create your color pyramid you will only need a few basic supplies:
- primary colors (Red, Yellow, Blue) in watercolors.
- watercolor paintbrush (I used a Rosemary & Co. Series 304 Size 10/1)
- watercolor paper with drawn or printed pyramid
- water cup
- color mixing area (lid of your paint tin, porcelain mixing palette, plate, etc.)
- paper towel or cloth for dabbing your brush
Optional (if drawing your pyramid):
- rolling ruler
- pencil
- eraser
I recommend beginning by painting in your three Primary Colors, followed by Secondaries, Intermediates, and Tertiaries last. Now, don't get scared... Below is a diagram with lots of labels and a suggested order for painting your hexagons (so that your colors dry as you go without running into the different hexagons). It looks like a lot, but it provides you with a clear map for painting your Color Pyramid, along with all of the correct terms so that you understand exactly what you are doing.
Each hexagon contains:
- color name
- whether it is a single color, a two-color mix, or a three-color mix
- what kind of color it is (i.e. Primary, Secondary, etc.
- which colors (if any) are being mixed and in what proportion
- a number indicating in which order the hexagons are being filled in
Abbreviation Key:
- R = Red, Y = Yellow, B = Blue
- 50 R/50 Y = 50% Red / 50% Yellow Mixture
- 25 R/75 Y = 25% Red / 75% Yellow Mixture
- 50 Y/25 B/25 R = 50% Yellow / 25% Blue / 25% Red
Terminology:
Primary Color- A color that cannot be mixed. Traditional Primary Colors are Red, Yellow, and Blue.
Secondary Color- A color mixed as a result of combining two Primary Colors. Traditional Secondary Colors are Orange, Green, and Purple.
Tertiary Color- A color mixed as a result of combining all three Primary Colors. Tertiary colors are various shades of Brown, Grey, and even Black.
Intermediate Color- A color between a Secondary and Primary Color. In other words, a version of a Secondary Color that contains more of one Primary Color than the other. Examples are Red-Orange, Yellow-Orange, Blue-Green, etc. (The first color is the adjective and the second color is the noun being described.)
Fill your hexagons in the order denoted by the numbers listed in the diagram above and according to the mixing percentages listed in each hexagon.
Print out or sketch a 15-hexagon pyramid onto watercolor paper. (A printable version is available next week if you're not a newsletter subscriber!) You can quickly create one by using a pencil to lightly draw parallel vertical lines, spaced about a centimeter apart. Then sketch in your hexagons and erase the excess pencil lines.
Try not to get hung up on creating perfect geometric shapes. Keep your pencil lines light so that you can erase them and so they won't show through your painting. Remember: this is a color mixing project, not geometry homework!
Step 1 - Begin by selecting a set of three Primary Colors. I decided to work with Pipestone as my Red, Limonite as my Yellow, and Mayan Blue as my Blue. Paint these colors unmixed onto the first, second, and third hexagons.
Step 2 - Next, pull out your mixing palette and start mixing your Secondary Colors. Your Secondaries are a 50/50 mix of two of your Primaries. Now, don't worry about trying to measure increments of paint - we're not baking or conducting a laboratory experiment - just eyeball it. Start mixing two colors and wait for a new one to emerge (see Painting Tips below).
Step 3 - After you have finished painting your Secondaries, move on to your Intermediates. If you go in the order listed in the diagram you should be able to avoid one hexagon spilling into the next with wet paint.
Step 4 - Mix your Tertiaries. I suggest doing this by first mixing up a Secondary Color with a 50/50 Primary mix, just like you did in Step 2. Then begin mixing in your third Primary. Pull the mixture in the direction of that Third Primary. For example, if I am mixing hexagon #15, the Red-Brown Tertiary, I will begin by mixing a Green, and then add my Red to it. I'll keep adding Red until it looks like a Red-ish Brown.
Voilá! You're finished!
Notice how the characteristics of the different colors blend and transfer to the different mixtures? This effect will be especially pronounced when using natural pigments. Different colors will have different sizes particles and properties that will effect how the colors behave. I love how the Green that I mixed above using Limonite and Mayan Blue looks like a bird's eye view of the seashore. These discoveries are just another benefit of doing this exercise. You'll be able to reproduce and deploy these different effects in your paintings!
There are so many fun adaptations and customizations for this project. I will be fleshing it out into a full Paintable Project (look for it next week-ish!), complete with a perfect geometric 15-hexagon pyramid in a number of different formats (including full sheet, flash cards, and postcards) that you can print directly onto watercolor paper to save you the trouble of sketching them over and over yourself. In addition to several formats of printable pyramids, the Paintable Project will also include fleshed-out and illustrated step-by-step instructions, painting and color mixing tips, a more detailed history of the color pyramid, and suggestions on additional color combinations (far too much information to pack into one blog post).
Hope you had a lot of fun with this exercise - it's one I've found incredibly useful!
As always, I appreciate you being here.
Many Thanks & Happy Painting,
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