12 THE BASICS
What is watercolor?
Watercolor paint manufacture is a
complex process and involves mixing
color pigment and water with other
ingredients that include gum arabic,
glycerin, and sugar syrups, such as
honey. Gum arabic is a binder that
holds everything in suspension,
ensuring the pigment particles give
an even spread of color instead of
clumping together. Glycerin prevents
the dried paint from cracking, allowing
easier mixing and rewetting. Sugar
syrups act as a moisture retainer that
prevent the concentrated paint from
drying out too much. Some people think
that llers are added as an economy,
but the ller actually helps create the
buttery texture of tube watercolor
paint, and ensures the consistency
of the paint across a range.
Pans vs tubes
Traditional watercolor is available in
tubes or as semi-hard cakes known as
pans. They share identical pigments, are
used in a similar way, and can be mixed
together, but most artists prefer tubes.
Moist tube paint makes it easier and
quicker to create mixes, particularly
very dark or intense washes. To use
tube paint, simply squeeze into the
wells of a palette or paintbox and add
to water to achieve the desired intensity
of color. Tube paint left on a palette will
dry and harden, but can be rewetted.
You can use tubes to replenish depleted
pans in this way.
The pigment numbering system
Watercolor paint is labeled with
pigment numbers. This is a standard
system used worldwide and allows you
to check which pigments and how many
are in a particular paint. Confusingly,
Watercolor paint
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR PIGMENTS
Watercolor paint is arguably the oldest painting medium. Natural earth
pigments mixed with water were used to produce crude but effective
painted images that, in some cases, have lasted for thousands of years.
Earth pigments are still used today, but modern chemistry has given
rise to a vast array of reliable, synthetic watercolor pigments that give
consistent results for contemporary artists to add to their palettes.
Lemon yellow
Yellow ocher
Quinacridone magenta
Cadmium red
Burnt sienna
Prussian blue
Sap green
Lamp black
Chinese white
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13 Watercolor paint
different
manufacturers can use
different pigments for a paint with the
same name, and similar pigments for
paints with different names. PB15:3, for
example, is known as Winsor blue green
shade (GS), phthalo blue, primary blue,
phthalocyanine blue, intense blue,
and manganese blue hue depending
on the paint manufacturer.
Pure colors and hues
Hue is simply another word for color,
but has another meaning when a paint
is labeled with “hue” after its name.
This means that the paint has been
formulated to match the color of the
named paint, usually a historically
important pigment—for instance, “cobalt
blue hue” rather than the pricier “cobalt
blue.” There are many reasons for not
using the original pigment—there may
be a safety concern, the original
pigment may not be lightfast, or
it may simply be too costly.
Color cards
These cards, produced by some
paint companies, contain small
samples of the actual paints by
a manufacturer, allowing an artist
to compare many different paints
at a modest cost.
Student vs artist quality
The swatch on the right is
student-quality cadmium yellow
hue. On the left is artist’s quality
cadmium yellow. The difference is
minimal, although the pure, artist’s
color is perhaps a little fresher.
Pigment identication
The name of a paint often
gives little guidance to the
pigments used. Pigment
numbers are standard.
Pigment
number
Pans
Pans are compact and convenient, and
are ideal for a traveling paintbox.
Tubes
Tubes are generally
available in a greater
variety of colors than
pans. The moist paint
makes mixing color
washes really quick
and easy.
Student-
quality
pigment
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