Category: Watercolor Paint

Watercolor paint characteristics describes the physical qualities of color pigments. Understanding the characteristic of each watercolor will help in deciding which paints to use and how to use them for the best results.

Transparency

A transparent watercolor allows light to pass through its pigment particles and reflect back to the eyes the color of the surface the paint is applied to. The effect resembles light reflecting through colored glass.

• The white of the watercolor paper is reflected through the first layer of transparent paint.
• If a second layer of transparent watercolor is glazed over another, the first watercolor will reflect through the second layer causing a color change (e.g. a transparent blue painted over a transparent yellow will result in a green color).

Transparent watercolor paints mix well with all other paints except for those that have staining characteristics. Transparent watercolor is best used for glazing and layering techniques.

Opacity

A opaque watercolor allows little or no light to pass through its pigment particles. Opaque watercolors are best used singly or mixed with staining transparent watercolor paints. Otherwise, they have a flat appearance that resembles house paint, and have an earthy neutral nature.

Opaque watercolors can be effectively used alongside transparent or semi-transparent watercolors using the variegated technique.

Saturation

Saturated watercolors are pure of other color additives in their pigment. Saturated watercolors require a lot of water to dilute them. They have intense, staining qualities that overpower other colors they are mixed with. They also have transparent or semi-transparent characteristics.

Unsaturated watercolors have white, black or other colors added or have a mixture of two or more pigments in them causing a loss of purity and transparency.

Permanency

Permanency refers to a paint’s ability to withstand fading when exposed to light; its lightfastness. It also refers to a paint’s ability to not change its hue color over time; its fugitiveness . Watercolor paint manufacturers use a numerical rating system on their paint tubes of 1 to 4 where 4 is excellent and 1 is unsuitable.

Granulation

Some watercolor paint pigments have granulated characteristics that are natural. They have visible particles of paint that settle into the valleys of textured watercolor paper. Granulated watercolors are best used for painting grainy textures such as a sandy beach, masonry or stone, an organic passage in nature, or a blue sky.

What watercolor colors to buy is a personal choice. Experienced watercolor artists develop their own favorite color palette. But, for a beginner, you can start with the bare minimum three PRIMARY hues:

• Yellow
• Blue
• Red

Having only the three primary hues, you can mix all the secondary hues and the hues that fall in-between. But, who wants to do all that mixing? So, why not buy the SECONDARY hues as well:

• Green
• Purple
• Orange

The hues in-between the primary and secondary hues are called TERTIARY hues, they are:

• Yellow-Green
• Blue-Green
• Blue-Purple
• Red-Purple
• Red-Orange
• Yellow-Orange

All of the above consist of the 12 hues on the color wheel. Each of these hues have associated COLOR names that differ slightly depending of the watercolor manufacturer’s labeling.

What Are The Common Color Names

The following chart displays the most commonly used watercolor color names for each hue:

Watercolor Manufacturers

To see a list of well-known watercolor brands click here.

Recommended

If you are on a tight budget buy the watercolor Color Names listed above: numbers 1 to 6. My favorite brands are Winsor & Newton and Holbein. I also buy a few Blick colors. I recommend that you always buy professional-quality watercolor paints, especially if you are planning to sell your watercolor paintings. To learn my process and improve your painting skills follow me on Instagram @vanissajames or by visiting my gallery website: Vanissa James Fine Art.

Prior to the mid-18th century, watercolor artists handmade their paints by mixing powdered pigments with sugars and/or hide glues or some other binder and preservatives. Brothers William Reeves and Thomas Reeves invented the moist watercolor paint-cake in 1781, at the start of the “golden age” of English watercolor painting. The “cake” was immediately soluble when touched by a wet brush; a time-saving convenience.

William Winsor secured the patent for the metal paint tube invented by American oil painter John Goffe Rand. Winsor improved the design by adding the screw cap in 1904 and started manufacturing the Winsor & Newton moist watercolors in tubes.

Today, watercolor paints are sold in tubes and pans in a variety of sizes. Tubes are the most commonly used and are sold in sizes 5ml, 10ml, 14ml, 15ml, 21ml, and 37ml depending upon the manufacturer’s brand. Pans come in full-pan and half-pan sizes.

Tube Watercolor Paints

Watercolor paints in tubes are soft and moist. They are made with natural or synthetic pigments suspended in a binder of gum arabic with glycerin added as a wetting agent. By reading the label on the tube, you will discover the pigment formula number(s), transparency rating, lightfastness rating, staining property rating, and an approved product seal.

Watercolor Paint Manufacturers

Here is a list of popular watercolor paint manufacturers in alphabetical order:

• Daler-Rowney (Great Britain)
• Daniel Smith (Washington USA)
• Da Vinci (California USA)
• Grumbacher (Massachusetts USA)
• Holbein (Japan)
• Schmincke (Germany)
• Sennelier (France)
• Winsor & Newton (Great Britain)

Other Watercolor Mediums

• Gouache – an opaque watercolor with a higher pigment density and white chalk added
• Liquid Watercolors – resembles ink and is sold in small dropper bottles
• Watercolor Sticks – resembles crayon or pastels that can be used dry or wet
• Watercolor Pencils – resembles a lead pencil but contains dry watercolor pigment

Recommended

My favorite manufacturers of watercolor paints are Holbein in tube size 15ml and Winsor & Newton in tube sizes 5ml, 14 ml, and 37ml. I recommend and use only professional-quality watercolor paints. NOTE: Student-grade watercolor paints are mostly made of imitation pigments of low quality.