| Watercolor Paints |
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Watercolor paints are made from either natural pigments found in the earth; clay, minerals, etc., or from synthetic pigments, which have been finely ground down and then held
together with a water-soluble based "gum" binder. |
| Transparent and Opaque |
| Watercolor paints fall into these two main categories with some being in-between and described as
Semi-Transparent and Semi-Opaque. |
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Transparent is just as the word describes. Transparent watercolors allow the light to shine through to
the watercolor paper and in turn lets the white of the paper reflect back. The colors look clean, crisp, and appear to glow.
Opaque colors block the light from coming through to the watercolor paper. Instead, the light bounces off the pigment.
This can make the colors appear to look dull, even though some of the opaque's are quite vibrant in color.
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Painted samples of transparent and semi-transparent colors |
| These transparent and semi-transparent colors are all non-staining. |
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Aureolin
New Gamboge
Raw Sienna
Burnt Sienna
Rose Madder Genuine
Permanent Rose
Cobalt Blue
Viridian
Hooker's Green (H)
Sap Green (H) |
Painted samples of semi-opaque and opaque colors |
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Cadmium Yellow
Cadmium Orange
Cadmium Scarlet
Cadmium Red
Cobalt Violet
French Ultramarine Blue
Cerulean Blue
Manganese Blue (H) |
Painted samples of colors that contain white and black |
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Yellow Ochre
Raw Umber
Burnt Umber
Sepia
Mars Violet
Payne's Gray
Neutral Tint
Lamp Black |
| Non-Staining and Staining |
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Non-Staining watercolors will settle on the surface of your watercolor paper after the water has evaporated. These colors, once dried, allow you to lift the pigment off the surface to reveal the white of the paper underneath. These colors
mix extremely well with other non-staining colors.
Staining watercolors will immediately absorb into the first few layers of the watercolor paper before the water has had a chance to evaporate. These colors,
once dried, are difficult to lift to get back to the white of the paper and will leave a stained tint of the color. Staining colors mix extremely well with other staining
colors, but when mixed with non-staining colors they have a tendency to stain the non-staining color and can dominate the overall color of the mixture. |
| Painted samples of staining colors |
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Winsor Yellow
Scarlet Lake
Winsor Red
Permanent Alizarin Crimson
Winsor Violet
Winsor Blue
Winsor Green |
| Sedimentary |
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Sedimentary watercolors also fall into the Transparent, Semi-Transparent, Semi-Opaque, and Opaque categories. What makes
these watercolor paints so unique are the sedimentary pieces of pigment that randomly settle into the papers texture while painting.
These colors make wonderful and beautiful washes, but they can be a bit difficult to layer due to the extra amount of gum binder.
These granules will also settle to the bottom of your puddle of color. Remixing your puddle before each brush stroke should help you achieve consistent amounts of the sediment.
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| Non-Fugitive and Fugitive |
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A good majority of the watercolor paints made available today are "non-fugitive". In other words, the color that you see
in your painting will last over time. Some watercolors, known to be "fugitive", are not so lucky and will fade within a short duration.
The paint manufacturer usually places a "Lightfast" reading on the side of the tube with I
as "Excellent" and V being "Fugitive".
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 Some quick facts about watercolor |
- The whites that you see in watercolor are actually the white of the paper.
- Dries approximately 3 times lighter then the color you see when it is wet.
- Will dry too quickly in hot and dry conditions.
- Will dry much slower in humid conditions.
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Basics
