Jane Blundell Artist: Michael Harding Watercolours

Sunday, 7 December 2025

Michael Harding Watercolours

Michael Harding watercolours have been available since 2021, but I haven't had a chance to try them until he visited Sydney at the end of last month. Thanks to Parkers for organising a really interesting talk about the Michael Harding oil paints, mediums and Watercolours.

It was a really interesting talk about his life and the influence of his 6' tall grandmother, who was an art teacher and who encouraged him to see what was there - such as the blue haze in the shadows.

Studying art in the UK, he looked at a Rembrandt and wondered why other paintings didn't look so radiant. An eccentric guru named Graham and the terrific Ralph Mayer's book The Artist handbook led him to begin making his own oil paints, just as the old masters had done. Just starting with the background colours made a difference to his paintings and he was amazed at what was possible. His many challenges and developments are really interested to read, but eventually he released a full range of Oil paints in about 2000 - 2009.

Fast forward many years and four reformulations, his watercolour range was made available during the long Covid shutdowns. This range has 135 colours, 92 single pigment colours, 30 opaques. They contain pigment, gum Arabic, a small amount of honey and a biocide (anti fungal).

These photos of the painted watercolour cards show the full range. I was able to try 50 colours, and will add those below.

Michael and his wife had been travelling for some time so many of the colours were no longer available to try. Either of these yellows would work as a bright primary yellow.

Michael Harding Watercolours - Titanium White, Chinese White, Warm White,

ellow Benzimidazolone, Yellow Lake

Indian Yellow and Indian Yellow Deep are similar, with just a little more of an orange tinge to the second. This is always difficult to capture. The three reds are also rather similar - the PR170 just a bit more crimson and the PR254 exactly as you would expect for this rich mid red pigment.

Michael Harding Watercolours - Indian Yellow, Indian Yellow Red Shade,

Scarlet Lake, Pyrrole Red, Rose Doré.

These are fairly true to colour, though the brilliance of Opera Rose is always challenging to capture. Alizarin Crimson is marked as fugitive but is still, as always, very pretty. Just keep it for a sketchbook.

Michael Harding Watercolours - Cinaquasia Maroon, Perrindo Maroon,

Alizarin Crimson, Quinacridone Rose, Opera Rose.

These purples are very close to their actual colour.

Michael Harding Watercolours - Magenta, Amethyst, Potter's Pink,

Corinthian Purple, Perylene Violet.

There were a lot of purples to try! The Lapis was very pretty. Only available when the genuine high quality stone is available.

Michael Harding Watercolours - Belladona, Deep Purple (Dioxazine), Ultramarine Blue,

Lapis Lazuli, Cobalt Teal blue Shade

There are some useful convenience greens in the range. These are fairly accurate.

Michael Harding Watercolours - Caribbean Turquoise, Aqua Green,

Phthalo Green Yellow Shade, Bright Green Lake, Hooker's Green

Sap Green is darker than in many ranges. Forest Green may have had some contamination - I only had a tiny dot of paint to play with.

Michael Harding Watercolours - Sap Green, Forest Green, Perylene Green,

Green Gold, Turner's Yellow

Quinacridone Bronze is almost the same pigment mix as Winsor & Newton Quinacridone Gold but is far prettier. This is an unusually brown version of a Burnt Sienna made with PR101.

Michael Harding Watercolours - New Gamboge, Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Bronze,

Italian Burnt Ochre, Burnt Sienna

Purple Haze and Moonlight are the same pigments as Daniel Smith Shadow Violet and Moonglow, but with different ratios producing more grey purples with less granulation.