Testing Watercolours.

I have spent a lot of time in the last couple of months comparing watercolour paints made by a number of manufacturers. I have done a painted swatch of each one in a wash on damp paper and in a 'juicy' wash to see how they look nice and strong.

Painted samples of watercolours.

I tested them all from dried samples since that is how I use them in my palette, rather than straight from the tube. There are so many beautiful colours available that it can be difficult to choose the ones that are right for you, but I have made some adjustments to my palette as a consequence of my explorations, which I'll share shortly. I very much doubt that any two artists would choose the same palette but I think it is interesting to see what others do and why.

What I am looking for is a range of paints that re-wet well, that are permanent (i.e. rate I or II on the ASTM or equivalent), that look lovely in diluted washes or full strength, and that mix well with the other colours in my palette. I prefer transparent colours in general, but love the granulation that is possible with watercolours. While I prefer single pigment colours, there are some mixtures that are so useful that I buy them in a tube or make them myself.

The advantages of only partially filling watercolour pans from tubes

Watercolour is available in tube form or in full or half pans. If you buy the filled pans, they will be filled to the top of the pan and most people dig a hole in the pan with their brush over time, damaging their brush and making it more difficult to pick up paint from the pan. I discussed this at a recent colour session with prolific urban sketcher Liz Steel, who said she goes through her sable brushes at an alarming rate, and will try my filling method. I'll share it here.

There are three main advantages of filling empty pans yourself from tubes of paint. The first is that you can leave some space in the pan to create washes of the single colour, and the second is that it makes picking up paint with the brush much simpler. The third is that you can buy tubes rather than filled pans, which may be more economical, and gives you the option of using the fresh paint from the tube if doing really large washes.

I fill pans at one end only, leaving some space at the other end and 'grading' the paint at an angle.

left - a whole pan filled as usual, right a whole pan filled at an angle.

You can see the difference between a 'normal' filled pan on the left and my angled pan on the right.

If you are right-handed, you can naturally pick up the paint with a swipe of the brush without damaging it. Please note also how helpful it is if you label your pans immediately with the colour, brand and pigment number. You really need all three pieces of information to know exactly what you are working with.

Note the natural angle of the brush for a right-hander.

If you  are left-handed, you will have the bulk of the paint on the left.

My palette. This is how a left-hander would use their paints.

I do the same with other forms of palettes. It can be a little fiddly allowing the paint to dry a bit then shaping it if necessary but it is worth it to save your brushes and making painting easier.

part of a palette partially filled for ease of use.

Happy painting!