Post on 18-Jul-2015
transcript
Introducing some of the key properties of watercolour
and the many forms it comes in.
HOW IS WATERCOLOUR MADE?
PIGMENT…
Pigment is a dry powdery colouring agent sourced from plant roots, chemicals, nature, metal
reactions and precious stones. The rarer the source, the more expensive the pigment and the paint.
…COMBINED WITH GUM ARABIC
Gum Arabic is the binder for pigment in watercolour. It’s the sap from an Arabian tree, diluted
with water to form a liquid. It’s also used in chewing gum as well as glue and cosmetics!
WATERCOLOUR IS AVAILABLE READY
MIXED IN MANY FORMS
TUBES – 5ml/14ml
Tube watercolours give an intense, moist colour, so they’re good for large applications. We stock
Winsor and Newton professional watercolours in 5ml and 14ml tubes. A little bit of paint goes a very
long way so 5ml is the most popular size.
PANS
Pans are portable and economical. We sell lots of sets of these but we also sell individual
replacement pans in the ‘half pan’ size (pictured above). They re-dry once used, and are small so
very convenient for artists to carry around.
STICKS
Portable, hard set watercolour is used to draw on watercolour paint with controlled lines. It can be
combined with water to blend and spread.
MARKERS
Combining superior detailing with stunning colour vibrancy, Winsor & Newton's new Water Colour
Markers herald an innovative leap for the medium. Designed with twin nibs (a versatile brush and a
fine tip for detailing) the markers produce colours which can be wet and blended for superb effects.
BRUSH PENS
Brush pens are fluid watercolour paint contained in a pen, producing quick runny application of paint
with the precision of a brush. They’re portable and fun to use! Use them with other types of
watercolour, or dry drawing materials to add vibrant instant colour.
WATERCOLOUR TRANSPARENCY
TRANSPARENCY
Transparency is the degree to which light is allowed to pass through so that the
background behind can be distinctly seen.
Watercolour is a transparent paint, but some
colours are more transparent than others.
This depends on the pigment type. As
well as different prices and sources,
pigments have different levels of
transparency.
So what’s the opposite of transparency?
OPACITY
Opacity is the degree to which light is not allowed to travel through; the quality of
lacking transparency or translucence.
All colours in any paint type are either
opaque or transparent to some degree.
This depends on the pigment type. The
opposite of looking at the transparency is
looking at the opacity of a colour.
So how can you tell which is more
transparent and which is more opaque?
TRANSPARENCY CODES
All brands of paints use a code to identify how transparent or opaque a colour (and pigment) is.
Transparent
Semi-transparent
Opaque
Semi-opaque
USE OF PAINT
Use the transparent colours for creating depth with layers, and the more opaque colours for intense
blocks of colour. Playing around with a combination of colours is part of the fun of painting.
WHAT IF A CUSTOMER IS LOOKING
FOR A MORE OPAQUE PAINT?
GOUACHE
Gouache is made from the same ingredients as watercolours but has a high load of pigment and has
an inert filler added to make it opaque.
GOUACHE
The inert filler in gouache could be a zinc white pigment, alumina hydrate or chalk.
GOUACHE
Designers’ gouache is used by designers and graphic artists. This is because the matt, flat finish
makes it ideal for photographing and scanning, producing strong block colours.