Waterclour Paint: What is it?

Watercolour paints can be divided into two categories. One called Artist Quality, the other, Second Range, or student quality. Artist quality paint is sold by the series. Each series has a different price, depending on how much effort and cost it takes to produce that colour.

In second range quality, the paints are usually all the same price. There are extenders added to the pigments used for the paint and therefore the quality may be compromised. However there are some second range colours that have excellent value. Always purchase the best quality paint you can afford, but if you are working with a tight budget take a look at Winsor & Newton Cotman, or the Grumbacher Academy range.

When it comes to Artist Quality watercolours there is no one brand that is best. You may need to try a few different kinds to see which responds the best to your painting style. Trying different brands can  be an expensive proposition so purchase only a few colours such as the primaries, plus one or two others from one brand. Explore what these paints will, or will not do before adding others. Then if you have friends who paint with a different brands of watercolour, see if they will let you sample one or two of their colours. Barring that, see if you can sign up for a class in which the instructor provides the paint.

 Transparent watercolours are best suited to painting in thin washes of colour, building values from light to dark. A tube of watercolour may seem small when compared to oil or acrylic tubes of paint, but a little bit of watercolour paint will go a long way, especially if it is Artist's Quality.

Because of the many techniques associated with transparent watercolour, it is important to have a sound knowledge of the paints you will be using. Find a good book on watercolour paints to learn more. See the Watercolour Books section on this blog, or visit www.handprint.com to find a wealth of information on watercolour paints.