Artists & Illustrators - April 2016_

MASTERCLASS

1. PERSONALISE YOUR
   PIGMENT SEARCH
   Remember that my perfect palette may
   not be yours. I can now mix any colour
   I need for my landscape paintings, but
   floral artists may wish to have a few
   brighter colours to hand, for example.
   Likewise, I favour rich Mediterranean
   landscapes, if you only paint British
   landscapes you may prefer duller earthy
   colours – just because I don’t feel I need
   dark browns, it doesn’t mean you won’t
   need them.


2. COMPARE PIGMENTS,
   NOT NAMES
   Do not rely on the fact that two similarly
   named colours from different
   manufacturers will be the same hue.
   For a more accurate comparison,
   look instead at the pigment numbers
   that should be printed on all tubes of
   paint. This gives a better, though not
   infallible, guide.
   3. TRY SOMETHING NEW
   As I discovered in my tests, it’s important
   to be prepared to try new things. I know
   paint is expensive but Daniel Smith
   produces a retail dot card with 238 small
   samples of their full watercolour range
   that allows you to try every colour at a
   modest cost. I would be very surprised
   if you didn’t find a few colours that will
   make your painting easier, better, more
   interesting or just more fun.
   4. BE COST EFFECTIVE
   The price of paint will vary, both within
   a range and between the various
   manufacturers. If price is a factor for you
   (and it certainly is for me) take time to
   compare prices, as they will vary.
   In one case I found a colour that was
   more than four times more expensive
   per millilitre than the same colour from
   another manufacturer. Even allowing for
   differences in formulation, I have seen
   nothing in my tests that could justify this.

I also tested how the paint dried in the air by applying

blobs of colour to a sheet of watercolour paper and leaving

them uncovered and exposed to the air in my studio. After

four days, the Winsor & Newton, Schmincke and Daniel

Smith paints were dry to the touch, followed by the QoR

colours after about four weeks. After eight weeks, the

Sennelier and MaimeriBlu were still marginally tacky, while

the M Graham & Co. paints remained sticky and paste-like.

In trying to reactivate the paint with a wet brush, the

difference was much less obvious than I expected from the

drying times: the driest paint still mixed fairly easily to a

wash, but the M

Graham & Co.

definitely had the

edge. This was

confirmed when I

submerged the

paper in water.

The colour on the M Graham & Co. paints immediately

began to drift off, closely followed by the QoR paint.

This drying of squeezed paint may only be a consideration

if you don’t paint every day or every week or if you use a

plate as a palette. If you use a palette with a lid as I do, all

of the paints remain workable – I simply top up the paint as

needed and then clean everything out once a year or so.

I would point out that although no student quality paints

were tested, my limited experience of them suggests that

it is often very difficult to reactivate them after drying.

Missed parts 1-3 of Grahame’s search for the perfect palette?

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I THOUGHT MY TESTS WOULD

CONFIRM MY PALETTE WAS

PERFECT BUT I HAVE MADE

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Strip Ad.indd 1 18/02/2016 10:54

MIXING IT UP

GRAHAME’S FINAL WORDS OF WISDOM TO HELP

YOU FIND YOUR OWN PERFECT PALETTE

57 Grahame Booth.indd 61 18/02/2016 12:32