I find the wealth of watercolor pigments available these days exciting…and a little daunting too! There are so many colors and so many manufacturers of quality pigments…how does an overwhelmed artist know which to choose?
More than once, I have impulsively purchased a fabulous ‘new color’ only to find that I already had the same color, made with the exact same formula, from a different manufacturer under a different marketing name! And each pigment and family of pigments, for instance phthalo or quinacridone, has different qualities besides just the color they represent. Trying to keep up with it all makes my head spin! I’ve come up with some strategies to keep track of what paints I have and what I think is important to know about them.
I arrange my pigments according to the color wheel in these stack-able palettes that fit nicely in a carrying case for storage.
When I am eager to start a new painting, and have the perfect plant in front of me blooming and usually fading fast, I don’t want to waste time researching pigments! So in order to save time when I am ready to paint, I have put some advance effort into organizing my pigments and the most important information about them. First of all, I arrange my paints according to the color wheel.
For example, I always know which yellow is warmer or cooler according to where it sits in my pans, since it follows the color wheel from cool to warm and on into the oranges, which follow the same pattern from yellow-biased orange to red-biased orange. I have a separate segmented holder for the yellow/oranges, red/violets, and blues and each category is in color wheel order. The greens and earth tones have their own palettes too but I don’t use them much. The greens are often multiple pigment mixes, and the earth pigments tend to granulate, which should be used with care in botanicals.
I like to use stack-able palettes to arrange my pigments, but there are many other ways of organizing them in color wheel order. Since most of my paints are either Winsor & Newton or Daniel Smith, I use the W&N color chart, supplemented by the DS color dots as references on what order to arrange them. I label each slot so I always know what’s there at a glance.
I use the Winsor & Newton color chart and Daniels Smith color dots to arrange my paints in color wheel order. I just cleaned and reorganized my palettes so they are unusually neat right now!
I blogged about this previously but I have index-sized cards for each pigment with color samples, good mixes noted, and what I consider the pigment’s vitals, like transparency, etc. I’ve developed the cards over several years as I learned about each pigment. When I research a new pigment, I simply write the info down because otherwise I will surely forget and have to look it up all over again next time! I often go to the Handprint website for comprehensive info on a pigment, but also sometimes refer to pigment manufacturers websites and charts.
One of the first things I note on the card is the Pigment Color Index Name, which is the generic name for that pigment and stays the same between manufacturers, like PB 29 for French Ultramarine or PR 209 for Quinacridone Coral. This helps me avoid buying duplicates. Even though paints with the same color index name can vary in color between manufacturers, usually the difference is not enough to justify the expense of the second tube.
Also, I try to stick with single pigment paints instead of pre-mixed multiple pigment paints in order to keep my colors fresh and clean looking. I know I can safely mix two or three colors on my palette without ending up with mud if they are all single pigment paints. If it is a pre-mixed pigment, it will have two or more C.I. numbers, like Daniel Smith Sap Green has PO49 and PG7 noted on the tube. A lot of the green pigments are pre-mixed convenience colors, as I noted earlier.
On each tube of paint, there is a pigment Color Index, or C.I. code name, which is the generic name for that pigment. In this case, it is PR 209.
Other vitals that I write on the cards are transparency, granulation, color shift when drying and other ‘personality traits’ that make a difference in the successful outcome of a painting. How well does a pigment mix with other pigments and which ones get along best? I can look at my cards for a quick refresher on what I have noted thus far. I am always adding new notes and samples as I explore different pigments. Also, in my opinion, lightfastness is of paramount importance to note because I want my paintings to look the same in 10 or 20 years rather than a faded replica–I owe this to my buyers. I arrange my cards in the same order as the paints so I can quickly and easily find these notes.
I think an artist’s palette is personal to each artist and is part of what comprises that artists style. While I have learned from others recommendations, ultimately I have to find through trial and error which pigments and combinations work best for me. I have yet to meet two botanical artists who use the same palette of pigments, even for painting the same plant. It seems there are many roads to the same destination, which is one of the things that makes botanical art, and representational art in general, so endlessly fascinating. Like Hansel and Gretel, I like to mark a trail of where I have been so I can find my way back to the right pigment again as I wander through all the possibilities!
Do you have a system for arranging your pigments? If so, what works best for you?
This blog is about my journey as a botanical artist--what I am learning, what inspires me and what I am currently drawing or painting. My desire is to continually hone my skills to better express my wonder and gratitude for the beauty of the creation around me in the Pacific Northwest (USA).
I’m a beginner and find this really helpful, so thank you! Already have itchy fingers to buy more colours than I need (but not deep pockets!) and have wondered how best to organise them. I love the idea of index card type reference info.
Really really helpful – thank you again.
Hi Carol, I am glad that you found this helpful. I refer to my cards all the time, especially lately when I am tempted to buy a new pigment!
Hello Janene, I have a “project specific” palette system that I use, which is backed up by a lot of colour testing. (I have individual colour charts for the paints, which I use to select to build colours specific to the subject I’m painting.) When I’m testing a colour or painting the subject I use white ceramic dishes for each major colour group I’m using. For example, I’ll use one dish for reds, one dish for greens however many is convenient for the project. Using the dishes this way lets prevents any colour contamination, helps me control the quantities of wash I need and simplifies the clutter I have on my desk.
Graham, Thanks for sharing your system–it sounds like a good one for you. Everyone seems to have their own way of doing things but it’s great that we can be in touch with so many other artists via the internet to get ideas, isn’t it!? Best wishes, and thanks for your comment.
Thanks for this! I’m a beginner too, and this is sooo helpful…on my way to buy some palettes and index cards! Love your work btw!
Ellie, Thanks for letting me know that you found this helpful and best wishes for your artistic endeavors!
A tip I picked up from a course tutor was using plain white ceramic tiles as pallettes for specific projects, so somewhat similar to Graham Lloyd’s suggestion – she then sealed her tiles into bags after a finshed project, so she could refer to them again, but this was for sold/commissioned works I think. It’s a cheap effective pallette idea for small amounts of paint though – tutor was a botanical specialist, so it works well for this. I do like the idea of seperating the main colours though. Clean way to work.
Hi Carol, I make up small palettes for each project too, and keep them for awhile but not indefinitely. What I am showing in this post is mostly for storage and organization of pigments so I can get started right away on a project, then I lay out a smaller palette of specific pigments for that painting. I also a keep record of pigments used for each project along with my preliminary drawings in a sketchbook so I can refer back to it if I do that plant again or something similar. I have found it very useful! Thanks for your comment and for the tip about the tiles!
Janene, can I ask – do you make your index cards from artist paper, or just use shop bought precut ones? I’ve only seen lined ones for sale.
I started off with lined index cards because I only had written notes and a small sample of the pigment color on each card. Then I realized that I could use scrap watercolor paper for my cards and have samples of pigment mixes on them and a bigger wash of the pigment color too. Now I’ve combined the two because I don’t want to copy all of my original index cards over! Best to start off with the watercolor paper though.
I am inspired to start an index system for my paints, what a good idea! I shall use art paper as that will give an accurate record of the colours.
I loved your sketch book pages last year and you have inspired me to start a botanical sketch book of my own this year and to make sure I keep up with it I told my family it was my New Years resolution- it’s good to have a resolution that I will actually enjoy doing! A very Happy New Year to you Janine, I look forward to seeing more of your work this year.
Hi Angela, I hope you find the index system useful–I use it a lot! I agree that watercolor paper works well for this.
I learn a lot from my sketchbook pages because I can test out ideas there and just play around! Have you seen Lara Gastinger’s sketchbook work? http://www.laracallgastinger.com/work/#/nebel/ She keeps a perpetual sketchbook and enters on the same pages each week every year until the pages are full, so if she only has time for something small for a given week, she knows another year she’ll probably have more time. I hope that makes sense! I am thinking of doing something similar but haven’t decided yet.
Happy new year to you too, and thank you for all of your kind comments!
Hi Janene, I haven’t seen any posts from you for a while , what have you been doing lately? It would be lovely to see some more of your work
Thanks, Angela, I was busy doing botanical art related things like framing, etc, but not actual artwork. Now I’ve got the administrative and others things done (for now) so happily am back to the easel. I can’t stand to stay away too long!!