Young Hare by Albrecht Durer, 1502
Watercolor painting dates back to Paleolithic cave paintings and has been used for manuscript illustration since Egyptian times. However, its use as an art medium began with Albrecht Durer who painted several fine botanical, wildlife and landscape watercolors and ushered in the German Renaissance.
Modern watercolor tube paint isn't as pure as it used to be. It contains silicone as a pigment dispersant, white wheat dextrin as a filler, corn syrup in place of glycerin as a humectant, fungicide in place of honey as a preservative, methylcellulose as a plasticizer, and alumina trihydrate as a brightener. The binder is a blend of polyethylene glycol, stearyl alcohol, and polyhydric alcohol. Winsor & Newton also puts boron trioxide in their tube paint and there's no reason for it.
Surface Tension Breaker
A surface tension breaker allows water to penetrate cotton. Ox Gall is the bile from cow bladders. It is a mixture containing: cholesterol, lecithin, taurocholic acid, and glycocholic acid. Ox gall is used by watercolor artists to improve paint flow. It's hard to find real ox gall, but I found some on Etsy.
Flow medium or Synthetic ox gall is used to increase the fluidity of watercolor. $9.68 at Blick Art. Synthetic ox gall is sold to watercolor artists because modern watercolor is synthetic. It is used in fabric marbling because real ox gall doesn't work with acrylic. Synthetic ox gall is the non foaming surfactant, lauryl amine oxide. It's available on eBay for $9.25/8 o
Triton X-100 (Polyethylene glycol octylphenyl ether) is a non foaming surfactant that reduces the surface tension of aqueous solutions. It is used as a wetting agent to pre disperse pigments and force them to mix with water and water soluble solutions. It's available on eBay for $18.00/4 oz. When used as a watercolor Blending medium, it slows the drying of watercolors allowing more time for blending techniques. For maximum effect, dilute watercolors with it. A 2 oz. bottle is $5.66 at Blick Art.
Gum Arabic powder $7.15/0.25 lb at Kama Pigment.
Raw Honey is a preservative in traditional watercolor. It doesn't matter if it comes with the comb or without it. It's also available in a range of colors from white to dark amber. Try to use white or gold so it doesn't interfere with the paint color. Do not use honey that is sold as a solid or cream. It has royal jelly added.
Super Clear high viscosity thickener for tube paint $6.95 at Dharma Trading. It reduces the amount of pigment used for filling a tube.
Cornstarch is an extender/filler for pigment. It adds bulk without modifying the color.
Baking Soda is the hardener for cakes.
Kaolin TKB sells 8 oz for $3.40.
Watercolor Fixative
Only for use on paper, not fabric. Dilute water based clear shellac wood stain 5:1 with water before use. That's 1 Tbsp shellac to 5 Tbsp water. This dilution can be used as a fixative between layers of watercolor. Simply pour it into a spray bottle.
These are my fillers.
Refer to my posts: Make Your Own Art Supplies, Makeup, Pigment, Paint and Dye, and Media Molds and Containers for a list of things you will need to complete this tutorial.
Whichever formula you decide to make, it's a good idea to make a wet sample of your pigments, makeup and paints for comparison and organization.
This is a "speck". It's literally just a few grains of powder. If you're mixing liquid paint, it equals the amount of paint you can get on the head of a straight pin.
This is what I mean by a Touch and this is how to get it. Swipe the tip of a #61 palette knife across a baby wipe. Dip it into pigment. Don't get too much. It's not an exact measurement, but it's about half a drop, half a small scoop or 2.5 mg.
Watercolor Marker
1 Pinch Pigment
1 ml Triton X-100
7 ml Water
Palette knife #61
10 ml beaker
Pour pigment into the beaker. Add Triton and water and stir well.
Use a pipette or syringe to fill marker.
I'm impressed with the fine line on paper and the way it performs on fabric. It's non-bleeding on fabric, but it will spread a little. This formula is perfect for layering color. It's best used with a brush tip marker. The one I'm using has a plastic tip.
Watercolor Base
2 Tads Gum arabic
1 Drop Glycerin (humectant)
1 Drop Honey (preservative)
1 Drop Honey (preservative)
1 Drop Water
Bulk Base Formula
2 Tbsp. Gum arabic
1/2 tsp. Glycerin
1/2 tsp. Honey
1/4 tsp. Water
Tube Watercolor Paint
5 ml Tube
1 Dash Pigment
1/8 tsp Super Clear
5 ml Watercolor Base
10 ml Tube
1 Tad Pigment
1/4 tsp Super Clear
10 ml Watercolor Base
Palette Formula*
3 Pinches Pigment
10 Drops Watercolor Base
Palette knife #61
15 ml beaker
Place pigment in beaker. Add just enough watercolor base to make a thick paste. Blend thoroughly. Store in tubes. *You can obviously mix this formula in smaller quantities as needed.
This paint is very smooth and easy to work with on paper, exactly as expected. However, it bleeds on fabric.
Cake Watercolor from above Paint
15 mm makeup pan
1/2 ml Paint from above formula
1 Drop Baking Soda
Half Watercolor Pan
1-1/2 ml Paint from above formula
1 Smidgen Baking Soda
Full Watercolor Pan
2-1/2 ml Paint from above formula
1 Pinch Baking Soda
Palette knife #61
5ml beaker
Place paint from above formula in beaker. Add baking soda. Stir with a palette knife until smooth. It will be a thick paste.
Pour into palette well. Set in a warm place and let dry for a week.
These cakes are semi hard, smooth and opaque. They moisten easily and are great for bold strokes, layering or glazing.
They lay down very smooth, just as a real watercolor should. These also bleed on fabric.
Transparent Cake Watercolor from Commercial Tube Paint
1 ml Commercial Tube Paint
3 Dashes Cornstarch
1 Drop Baking Soda
4 Drops Water
Palette knife #61
5ml beaker
Palette
This formula uses the kind of commercial synthetic paint pictured at the top of this post. Squeeze 1 ml of paint into a beaker. Add baking soda and cornstarch. Add water. Stir with a palette knife until smooth. It will be a semi thick liquid.
Pour into palette well. Set in a warm place and let dry overnight. If the paint settles too much, mix another batch and pour over it.
These cakes are hard, smooth and translucent. They moisten easily and are great for bold strokes, layering or glazing.
These bleed on fabric as well.
Translucent Cake Watercolor from Lake Dye
1-2 Drops Powder Dye*
1 Drop Glycerin
3 Dashes Corn Starch
15 Drops Watercolor base
*Dye is a pigment that has been altered by mineral salts to intensify the color. Baking soda doesn't work with lake dye because it reacts with the mineral salts. It is very hydrophobic and has to be wetted with glycerin. When adding white or black, do it after adding cornstarch. Ferric ferrocyanide (Prussian Blue) does not blend with white.
Palette knife #61
5ml beaker
Palette
Place pigment in beaker. Add glycerin to wet. Add watercolor base and stir. Add cornstarch and stir again. It will be a thick liquid.
Pour into palette well. Set in a warm place and let dry overnight.
These cakes are semi hard, highly pigmented, and translucent.
They moisten easily, bleed, and stain everything.
Gouache Cake Watercolor from Pigment
1 Dash Pigment
3 Dashes Corn Starch
1 Drop Baking Soda
15 Drops Watercolor base
5 Drops Water
Palette knife #61
5ml beaker
Palette
Place cornstarch and baking soda in beaker. Add pigment and stir. Add watercolor base and water, and stir again. It will be a thick liquid.
Pour into palette well. Set in a warm place and let dry for a week.
These cakes are hard, opaque, and very matte. They need to be pre moistened and have excellent coverage.
They bleed on fabric, but stay true to color.
Portrait Formula
This section accompanies my portrait recipes. Mix the recipe you want to use first and store it in a clamshell. Because pigments are more intense when wet, you need to dilute the recipe with white. How much white you add determines how light or dark the formula will be. Test the color after each addition.
3 Dashes Cornstarch
1 Drop Baking Soda
1 Drop Portrait Recipe
1-3 Drops Titanium Dioxide
15 Drops Watercolor Base
5 Drops Water
Palette knife #61
5ml beaker
Palette
Place cornstarch, titanium dioxide and baking soda in beaker. Add pigment and stir. Add watercolor base and water, and stir again. It will be a thick liquid.
Pour into palette well. Set in a warm place and let dry for a week.
These cakes are semi hard, opaque, and very matte. They moisten easily and have excellent coverage.
They're also non-bleeding on both paper and fabric.
Cake Watercolor from Face Powder, Blush, and Bronzer
For this section, I used Elf and Avon face powder, blush, and bronzer. I was an Avon rep so I had samples. I recommend purchasing cheap palettes or loose powder from BH Cosmetics or Light in the Box. Use the highlight and contour palette to make light and shadow colors.
Porcelain = Avon Translucent + 1 Drop White (Warm)
Fair = Elf Fair (Cool)
Light = Elf Light (Neutral)
Neutral = Avon Neutral (Neutral)
Medium = Avon Light Medium (Warm)
Golden = Avon Medium Deep (Warm)
Russet = Avon Light Bronze Bronzer (Cool)
Soft Olive = 1 Dash Medium Deep + T. Dark Brown Oxide + S. Black (Neutral)
Chestnut = Avon Mocha + T. Dark Brown Oxide (Warm)
Ebony = 1 Dash Mocha + 1 Drop Dark Brown Oxide + S. Blue + S. Black (Cool)
Blush
Soft Pink = Elf Innocence (Soft Pink)
Soft Rose = Avon Rose Lustre
Classic Aura = Avon Classic Aura
Soft Plum = Avon Perfect Plum
Soft Cranberry = Avon Cranberry
Soft Mauve = Avon Blushing Mauve
Natural Glow = Cover Girl Natural Glow
Earthen Rose = Avon Antique Rose
Golden Glow = Avon Golden Glow
Copper Glow = Avon Copper Glow
3 Dashes Powder
1 Dash Calcium Carbonate*
3 Drops Baking Soda
15 Drops Watercolor Base
5 Drops Water
*Face powder and blush contain cornstarch and magnesium myristrate which are very soft. Calcium carbonate adds density to these soft powders. The extra baking soda hardens it.
Eyeshadow palette or
Square or Round makeup pans and
Z palette
Palette knife #61
Mini sieve
Silicone bowl
Mini spatula
5ml beaker
Follow the procedure in the eyeshadow section below for removing pans from palettes and grinding pressed powder if not using loose powder.
Place powder in beaker. Add calcium carbonate, baking soda and watercolor base and stir. It will be a thick liquid.
Pour into palette well. Set in a warm place and let dry for a week.
These cakes are semi soft and moisten easily. The coverage is translucent and shimmery on paper. They're great for layering and glazing.
On fabric, they're opaque and non-bleeding.
Cake Watercolor from Eyeshadow
1 Dash Eyeshadow
3 Dashes Cornstarch
1-2 Drops Baking Soda*
15 Drops Watercolor base
5 Drops Water
*The mica in eyeshadow makes the cake too soft, so it benefits from the extra baking soda. Matte eyeshadow only needs 1 drop.
Eyeshadow palette or
15mm Square or Round makeup pans
Z palette (optional)
Palette knife #61
Mini sieve
Silicone bowl
Mini spatula
5ml beaker
I own a 180 color palette that I got on eBay for $11.30. Thirty eight of the 180 colors were duplicates. There were also both matte and shimmers, that were the same color.
Remove the pans from the palette. An easy way to do this is to gently heat the bottom of the palette. Place the palette face down on a piece of cardboard. Place a towel over the plastic and heat the towel with an iron. The heat will loosen the adhesive. Place one hand under the cardboard and rest the other hand on the towel. Turn the palette right side up.
Insert a palette knife into the powder flush with the edge of the pan. Hold it by the blade and apply firm pressure. Turn the pan clockwise until it pops up. Wash and dry the palette. It isn't necessary to reuse the pans. I didn't use mine. Tin pans are only necessary if you're using a magnetic palette. Most commercial pans are aluminum and will not stick to a magnet.
Arrange the pans according to color. The pans on the bottom left are duplicates. Decide which color range you want to expand. I expanded mine using pigments because I wanted my primaries to be pure.
Run the palette knife around the inside edge of the pan. Pop the powder out of the pan into a sieve.
Use the spatula to crush the powder and scrape it through the screen.
The powder will be a little coarse. If you want it any finer, scrape it through a fine paint strainer or grind it.
Pinch the bowl and pour the powder into the beaker.
Add baking soda and cornstarch. Stir to combine. Add watercolor base. It will sit on top of the powder.
Mix thoroughly with the palette knife. It will be a thick paste.
Pour directly into the palette well. Wash the spatula, bowl, and sieve with soap and water after each use and towel dry. Set in a warm place and let dry for a week.
These cakes are soft and moisten easily. The coverage is translucent and shimmery on paper, except for mattes. They're great for layering and glazing on paper.
On fabric, they're opaque and non-bleeding.
The old masters used acidic materials. Egg yolks are acidic. Wine is acidic. Wood is acidic. Iron gall ink is acidic. Animal hide (parchment) is acidic. The level of acid varies with each medium. Do not mix ammonia with with acidic liquids. You can mix baking soda with them to make them more alkaline.
Wine has a general pH of 3 with light wines being more acidic than dark wines. The experiment here is about how the wine color stains the paper.
Coffee has a general pH of 4.5-6.0 with dark roasts being less acidic than light roasts. The experiment here is about how the coffee stains the paper.
Black Tea has a general pH of 4.9-5.5, just slightly higher than coffee. The experiment here is about how the tea stains the paper.
Wine can be boiled down to a syrup because of the sugar present in the alcohol. However, sugar must be added to coffee and tea in order to reduce it down to a syrup. Once a syrupy consistency is obtained, remove it from heat and transfer to a pinch bowl. Add just enough gum Arabic powder to make a thick paste. You can use it as you would tube paint or pour it into a pan and dry it.
Eyeshadow palettes come with acetate sheets. Using an overhead projector marker, label each color with a number.
Write a numerical legend with the pigment or paint name of each corresponding color. I used XL spreadsheet for this. Brush some paint beside each number. Spray acrylic sealer on the legend and allow to dry.
If you're using makeup, you will eventually run out of a color and have to duplicate it with pigment. Over time, you will have a palette of pure pigment watercolors just like mine.
Children’s Watercolor
4 Tbsp. Baking Soda
2 Tbsp. Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Corn Starch
1/2 tsp. Corn syrup
6 Drops Wilton coloring gel or homemade
Bamboo skewers
Wooden spoon
4 cup measuring glass cup
Mini Muffin tin or silicone ice cube tray
Baby oil or coconut oil
Coat the wells of the muffin tin with a bit of oil. Place baking soda in the measuring cup. Add vinegar. It will foam up. Stir with a skewer. It will get thick. Add corn syrup and cornstarch and stir with a spoon. It will be a very thick paste. Fill each well 3/4 full. Add food coloring and stir with a skewer to combine. Set in a cool place and let dry for 24 hours.
These cakes are soft, slightly tacky and translucent. They moisten easily, bleed, and stain everything.
Watercolor Lead, 2mm x 3-1/2"
1 Drop Pigment
3/4 tsp. Gum Arabic powder
2 Drops Water
Watercolor Lead, 4mm x 3-1/2"
2 Drops Pigment
1-1/2 tsp. Gum Arabic powder
5 Drops Water
Watercolor Pencil, 6mm x 3-1/2"
1 Smidgen Pigment
3-1/2 tsp. Gum Arabic powder
10 Drops Water
Watercolor Stick, 3/8 x 3-1/2"
1 Pinch Pigment
2-1/2 Tbsp. Gum Arabic powder
15 Drops Water
Beaker or Condiment cup
Plate glass
Palette knife #61 & 62
Clay extruder
Oral syringe
4mm die
6mm die
8mm die, bored to 3/8"
Corrugated paper, either size
Spray adhesive
Wax paper
Cut the paper to 3-1/2" wide. Spray with adhesive. Place wax paper over the adhesive and push it into the grooves with a wooden dowel.
Place Gum Arabic powder into a condiment bowl. Add water to make a paste. Transfer to plate glass. Add enough kaolin to make a dough. Blend thoroughly with the #62 palette knife.
Pack the dough into the syringe or clay extruder. Extrude the dough into the grooves of corrugated paper to harden and cure.
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