Recently I painted out a chart (actually two charts — there were 8 colors I don’t use as often that didn’t fit my normal grid of 20) of all my watercolors. And typical for me, I later began to rethink some of my choices.
I have loved Monte Amiata Natural Sienna for a long time now, but it is very close to Quinacridone Gold. So I switched to the slightly darker Raw Sienna — both are transparent and both work great for adding a bit of warmth to a sky without it mingling with blue to become green.
After several online friends praised Piemontite genuine, I bought a tube to try out. But it is so similar to Lunar Red Rock that I think I’ll stick to the latter because it is cheaper. Meanwhile, I have both to play with.
A last-minute switch was my warm green choice: For several years I’ve used Serpentine genuine but it is so easy to add a bit of yellow to any green (or cool blue) to achieve a yellow-green that having a grayer olivey-green made more sense, so I am switching to Undersea Green.
Many, of course, are purely convenience colors (for example, Undersea Green is Ultramarine + Quinacridone Gold). But I like having them ready to paint with without the need to pre-mix.
The colour names are different to my watercolour pencils (sometimes they are the same) but I recognise the process and decision to choose a new colour for my everyday palette. During lockdown I purchased all the Faber Castell watercolour pencils and Have been trying them all out. I feel such a sense of loyalty to my old colours, but have discovered a few new replacements. I am sure the new colours will fit in nicely and yours will too !!
ReplyDeleteHi, Alissa! I keep thinking that one day I will settle on “my” palette but then I keep finding something different that wants trying. John Lokke, who introduced me to watercolor, had his set 12 paints that he stuck with over the years. But I guess that’s just not how I experience color — there’s always something new to learn!
DeleteIn watercolor pencils, I still stick with the favorites learned from Kate’s class we took years ago — but I seldom touch them so it doesn’t really count, does it? You have become the master of WC pencil art!