F.A.Q.s: Watercolor Paint

• Why are some watercolors so much more expensive than others?
  
• Are cake watercolors as good as tube colors?
  
• What's the best paper for watercolors?
  
• I’m working on a watercolor block. How do I remove my finished painting from the rest of the paper?
  
• How do I prepare my paper for watercolors so it doesn't wrinkle?
  
• What is the difference between watercolor and gouache? Are they compatible?
  
• What brushes are best for watercolors?
  

Q: Why are some watercolors so much more expensive than others?
A: Like all paints, within a given brand some colors are more labor intensive to produce or made of rarer materials. Reasons why some brands are generally more expensive than others can be quality or pigment content, but could also be due to country of origin or retail markup. Utrecht Artist's Watercolors are available direct from the manufacturer, professionally crafted with the maximum load of the best pigments, for professional quality at the best price.

Q: Are cake watercolors as good as tube colors?
A: Some semi-moist cakes are of superb quality, made with top-quality pigments and expertly prepared, while others are strictly scholastic-grade. Likewise, there are tube colors of lower quality, as well. The best semi-moist cakes or pans will offer replacements of individual colors, priced in series like all top-quality paint. Lower-quality watercolors are sold in sets without replacement cakes or tubes, and will generally not have lightfastness ratings. Scholastic grade watercolors are usually made of dyes rather than permanent pigments and are somewhat less soluble; professional grade pans are very permanent and dissolve instantly at the touch of a wet brush. Back to Top.

Q: What's the best paper for watercolors?
A: The best watercolor papers are 100% rag (all cotton or linen). Watercolor paper should also have sufficient sizing to give paint some sparkle, allowing light to reflect from the white page underneath to produce brilliant, luminous colors . Papers come in several surfaces and weights for different techniques, sizes and pictorial objectives, but the most popular variety is medium weight (140lb) cold-pressed surface, a good all-purpose choice. Inexpensive scholastic grade papers are available for practice, but best results are achieved by purchasing good, professional-quality paper. In addition to leading imported brands, Utrecht offers our own brand of French Premium 100% rag professional quality watercolor paper (Item No: 19980), priced affordably for students but excellent for permanent painting. Back to Top.

Q: I’m working on a watercolor block. How do I remove my finished painting from the rest of the paper?
A: A small space is left in the gum on the edge tangent to where the cover is attached to facilitate removal of finished work. Some watercolor brushes have a flat articulation on the end of the brush for this purpose; a palette knife will also work. Don't use a knife with a sharp edge, or the painting might be damaged; a blunt table knife or butter knife is a good choice. Insert the knife or brush end in the slot provided and gently slide all the way around, separating the glue. Back to Top.

Q: How do I prepare my paper for watercolors so it doesn't wrinkle?
A: Attach your paper to a rigid board. Hardboard panel or smooth plywood are fine, if sealed with varnish or paint to resist water. Sheet acrylic and formica work well, also. To attach paper, wide brown kraft tape is best, the type with water-activated gum adhesive, not the self-adhesive variety. Brown kraft tape will stick to wet paper, allowing the sheet to shrink. Wet paper with a sponge or spray bottle or immerse heavier papers in a pan of water. Moisten lengths of tape with a damp sponge, taking care not to wash away adhesive. Apply tape covering all four edges of the sheet completely, overlapping about 1 full inch. Allow to dry completely before painting. When the painting is finished and dry, cut along tape lines to remove from board.
Wide masking or drafting tape can be used for mounting lightweight watercolor paper. Self-adhesive tape allows complete removal and will preserve deckle edges. Occasionally, however, moisture will loosen this variety during painting, creating a mild nuisance. For stretching with drafting tape, moisten paper with a sponge after paper is firmly taped to board, as this type of tape will not stick to wet paper. Back to Top.

Q: What is the difference between watercolor and gouache? Are they compatible?
A: Watercolor and gouache are really very similar; both are water-based paints using gum arabic as a binder. However, where gouache is generally opaque and uses white paint as the source of white in the painting, watercolor is generally transparent; the source of white in watercolor is the white of the paper. The characteristic flatness of gouache makes it useful for artwork for reproduction, as it scans and photographs well. Watercolor and gouache can be mixed, but use of gouache can make mixtures in watercolor more opaque and chalky. Watercolor can add broadness to the gouache palette when the two are used together, but can reduce flatness. Observe the work of John Singer Sargent and Winslow Homer for examples of how both transparent watercolor and opaque gouache can be used together with brilliant results. Back to Top.

Q: What brushes are best for watercolors?
A: Watercolorists require great performance from their brushes because their medium is so responsive to the brush. The very best brushes for watercolor are Kolinsky Sable; a genuine Kolinsky brush combines durability, sensitivity and gradual, regular paint distribution. Every watercolorist should own at least one Kolinsky brush. However, if the cost of an entire Kolinsky brush set is prohibitive, great replacements are available.
Red Sable is natural hair from animal sources (usually weasel) that performs acceptably well where absolute responsiveness is not an issue (broadly wetting the paper, dropping in color). Sabeline is a dyed animal hair (sometimes ox or squirrel) intended to look like Kolinsky. Sablette, depending on manufacturer is either entirely synthetic, or blended synthetic and natural hair, intended to give the benefits of both types of hair in the same brush. Sablette is good for long painting sessions where an entirely natural brush would become waterlogged and lose snap.
Nylon and Taklon are common synthetic sable substitutes. Both hold their shapes well, but not all synthetic hairs taper properly or distribute paint smoothly. The best synthetics for watercolor will have a subtle roughness or “cuticle” imposed on the surface to hold paint more like real hair. Ox and squirrel brushes are economical choices for large brushes to wet the paper and broadly spread paint. Camel hair is a generic term for mixed natural hair of non-specific source, best left for craft applications only. Back to Top.

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