For years, I've been telling myself that I'll create vibrant watercolour swatches showcasing all the gorgeous hues from my collection of watercolour pans and tubes. And guess what? A few weeks back, I finally made it happen!
I utilized a fine pencil to establish a grid and proceeded to apply the darkest shade of a color to the initial square. This was achieved by depositing a small amount of paint on a palette and gradually incorporating a minimal quantity of water. Subsequently, for each successive square, I augmented the water content systematically by utilizing a pipette, ensuring a consistent increment. The outcome was a vertical arrangement illustrating a spectrum of shades from the deepest to the lightest. After completing each column, I made a note of the brand and colour.
Scroll to the end to see my swatches.
The exercise proved to be highly enlightening beyond my initial expectations. Firstly, it brought to my attention the vast array of colours at my disposal, likely exceeding my practical requirements. Secondly, I noted striking similarities among several colours in their lightest shades.
However, the most valuable lesson I found is in utilizing the swatches to help me decide on which colours to be used when starting a new painting and also provide me with an instant reminder of all the tonal values available for each colour.
Even if your colour collection is limited, I wholeheartedly encourage you to give this exercise a try!
Until next time,
AW
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