For any serious artist, the quality of their materials significantly impacts the final artwork. When it comes to painting, professional artist watercolors stand out as a cornerstone for achieving vibrant, lasting, and expressive results. These aren’t just paints; they are carefully formulated pigments designed to offer superior performance, lightfastness, and handling characteristics that hobbyist or student-grade alternatives simply cannot match.
Understanding what makes professional artist watercolors distinct is the first step toward making informed choices for your palette. This guide will delve into the critical attributes, types, and considerations that define these premium art supplies, helping you invest wisely in your creative practice.
What Defines Professional Artist Watercolors?
The distinction between professional and student-grade watercolors is vast, primarily resting on the quality of their ingredients and the meticulous manufacturing processes. Professional artist watercolors are crafted for permanence, vibrancy, and consistency, meeting the rigorous demands of fine art.
Pigment Quality and Lightfastness
At the heart of any professional artist watercolor is the pigment itself. High-grade watercolors utilize pure, finely ground pigments, often single pigments, which offer maximum intensity and brilliance. This purity ensures clean color mixing and reduces the risk of muddying.
- Single Pigment Formulation: Many professional artist watercolors are made from a single pigment, allowing for cleaner mixes and a deeper understanding of each color’s properties.
- Lightfastness Ratings: A crucial factor for professional artists is lightfastness, which indicates how resistant a pigment is to fading when exposed to light over time. Professional artist watercolors typically carry ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) ratings, with I (Excellent) and II (Very Good) being ideal for artwork intended to last for generations.
Binder and Additives
The binder in watercolors is traditionally gum arabic, which holds the pigment together and allows it to adhere to the paper. Professional artist watercolors use high-quality gum arabic, often with minimal or no fillers, ensuring optimal transparency and flow.
Minimal additives mean that the paint’s behavior on paper is predictable and consistent. This allows artists to achieve subtle washes, strong glazes, and precise details without unexpected shifts in color or texture.
Granulation and Staining
Professional artist watercolors offer a diverse range of effects, including granulation and staining properties. Granulating colors settle into the paper’s texture, creating a beautiful, speckled appearance, while staining colors penetrate the paper fibers, making them difficult to lift once dry. Artists often choose professional artist watercolors specifically for these unique characteristics to enhance their work.
Key Characteristics of High-Quality Professional Artist Watercolors
Beyond the basic definition, several characteristics contribute to the superior performance of professional artist watercolors. These attributes directly impact your painting experience and the longevity of your art.
Pigment Load and Concentration
One of the most noticeable differences is the pigment load. Professional artist watercolors contain a much higher concentration of pigment compared to student grades. This means:
- Intense Color: A small amount of paint yields rich, vibrant color.
- Economical Use: Despite a higher initial cost, the intense pigmentation means you use less paint, making them more economical in the long run.
- Strong Washes: Achieve deep, saturated washes with ease.
Transparency and Brilliance
True professional artist watercolors are renowned for their transparency, allowing light to reflect off the white of the paper through the pigment, creating a luminous effect. Their brilliance comes from the purity of pigments and the absence of opacifying fillers, ensuring colors remain clear and vibrant, even when layered.
Re-wettability and Consistency
Professional artist watercolors, especially pan paints, are designed for excellent re-wettability. They activate quickly with a small amount of water, allowing for smooth, consistent paint application. The consistency across different colors within a professional range is also typically very high, meaning you can expect similar handling properties from one tube or pan to the next.
Types of Professional Artist Watercolors
Professional artist watercolors primarily come in two forms: tubes and pans. Each offers distinct advantages depending on your working style and preferences.
Tubes vs. Pans
Tube Watercolors:
- High Concentration: Tubes contain a moist, concentrated form of paint, perfect for large washes and intense colors.
- Immediate Access: Squeeze out exactly what you need, ideal for studio work or when you require a lot of a specific color quickly.
- Palette Mixing: Often squeezed into a palette to dry, then re-wet as needed, offering flexibility.
Pan Watercolors:
- Portability: Compact and easy to transport, making them excellent for plein air painting or travel.
- Controlled Use: Ideal for smaller details, controlled washes, and artists who prefer to build up layers gradually.
- Longevity: Pans tend to last a very long time as only a small amount is re-wet at a time.
Many professional artists use a combination of both, utilizing tubes for main colors and large areas, and pans for portability and fine details.
Choosing the Right Professional Artist Watercolors
With numerous brands offering professional artist watercolors, selecting the right ones can feel overwhelming. Consider these factors when building your palette:
Understand Your Needs
Are you a studio artist, a plein air painter, or do you work in mixed media? Your typical working environment and style will influence whether tubes or pans are more suitable. Think about the scale of your work and the intensity of color you frequently require.
Research Brands and Reviews
Different brands of professional artist watercolors have unique characteristics. Some are known for intense granulation, others for exceptional transparency, and some for a vast range of single pigments. Reading reviews, watching demonstrations, and trying sample sets can help you find a brand that aligns with your artistic vision.
Consider a Limited Palette First
You don’t need every color to start. Investing in a core set of primary colors (a warm and cool of each red, yellow, and blue), plus a few essential earths and greens, allows you to learn color mixing thoroughly. This approach ensures you get the most out of your professional artist watercolors before expanding your collection.
- Primary Colors: Cadmium Yellow Light (or similar), Lemon Yellow, Quinacridone Red, Pyrrol Red, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue.
- Earthy Tones: Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber.
- Versatile Green: Sap Green or Hooker’s Green.
Test for Lightfastness and Performance
Always prioritize watercolors with documented lightfastness ratings. While most professional artist watercolors excel here, it’s good practice to check. If possible, test a few colors for their re-wettability, transparency, and flow on your preferred paper before committing to a full set.
Caring for Your Professional Artist Watercolors
Proper care ensures the longevity and performance of your professional artist watercolors. Keep your paints free from dust and debris. If using pans, allow them to dry completely before closing the palette to prevent mold growth. For tubes, ensure caps are tightly sealed to prevent drying out.
Conclusion
Investing in professional artist watercolors is an investment in your artistic journey. Their superior pigment quality, lightfastness, and handling properties empower you to create works that are not only beautiful but also enduring. By understanding the key characteristics and types of professional artist watercolors, you can confidently choose the right tools to unlock new levels of expression and achieve stunning results in your watercolor paintings. Explore the possibilities and let your creativity flourish with these exceptional materials.