Watercolor swatch full#
Watercolor swatch code#
Watercolor swatch free#

❖ Acrylics? Watercolors? Gouache? Paint swatches, including some areas with pen underneath and some areas diluted/thinned with water.When beginning watercolor, one of the most helpful things to understand is how the pigments in a palette flow and work together. ❖ Colored pencils? You could show the variation you can achieve when applying more or less pressure, as well as cross-hatching in different ways.

Watercolor swatch code#

So there you go!īe a color scientist, and document the color name, any sort of code or color number, perhaps the relevant pigment names if appropriate for the material.

Watercolor swatch free#

Color of Art is a free web database that includes 'Color Index Names, Color Index Numbers and Chemical Composition.' For example, PV23 is Dioxazine Violet, also known as Aubergine Violet, Dioxazine Purple, Egyptian Violet & Game Over Purple!!! It's comprised of Dioxazine and described as 'deep dark blue or red shade violet' with level 2 opacity and level II-IV lightfastness. The pigment codes are found right on the tubes or if the tube is too smushed or illegible, check the manufacturer's website for that info. You get to decide the order you like best! This was not any sort of scientific or art school algorithm but rather ordering them in a way that pleases the eye. After painting all of the swatches I toyed with the order that I wanted to place them in the palette boxes. My grid-loving former accountant self had a blast. There's space for notes later - like if a color is too gritty or the tube separates or whatever. Some of this info is on the front, some on the back. Included in my notes are the brand, color name, pigment code(s), opacity rating, lightfastness rating. Starting with those square swatches of watercolor paper, I went deep into research mode and made notes on each card, documenting the facts about each color of paint. Are you painting clouds, contraptions, gardens, portraits, blueberries, logos, cameras or cashmere sweaters? Ponder possibilities while moving colors about on the table. Use swatches to create a “map” or “legend” for your paint palettes, indicating what color is in each section. This is how I know what paint is where.īrainstorm ideas for subjects. on part of the card before painting your swatch.

Watercolor swatch full#

Gives you a visual reference to see the opacity of each color relative to others in your stash, plus what the paint looks like thinned with water or full strength.

Check how the ink fares under the paint and to test how well a particular pen/nib writes on the dried paint. To dream up or otherwise devise color palettes for a piece of work.Ī spot to document pen testing experiments. Above, the first page of my Iona watercolor journal. You can look back as needed for reference. Try creating a grid of swatches on the first page of a new journal. To test how various mediums work on a particular paper. gouache.Ī reference for what the colors look like when dry. When you lay out the colors you can see the gaps and visualize where you want to expand.ĭocumentation! What is the pigment code for this particular color? When did I buy it? What brand? If the paint isn’t rewetting or is more opaque or granulating than you had expected or downright dull when dry, that helps drive future buying decisions!ĭirectly compare different brands of the same color.Ĭompare the same color/pigment in watercolor vs.

These swatches are reference when prioritizing what colors to purchase next. And wow, I have a lot of blues! But can you really have too many blues? Laying out these swatches allows you visualize where there are gaps. And did I mention fun? That is sufficient - but it wouldn’t make much of a blog post now would it? I love HAPPY art! As a creative person and a grid-lover, I cannot resist painting these decadent color swatches. In other words - moved around! The real thing! Swatches can be arranged, re-arranged, studied, toyed with.