Krzysztof Kowalski My Watercolor Palette

8/19/2019 Krzysztof Kowalski My Watercolor Palette

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E-mail: [email protected]: Krzysztof Kowalski watercolors

Website: www.esperoart.comYouTube channel: esperoart

Botanical painting blog: www.botanicalpainting.blogspot.com

© Krzysztof Kowalski, Poland 2015

Everything

you need to knowabout my watercolor palette

K r z y s z t o f K o w a l s k i


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I have many colors and there are many more waiting for me to try. There is nothing wrong in trying

out new paints. Some of them will end up in a drawer, waiting there for better times. Others will find their

place on my palette. Trying out new colors is always so enjoyable!

When I choose colors, I take into consideration 3 main characteristics: pigment, transparency and

lightfastness. Before I discuss them, I must emphasize one important thing - brand. A particular brand does

not matter to me. What matters is the particular color, its characteristics and that it is a professional grade.

Professional grade (also called artists quality) paints are all very good. I can’t say that Winsor&Newton

(W&N) is better than Daniel Smith (DS), or Schmincke Horadam (SH) is better than another brand. They are

all excellent as long as they are professional grade.

PIGMENTS

In choosing any paint, pigment is the most important characteristic for me. Knowing which

pigment is in the paint allows you to judge whether you need another red or not because... you may already

have it. Here is the example: I have Winsor&Newton's Perylene Maroon. I go to an art shop and I see

Schmincke's Deep Red. I think "OK, I must have it, it must be beautiful". In fact, it is beautiful; I already know

it because Perylene Maroon is exactly the same color. How do I know? Because both of them have pigment

PR179, which is written on the label.

However, this method doesn’t always work. For example: paints with pigment PV19 have dozens ofdifferent hues, but it’s still worth checking the pigments.

Another reason why I check pigments is that I think the less pigments, the better. Single pigment =

single color. Imagine, for example, Hooker's Green by Schmincke Horadam. It contains 3 pigments: PB15:3,

PG7, PY42. That means it is a mix of 3 colors. If you would like to mix it with Sepia Brown Tone by Schmincke

Horadam, which contains 3 pigments as well (PR166, PBr7 and PBk9) - you are actually mixing 6 different

colors! Mixing 6 colors will not give you a beautiful, clear, vivid color. It would be much better to mix just

two colors, right?

So I tend to buy paints with only 1 pigment if possible. For example, I prefer Daniel Smith's Quinacri-

done Gold rather than Winsor&Newton's because DS's has one pigment, PO49, and W&N's has three

pigments PR206, PV19, PY150.

Don’t get me wrong - it doesn't mean that there's something wrong in buying paints with more than onepigment, but if there was an equivalent with fewer pigments, I woud go for it.

Speaking about the pigments, this is the code:

PW - pigment white PR - pigment red PG - pigment green

PY - pigment yellow PV - pigment violet PBr - pigment brown

PO - pigment orange PB - pigment blue PBk - pigment black

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My watercolor palette

Winsor&Newton Daniel Smith Schmincke Horadam

Pigment codes can be found on tube or pan labels and in color charts provided by producers.


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There is one more reason why it's good to know something about pigments. Imagine you have Indanthrene(or Indanthrone) Blue PB60 and Phthalo Green PG7 on your palette. You go to an art shop and you notice Prus-

sian Green by Schmincke Horadam ("I must have it, it's gorgeous" - you think). While your heart is beating

very quickly because of the new, fabulous color, you haven't noticed that you already have this color. Prus-

sian Green is a mix of Indanthrene Blue and Phthalo Green, and we know this by looking at the pigments.

So there's no need to spend money on another tube of paint.

TRANSPARENCY

I like transparent or semi-transparent paints. I like to work with glazes, build up shapes, forms and colors

with layers. Working this way with opaque paints is just impossible. Sometimes there are exceptions:

Naples Yellow Deep is opaque and I have to live with it. If I have a choice, I always choose transparent paints.

LIGHTFASTNESS

The more lightfast the paint, the better. You probably know Aureolin Yellow PY40. I remember a craze for

this color, but Jane Blundell's lightfast tests (whether or not a color holds up when exposed to light) show

that this color fades in a wash and goes gray and dull in mass-tone. It’s definitely a color to avoid. Luckily

most paints are very lightfast so there's no need to worry. I would only avoid those which are fugitive (i.e.

fade with time and/or light exposure).

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The colors When it comes to choosing particular colors,

I always start with 6 basic colors: a warm and

a cool yellow, a warm and a cool blue, a

warm and a cool red. Then I add earth tones:

one slightly yellowish, one slightly reddish

and one dark brown. My next step is adding

colors I use frequently and which often come

in handy. The last stage is adding colors

which I just like and maybe they will come in

handy one day (I keep these in a separate

palette and in a drawer). So in general, I can

say that I don’t have one and only one palette. My palette changes with time because I test new colors once

in a while. But I can distinguish some stages of completing my colors. For some people stage 2 may be the

final stage. That would be a limited palette for me. For others it’s not enough, so they would add more colors.

That’s just a personal preference.

STEP 1 - choosing six basic colorsSTEP 2 - adding the earth tones

STEP 3 - adding useful colors, used frequently

STEP 4 - additional colors kept in a drawer, just in case


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3

The Big Brother Lily and Swallowtail

(caterpillar and adult)

41 x 31 cm (16” x 12”)

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STEP 1 - SIX BASIC COLORS

My six basic colors are always two yellows, two blues and two reds (each warm and cool). There are many

equivalents for each of these colors in other brands (and even within the same brand). I will mention just a

few examples. This is a matter of personal choice, so it’s good to do your own research. Most of my colors

are Winsor&Newton (W&N), and the other brands are indicated as follows: DS stands for Daniel Smith and

SH stands for Schmincke Horadam.

Cool yellow - Winsor Yellow PY154

Yellows (other colors too, actually) can be divided into cool, medium and warm tones. Yellow tones that are

really cool are closer to green. I like to use medium yellow as my cool yellow and I leave cooler yellows forspecial occasions. Winsor Yellow PY154 is a wonderful cool yellow. Another good example is Hansa Yellow

Medium PY97 (DS), which is also a medium tone, but I treat it as a cool yellow. If you like something really

cool then you should look for something like Winsor Lemon PY175 (W&N), Bismuth Yellow PY184 (W&N) or

Hansa Yellow Light PY3 (DS).

Warm yellow - Winsor Yellow Deep PY65

My favourite warm yellow has always been New Gamboge made by Winsor&Newton with a single pigment

PY153. Unfortunately, this pigment is not used anymore and the new

New Gamboge now consists of two pigments. I was forced to look

for an alternative and now my warm yellow is Winsor

Yellow Deep PY65 (W&N) (DS’s Hansa Yellow Deep uses thesame pigment). There is also a beautiful Indian Yellow by

W&N, consists of two pigments PO62 and PY139.

Cool red - Quinacridone Magenta PR122

It’s not really red, it’s a magenta. Some could say

it’s pink, and it is. It’s always been my basic

cool red. Purple Magenta PR122 by

Schmincke Horadam is the equivalent.

Warm red - Winsor Red PR254

Pigment PR254 is a wonderful red.

DS’s Pyrrol Red and SH’s Scarlet Red

are the same pigment PR254. Scarlet

Lake PR188 (W&N) is warmer, more

orangy alternative. Quinacridone Red

PR209 (W&N) is more pinkish (DS’s Quina-

cridone Coral uses the same pigment). They

all can work as a warm red.


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Cool blue - Winsor Blue (Green Shade) PB15

There is a little issue with blues. People see colors differently. That’s nothing new. There are those who say

that Winsor Blue (Green Shade) is warm, not cool, while the cool one is Ultramarine Blue. This seems to be

a personal point of view. For me, Winsor Blue (Green Shade) is cool. DS’s Phthalo Blue (Green Shade) and SH’s

Helio Cerulean are the same colors.

Warm blue - French Ultramarine PB29

This is a very popular color, a favourite of many people. Its equivalents are: DS’s Ultramarine Blue and SH’s

Ultramarine Finest.

cool

yellow

Winsor

Yellow

PY154

warm

yellow

Winsor

Yellow Deep

PY65

cool

red

Quinacridone

Magenta

PR122

warm

red

Winsor

Red

PR254

cool

blue

Winsor Blue

(Green Shade)

PB15

warm

blue

French

Ultramarine

PB29

STEP 2 - THE EARTH TONES

On my palette I like to have one yellowish earth tone, one reddish and one really dark brown. Gold Ochre

may be a surpise as my alternative for Raw Sienna. Gold Ochre is much stronger, maybe more yellowish

and definitely brighter. I think it’s better to choose the brightest colors because we can always neutralize

them, subdue them a bit. It’s easier than making a bright color from something dull. So my three earth

tones are:

yellowish

earth tone

Gold

OchrePY42

reddish

earth tone

Burnt

SiennaPR101

dark

brown

Burnt

Umber (DS)PBr7

These 9 colors listed here make up my essen-

tial palette. If I had to limit my palette, I would

limit it to these nine colors. But, as I mentio-

ned at the beginning, I don’t have a limited

palette and there are many other colors I

couldn’t live without. So here comes STEP 3 -

adding useful colors which are used frequen-

tly.

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STEP 3 - ADDING FREQUENTLY USED COLORS

I like this step because I can pick out more colors and create a wide variety of colors on my palette. I like to

think this way: I have two yellows now. Which other yellows do I need? Which of them do I use frequently?

Which are really helpful? Then I go to reds and blues and do the same. Later I consider other colors like

violets, greens and oranges. Here is the list of colors which I usually add to my 9 basic colors from previous

step. All of these make up my extended essential palette.

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Winsor

Lemon

PY175

Quinacridone

Gold

PO49 (DS)

Permanent

Rose

PV19

Winsor

Red Deep

PR264

Perylene

Maroon

PR179

Quinacridone

Red

PR209

Cobalt

Blue

PB28

Indanthrene

Blue

PB60

Winsor Green

(Blue Shade)

PG7

Quinacridone

Purple

PV55 (DS)

Transparent

Orange

PO107

Ultramarine

Violet

PV14

Winsor Lemon is another yellow useful when mixing greens. Quinacridone Gold is very versatile. It makes

beautiful rich greens. When mixed with Winsor Blue (Green Shade) makes a beautiful Sap Green. It’s a very

handy color in many cases. I prefer DS’s Quinacridone Gold because W&N’s equivalent has three pigments.

Transparent Orange is not really necessary, because we can mix a wide range of oranges with yellows and

reds, but I just like to have one orange already prepared. It is very similar to SH’s Translucent Orange PO71.Quinacridone Red is more transparent and more pink than Winsor Red. DS’s Quinacridone Coral is the

same color. Winsor Red Deep is a beautiful dark, blood-like red. DS’s Pyrrol Crimson is the same color.

Permanent Rose is my main rose color, which I often use to paint pink flower petals. Winsor Green (Blue

Shade) is a great basic green though not good to use alone as it looks too artificial, but it’s a a great base for

mixing other greens. It also makes muted violets with Magenta. DS’s Phthalo Green (Blue Shade) is the same

color. Indanthrene Blue is a dark blue, good for darkening other blues and sometimes other colors too. It’s

also good for making greens. Cobalt Blue is a beautiful light blue, also useful when making greens. Ultra-

marine Violet is similar to Winsor Violet (Dioxazine) PV23, but it’s not as strong and is more lightfast.

Quinacridone Purple is a deep, dark purple which makes beautiful mixes with reds. Perylene Maroon is a

lovely dark brown-red, makes beautiful oranges and is very versatile.


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According to my list so far, my palette consists of these 21 main colors:

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Winsor

Yellow

PY154

Winsor

Yellow Deep

PY65

Quinacridone

Magenta

PR122

Winsor

Red

PR254

Winsor Blue

(Green Shade)

PB15

French

Ultramarine

PB29

Gold

Ochre

PY42

Burnt

Sienna

PR101

Burnt

Umber (DS)

PBr7

Winsor

Lemon

PY175

Quinacridone

Gold

PO49 (DS)

Permanent

Rose

PV19

Winsor

Red Deep

PR264

Perylene

Maroon

PR179

Quinacridone

Red

PR209

Cobalt

Blue

PB28

Indanthrene

Blue

PB60

Winsor Green

(Blue Shade)

PG7

Quinacridone

Purple

PV55 (DS)

Transparent

Orange

PO107

Ultramarine

Violet

PV15

Orchid Tree and the Great Mormon butterfly

(chrysalis, caterpillar and two adults), fragment

41 x 31 cm (16” x 12”)

These are the colors I use the most and I always have them on my

palette.


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Naples Yellow

Deep

PBr24


Cobalt Turquoise

Light

PG50

STEP 4 - ADDITIONAL COLORS

Other colors are just additional and I keep them in my drawer just in case. I don’t use them frequently,

some of them I have used maybe once or twice. Some of them I used just for a particular painting,

others were helpful for creating particular colors. I will list some of them below. Depending on what

I’m currently painting, I take some pans and include them to my main box. You are not limited in any

way. You can have any color you want.

Perylene

Green

PBk31

Permanent

Sap Green

PG36, PY110

Raw

Umber

PBr7

Cobalt

Violet

PV14

Opera

Rose

PR122, BV10

Indigo

PBk6, PV19,

PB15

Winsor

Violet

PV23

Scarlet

Lake

PR188

I used Naples Yellow Deep to paint the butterfly wings on page 3. It can be also useful to paint a mor-

ning or evening skies if you like to paint landscapes, or the walls of ancient cities if you are more into

architecture. Raw Umber is useful for landscapes; it’s much more natural than Gold Ochre. Perma-nent Sap Green on it’s own is too strong, but in mixes it’s very beautiful. Perylene Green is a very dark

green. I tend to use it to darken my greens. I also mix it with Winsor Red Deep to make black. Cobalt

Turquoise Light is beautiful. It may be used to paint water or sometimes might be used in landscapes.

I sometimes use this color for leaves. It’s a very distinct color. I also used it in some parts of my butter-

flies. Indigo is a dark blue, versatile, good for darkening other colors. Winsor Violet is a standard

violet but some tests show it’s not very lightfast. Cobalt Violet is a very strong, light, granulating violet.

It may be used on more than just flower petals. Opera Rose is very intense fluorescent pink. It’s not

good to use on its own but can make beautiful mixes. Keep in mind that it’s also a fugitive color. Scar-

let Lake is a beautiful orange-red, a poppy color.

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DO I USE TUBES OR PANS?

I use both. I use two palettes. One is a big porcelain

palette that I use when I paint bigger paintigs. It’s much easier

to make a big puddle of paint and to use bigger brushes. Porcela-

in/ceramic is the best surface for watercolors. You can always

clean it perfectly. I also use dinner plates, saucers, nesting

porcelain bowls - anything that is made of porcelain/ceramic is

perfect. I squeeze paint from the tubes into the wells on my

palette. I’ve been frequently asked whether my paints become

dry or not. Yes, they dry out and it’s totally natural. Watercolorsare reusable, I just spray them with my spray bottle of water

and they are ready to use again and again.

My second palette is a metal box for 24 pans. It’s much smaller than the porcelain palette and

I use it for smaller paintings, mostly for botanical paintings. I treat it as my travel palette as well. I

squeeze my selected colors from tubes into the empty pans. In my opinion tubes are more versatile - I

can use them in my big palette and in pans. When I need a big puddle of paint it’s much easier to make

it with paint from a tube than with paint from a pan.

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Naples Yellow

DeepPBr24

CobaltTurquoise

LightPG50

Perm.Sap GreenPG36, PY110

Winsor Yellow

PY154

Winsor Yellow Deep

PY65

GoldOchrePY42

BurntSiennaPR101

WinsorLemonPY175

Quin.Gold

PO49 (DS)

TransparentOrangePO107

Quin.Magenta

PR122

WinsorRed

PR254

BurntUmber (DS)

PBr7

PermanentRosePV19

WinsorRed Deep

PR264

PeryleneMaroon

PR179

Quin.Red

PR209

Winsor Blue(GS)PB15

FrenchUltramarine

PB29

CobaltBluePB28

Indan.BluePB60

Winsor Green(BS)PG7

Quin.Purple

PV55 (DS)

Ultramarine Violet

PV15


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In conclusion, I would like to thank you for taking your time to read this. Please, remember

that color choices are yours to make. Every color in our watercolor palettes is a matter of

personal preference.

I wrote this text in order to answer frequently asked question about the colors on my palette.

I hope this answer is satisfying :)

Thank you once again and good luck with your journey through the jungle of colors! :)

Krzysztof Kowalski


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Krzysztof Kowalski My Watercolor Palette