how to formulate watercolor paint?

Question

what are the basic ingredients?

Answer 1

handmade watercolor paint
ingredients
powdered pigment
gum arabic (powder or crystals)
glycerin (USP solution)
white wheat starch
corn syrup
honey
oil of clove
ox gall (or commercial dispersant)
materials
2 saucepans
cheesecloth
glass sheet or stone kitchen countertop
putty knife or palette knife
muller
measuring spoons
water atomizer
paper face mask or respirator mask
latex gloves

ingredient preparations

Gum Arabic Solution. Place 1 part gum arabic powder or crystals in a saucepan or Pyrex container. Heat 2 parts distilled water to a boil, remove from heat, and slowly pour over gum arabic, stirring to mix. Do not cook. Cover with cheesecloth and let stand for one day, stirring occasionally. (Some gum crystals may need longer to dissolve.) Strain the solution through several layers of cheesecloth to remove impurities and sediment.

Humectant. Mix 2 t honey in 1 T corn syrup.

Dextrin. Dissolve 2 T white wheat starch in 1 T boiling water. Remove from heat and stir until smooth.

Vehicle. Premix 3 T gum arabic solution, 1 T glycerin, 3 t humectant, 6 drops ox gall, 2 drops oil of clove. Place in a plastic (squeezable) honey dispenser or squirt bottle and refrigerate until needed.

Keep remaining gum arabic, plasticizer and dextrin in separate containers, to adjust paint mixture as needed.

paint mixing

1. On the glass sheet or stone countertop, make a pile of about 1-1/2T of pigment powder. Use the back of the measuring spoon to make a hollow in the center of the pile.

2. Pour 1 t of vehicle solution into the hollow, and knead very slowly with the putty knife. As needed, add more gum arabic solution or distilled water (with the atomizer) until pigment is completely dissolved as a creamy paste.

3. Use a muller to break apart and grind the pigment aggregates. You cannot overwork the paint; usually 1 hour of steady mulling is minimally sufficient. Add more vehicle or water as needed to counteract evaporation or adjust viscosity. Add 1 t or less of dextrin, as desired, to smooth and thicken the paint consistency.

4. Cover the mixture with cheese cloth and allow to stand, folding occasionally with the putty knife, until evaporation reduces it to the desired viscosity.

5. Use the putty knife to shovel the paint into empty paint tubes, small glass jars or plastic whole pans. Refrigerate the jars when not in use.

common problems

Paint that does not adhere to paper contains too much pigment or was made with too much water and not enough gum arabic.

Paint that dries rock hard, cracks or flakes, or has a glossy or bronzed finish on the paper contains too much gum arabic or not enough glycerin.

Paint that remains sticky or gummy after it dries on the glass contains too much humectant.

Paint that dries on the paper with a dull, matte, whitish or flaky finish contains too much dextrin.

Paint that shoots wildly wet in wet contains too much dispersant.

Paint that appears dull and grainy was probably insufficiently mulled.

notes

If you use a premixed gum arabic solution (from an art materials supplier), it should have the same liquid consistency as the glycerin solution (available in any pharmacy) or a liquid shampoo. If it is too thin, pour into a bowl, cover with cheesecloth, and allow excess water to evaporate.

Test the paint by (1) brushing out on blank watercolor paper, using both wet in wet and wet in dry applications, and (2) leaving a large drop to dry on the glass sheet.

Always wear latex gloves and a paper face mask or respirator mask when working with pigment powders, especially metallic compounds containing cadmium, chromium, cobalt, manganese, nickel or zinc. Do not inhale any pigment powder. Wash hands and arms thoroughly after work.

Answer 2

-a thank you to get rid of black paint Use a great form of water and dab it off with a towel. you will no longer be able to get all of it off the paper, yet you would be able to make it lighter. -a thank you to color easy over dark (I tousled on my paper!) Watercolor is often painted any incorrect way around, yet once you have opaque white paint, you are able to blend some with your paint to color over a darker shade. -Is it ok if the paper is wrinkly? (For ex.: I painted on it with a great form of water, and it grew to alter into particularly bumpy.) next time, stretch your paper earlier you start up or use paper it is offered in a block and you will no longer have this undertaking.