Most are from lake pigments, with a few earth pigments in the mix.
From the top left, reading right:
Top row: Red roses, iron oxide, greens from florist waste, cranberries
Middle row: Red roses (again,) red cabbage, kyanite, lemons
Botton row: Spinach and corriander, just spinach, beets, agate grindings (from my rock tumbler)
These are just the ones I managed to get potted and dried, I have a whole box of mixed paints waiting on another order of watercolour pots.
They all look a bit different in consistency in part because I’ve tried a few different formulas of watercolour mix, and because they’re made from different things. Cranberries and red cabbage always end up a bit “sticky.”
My latest formula for watercolours is:
- 300g Gum Arabic Solution (gum arabic powder and water)
- 280g Glycerine
- 20g Clear honey
- 20 Drops clove oil (antibacterial - paints will mold)
I mix into pigment at a 1:1 ratio by weight.
Very cool! I am very curious: could you share a photo with the colours painted on a sheet of paper?
Sure thing. These aren’t the exact same ones. They look way richer when they’re still wet, and get better the more water I work into them. It’s just a matter of figuring out a better formula now.
What is that blue one, 3rd from the top on the left?
Thank you for showing! I’m impressed!
That’s cool as hell
How do they look on the paper
I don’t have any art done with these I want to share, but pretty good — some are unexpectedly bright. Here are some swatches I took, most were made before I got a spice grinder for pigments so they’re a bit gritty. The newer ones are smooth.
They’re beautiful, well done
Thank you :) I’m still learning, so hopefully they’ll keep getting better.
Ooh I’m saving this. Years ago I made watercolors (with comercial pigments though) that were so incredibly high quality, better than high tier windsor and newton. I miss them so much. I will try again following this recipie.
Nice! I know quite a few older artists from remote areas who only painted with their own mixes. When I think about it, it makes way more sense to just have pigments and medium on hand rather than a whole bottle of acrylic that’ll dry up before you use it.
But take that recipe with a huge salt block, I’m still in the experimental phase. My original had the same amount of glycerine and honey, but I found it cracked more when it dried — the red, green and yellow were made with that one.
Good luck!
take that recipe with a huge salt block.
I will, thanks. I know what I lost when I forgot the og recipie. ;c It came from a very reputable and now inaccessible source.
Alas, good quality watercolor is expensive as heck, and even tho I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of a mid tier portable set, I’m craving the good shit. So it’s worth a try.
If it helps, I started here: https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2020/09/25/making-handmade-watercolours-with-jacksons-artist-pigments/
And I might only have issues because I’m eyeballing my way through lake pigments, leaving leftover salts and chemicals because fuck stoichiometry. Real earth pigments could satisfy your cravings with that recipe.
BTdubs to save money on a muller and pallette I recommend a thrifted microwave plate and glass butt plug.
Very interesting, do any of these rot or degrade over time?
All plant based pigments are fugitive, they will fade and discolour, while most earth based pigments are more permanent in ideal conditions. I use a UV blocking archival spray on anything I want to keep to help preserve it a bit longer. A painting should never be left in direct sunlight anyway.
The clove oil and drying prevents rot, but I’ve definitely had a few bottles go moldy because I didn’t use enough oil. I just re-mix them and let the mold be more pigment. Once they’re dry they won’t grow mold.
