I think the quality of the paper is more important than the type of paint. And I’ve been water coloring for over 50 years. Makes all the difference. Bad paper will fight you every time. There are a lot of mid priced papers that will work just fine. Spend your money on the paper.

Very interesting thoughts. I suppose the thing is that there are two types of watercolor painters, at least. Those of us who paint for pleasure, not for sale. To make cards and fun pieces to share, display for a while, not heirloom stuff. Then there are those who paint to sell. If you paint to sell you owe it to your customers to use lightproof paint, and I would imagine most people who paint to sell do just that. If you only paint for yourself and you aren’t interested in pigments and quality, then it just doesn’t matter. I would say though that if you use dollar store paints you are never going to paint your best work. Do yourself a favor and get at least a small set of Cotman or similar.

WHAT? My feathers are ruffled! ...ok not really! Seriously this was great. It's funny how trends get started on KZfaq and I think this is one of those things. I enjoy pigment info to an extent and came to all that out of curiosity mainly. It's really just a nerdism. But you said the greatest thing. "The best way to get to know your paint is to use it." So totally agree! I've been painting for 40+ years, many of those professionally and I knew none of that pigment stuff nor did any of the other pros I rubbed shoulders with...UNTIL coming to KZfaq a few years ago. While the "knowing" was fascinating to me and answered a few questions it didn't help me paint better. Good video! Needed to be said!

Really interesting to hear your thoughts Emma! Thank you! My amazing Granny born 1898 and died December 1988, used Winsor&Newton (founded in 1832!) all her life. I STILL use her little pan boxes (some refills!) and teeny tiny tubes to this day. Obviously a lot of the tubes have dried solid so I break them open, add a little water and wait! They rehydrate to perfection! The colours are gorgeous… no idea if the older or new paint has more pigment though😂 I wonder what Granny knew about pigments lol?! For paper she used anything and everything and still created beauty! My brushes make a difference for me but I don’t know what she used!

It’s it so cool how unique each of us watercolor artist are? I love geeking out researching all the information about pigments. That’s just my personality. I also enjoy the research aspect of any hobby. I say you need to know yourself and do whatever brings you joy!

The reason I like to learn the pigment numbers is to determine my favorite of my favorite. Like Pv19 is my favorite as a permanent rose. I now have quite a few and can determine my favorite for my favorites palettes. Also if I like certain mixes I’ve made or convenience colors and I want to make my own I need to know the specific pigment number. Shire green is spectacular but it’s super expensive and I’ve made it myself by using the pigments. So I now feel free to use it liberally when playing because I know I can make it if I don’t want to buy it when I run out. Pigment playing is part of the playing for me. 😄

I'm a pigment nerd because when I bought colors by their names and ended up with 3 from different companies that were all the same color I was mad at myself for not knowing about pigment numbers. I'm a bit of a chemistry nut too and I do love the surprise of finding which ones explode on the paper vs those that don't move much. Reminds me of chemistry experiments back in the day....

The only reason for beginners to know pigment information is because you don't want to duplicate colors based on the brand names the companies label their watercolors. I'm shocked at how many duplicate colors I have before I started reading pigment info. They might be slightly different but not enough to buy duplicates of the same color.

Ooo I DO feel my feathers ruffled, haha! Honestly though, play and experimentation IS #1 but understanding the pigments helps you understand when you have duplicates and how to mix your colors efficiently. Telling newbies it doesn’t matter can potentially lead the beginner down a very frustrating road where they don’t understand why they get mud from mixtures or constantly repurchasing preexisting colors already on their palettes. Saying it doesn’t matter seems like a cover for a lack of interest in the technical side. I experimented for many years, afraid to really do my research. I found out upon finally giving into the research, that, it’s not as daunting as it all may seem. Handprint was a big help. Now I know all the pigment numbers by heart and understand them very well and feel so empowered, and since discovering the technical side, I’ve been freed from buying new paints all the time like beginners tend to do. I have a palette of 36 colors which covers almost every pigment really available on the market.. apart from a few that are very similar to what I own. A lot of colors you see are the same old colors with a new name. Now, I’m free to put my money into paper and brushes and spend more time PAINTING and improving rather than experimenting constantly in attempts to understand my own palette. Good luck everyone, it’s really not too bad once you dig in - color theory as well, which is also completely empowering.

40 yrs here of watercolor painting and teaching, and there may be 1 in a hundred students who really care! They want to relax, have fun and most don’t want to sell paintings either! It all ok with me! I love to watch students realize they can do a watercolor painting that satisfies them - it’s not for the satisfaction of others!

I totally agree with you. If I had to know all the technical stuff it would take all the pleasure out of painting. It's fun to try out the colours and see what you get. Thanks for all your good tutorials.

*Pigment information is very helpful if you MIX several colors of watercolor paint together.* If you mix two single pigment colors, the product will be crisp and attractive. Some tube colors may have THREE pigments in each tube. *If you mix two triple pigment colors together, you're probably going to create mud and have no idea why.*

I could have saved money by looking at this information. When starting out, I fell into the thinking that I needed the specific colors & brands that were mentioned in the tutorial. What I found was that brand names for the same colors are different. I especially found this with purples & blues. Also, some of my earlier work has faded terribly (especially opera pink). Now I know to look up the light fastness. Just my opinion.

Knowledge is power. I like to know what I’m buying and not purchase surprises that I’ll never use. If I’ve already used a certain pigment and don’t like it, why would I want to buy another same one and not like it? Beyond that, I definitely believe play and experimentation is key. There is a tendency to “overthink” and that’s not going to get us anywhere. I admire your ability to just let it flow, but I need to know what I’m doing.

I agree with that. Maybe learn the difference between warm and cold colors and which gives you vibrant or muddy colors when mixing - but then - just go for it and try it. Make your own experiences and mistakes and enjoy the beautiful randomnes and unpredictability of colors and pigments plus water on paper ❤ Its so much fun and often like meditation - it brings you and your world of thoughts down to earth🙏

To each their own. I love knowing things (including pigments) AND playing around. For me mixing with research and notes and playing as an equal balanced and both together kind of approach. I’ve been doing the best by doing both together. Also lightfastness and properties of pigments before purchasing. Especially if selling or gifting originals. And if you have a very limited budget and literally can’t afford surprises and would rather ensure it’s what you want to buy with limited money to spend. Learning through play, experiments actually painting and enjoying surprises is important to me too and sometimes if I have the money I do that and often then research the pigments after. But your way is 100% valid too and we all have different brains, lives and preferences. There is nothing wrong with your way it’s just as valid!

The thing that has helped me the most is to learn how to mix colors with the warm and cool versions of the primaries. And other tidbits of color theory. I'm still a beginner. I don't have the pigment names memorized, but I am interested in learning about pigments because that's just the type of thing I like to learn about. I actually think it just depends on your personality and what kind of mind you have - whether you like science/tech/math. Whatever a person prefers is fine. There are so many ways to learn to paint and to learn about watercolors. 😊

To be honest, I think it depends on what your goals are. If you want to sell your art or if you want to keep the piece for many years, lightfastness really matters. I have been painting many many years, and very rarely do I sell my art. I do it mostly for fun and for my own satisfaction. Even then, when I look at some of my paintings I did 10 years ago, I see they all have faded because I used cheap paint with no official lightfastness info. They all were very vibrant when I originally painted them. I regret my decision to use cheap paints. Over time, I learned more about pigments and papers and am very mindful of the lightfastness now. It's okay to use a cheap paint if you are a student or all you want is paint a picture, take a photo of it, and post on social media, etc. For pieces you want to live longer, lightfastness matters. Transparency is another factor that can control the muddiness aspect. When 2 transparent pigments are mixed together, there's a low chance of producing muddiness.

I do agree it’s not necessary to know pigments in order to paint well, however, for me it has enriched my watercolour journey. By learning about pigments I have come to appreciate how watercolours are made, I have also delved a bit deeper into the history of pigments and art, which is absolutely fascinating. I think it’s amazing that many of the pigments we still use today were used by cave artists and artists in ancient civilizations for literally tens of thousands of years! The history of art is pretty much the history of humanity. It’s also useful when buying paints because companies give their colours different names, and by knowing what I am buying I can avoid duplicating colours or at least know what I am getting.

Yikes. Pigment really do matter. For instant, sometimes you think about the colour, and you go through all the hard work of painting, just to discover that the colours separate out and they don’t play nice. Not everyone can afford to make mistake in buying paints.

Totally agree! As a beginner, it does not matter, however as I progress I realize that a good quality paint AND paper make a big difference but never looked into what's in it etc.🥰

I’m a beginner, but I’m glad for the pigment numbers because I’ve been able to mix pigments to duplicate a color I couldn’t afford to buy.

I accept everything you’ve said Emma and as an absolute beginner this year I wish I’d known about the pigment numbers because I found that I was buying duplicates from different companies based on the colour swatches that are using for advertising when in fact I was buying two tubes of exactly the same pigment. It would’ve save me a lot of money if I’d understood this earlier. Thank you for expressing such a forthright opinion. What would be really interesting is if you could make a couple of videos about why the same pigment appears to have so many different characteristics, like PR,101.

Emma, you are the first watercolor artist I followed on KZfaq. I liked your approach on how to mix colors. As I fell in love with watercolor, I started following a few more artists. Then, to find watercolors that went beyond the Windsor & Newton that you used early on, I discovered that a lot of artists were into buying and swatching their latest discoveries-and most of them were really obsessive about what pigments were in the paints. And I was like, "Wha'?!!" Some do it because their followers demand the pigment information. I find it boring. What I'm interested in is quality ingredients, toxicity, and beautiful (granulating) colors. So thank you for not boring me, anyway, with pigment details, when you share new watercolors that you discover.

In my opinion lightfastness is by far the most useless information for beginners and most hobbyists too. Pigment information is actually quite useful. I for instance bought certain colours(pigments) many times over, because paint companies had named them differently. A good example is phthalo blue, which is also called intense blue, winsor blue & azure, and is used as both cerulean & manganese blue hues.

Everyone is free to do whatever that's for sure.. that said... I still think that marketing is messing up with us and having a basic knowledge of pigments is really helpful. For me it avoids buying too many colors. And from experience: even as a beginner, there is nothing worse that offering a small painting to someone and see it fading on your friends wall because of a poor choice of pigments.. So I have the tendency to (really) not agree here... sorry 😬

THANK YOU!!!! I am a 68 year old woman - just getting into watercolor (or any art) in the last 4 years after more than 60 of thinking I can't! For me it is intimidating to even think I need to understand all the specs, techniques, etc. And I've discovered that my favorite paintings are the ones where I tried not to think too much. (Always a hard mission for me.) Sometimes I do get very analytical - which I find then causes (or IS) a major procrastination from actually putting a brush into paint and then onto paper. I love your videos -- educational and inspirational without being preachy or too technical. You've helped inspire me, greatly. So Thank you, again

The one thing I learned about pigments that I did find helpful is that single pigment paints make for cleaner mixes - makes sense. I agree with you that the best way to learn about your paint is to PLAY! My favorite "in a rut" activity is color mixing - I too love the surprises that occur.

100% agree..there are technicalities in all crafts, I say do what makes you create and the rest will work itself out! It's a journey with lots of turns, just go with it!!

Yes, I agree with you about all the technical stuff & not having to know about it all before just getting in there and doing/making art. 🥰 I am just now getting to where I am getting interested in learning more about pigments or at least a few of the favorites of my colors. I just jump in to seeing how most art supplies work. Each artist 👩🏻‍🎨 learns how to do it their own way on their individual journey of art that makes them happy!💕Thanks so much for sharing this interesting topic!

While I agree with a lot of what your saying, I do think lightfastness is very important, as some colors are prone to fading. Even a beginner might do a piece that's great but if the colors are fugitive it won't last.

Emma, I agree that the most important thing we can do is sit down and play with our paints, but I also see great value in ‘studying’ paint properties. Learning about the properties of pigments and even cataloging that information for reference is a wonderful tool in our toolbox, and it provides a foundation that once learned is invaluable. We buy books, we watch youtube videos, we take classes, we study all the other nuances of this amazing medium so why would we not study pigment qualities? When I say study I mean just that……not just playing around with pigments in our studios. If you were learning geology, would you choose to ignore learning the properties of different minerals? Having said all that, it might just boil down to how serious and in depth a person really wants to go with watercolor. That is, or course, purely subjective. All I know is, if I hadn’t gotten serious about watercolor and put in the time to study pigments, it would have greatly impacted my progress. Sorry for the long post. Thanks for the interesting subject. :)

I'm with you, I just want to have fun creating! I love playing with colors, and I'm really just painting for me! 😊 I'm glad the info is available for us though!

I just buy whatever i like. But i do make sure that i only use lightfast paints for ones i gift/sell/hang on display. I think professional paper (100% cotton) is way way way more important than the quality of paint. Pulp paper is generally horrible and leaves you feeling deflated by the results.

It is _extremely_ important to know IF you are planning on selling original paintings, you need to know what pigments are fugitive and will fade so you don't have an instance of a customer buying a painting and then it fading in less than a year... just no, that is bad, really bad and the only way to avoid this is to know this information you claim "doesn't matter".

I learned watercolor through liquid dye based paints which are fugative. I do believe learning through liquids helped a ton when i switched to pigment paints. I would still use liquids for fun and sketchbook, but prefef lightfast more single pigment colors that you can mix with. I actually like learning about the different pigments, find it fascinating. That said, putting paint to paper and playing matters, as that is how you learn. Yes, go with best paper you can afford.

I partially agree with you Emma, as I prefer single pigment WC as they improve my color combinations yielding less dull outcomes. But with every palette one purchases, it is fun playing with them and finding new color combos formed!! 🎉

I am so glad that you touched on this subject. It made me more interested in looking at the pigments. I was able to weed out all of the colors that are hazardous to my 8 year old's health. She is an artist and once we started looking at the info we learned a lot. There were MANY colors that we had to take out. We also watched a TedTV about pigments that were deadly (many caused Cancer) and some are still in circulation today. We get sick with illnesses and have no idea what caused the issues. We rely on the experts to keep us safe, but this has taught me that INDUSTRIES care only about their bottom dollar, and not the health of (us), their consumers.

I love knowing about pigments, everything about them, its something I was naturally drawn to from the beginning, so, no pressure at all for me, just fun. But I agree with you, I dont think it is a necessity or a pre-requisite for painting. When I watch a review, though, I think mentioning the pigments is a must.

I am one who does like to know all the pigment information. However, I agree wholeheartedly that the ONLY way to truly know a paint is to paint with it. A good quality paper really helps, but knowing the pigment information will not make you a better painter. Practice will. Great video!!

Thank you ! Thank you ! I keep coming back to watch you because your tutorials are so fun. I'm following an artist and have tried to paint along with her teaching the reasons to paint with this or don't do that etc. Layers of paints on the 2 I've tried and just gave up and have let them sit unfinished. It's no fun. I LOVE your style and you make painting fun. Thanks for making it fun or I'd probably have quit from frustration. 😊 I'd like to know more about how you started painting.

I’m on the other end of the spectrum - I love studying pigment information! 🤓 However, that doesn’t mean I’m not playing around with my colours, to the contrary! I do agree that it’s a matter of personal choice how you approach your colours - unless of course you’re selling your work, because you have to be sure that your colours are lightfast and your buyer doesn’t end up with a blank page within a year... Also, checking pigment information even on your well known favourite colours once in a while is important - they might change the ingredients and then the new colour might not be what you’re expecting (it can save money and disappointment!)…

I agree with you now. When I started I read a lot of articles, and books, and I am glad I did, but, it was overwhelming, and it kind of scared me. I was afraid of making mistakes! Which I know now is crazy, but that was where I was. And it took away the fun. The way I have learnt is through watching others, and doing it! So yeah, still learning, but more relaxed about it!

I agree with you on the pigments, although my personal preference is to get the best lightfast rating for the budget I have at the time. I do however feel quality matters and when you're starting out, it's better to get a few good quality paints in useful colours that can be mixed than a cheaper set with more colours. I started out hating watercolour because I used cheap paints and was never satisfied with my results, and it wasn't until I tried better quality paints that I really started to make progress and enjoy it. 😊

You are absolutely right: Just do it! You have to paint, mix, wipe, swish, drop and experience the paint, which ever one you are using. I have many different sets, some ultra clear and semi transparent, others are a bit chalky. Each kind has its own purpose. Most of it you will learn by doing.

Yay!!!!! I have been painting all my life and had no idea that there even were pigment codes on tubes of paint until I started watching KZfaq videos. My eyes start to cross when I'm watching a video where the person is talking about all the properties of the paints. I'm with you, Emma. I know what I like to paint with and what I don't like just by using them. Have a fun day.

I have some beautiful pan water colors Kuretake, a Japanese company set. In 1902 they’re BEAUTIFUL! I’ll always buy these! I received it as a Christmas gift two years ago

Thank you for being you and just loving what you like! No judgement as you like what you … each of us like

I never knew all that info was on the tube. LOL I started out with Strathmore paper and Cotman watercolors and like you said by just experimenting / playing I learned a lot. I use a lot of Daniel Smith now and you know, Arches paper made more of a difference than the paints.

The only time I check pigments is if a teacher is calling for a specific paint color from a specific manufacturer the I can’t get. I check pigments so I can get something comparable from a different brand.

Im with you Emma, I also dont care about what each pigment etc is, I pick the colours I like, in the best quality paints I can afford at the time. Is all about the colours for me.❤

I’m a good paper person and have 3 good brushes. Student grade paints have turned out some lovely paintings. And you don’t need too many colors, better to learn to mix colors to learn new colors.

Watercolor has a reputation for being a very unforgiving medium, which intimidates a lot of beginners. “OMG, I have to do everything perfect, or it’s RUINED!” For me, learning about staining and non-staining pigments has been enormously helpful, so I can choose nonstaining colors when I’m concerned about potentially needing to lift color to correct a mistake, create highlights, or dab off color to make clouds in a blue sky (where I now never use phthalo blue because it’s tenacious!). It’s really handy to learn how to fix areas in a painting, and knowing your colors is helpful in reducing frustration and making better work. (Of course, decent paper is also important for being able to fix problems!)

When I got into creative anachronism I was fascinated by early religious iconography and egg tempera illumination so doing the research into the history of & how to make the binders, glues & pigments was exciting for me. Alas most instructors started out teaching illumination with cheap gouache pre printed blanks and slowly worked up to delving into so much information on production techniques & pigments. Many beginners may quit due to being overwhelmed & intimidated with information overload & lose the joy of just painting & creating second guessing if they are using right pigments. I still can get overwhelmed delving into the pigment rabbit hole & I love research. No right or wrong way, sometimes hands on creation can teach someone more than charts & books if that’s how they enjoy learning.

The only one I kinda care about, if I’m working on a full-sized, frameable watercolor, is colourfastness. I don’t want it to fade right away, or have some colors fade away quickly. If it’s just a card that is going to get thrown out in a week, then I don’t care.

I totally agree with you!!! It’s all just too nerdy for me!😄 I learn about this stuff by playing with it, and playing with different brands and mixes. The only thing I do pay some attention to is staining. Staining colors are very difficult to lift. I’m not a beginner, but I’m not a professional either. I just love to paint!

I think you’re right on about our obsession with just the right color, Emma. I find it much more fun and informative to just dive in and see what happens.

I have to be in the mood to think that hard about pigments. I know enough to be dangerous but I'm with you, using you paints and learning how they represent themselves on paper and get along with each other is where the learning and true joy of watercolor really happens.

I agree somewhat. I never was really interested in pigment info. However I have a friend who is a really good artist who is into pigments. She taught me that some pigments are fugitive ( not lightfast) I try to limit my use of those or use a substitute…because if I put tons of effort into a painting, I certainly don’t want it to fade over the years. Plus if you like to try and enter in watercolor shows….. some of them require that you only use pigments that are transparent. So that requires that you know your pigments. Also some pigments are made using a combination of multiple pigments. If you mix them with other pigments you may get mud. So it is helpful to know a little about what a paint is made of. I understand what you are saying though. Sometimes you just want to paint and lose yourself in the process and not worry about all the technical stuff. I enjoy watching you create on your videos. ( and your boys are adorable)

Hear hear Emma I hear you! I too really don’t care too much about pigments, I guess it like “different strokes for different folks”. Happy painting😊

Buy good quality and work with a limited palette of colours no need to buy any more than 8 colours max but starting with the three primary colours get to know your basic mixing from there buy the best quality paper you can afford brushes rounds in 6.8.10 paper size 6”x 8” - 8” x 10” get used to controlling the amount of water and how much pigment to water to control the strength of washes you require and try to paint as much as possible to practice the results you are trying to achieve

Years ago I thought I might try a watercolour class, and was sent a list with recommended paints. All in pigment-code. I went to my nearest art shop and looked around a bit, but then just lost heart and came home with yet another pen to doodle with. For experts and artists I'm sure it can be very useful and interesting, but for someone not yet a beginner, it's a bit scary. I'm very happy to hear that it's information you can skip if you want to, and just learn by playing around! Thank you!

I used to think I was awful at colour theory, my mixed colours just ended up mud. I never ventured further into painting, having ‘learned’ that I simply wasn’t any good at it. I then learned about pigments. I learned to NEVER use craft paint if you want to colour mix. So while knowing specific pigment numbers isn’t the most important thing, egads, not knowing something about pigments will derail a beginner. I highly recommend that you get at least student level paint, not craft stuff.

Painting for "The joy of painting " is all well and good. We all do that or we wouldn't be painting. Right? But if you are a beginner who has been painting for a while, or an aspiring artist looking for a future in art, you are going to want to improve your skills and the quality of your paintings. It is important to understand the details of pigment, lightfastness and materials at this point. So why not start learning from the start?

Well, I am a beginner. I have one Cotman watercolor set. I know it is student grade and to me that means it is probably a little less pigment and probably less of the colors are lightfast. The reason I purchased Cotman is. because I bought a project book that uses the Cotman colors. I do enjoy learning what the different pigments are made out of and some of the history behind when that pigment began being used. And even some of the things that pigment has been used for besides paints. Pigment is a whole interesting world that I've been oblivious to my entire life!!! If I know something about a pigment is helps me to "make friends" with it and it is no longer just a number. I agree that is isn't necessary to pay attention to the pigment info. So no one should let it get in the way of making and enjoying art.

So comforting to me💖 It’s a bit daunting to put that kind of pressure on myself for ‘need to know’ the minutia of every tiny detail. I’ve been watching as many of your videos as I can during my waking hours😳 Watercolor painting is bringing me so much joy. I’m going thru your Christmas Advent Calendar videos now. Am on number 12! The practice is helping me so much. Thanks so so much for being my watercolor warrior🖌️🎨

I agree with 99% of what you said, the best way to learn is to experiment. It fosters creativity and expressiveness. The only thing I would say is that if you are going to give your art as gifts or sell it, lightfastness matters. I would be pretty upset if I bought a watercolor and had the colors fade in a year or so.

Knowing about pigments won't necessarily make you a better artist. It will, however, make your life easier, give you a better understanding of your materials and save you money. It doesn't take away the fun of experimenting with paints and discovering surprises. It just prevents a particular kind of surprises, like buying a new paint to realise you already have that colour from three different brands

Knowing your pigments will save you a lot of money

I have a lot of expensive watercolors but I’ve found it’s fun to play with the kid packs! More adventurous because I don’t feel like I’m wasting money. The paper is the the one thing I found most important.

Trying to learn all the technical info killed my Joy,. I had multiple projects unfinished, and got crazy-anxious about starting any new watercolor project. But I found the Light again by metaphorically throwing it all up into the air and instead follow my own soul that all I personally need to know is that the pigment is rated as transparent and that my paper is 100% cotton. Thanks for all your teaching, Emma; we love you for it.

I am doing watercolor painting for more than 10 yrs.I am with you 100000000%

Totally agree, enjoy what you see on paper.!! Why do you have to analize and overthink everything.Intuitive vs scientific painting is more fun and enjoyment, works for me.🎉❤

I wholeheartedly admit that I’m a pigment nerd when it comes to discover new brands and to treat myself to new colours. I also like to watch people discovering new pigments and swatching them. However, while in the painting flow I hardly ever think about pigment information. Yes, playing and practicing is the way to go!

I learnt about pigment numbers because it was part of a video on colour. As a newbie to art let alone w/c the info stuck. But when I finally got a better w/c set I didn't look at numbers I simply searched for single pigment split prime pallet. Then when I got them I rearranged their order. Colour swatched them, have no idea of their name or pigment number. My code is simply r(row)1,2 or 3. Then N(number of pan in the row). 1,2,3,etc So I can look at my swatch and go I'd like to use that blue in R1,N5. If I ever want to replace that colour with the same one I'll look at pigment colour number then.

Emma, you are, in my opinion, the number one best person when it comes to mixing colors. I remember a few years ago, you painted Christmas cards using Prang watercolors. My daughter and I followed your tutorial and painted Christmas cards. You have the ability to create or match any color just by mixing paints. You are the best.

Love to see you drop videos 😁 I think a lot of artists have made similar points to my thoughts… I will add however that artists on a limited budget do need to know why they want certain colors. Beginners: spend money on decent paper, mid range brushes, and student grade paint is fine. Having fun with NON-fighty paper is waaaayyy more important. Intermediate: THEN start researching pigments when you Know you are ready for paint that won’t discolor or fade. Thanks for the video Emma 💖

I love pigment kknowledge. Found my fave brands. Playing is important, i use that play to gather knowledge, sketchbook play is good for me as no pressure to produce a "painting". Good paper is a game changer.

The only thing I really care about is the lightfastneaa for pieces of actually sell or gift. Because the bad ones do fade fast. Otherwise, I 100% agree.

I like knowing and learning about pigments so when I see a new color that I like and want to try asI can see if I actually already have it in another brand- or if I can try to mix it on my own. I’d love to try the dusk colors from Rembrandt but it’s just a color mixed with a granulating black I already have . I also like knowing the history of the pigments- Margot Hallac does this really well- as it explains why some colors aren’t available and why some are so expensive. That said, I didn’t start caring about pigments until this past year, and it’s just something to nerd out on.

Well said! I know many artists and I recall one saying, early on her artistic journey, that if she just had a few more colors that she would finally become a great artist. She, of course collected many, many colors. But the reality is ... just jump in and paint. Practice and learn by doing. And last but not least, Do not become discouraged. If you keep practicing, the good things will happen. Great subject. Good paper and decent brushes are so important even in the beginning.

Learning by doing is what I Do Best. Watching you and other artists Do, encourages me to try and experiment it my own art journey. Yours and other artists, has been my classroom. Thank you for your honesty and being real! Karen Dirmish , learner and artist!🌈

It seems that it all depends on a person’s personality. I love the science behind how colors are made. So interesting to me. But I don’t spend a ton of time on it, I’d rather just paint. Now I do know that if people sell their paintings, pigment info is definitely important. Finding out whether a paint is fugitive or not is super important.

For me personally there are a few colors that I need to know the pigment information so that I'm sure that I'm getting what I think I'm buying. However, for the most I just experiment with them to find out what color combinations and mixes I like.

I am a happy beginner and glad you said getting to know about colors by PLAYing with them. Thank you!!! Waiting for your book. It is pushed to Jan now but cannot wait to get it for the new year. ❤❤❤❤

I paint with acrylics and am just learning water colour - I have never looked at pigments. I'm with you, doing is learning

I use them and then wonder why my paintings are dull. It can be because I'm mixing wrong. I had to go back and learn.

I've only ever done research on a color is if i need a specific shade or granulation level or something and I'm on a low budget and i only check for lightfastness if the art is gonna be paid commission work. Moonglow from Daniel Smith is the only color I researched pigment info on because it turned out to be a really nice red/blue pigment mix, making it really fun to play with because anything else you mix it with will be unpredictable. That aside, i just get whatever and have fun. and i thought i was alone on not prioritizing research!

Lightfast rating is pretty much all I pay attention to! If I do something for me, for fun, I don’t even check that. I do purchase more high end paint, just because of how it works for ME. To each their own tho, if you’re paint nerdy go for it!

I love watercolour paints and I go a bit nerdy on them. Guess that is my reason for loving to read about them and do a-lot of research on them. I love research. Then, when I finally get to buy the paint, I have so much joy to paint with them, but: when I paint, I honestly do not think about the pigments in the paint. I go from nerdy researcher to creative and curious artist. I think there is beauty and joy in knowing about paint and in painting with the paint. With this said. Knowing the paint, should not be a requirement to be able to paint. You learn how to do something, by doing the thing! So, if you are a beginner, follow Emma. @Emma. You are a great teacher and you have a lot of passion for what you do. ❤

I did research on HandPrint to develop my palette. Not mad at all. I just wanted technical base to build information upon. So with my palette I don’t get mud, ever

I agree with you!! Just get in there and work with whatever you have. You will learn to adapt as you experiment with different brands. Some will suit your style of painting better than others. Just have fun, get rid of the ones you don't like and enjoy the ones you do. Have a great painting day ❤

When other KZfaq artists start popping off pigment numbers they might as well talk about the timing chain on my car. My eyes glaze over while I lose interest. You'd be amazed about the amount of how much I could care less about pigment numbers. I'd rather spend my time painting. I'm a structural engineer, my day job is technical enough, I don't want to spend my leisure time analyzing paint pigments. Glad you put this subject out there. 😊

I’m totally with you. If your a beginner you may end up falling into the trap of not using certain colors because they are not say transparent, but in the end the only way to know if you like a color is to use it. Also over time your preference can change.

Thank you, love learning tips as I’m just beginning to paint, draw and create again after years of not. I’m fascinated by all the wonderful posts. Thank you

I feel lightfastness is an ethical issue if one sells original work. Otherwise, I agree the fine details may not matter that much. It’s about preferences & skill in the end.

The only things I pay attention to is the richness of the color and lightfastness when I’m planning anything outside my sketchbook. I’ve never been a detail/minutia type person-in fact, that’s what I love about abstract watercolor art! 😂

The way I approach it is somewhere in the middle! No, I don't care to know every little detail about the pigments in every tube of water color and make spreadsheets and Excel charts, but I do care to know which pigments made the tube (or pan) of paint I am about to buy. For instance, If I want a smooth Payne's Grey then I am not going to buy the tube of Payne's Grey made with PB 29 and PBk 11, both of which are granulating. Also, if I am going to sell originals, I am not going to use the blue made with PB27, or Opera Rose, because they are fugitive (although PB27 comes back to its original glory if you put it in the dark!!!) and selling originals that are going to fade on people in two weeks is just........not cool. Unless they are made aware that what they are about to purchase cannot see the light of day and are fine with that, but 99.9% of the time people are purchasing art to display and enjoy. Also, if I want, say, a Cerulean blue, I am not going to buy the tube made with PB 15:3 and PW 6 because I don't like my cerulean blue chalky looking, staining everything in sight, and too strong to mix. But that's just me. I do NOT think that knowing all that info makes you a better artist. Practice makes you a better artist. Knowing all that info doesn't suddenly make you a genius at color theory. Practice does that. As with everything. You don't need to be some pigment scientist to be a great artist and people that suggest so are going to lead a lot of people AWAY from their dreams and passion for art.😊😊

I am a beginner. I already think the watercolour paper is more important and that you need to store it properly. I had a heap go ‘off’. The sizing deteriorated because I live in the tropics and humidity levels vary significantly between the wet season, dry season and the build up. I can use it with other mediums just not watercolours anymore.

Wow, so good to hear someone say it out loud. I want to relax and have fun, all the technical stuff seems like work.