A core watercolour palette: how to build one from eight colours
Build a balanced working palette from six split primaries and two purposeful earth colours.
Materials
Materials
Lightfastness in watercolour: which pigments fade and which hold
A practical guide to watercolour lightfastness ratings, permanent pigments and the checks worth making before a paint enters a lasting palette.
Materials
Single-pigment watercolours: what they are and why they mix better
A practical guide to identifying single-pigment watercolours, mixing more predictably, and using convenience colours with intention.
Materials
Granulating pigments in watercolour: what causes it and how to use it
A practical guide to why watercolour pigments granulate, how paper and handling affect the result, and how to encourage or reduce it.
Materials
Watercolour half pans vs tubes: which format suits how you work
Choose between watercolour pans and tubes by scale, brush access, portability, refilling and the amount of paint you use.
Materials
Five essentials for a watercolour travel kit: what to pack for plein-air painting
Build a practical travel kit around five needs: paint, brush, paper, water and small tools.
Getting Started
Returning to watercolour after a long gap: what has changed and what has not
If you are returning to watercolour after years away, the instincts you built are still there. What has not kept pace is your picture of the materials, and that gap is worth closing before you spend any money.
Materials
Sizing in watercolour paper: what it does and why it matters
A practical guide to watercolour-paper sizing, absorbency, washes, lifting and how to test an unfamiliar sheet.
Materials
Cotton vs wood pulp watercolour paper: is the difference worth the price
Cotton is worth paying for when lifting, glazing or heavy wet-in-wet work will push the sheet. Wood pulp remains a sensible choice for studies and practice.
Materials
How to stretch watercolour paper: when it is worth doing
A practical guide to when stretching a loose watercolour sheet is worth the preparation, and when a block or heavier paper may be enough.