Revised Chart: Watercolour Mixing and New W and N

At last, a working version of my Watercolour Mixing Clock, using many of the pigments introduced into the Winsor & Newton (W&N) range during the past few years, is now posted in my WinsorBlue deviantart gallery. It shows how to mix most natural colours from only two of 16 single pigment colour tubes without sacrificing exciting vibrant colour. I will remove the old posts and any obsolete charts with this update, and will post images of my revised colour test cards and some technique ideas (using these paints) later in case that saves valuable painting time for others. All pigments react differently and I have always been grateful for the short cuts other have given in getting to know newer pigments. The revised palette I have settled on is probably not the only possible combination to achieve what I set out to do, but it works for me.

Print available
I do not suggest that you try relying on what you see on screen nor printing out a copy of the Watercolour Mixing Clock image (unless you have a colour calibrated monitor and a very good printer).  I have made it available as a print. If you have time, it's probably best to paint your own version. The print will be from my original photo corrected in Photoshop (1800x2400) and the odd sale might help towards the cost of paint tubes used in the process of completing this project.

16 out of 96
From the current W&N “Artists’ Water Colour” range of 96 tubes, I have ended up with sixteen main colour tubes, plus Raw Umber (retained only for convenience, as it can be mixed). I hasten to add I have not tried every tube in the W&N range – but over 35 years of painting have tried out over half of them at some point (or previous formulations and a number of others that have been discontinued). All the tubes in my new selection are light-fast permanent, single pigments and of good transparency in normal use. They are chosen by position and characteristics to mix a nearly full range of relatively high chroma (‘brilliant’, ‘saturated' ) hues as well as to give improved contrast compared with most palettes recommended by artists in their books or tutorial works. Equally important for me was the ability to mix clear, subtle mid-tone colours, and variations close to and including true black. For those new to transparent watercolour painting, white = no paint. I use natural unbleached rag paper, but then pure white rarely exists naturally!  If you substitute a tube for a different one you will probably have to add more tubes of paint or alter other choices as well. Some of the colours I have chosen are unique to W&N but many are available elsewhere, which is why I give the Colour Index Name (e.g. PY154), since a pigment can be a very different colour depending on how it is processed. Be aware that tubes from different manufacturers with the same colour index do not always yield the same colour. I use shorthand initials (WY for Winsor Yellow) for convenience on my charts, which are detailed in the descriptions of the pigments chosen below.

Simple Pure Colour
By using only two pigments (and in some cases both processed variants of the same pigment) I have banished “muddy” greens, browns, and inaccurate flesh tones/overlays which annoyed me enough to have spent so long working out a better palette and arrive at an easier way of guessing which tubes to mix for exactly the hue, tone and chroma I want.  There are other mixing possibilities, but the chart was already getting crowded. It only hints at a some variations that can be achieved by more or less water in the mix. I usually try out any mixed colour on a bit of the same type of paper and let it dry before use, though that is less important as after getting acquainted with more of the drying characteristics of possible mixtures.

Tone and Chroma
The “Clock” name is a reminder of the light/dark value of mixtures, but the emphasis of my experimentation has been to retain a vibrant colour which often seems to get ignored by watercolour artists or confused with tone/dilution. It will hopefully be of use to fellow watercolour artists who prefer lively, accurate transparent colour, with a high contrast. Due to the limitations of photography, my camera, or lack of skill with Photoshop, the colours in the photo are not as brilliant as the real thing – especially Winsor Yellow.

My Watercolour Mixing Clock is based on hue (12 segments subdivided as commonly used in other colour wheels) but with concentric irregular circles representing chroma, rather than regular ones depicting tone differentiation(light/dark). Tone can be easily altered by dilution, provided that the chroma of the mixture is appropriate.  One or both of the colours used to mix the hue usually need to be of a dark tone, which is why light and dark tones are separately identified in the chart hue position description. The process of experimentation with the new pigments all started for me with Winsor Blue Green Shade, introduced in 1996, which I first used in about 2003 after inheriting a paint tube with my mother's painting stuff, hence my DeviantART username for colour/technique posts.

Reference system
The segments in my chart are numbered as in a 24 hour clock, with 0:00 as neutral yellow.  The ‘hours’ 0 to 11 represent light colours, while 12 to 23 indicate darker colours. Hence 12:00 is a neutral brown displayed in the same segment as yellow. Such a reference system helps me identify a colour in a pencil sketch or note of something observed. If you are used to normal colour wheels, be aware that in my chart, light low chroma mixtures appear closer to the centre of the clock than darker high chroma hues. The exception to this is the rectangular painted shapes of the pure tube colours, which can hit maximum or minimum chroma in mid dilution but are shown graduating. As sub-dividing each 12th hue segment into 60 is over complex, the last ‘minute’ digit is ignored, e.g. Winsor Green Yellow Shade's hue position (at about ‘half past two’ ) is 2:3. It is usually possible for artists to differentiate each hue segment into 6 subdivisions, but the positions are only indicative. Some reference positions have changed quite a bit from the original Colourwheel Clock I posted, as it became clearer which were true compliments when mixed. The position on the chart of a pigment is not the same as many colour wheels, as the purpose is to provide a mixing aid, using (almost) straight lines. Many pigments cover a range of hue and chroma depending on dilution, and frequently mixtures alter as the paint dries, as I note on my test cards. My chart shows the position of the dry paint, though my test cards will show the position when wet, with an indication of hue or chroma shift written on afterwards. The mid line of each segment is shown on the Watercolour Mixing Clock to aid visual positioning.

Mixing 2 tubes
The irregularly shaped bands allow the  artist to determine which two colours to mix to achieve a hue with a particular chroma, based on (roughly) a straight line between them. The lines aren't perfectly positioned but I would rather paint pictures than re-do the chart yet again! Most mixtures drop in chroma, so a traditional six colour palette can lack vibrancy.  The relative distance of the mixed hue from its constituents rarely indicates the amount of each paint to use, so just experiment. Some pigments have much higher tinting strength than others, which vary depending on which colour each is mixed with. In general the phthalocynanine pigments should be used sparingly in mixtures. Providing a ratio on the chart was abandoned as an idea. It would be very dependent on the exact amount of water used. Some of the colours are not used much, but are vital for accurate colour mixing for some purposes, or some hues (see descriptions below). Those who read my former post will notice Winsor Red has been ousted by the new Deep hue. I tried various combinations of pigments to mix reds, and although both of the Winsor Reds could be almost matched, I retained the deeper hue to give some richer sunset and autumnal orange hues, and as an alternative for use with Winsor Blue Green Shade in sky mixes. I hardly ever needed the higher chroma of the original hue, which was out of balance with the rest of the palette.  

Chroma bands
The bands from the centre outwards divide chroma into 10, with 0 as from 0% to 9% of maximum colour brilliance, e.g. mid dilution Winsor Green Yellow Shade is about chroma 75%, so a full chart code would be 2:3/7. The lower outer area of the chart is cropped, as chroma (in available watercolour paints) is lower across that range and blue-red combinations drop dramatically. Most watercolour artists understand that they need to alter the tone and chroma balance of a composition, but in fact it is often the blues (sky, sea) where the chroma needs reducing. A full range is just not possible across every hue but I believe less compromise is necessary with my new palette. I have not measured the chroma values I give, since I assume how things appear is more important than each pigment's technical chroma. Some figures measured have been published on the internet, but seem to be based on neat paint, rather than a workable medium. Above my chart is a rough indication of the full strength tone value (light/dark, 0-100) of each paint.

Final Palette
Once I got experimenting with some of the new pigments I was surprised how many tubes of my old watercolour favourites got passed on to artistic family and friends. I had used some of these colours for 30 years, so I did not ditch them lightly! Most of my new palette didn't exist 15 years ago, which indicates just how much pigments have developed in recent years.
So, after a lot of fiddling around and trying out new tubes of paint, I have arrived at my favoured palette, which I hope stands a good chance of staying in production. Your palette choice, or use of the colours for particular purposes, may be different if you use a whitened paper, especially for very thin colour such as flesh hues. I haven’t painted flowers studies, which might necessitate a few extra tubes of paint to increase chroma in some areas.  The result of my choices has meant that I have had to start using a “Lifting Preparation” or masking fluid to recover highlights when using phthalocyanine pigments, as they stain the paper I use very strongly.

[TY  11.4/7–0.1/7] Transparent Yellow (Nickel azo PY150) useful wide range, two tone yellow (now with improved chroma and transparency) which entered the W&N range a few years ago and kicked out my previous favourite yellow, Gamboge, which wasn't reliably permanent unless paintings hid in the gloom. Mixes well.
   
[WY  11.5/9–0.0/8] Winsor Yellow (Benzimidazolone PY154) Higher chroma but not as transparent as TY, mixes well and is more permanent than Aureolin in washes. A tiny hint of Winsor Green Yellow Shade pulls the colour to lemon yellow if desired. Only semi-transparent if dense mixture.

[TVY  0:2/1] Terre Verte Yellow Shade (Natural earth PG23) New colour to W&N. Very low tinting strength. Main use identified in my palette is as an excellent combination with highly diluted Winsor Orange Red Shade for a good range of flesh hues (though see also PV).  Be careful not to re-paint (stripes appear), also granulating if wet but less ‘mottled’ appearance if painted into damped paper or highly diluted (at least on the Arches paper I use). Some landscape use, or mixed with a touch of Burnt Sienna. Lifts easily when wet.

[WGY  2:2/6–2:4/7] Winsor Green Yellow Shade (Brominated Copper phthalocyanine PG36) A “must have” green introduced in 1996 that mixes well to make a wide range of greens with other pigments, and useful grey-browns (tree trunks).  Highly diluted with Winsor Orange Red Shade it is useful for shadow flesh tone overlay (or flushed/very pink skin), or with PM for dark skin tones. Granulating if wet but not highly diluted. Stains strongly.

[PG  14:4/2] Perylene Green (Perylene PBk31) Very dark, low chroma green, new to W&N range.  Mixes well with Perylene Violet to make a range of blacks, also useful for  foliage colours in mix with Gold Ochre or on its own for distant trees. Mixed with a much greater amount of Perylene Maroon, and a lot of water, it makes a delicate pink. Use with WOR for dark skin tones.

[WGB  14:5/5–15:1/6] Winsor Green Blue Shade (Chlorinated Copper phthalocyanine PG7) Originally known simply as Winsor Green. Greater tendency to separate in some mixes than the new yellow shade but darker in tone. Retained in palette mainly for dark mid-distance foliage mixes, conifers, also some dark wood/timbers. Stains very strongly.
  
[PhT  3:3/5–15:5/4] Phthalo Turquoise (Copper-free phthalocynanine PB16) A new colour with a wide range in tone and hue as diluted. There is a very big chroma loss as the paint dries but less so in mixtures – makes useful mid-tone greens with Transparent Yellow, and blue/red-greys with Perylene Maroon, P. Violet, and Winsor Orange Red Shade. Useful for seascapes. REALLY stains!

[WBG  4:1/7–16:3/6] Winsor Blue Green Shade (Copper phthalocyanine PB15) This is worth its place in the palette for one reason - sky. It easily beats any other tube of blue colour for this purpose, but it needs toning down and shifting to blue by a hint of Quinacridone Magenta or Winsor Red Deep. It is much easier to control in a graduated wash than other blues commonly used, and has the benefit of a green tinge that is brought out by reducing QM or WRD to zero close to the horizon. With Perylene Maroon it gives an overcast grey sky/clouds, or add TY for a low chroma light turquoise. Stains strongly.

[UG  16:5/5–16:5/6] Ultramarine Green Shade (Complex sodium aluminium silicate containing sulphur PB29) Retained as a vibrant dark true blue but also useful low chroma turquoise/blue-green with Transparent Yellow.  

[QM  8:2/6-20:5/7] Quinacridone Magenta (Quinacridone  PR122) A high chroma pigment useful in mixtures with blues, and as a floral colour. It reduces chroma significantly on drying. It makes some interesting reds with BS and PM

[PV  21:0/2] Perylene Violet (Perylene PV29) New colour and claimed to be unique to W&N. Main identified uses so far in flesh tones in a mix with GO, being  easier to control than TVY+WOR, but lacks the ‘green’ tinge and same range of hues. However, note it is almost at right-angles to that combination in my Watercolour Mixing Clock and so for yellow/pink variations may be preferable.  For sandstone add TY, and use with PhT, WBG or PG for superb range of red or blue greys and blacks.  Highly diluted makes a delicate blue-pink, less vibrant than that from QM.

[WRD 21:3/5] Winsor Red Deep (Pyrrole PR264) Another new unique colour to the W&N range. The colour itself can be mixed from others, but the pigment is useful for autumnal colours mixed with yellows/oranges, and with PG for green-black (see PV for other black variants). The pigment only just keeps its place in my palette as it’s semi-opaque.  A substitute for the brighter Winsor Red is created from QM+WOR.  For a deep rich crimson, choose QM+PM.

[PM 21:3/4] Perylene Maroon (Perylene PR179) A very useful dull red, that mixes well to make a variety of mid-chroma hues on the warm side of the palette. Very big chroma loss on drying, so test all mixtures first.

[WOR 10:1/7-10:3/8] Winsor Orange Red Shade (Pyrrole PO73) Claimed as unique to W&N range replacing Bright Red. Exceptionally bright colour that dilutes well and, as such, is excellent in flesh tones (see above). Essential in this palette also for mixing a wide range of reds and orange hues.  It stains more than usual. Although it is listed as semi-opaque by W&N, I think it is semi-transparent!

[BS 11:0/4] Burnt Sienna (Transparent synthetic iron oxide PR101) This colour needs no introduction. Makes a useful range of tree foliage greens and browns with WGY and WGB.

[GO 11:2/6] Gold Ochre (Synthetic iron oxide PY42) To describe this paint as semi-transparent is perhaps a bit generous, but not critical as I rarely use it in transparent layers . With WGY, this provides a very useful range of mid-chroma foliage greens, and with PG some good grey-greens. It has other landscape ground use with UG & TVY.  As noted above, with PV, it mixes some excellent base skin hues, and combines with other orange/reds for a good range on the warm side of the palette.

[RU 11:3/4] Raw Umber (Natural Iron Oxide PBr7) Retained for convenience to use in landscape base washes (some old dogs can’t give up some old tricks). Can be mixed from other paint combinations and not part of my 16 colour palette.

I hope the above is helpful to you as well as me. Now I can stop fiddling around trying to remember how to mix the colour I want, and start painting!