 WatercolorTalk's Paints
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Watercolor is typically defined as any opaque or transparent paint that is water soluble and mixed with water when painted. Most watercolors are aqueous based and contain a pigment (powdered color or dye) and some kind of glue (typically gum arabic) to form a paste that can be thinned with water. This paint becomes transparent when thinned with water but can also be applied as opaque color if you (or the manufacturer) add white pigment or opaque white filler.
When mixed with a generous amount of water, watercolor can appear as a thin transparent wash of color. As an additional wash is applied, a visual compound of color develops as the underlying color(s) interacts and adds to the upper layers. In a transparent watercolor, the only white spaces will be those areas of the paper that remain unpainted. Consequently, white areas in this type of painting must be carefully planned for and protected against unintentional coloring.
Opaque watercolors appear solid and cannot be readily seen through once they have dried. Gouache, casein, tempera, and acrylic pigments are all designed to remain opaque when applied straight from their containers. If these types of paints are mixed with water, though, they too can appear transparent or translucent.
Most watercolors are available from manufacturers in tube, pan, or liquid format. All have their own attributes and drawbacks, but usually a specific type is chosen for a particular application. As mentioned above, other water-based paints such as gouache or acrylic can also be used as watercolor, again depending on the desired look. For the more initiated, watercolors can be made from scratch, but that route demands much more time, materials, and know-how.
Years ago, watercolors were available mostly in a dry cake format, and this type of watercolor is still available today. These colors are typically partitioned in little tins, some of which contain a limited palette of colors that have a hinged top for storage. Although these colors are effective for small-scale transparent works, the colors must be lathered in the tins with a wet brush in order to pick up the grains of color. This limits the amount of color that can be picked up at any time and isn't particularly good for brushes either.
Since watercolor can be a dynamic form of painting, colors must be applied quickly and uniformly in order to capture an intended look or atmosphere. Watercolor in dried cake format limits the rate at which paint can be applied, so work must remain small and localized. It is also difficult to pick up enough concentrated color to make opaque areas of color. This type of watercolor is available in many colors and has a nearly indefinite life span (if kept dry when not in use).
Most contemporary watercolorists prefer instead to use moist watercolors that are manufactured in tubes. These are available in a large array of colors from bold hues to subtle shades in tubes of various sizes and grades. They also contain a fair amount of opaque filler for nice, solid coloring. These colors are very convenient to transport and use and, if properly sealed and stored, will last for quite some time.
Perhaps the best appeal of tube watercolor is that large quantities of color can be quickly dispensed and picked up for use in large-scale paintings. When applied straight from the tube, these colors will remain virtually opaque; but if you add some water, they will wash very nicely for semi-transparent effects.
For special types of work, watercolors are also available in liquid form. These dye-based watercolors are designed for effects from dark colors to very transparent, bordering on crystal clear. This form is quite thin and fluid and, if used straight from the jar, the colors will appear strikingly dark and intense but still have a transparent quality because the liquid watercolor contains no opaque filler. If a few drops are placed in a small vessel of water, the resultant tint can be used as an extremely thin and subtle wash.
All watercolor pigments are permanent to various degrees. Some manufacturers rate their pigments with a star system (*** for absolute permanency, ** for excellent permanency, * for fair permanency). Permanence is defined as colors that will remain bright and clear (under normal displaying conditions) long enough for your great grandchildren to appreciate them and beyond.
There are now scores of different colors available to the watercolorist. Some are exotic specialized colors and tints and others are essential for most types of works. The colors that can be created by mixing these pigments are practically unlimited. And in all cases, the quality of today's watercolors is the best that it has ever been.
So grab a few brushes, a handful of colors, and some good watercolor paper and see how these paints flow and interact. The additional guidance of an illustrated watercolor book will get you started on a journey that will bring you many hours of discovery and joy.