Each Sunday for the next few weeks I am looking at my paint “collection.”

OOPS.  I HIT PUBLISH BY MISTAKE AND NO ERRORS.
HOW OFTEN DOES THAT HAPPEN?
SO THIS WEEK’S WILL BE PUBLISHED NEXT WEEK!

Because of this mistake, I am revising this post, pulling some of the
pinks-violet into the post on violet-purples coming later.

Last NEXT week: Tools: Watercolors, 1, Yellow-Orange.

Before we get started, there are colors for mixing other colors — I’d never use them
on my own — and then favorite colors.  Skin tones, stones, shadows —
all these take some odd mixing colors.  Odd for me at least!

NOTE: All paints Daniel Smith (DS) unless it says
otherwise — including the Primatek colors.

First, let’s talk colors that look the same,
have the same pigment structure,
or are called by the same name out of the way:

Sennelier makes a beautiful Quinacridone Red, PR209;
MG makes a muddier version, also PR209.  The muddiness must be the honey binder.
There is also Quinacridone Coral, PR209.
Note these are all a bit different but all PR209!

You don’t want to work with fugitive
paints —  paints which are not
light-fast.  Still, I can’t walk away from Opera Pink, Quinacridone, PR122, though it is fugative.  You’ll see, there is
no other bright clear pink like it!
I’ve bought several Quinacridone pinks looking for it: while they are lovely,
they are not HOT PINK!

To see references on RED and MAGENTA from handprint, click through.

The Keepers:

Which are keepers?  I love Quinacridone Coral and Sennelier Quinacridone RED 679, though both are supposedly PR209.  Anthraquinoid Scarlet, PR168, has a muddy side, but is an excellent brick and building pigment, as is Perylene Scarlet, PR149.  Perylene Red, PR178, is quite opaque, but beautiful, a true red.  If only it were transparent!  Love our first Primatek, Rhodonite, a grainy textural, lovely coral color!

Pale pinks are useful because of skin tones, and of course, Painted Ladies.
Holbein Shell Pink, PO73-PW6, is a mainstay part of skin tones.
I am undecided about Holbein Brilliant Pink, PO209-PW6.

The Rarely or Never Agains:

CARMINE

Sometimes it is a matter of what I will use.  Some I’ve discussed.  MG’s Quinacridone Red, PR209, is muddy and slow drying in the pan.  Sennelier Bright Red 619, a pan color, and Sennelier Carmine 635 PAN are both blah.  I might buy Deep Scarlet, Benzimidazole, PR175, because it is a good brick color.  Greenleaf & Blueberry’s Mayan Red reminds me of Victorian wallpaper: very grainy and swirly, but not in a good way.   Mayan Orange I probably won’t buy again, as it is very close to Vermilion.

In a future next post I will talk about the Mayan Colors…
What they are, what I like and dislike about them.
Must build the collection to discuss!

Pentalic Field Journal, Platinum Carbon pen, and Greenleaf & Blueberry,
Sennelier, Holbein, QoR, M.Graham and Daniel Smith watercolors.

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