I have begun the task or re-constituting my dried watercolours.
I found that the best way was to slice the tube in half, then push the dried bit into a pan and drop some water on. I have labelled the pan with a CD pen. One artist said that he spread a little honey on the base of the pan as honey is often used as an ingredient, but I gave that a miss.
So many of them are really good colours: Quinacridone Red, Series 3A and even the Cobalt Violet which is rather weak and for most delicate painting of flowers, is series 5AA.
I'd love to hear from other people about tubes vs pans. My experiments showed tube paint to be brighter, but I wonder if it would still be if it was squeezed into a pan when wet then used as a pan.
Pans:more convenient
more compact easier for travelling
no problems with drying out
cheaper (and less paint)
difficult to get a decent amount for a large wash
Tubes
colours seem to be more brilliant
just amazing for washes
little lids are fiddly
take up more room, harder to organise
dry out.
I'm starting to think that maybe the way to go is to buy tubes, squeeze half into pans then use the rest in a tube until the tube is finished. If I did enough watercolours I think I'd go for tubes.
Hi there Lyn
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comments and simply have a 'travel' set of water colours which my father gave me an unmentionable time ago.
The Winsor and Newton casing is battered and bent BUT can be slipped into a carry-on bag with a fine pen, 2 paint brushes and a ruling pen. Paper extra!
As far as the tubes go, I think it depends on the colour and make up as to how long one can keep them.
I still have one or two tubes from our first Denys workshop, but certainly have replenished with favourite colours from time to time. Use a pair of pliers for the silly tops and perhaps your idea to empty a portion of the tube into a small pan is another way to go.
Whatever the thoughts - colour is FUN!AMM