Watercolor Dirtbag
This granulating Primatek color made from real Green Apatite is a similar hue to Sap Green, with interesting green and brown granulation. Like Jadeite, it has a tendency to separate with some strokes being a pale yellowy mint green and some strokes being a gray-brown olive. Experiment Results Gradient: Very wide ranges of values from … Read more
Jadeite Genuine is one of Daniel Smith’s Primatek colors, meaning it’s made from the actual mineral it’s named for: in this case, Jadeite. I tried this one out to see if I might like to use it as a granulating green for foliage and other situations where green texture might be appreciated.
Made from the heavy metal cobalt, this is a true neutral blue that’s neither green-toned nor purple-toned, and is a perfect shade for clear blue skies.
Serpentine is a Primatek color, meaning it is make from the actual rock Serpentine. A granulating, earthy yellow-green with sienna flecks. Experiment Results Gradient: A very smooth granulating gradient. The color doesn’t get very dark, but it does go from a vibrant avocado to a pale, muted lime wash. At each one of these steps, … Read more
PGYS is a highly-staining, highly-transparent, classic grass or emerald green, more yellow than its brother Phthalo Green Blue Shade (PG7).
Payne’s Gray is a blue-toned dark gray (or, in some brands, a navy blue). Different companies have different formulations, but the granulating Daniel Smith version pictured above is made from a mix of Ivory Black (PBk6) and Ultramarine Blue (PB29).
Monte Amiata Natural Sienna (initials MANS) from Daniel Smith is my favorite variation on Raw Sienna. Raw Sienna is traditionally a yellow-orange earth tone that’s more orange than Yellow Ochre but less orange than Burnt Sienna. Like Burnt Sienna, it traditionally uses the pigment PBr7. MANS uses PBr7, but looks a bit more like a yellow ochre.
Cobalt Turquoise is a super bright, true turquoise usually made from the pigment PG50 (same as Cobalt Green), though sometimes from PB28 (same as Cobalt Blue) or PB36 (same as Cerulean Blue). In any formulation, it is derived from the heavy metal cobalt.
Every major watercolor company has a version of Opera Pink, that fluorescent, neon, highlighter pink that pops so brightly! An unbelievably neon color, it’s great for pop colors, tropical florals, and gaudy sunsets. The downside? The fluorescence can fade quickly, making this a fugitive color.
Ultramarine Blue is a bright, bold, almost electric violet-blue that is almost always granulating. It typically comes in two flavors: regular and French. French Ultramarine (or sometimes “Ultramarine Deep”) is the more granulating and violet-toned, while the regular Ultramarine is moderately granulating and a bit more medium blue. Some brands also offer a Light Ultramarine or Ultramarine (Green Shade) on the other side of the spectrum.
Let’s start by looking at Da Vinci Ultramarine Blue, a balanced medium color, and then we’ll explore the French and Green shade options as well as other brands.