How to Make Watercolor Paint
Have you always wondered how watercolor paint is made?
Before I dived into making my own watercolor paint, I would watch videos on repeat of other paint makers mixing colors. I was mesmerized by it. It was a relaxing process just watching it. I began to grow more and more curious about how it all worked and whether it was something that maybe I could try out.
Once I discovered that making watercolor paint required a few things here and there and that I could access these myself, I purchased the basic tools locally. I am based in New Zealand.
I used Pearl Ex pigment sample size pots, a glass chopping board, palette knives, empty pans and store bought binder. I didn't have a muller at this stage.
I am self taught. I learned by trial and error and it would have been wonderful at the time to have a pal that I could ask for guidance but at that time, I did not know many people in the art community. There was very little online in terms of recipes, guides and videos. There were maybe 2 videos on YouTube back then in 2018 and they were not deconstructed in a way that was easy to understand nor were they purposed for teaching, more so sharing.
Fast forward 4 years, and what a ride!
I have continued to make watercolor paint and now I teach it.
I launched my online watercolor paint making course last year on the platform class101.com This website is where you can purchase courses from and then complete them at your own pace online.
This course is such a great price for the content you get too!
You have access to a choice of purchasing the course with the materials or without.
The course itself encompasses these topics and they are broken down into chapters.
Tools
Color Theory
Real time paint making demonstrations
Shooting your own reference photos I,e,testing the paint
Mixing two pigments together
Mattes pigments - specifically neon pigments
Bonus section - making friends in the art community
Each chapter is super packed with loads of video content with class notes attached that you can watch and even rewatch at your own pace.
During the time that you are a student, you can access my guidance through the student portal by asking questions or commenting on your progress.
If you would like to take this course, all you need to do is click on the link below and purchase the class.
Once you commence the course and want to share your progress, you can share via the platform itself or you can share on Instagram using my hash tag #makewatercolorpaintwithstacey and @stakiwicolours - this is a great way for me to see your progress and share it on my account for others to reach out and connect with you too.
For anyone wanting to learn specific skills regarding making watercolor paint in shorter video format as opposed to a comprehensive course, please do feel to comment on this post with your suggestions.
Some suggestions so far are how to make a paint that separates or how to problem solve with specific pigments that are prone to cracking.
I look forward to seeing you on the course or your suggestions below for more content you'd like to see.
Stacey.