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Today, I am so honored to share a special guest, Susan Chiang, from @susanchiang_ on Instagram or her website: https://susanchiang.com/ Susan and I first met when I purchased her Stamp Swatch kit and fell in LOVE with it. It was such a relief to find a swatch stamp template that gave me the information I needed when testing a paint and it is so easy to use and the size is perfect! Today Susan is going to share with you the benefits in making your own swatch library. Please enjoy, I know I have! Hi! I’m so happy and honored to be here guest posting on Stakiwi Colours blog. It is no secret that I fell in love with Stacey’s handmade watercolors after buying and testing out Cinder Rose! She was the first EVER handmade paint-maker I purchased from! I even wrote all about her paints and recorded a video swatching them. In the video, I share paint swatching on small pre-stamped cards. These little swatch cards are how Stacey and I met! We share a love of paints and swatching our colors so if you haven’t gotten into building your own swatch library yet, I’m going to be sharing 3 reasons why you might want to make your own! Reason #1: To Get To Know Your Paints When I started swatching my paints, this was the main reason I did it. I was new to watercolors, I had some paints, and I saw other people swatching them and noting all the paint characteristics. At the time it all felt very technical, and since I didn’t know any better I figured I had better learn about these things, too. I made over 80 hand-drawn 2x2 swatch cards. Swatched all the colors and noted things like: Pigment name + manufacturer Pigment numbers used in the paint Granulating color (yes/no) Opacity Lightfastness Staining (yes/no) In a way, I got to know my paints more technically (even though I don’t have any of it memorized). But what I realized it allowed me to do was to get to know them in the most important way. It helped me determine whether or not I enjoyed painting with the paints! Once you swatch enough colors you really notice that not all paints are created equal. And to me, that is what it means to get to know your paints! Reason #2: To Relax To some, swatching colors may seem tedious, but for me it’s really meditative. While I enjoy creating, sometimes I don’t know what I want to make. Or that I just want to paint but without the pressure to create a “thing”. And that’s when I turn to swatching. Swatching is one of those things you can do while listening to music, an audio, book, or watching tv. It can truly be meditative and allow you to escape to a world of color and paint. Plus, once you’re done, it’s truly a satisfying feeling to see all your colors on cards. There is something very relaxing for the mind to complete repetitive tasks sometimes! Reason #3: To Have A Resource To Reference You can swatch even if you only own 3 tubes of paint. Swatching doesn’t necessarily mean that you OWN all the colors. For me, more than 50% of my swatches are painted from dot cards and samples I’ve received from friends or with my purchases. I love swatching them anyways because I can compare colors across brands and experience the paints to help inform my future paint purchasing decisions. I personally try to be very selective when it comes to adding paints to my collection because I don’t want to get overwhelmed with too many choices of paint colors. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy testing out new colors and trying new paints as I use up my old ones. I found that recently I’ve been looking through all the swatches in my library in order to decide if I want to add any new paints to my collection. There are so many reasons to create a swatch library! Just a few other ideas that other people do with their swatches: To help build their color palette before painting To showcase their hand-made paints (like Stacey does with Stakiwi Colours!) To create cheat sheets of “color mixes” they want to remember (see image below!) I’ve really enjoyed watching my watercolor swatch library grow over time and I’ve been able to keep record of paints from many different brands in many different colors! And thankfully I no longer hand-draw each card because I turned my swatch design into a stamp and now I can stamp it onto watercolor paper! It’s SO much easier! If you’re just getting into swatching and want to draw your own, you can see how I make mine here. If you’re curious about the stamp I made that makes swatching a lot more fun (and less tedious...because who wants to spend time drawing grids…) check out the video here or click here to shop the stamp. And because I love Stakiwi Colours so much, I created a special coupon code just for her readers. Use the code: SWATCHSTAKIWI19 for 10% off any stamp purchase! I hope that this post was helpful and that it inspires you to start your swatch library! Thanks for reading, and thank you Stacey for having me! Susan

Right! This post has been a long time coming. I have had oh so many conversations that ended up with me saying, "Oh, I really should write about that!" and just didn't get around to it because such and such came up SO....here goes! Please note, these are my recommendations. If you are an experienced maker reading this, you may agree or feel differently. But, as this is my blog, I will share my experiences and recommendations based on when I was a beginner watercolor maker. I actually still consider myself a beginner with some pigments and some not. Your experiences may differ depending on these factors : Your environment - humid, cold, dry etc. Said pigments - pigments that are from a different supplier - there are many! Binder recipe - with/without honey or clove (other) oil. A different ratio of water/gum arabic and extra glycerin. Special Note: Comments like, "oh, I never had a problem with that pigment!" are not helpful to a beginner to hear so please refrain from unhelpful comments like this on this blog post only. It is great that you had no issues but these comments unless in a reciprocal conversation or in the forum can make someone question their ability to persevere with said pigment. I have had personal conversations many a time with makers about difficult pigments and it's fine if it's a reciprocal conversation and a discussion that leads to supporting a solution. Friendly Pigments - are lovely to mix into the binder and generally cure well too. Lakes Neons - some behave as lakes Cobalts - especially that lovely Cobalt Teal Yum Yum! Potter's Pink - lovely and creamy! Mica's - some can be very fine but they love to play nice with the binder! Ultramarines Various Ochres Not so friendly pigments - take FOREVER to mix into the binder. Take FOREVER to mull. Do not cure well i.e. cracking, severe shrinkage etc. Prussian Blue - severe shrinkage factor alert! Dioxazine Violet - shrinkage factor Cassell Earth - prone to cracking Carput Mortuum i.e. potential to rub off if not enough binder Phthalos - take awhile to bind Some Iron Oxides (some behave nicely) but they are prone to cracking! Quinacridones - prone to cracking Indigo - takes a while to mull Fluorescents (Neons) - some can be very fine, and take longer to mix. Glow in the Dark - needs a lot of binder, can get quite gluggy Most Cadmiums - mulling and curing times may vary Most historical pigments i.e. sodalite - these are costlier pigments and they require extra TLC (Tender Loving Care) per said pigment in terms of research and rigorous testing to test for rubbing off page, lightfastness etc These lists act as a generalized guide. I have worked with a lot of pigments but I have not worked with every single pigment. I couldn't possibly afford some of the amazing historical pigments. I would love to but there are already some wonderful makers doing a fabulous job with that. On that note, you will notice that most makers will have their own preference for types of pigments they like to work with. I like to mix things up but I also base a lot of my colors on what customers want or are curated by an artist. I have a lot of pigments sitting there waiting to be played with and I call upon them when there is demand from a customer or if it would work in a set. Special Note on mixing multiple pigments Mixing multiple pigments is a great way to achieve specific shades that cannot be purchased as a pigment. For example, Shell Pink. I recently released Pink Lemonade as an approximation of a shell pink. I needed to research first what pigments I could mix together to safely achieve this desired shade. Some pigments do not mix well together due to many factors. As a paint maker, much testing is needed to see how the pigments mix, cure and then perform on paper. Care and patience is required and a little experience as well. If you are a beginner paint maker - I recommend starting with the friendlier pigments and maybe only introduce 1 not so friendly pigment in at a time. This way you can learn how to adapt your binder to pigment ratio and test and see how the paint cures first. It can be a costly exercise if you are making a whole lot at once and not taking the time to study the pigment and how it behaves during the mixing, mulling and curing stages. While you are doing this, keep a notebook nearby to record your observations. Questions to aide with recording observations: How long did it take to mix with the binder? Did the pigment start to thicken quickly? Did it remain nice and runny? How long was the mulling process? How did the pigment pour into the pans? Was it runny, gluggy, inbetween? Did it start to set immediately in the pans? How long did the first layer take to set? Did you notice anything while it was curing? What did it look like once set? Did it crumble? Did it shrink and fall out? Did it set with a glossy shine? Did it set with air bubbles? These are handy questions to ask during the entirety of the process when working with new pigments. You might want to note the conditions of the environment as well such as the temperature. These factors make a big difference. If you are reading this and you don't make paint, I hope that you found this an interesting insight and perhaps maybe you might like to comment on something new that you discovered while reading this. If you are a paint-maker reading this, I hope that this speaks to you on an affirmative level or maybe gave you some helpful pointers for future paint-making endeavors! Many thanks for reading! Stacey.

Welcome to the beginning of a series of Question and Answer sessions completely directed by watercolor enthusiasts like you! I recently hosted a fun giveaway with Susan Chiang @susanchiang_ on Instagram where you were able to pose your handmade watercolor/watercolor painting questions for Susan and I. WELL! The questions were MANY and boy! There were so many great questions. Some that even I didn't think you would want to know. I am just more than happy to share information with you all. I find that by doing so, I also learn more too! I was so impressed by the thoughtful questions that I asked you again through my stories on Instagram, just in case someone missed out on the post! YES! You asked me more fabulous questions. So, what to do? I can't overwhelm you all at once by answering them all in one go. Some questions will require my time and research because I really want to authentically answer the questions and ensure that the information is sound. The Q & A sessions will be one question or supporting question at a time. So, first question to start the series. Why did you start making watercolors? Before I started, I was painting with acrylics and then moved into watercolor. I was using a cheap watercolor set like crayola or maybe unbranded? I found painting with watercolors challenging when trying to work with a limited palette of colors and a lack of time as a mum to mix certain shades. I think I spent up to an hour trying to mix a pastel or flesh shade and it still wasn't right! I got pretty frustrated and went searching online for specific or interesting shades. I stumbled upon shimmer paints and found them quite alluring! At first impression, they were expensive! So, instead I found a cheap set to try out first. They were cheap because A) unbranded and B) barely any paint in the pans! I realized it was time to invest in buying some good quality shimmer paints when I reached the bottom of a few of my pans. I noticed that the branded shimmers were limited in color range so I opted for Handmade instead. I purchased some online and while I waited for them to arrive I did online research about how they are made via YouTube. There were very few YouTube videos and not much online in the way of tutorials. Actually, at that time, there were none. It took 2 months for the handmade paints to arrive for unforeseen reasons and during this time, I had purchased the basic ingredients and made a few myself. When the handmade paints arrived, they were similar to mine, and I decided that I found it more exciting making my own than purchasing them. But please know, I do LOVE LOVE LOVE buying paints but the excitement of making them was something else! I also found that one of the handmade watercolors I had received looked nothing like the swatch I based my decision on and that this was an expensive and disheartening experience. Them blimey filters I reckon! SHORT VERSION: Why did you start making your own watercolors? Because I wanted more range of colors, and shimmers (at that time) and enjoyed the process of making them more than buying them. Thank you for reading the first Q & A session. I kept it simple and I hope each session will follow this method. Please feel free to ask me questions in the comments below. I cannot answer them directly as a reply but I can respond underneath your comment.

Pink. How do you like your pinks? Cool or Warm? Opaque or transparent? Not at all?! I hope you said yes, I will take it ALL please and thank you! I have gone a little out of my comfort zone of greens, blues and teals recently. If you know me well, you know I love my teals. Madly! One day I got to talking with a friend on Instagram about her love for pink, because I was talking about how I'd love to make a shell pink. She suggested I make a pink palette. I mulled on it for a little (haha!) and decided that I would consider it and store it in my recipe wish list of colors I am always dreaming up. Then one day, while I was making up the Neon color, Pink Petunia from the Bright Florals set, I had WAY too much paint left on the slab. I had two choices. Store in a syringe as is or experiment with it. I chose to have a bit of fun, and see if I could make a baby pink. I posted on my Instagram stories the results and the response was really positive. So, from there I committed to the pink palette. Fun fact: I used A LOT of titanium dioxide (white) pigment while making the Pink Palette. If you are a beginner watercolor maker, make sure you have a good supply of titanium dioxide on hand. Titanium Dioxide is otherwise known as Titania or Permanent White. It is THE best white pigment for use in making watercolors for its ability in providing maximum whiteness and opacity. It is of reasonable low cost, has low toxicity, and high hiding power. Hiding power means that it hides the surface of an object. There are many ways to make different pinks whether you are a paint-maker or watercolor artist wanting to work with a minimal palette. It will be tricky and may take time to get the exact pink shades. At times, this can be frustrating and this is why purchasing artist grade branded or handmade watercolors can be a relief for artists who use pinks in their work often. It will save you time and resources. This is a personal choice. Me? I like to have ALL the colors. This is my personal choice. I don't have ALL the colors but I still like the idea that there are specific shades available should I wish to have them in the future. For example, I recently purchased some gouache paints and I bought just the basics such as primaries, a white, black, purple, pink and of course a lovely teal green from Holbein. That's it! I will play with those until I'm more confident and then consider purchasing specific shades. So, what do you need to make pink? Firstly, white. A lot of white! What else? Red. That's it. Start off with a little red, then add white gradually until you get the right shade of pink. The more white you add, the paler the pink. If you want to vary the shade of pink, try adding in a little yellow or a little orange. Maybe change the type of red. There are MANY! Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Red Deep or Light, Quinacridone Red, Magenta or Red/Violet and many many more! So, do you prefer to mix your own colors using a variety of base colors or purchase the specific shades instead? Let me know in the comments below. I LOVE the feedback- even though I cannot respond (current website restriction!)- if I heart it - it means I got your message and I'm sending some LOVE back to you. Stacey.

Hi there fellow watercolor lovers! I am finally going to announce a date for the shop update. My shop is starting to look sad and empty. Thank you so much for your patience while I have been working on finishing the Dark & Stormy Palette pre-orders. It was such a popular set! Thank you so much for your support. I really enjoyed working with Jenni! Besides filling those pre-orders I have had quite a few large custom orders to fill so I have been quietly working my way through those as well as preparing for restocking the shop. I must admit that I haven't rushed the shop update like I normally do because I want to make sure everything is ready to go! Some colors are cheeky and take forever to set! Please read on to find out what to expect from this most recent shop update! Firstly, I am introducing a new size pan. I like it because it is EXACTLY half of a half and therefore a quarter pan. A half pan takes 2mls and the quarter pan takes 1ml. EXACTLY! And that's the end of that math lesson. Moving on! I like these pans because they are fairly comfortable to work with. The size matches the W x L dimensions as the halves. Okay more math, sorry! They are sturdy and easy to use with any paintbrush. So, these quarter pans will become a permanent part of the Stakiwi pan family! Thanks to Laura from @fclub_watercolor_art_supply for these beauties! Three exciting NEW colors will be added to the Stakiwi collection. Dew Drop - an iridescent (ghost) green shimmer Siren - an iridescent (ghost) red shimmer. This one looks like Pegasus but is not the same. Pegasus has a pink shimmer to it. Pixie - this is a duo-chrome mauve/brass shimmer. It will appear a different color on a different background. On dark, it will have a lovely brassy shine whereas on white, it will mostly be a mauve with slight brassy tones. I have another color called Pixie-Dust which is a duo-chrome red/blue shimmer. I added extra glitter to make it extra sparkly! Have you joined in the Mini Pocket Dark and Stormy Challenge? It is open until September 14. The Grand prize includes a bunch of watercolor paints AND an up-cycled watercolor sketchbook. Every time you complete a prompt, that counts as 1 entry towards the draw. Just don't forget that special hashtag so we can find your entry #pocketpaintingstormy Also, if you do not own the palette, check out my blog post before this one. It tells you how to mix the colors with a limited palette. What existing colors will I be restocking? Expect to see a large range of non shimmers coming back into stock. You'll need to be quick though, there's only so many available. I do have swatches available for viewing on my instagram page highlights but I am not happy with the quality of these so my next BIG JOB is to add these to the website. It will be a BIG job but I shall focus on getting this done soon. I think this will be valuable. Expect to see: Hurricane Twilight - Torrential Rain - Holly Christmas - Ruby Slippers- Robin Egg Blue - Jazzberry - Bottle Green - Raglan - Kraken - Parson Black - Strawberry Jam. There are many more that are not quite ready so those can be reserved for another shop update which I would like to follow on as a mini update.Stay tuned for the list of expected colors! I am working on Neons and Bright Floral sets and these are still curing. I will make a special post about these. I am also working on a special collaboration set as well as a Pink set. Shop Update : Thursday 12th September Midday (NZ time)

Hello and welcome! Today will be ALL about the new Dark & Stormy palette. Such a fabulous collaboration with Jenni from @secondjenletters. There are four colors in the set. All originating from Jenni's very clever and creative brain. She guided me with colors and named the set and individual colors. Smouldering Thunder - Torrential Rain - Midnight Purple - Hurricane Twilight In this post I will unpack each color and explain what pigments were used for each color and how you might achieve these colors using your own paint supply. You may not get the exact shade, but an approximate shade is good enough! Midnight Purple. Midnight Purple is a single pigment. Pigment: Dioxazine Violet Classification: Synthetic Organic Colour Index: PV23 Most palettes come with this color or a form of purple. If you do not have a Dioxazine violet, you could add a little bit of black to a purple. If you do not have a purple, then blue + red and add a little bit of black to darken it. This pigment is very fine like that of Prussian Blue or Phthalo. It needs about a ton and half of binder. It really needs a lot of moisture. It is prone to cracking if there is not enough binder or the climate is quite dry. It will go gluggy on the slab and this is your hint to add more binder. It won't take kindly to being stored in a syringe. Best place being an airtight jar. Torrential Rain Torrential Rain is a combination pigment. It combines Antwerp Blue and Slate. Pigment: Slate Colour Index: PBk19 Hiding power: Opaque Pigment: Antwerp Blue Pigment. (Prussian Blue mixed with Blanc Fixe (Barium Sulphate) Colour Index: (PB27, PW22). Hiding power: Transparent. Lightfastness: Good To achieve this color, you would need a semi dark blue and grey. You can mix your own light grey by adding a touch of black to white. You can mix your own darkened blue by adding a touch of black. Ensure that you have more grey than blue mixed. The blue will easily overpower the grey. You want to achieve a teal like grey. Antwerp Blue is a beautiful pigment to work with. It is creamy and binds well. It doesn't appear to require extra binder and sets well. The Slate pigment is grainier and requires ample binder in order to prevent rubbing off the paper. I would recommend not too much Antwerp because it will overpower the slate pigment. Hurricane Twilight Hurricane Twilight is a triple pigment combination. It combines Indigo, Slate and Black Iron Oxide. Slate is mentioned above. Pigment: Indigo; Synthetic from Kremer. Colour Index: VB1 Hiding power: Transparent Lightfastness: Moderate Pigment: Black Iron Oxide Colour Index: Pigment Black 11 (77499) Hiding power: Transparent Lightfastness: Good To achieve Hurricane Twilight - you need to mix indigo, black and slate (grey). You need only a small amount of black to dull out the blue in Indigo. Too much black and it will kill the indigo. If you do not have the color Indigo, it is a mix of blue and purple. Recommended amounts are 1/4 purple and 3/4 blue. I really enjoy working with Indigo pigment in it's synthetic form. It requires ample time for mulling and it sets extremely well. It doesn't tend to require a ton of binder but being generous with the binder is okay too. If you are prepared to work with Indigo, set aside an hour plus or more to mull even a small amount. It mixes well and it is apparent when mulling, when to cease. Mixing these 3 pigments together and getting the balance right is not easy. It requires a lot of swatch testing and seeing how it dries. You do not want to see a straight indigo.You want to see grey peeping out when diluting with extra water. Smouldering Thunder Smouldering Thunder is a triple pigment combination. It combines Indigo, Slate and Black Iron Oxide. You read that correctly. It is exactly the same pigments as Hurricane Twilight but the measurements of each are different in order to achieve a different hue. To achieve Smouldering Thunder - you need to mix indigo, black and slate (grey). You need a larger amount of black in relation to the indigo. Too little black and the color will be more like an indigo. You want lots of grey so that you are achieving a dark grey with a hint of blue. It's very subtle. Again, getting the balance right and avoiding it turning into Hurricane Twilight requires having a dominant amount of black and grey and only a small amount of Indigo. Indigo can be quite a strong pigment even though it is transparent in quality. You want to test this pigment combination thoroughly and you want to see the grey peeping out, once dried on the paper. On it's own, I enjoy working with Black Iron Oxide pigment. It is creamy and mixes well with the binder. It doesn't always set well so ample binder is needed. It can require 4 or more pours when filling a half pan. Storing extra made up pigment is recommended. When mixing these 3 pigments together, they set really well. I have Indigo to thank, as it sets so well. Ensuring that Smouldering Thunder and Hurricane Twilight are mulled long enough and tested for rubbing off the paper. This would be the slate pigment that is grainier and responsible for this. It needs ample binder to prevent this happening. I really hope that you were able to gain an insight and maybe learn something new about a pigment or 2 or how to achieve these colors without owning them. Mixing your own colors can take longer but it is a great lesson in understanding color theory. I personally prefer not to spend time mixing colors for painting purposes - I prefer to have the right shade available at said time. This is my preference. I learn a lot of my color theory through mixing pigments instead. Feel free to leave a comment below telling me something NEW that you read today or maybe it was an affirmation. I LOVE your feedback! Again, special thanks to Jenni for her AMAZING creative brain. Stacey.

This blog post is dedicated to future watercolor maker nerds, and current makers! It will be include an array of tips and hints. I have noticed a lot of you have followed me on Instagram and on the forum and I thank you so much for your ongoing support. What I can say is that I do check you all out, and I gather notes and observations that might make the watercolor making process just a little bit less stressful for you and some things I have noticed will hinder your progress too. If you are reading this and find a tip helpful, please feel free to tag me in a post/story so that I know that my advice is assisting you or leave a comment below. If you are a seasoned watercolor nerd, feel free to add your tips to the comments section. Tip 1: Pouring in layers When pouring a first layer of paint, DO NOT fill the pan to the top. This will encourage air bubbles to form undetected. This can slow down the curing process. The idea is to efficiently cure paints and the best way to achieve this is by doing it in layers. Sometimes it can take anywhere from 2 - 5 layers to completely fill a pan. It is because, as the pigments dry, they lose moisture and shrink while doing so. The binder is essentially a glue, so glue eventually goes hard so the same applies to making watercolors. Tip 2: What to do with leftover paint? Lots of solutions for this dilemma. No one wants to waste precious paint right?! You can store the paint in a jar/container provided it is AIR-TIGHT or you could store it in a plastic syringe provided you put a cap or stopper on the tip to preserve air-tightness. Tips when using a syringe: When storing in the syringe, I put the cap on first and pour into the end without the pusher on and then once filled, I put the pusher in and tip the opposite way to have it sink away from the tip and push up ever so gently to remove the air. Once the air is all gone, you can put the cap on. When re-using again be ever so careful when removing the cap (explosions can occur!!!) I point the syringe at the pan on the ready or onto the slab so it won't matter if it explodes because it can be retrieved safely. Pointing towards the carpet or ceiling is living dangerously my friend! Another solution is to make dot cards that you can use as samples to send to your friends and family to try out. This is a fabulous idea even if you do not wish to sell your paints because it is such a lovely surprise that can easily fit into an envelope. If you wish to sell your paints, it is a wonderful way for your buyers to try out your other colors that you offer. This increases your chances of repeat buyers. Tip 3: Air Bubbles Air bubbles are another common, although normal occurrence when making watercolors. Mica pigments are notorious for harvesting air bubbles. Slowing down the speed at which you mix and mull is the first way to try to decrease the likelihood of air bubbles. A tip shared by Simone from @studioartisjok is to pour your mica paints first before moving onto your non shimmer paints, so that you can be available to pop the bubbles while you mull other paints. For example, I would not advise making mica pigment based paints and then dashing off. The best thing would be to observe them over a period of 0 - 2 hours. I generally notice that after popping so many bubbles, they eventually die off or that said amount of air that was trapped has now reached the surface and escaped. Some non shimmer pigments can form bubbles, no particular type of pigment is at fault here but rather that the speed at which mulling has occurred has encouraged air bubbles to form. You will know to expect them if you see them while mulling. They look like tiny black dots at first. Once poured, you will see them sitting altogether as tiny dots initially before they begin to grow into bigger bubbles. Tip 4: Cracked Paint This is super common and there can be a trillion reasons for this and this is a very difficult scenario to problem solve without knowing your atmospheric conditions, binder recipe, pigment(s) used and method of making itself. If you are NEW to making watercolors, beware of the below pigments! Commonly used pigments that are notorious for cracking include Prussian Blue, Alizarin Crimson, combination pigments, aqua chromium, most of the oxide based pigments, any of the quinacridone pigments, dioxazine violet, some cadmiums, indigo, any Phthalo pigment and glow in the dark pigments. These pigments NEED a lot of moisture therefore an awful lot, if not double the amount of binder than other pigments. They should be runny, not gluggy. If it is gluggy, I add more binder. If it's gluggy I know it'll crack or shrink substantially and fall out of the pan whole or cracked! My tip: experiment with each pigment in relation to your climate conditions i.e. humid or cold conditions and dependent upon your own binder that you use. Store bought binder does not include honey or glycerin. It is only water and gum arabic. Make notes on which ones require more binder than others and adapt to the NEEDS of the pigment. You cannot expect that every pigment will behave exactly the same way each time because any change in the conditions will render a different outcome. i.e. making the same color in different seasons winter versus summer. Tip 5: Pigment rubbing off the paper Two solutions. 1. Mull it longer to enable the binder and pigment to bond better together. How do I know if I have mulled long enough? Answer: stop and test the paint every so often. Paint onto paper, allow to dry, and then conduct the rub off test. i.e. rub your finger onto the swatch and see if there is any pigment on your finger. 2. More binder needed to enable the pigment to bind completely. Thank you if you have read this far! I hope that you have learned something new or maybe an affirmation that you are on the right track. I want you to know that I appreciate you visiting the blog and I hope that you feel welcome to join the forum and share your insights whether success or fail. And to end my post I want to say that I have been making watercolors for nearly a year. In that time I have worked with a lot (but not every) pigment and I have mostly worked closer to full time during my journey into watercolor making. I do not regard myself as an expert, but I do have a lot of experience and I like to share because that is exactly what I needed when I first started out and struggled to find. I am sharing the sorts of things I wish I knew that would have made the process much easier. Some of this knowledge I have gained from many hours of trial and error and some from fellow watercolor makers. To those watercolor makers, thank you for supporting me and promoting genuine community over competition. Some watercolor makers do not wish to share their insights or interact with fellow watercolor makers. I feel this is a personal choice and one that I feel limits them but it is their choice. So to those of you who like to share and promote learning, I thank you. Stacey

Hello fellow watercolor nerds and newbies to this website, This post is dedicated to the topic of Collaborating. Recently, I opened up a question box via my Instagram stories to ask you what you would like to know about collaborating. I left it open to interpretation simply because I know myself that collaborating itself can take on many forms. Firstly, I'll explain why I posed this question. For a while now I have been receiving messages, via DM mostly, asking if I'd like to do a collab with them. The first few times I didn't hesitate to say YES. BUT then what followed was the realization that I'd agreed to something entirely different to my own understanding. It turns out, I've learnt, that there are 3 (and probably more!) kinds of "collaborations" one can do. Did you know this? Because, I didn't? I learnt the uncomfortable way which was not ideal at that time. It was awkward because it made me feel like I'd agreed and pulled out when in fact my understanding was simply just DIFFERENT, not necessarily wrong. So what questions did I get asked? Please explain the whole concept and how we do it? The concept itself means to work with someone(s) to produce or create something. The HOW depends on the type of collaboration itself. In terms of type 1 - this requires a lot of time, effective communication between each other or within a group. In person is ideal or via chat and to use images to capture ideas such as color. It is important to both be on the same page and to have the same understanding. Deciding on a theme for the palette is the first step. Everything will fall into place after that! 3 Types that I am familiar with in the watercolor world: 1 - Create a custom palette or relative products together or as a group. 2 - Establish a giveaway together to boost engagement and share each others follower reach and a much more effective way of advertising in my opinion! 3 - An artist receives free/discounted product and in exchange they post a review in their feed/stories. Are collabs paid? That depends on the company - with me, it's unpaid if option 3. If option 2, I am footing the bill. For option 1 - this is a personal agreement depending on the circumstances whether it could be free or heavily discounted. What have you done when collaborating with others? I have provided my time and materials with regards to making a curated palette. I guide the artist(s) with my knowledge and availability of pigments. I also advise as to whether or not the palette will be 'sellable' - i.e. is it something that would be versatile and exciting? I also try to aim to get the curator to play with the colors prior. This is tricky with distance but even if I can get the sample dots available while the set cures. For me a collab is to join forces to make something that's cool for both, tagging a bigger account just to be seen, is not! In my experience, you can't stop admiring the joint progress and work done. I agree with this, that it needs to be a reciprocal arrangement. Often times, one account will naturally have a larger reach than the other anyway. However, for me, it is the coming together of creative brains to create something exciting that will bring joy to others. What are your expectations when you collab with someone? My expectations are pretty simple. That the other individual(s) share their opinions and guide me towards their vision. i.e. if I get a color wrong, to tell me and redirect me with examples or descriptions. To be available to answer my questions. So online presence is vital. Too much wait time can be difficult especially if I am needing to know if I need to order pigments etc. To support the release of the product via sharing online such as stories or main feed. To maintain a consistent/committed online presence. How to reach out??? and for eg when collaborating on a palette what if conflicting ideas? Generally if there are conflicting ideas, then that there is an allowance for a healthy/constructive discussion about the colors. This should not be an issue if you choose wisely to whom you collaborate with on a palette. This is why I highly recommend you collaborate with someone you know and respect. Someone that you share similarities with. Reaching out, again, if you know each other fairly well, should in effect be either natural or literally like planting a seed. "Hey, we should make a palette together!" Or, "would you be interested in making a palette with me in the future?" How do we propose it? Answered above. Plant the seed through regular interaction. Asking straight out cold/sporadically is bold but what particularly helps is if there is an existing relationship in place or that you have appeared on their radar for a steady amount of time. This demonstrates commitment, loyalty and that you have a regular online presence. If you get no response, that's a clear no. If the person you approached, seems resistant/hesitant then you have two choices. 1. Leave them alone. 2. Get to know them a bit better. Like their posts, comment and respond to their stories more often to create a consistent presence that could lead to potential conversations and getting to know one another. Going in cold with someone that you do not have a close relationship with can be intimidating. Be mindful of this. Also, the other person might just be insanely busy. Do you only collaborate with artists/other paint makers or are you open to other makers? I am open to other makers provided the vision/idea is something that would be appealing. How do you initiate a collaboration? Personally, I have approached artists directly that I have an existing relationship with and brainstormed together a theme, number of colors (can be flexible here) and then colors. Nothing is ever static, things can change. i.e. Adding in a color, taking away a color. There are artists I have asked, and curated palettes have never occurred because they were more familiar with Type 3 - reviewing products for free. This is often the biggest misunderstanding I have consistently encountered with various artists. The idea of curating a palette seemed foreign to them and therefore a collaboration never happened because they were so focused on product review. In their best interest, curating a palette would lend itself to a whole lot more product, choice and positive social exposure. If you would like to learn more about collaborating as a maker with creatives or as a creative with a maker and not sure how, send me a private message on here or via instagram. GOOD LUCK!

Hello fellow watercolor/pigment nerds! Recently on my Instagram account @stakiwicolours - I asked for recommended watercolor related literature. Basically, really AWESOME books! So, this post is dedicated to all the books recommended to me all in ONE place. I did some research and found that Amazon is generally the most affordable because although thebookdepository.com is free shipping, that the books are a little bit more expensive. So, maybe weigh up for yourself what is best for you. I have linked them all below for your ease. Enjoy! If you purchase any of the below. Please feel free to share your feedback either on this post or in the forum. I have gone ahead and ordered a few new books. Currently I am reading The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair. I am loving learning more about each color / pigment and it's history. It's split into chapters by color and then split again into variations of that color like White and then Titanium White or Zinc White. Fascinating! What interesting fun facts have you learned recently? Happy book shopping!!! Stacey.

Hello fellow watercolor nerds! Today I have a special treat for you. Following on from the theme of the binder recipe, and the tools you need to make your own watercolors from home comes a video on how to mull and make your own combination watercolor paint. For this video I made the popular Kraken, from the Mythical Creatures Cool palette. It's a combination of 3 pigments. Making single pigment colored paints is a good place to start out providing that the pigment you are working with is friendly, not stubborn, like Mr Prussian (Prussian Blue). I might point out here that it's one thing to mix and mull a paint but another entirely tricky process of ensuring those paints cure sufficiently. I.e. cracks and excessive shrinkage. This will be an entirely separate post in itself. I find that mulling paint is a therapeutic outlet and a great way to tone those upper arms....no unfortunately it doesn't work! Perhaps I eat too many donuts. Meh! Anyway, I feel that the physical act of mulling is a fairly straightforward procedure. There is no specific rule on exact motions except that you are ensuring that you are moving the pigment/binder and catching those edges where the paint spreads out. A palette knife is a fabulous companion during this process for pulling in those outside edges and mixing that in to achieve an even color. Having an appropriate mulling tool helps aide this process in ensuring that the pigment/binder disperse and "marry' together nicely. The length of time can vary for each pigment and for how many pigments. I believe that the longer the mull, the smoother the blend. So less time can equate to some interesting granulation however be wary that length of time ensures the paint does not rub off the page when used. Testing throughout the process of mulling a paint is a crucial part. If rubbing off occurs, this might indicate either more binder or more mulling is required. Keep testing! Another key part of making watercolor for me, and this is my personal choice, is that I have a loose recipe in mind. I always have my original swatch of the color during the process in the aim of achieving said color however I like to play and explore along the way and find out what happens when I do vary the ratios slightly. I keep a paintbrush and watercolor paper handy at all times to record the different variations and this is how some "accidental" colors emerge. So, I am aware some paint-makers prefer to follow their recipe exactly and that is awesome and time efficient but that is their method and this is mine. My method is experimental, exploration based and playful. Along the way, you will figure out what method suits you. So on that note, enjoy the video..........or my kiwi accent!

What do I need to make my own watercolors at home? Where can I find what I need? You have come to the right place because today I will share with you a basic video overview of everything you need to make your own watercolors. Please note that this is not a "how to" video. This is a "what you need to get started" on the "how to". The "how to" will come soon. I have already shared with you a baseline binder recipe. I had one question asking how many cups Gum Arabic to water? The answer is in the recipe. You need to figure out first what ratio you are working with and apply the ratio rule in the recipe. It says 1 part Gum Arabic to 2 parts water. That means whatever the amount of Gum Arabic you measure, you double it for the water part. For example; if you have 1 cup of Gum Arabic, you add 2 cups of water or 2 cups Gum Arabic to 4 cups of water. Fractions are not everyone's strength I am aware but if you are going to make your own watercolors, please make sure you are confident when applying ratios. (P.S. I hate fractions too!) I spent just about all day on less than 10 minutes of video below. I wanted to make sure it was concise but explanatory. Sourcing your watercolor making equipment may take time so be patient and shop around for comparisons for prices. By far, Jackson's Art Supplies seems to be the most affordable option for international purposes but if you are a US resident, you may find a cheaper source there. I often do not ship much from the US because of the shipping prices. I will for special pigments but that's it. I often ship from China, UK and parts of Europe including Australia. I will try from New Zealand but little ole' New Zealand is fairly limited in options, let alone affordability. Did you know that you can source your own glass sheet locally from a glass warehouse? It will be affordable too. I recommend looking into it. Tool Kit: Non - slip mats - can be bought in rolls and cut to desired length. Thick Sheet of glass with sharp edges covered and roughened surface area. A glass muller or equivalent glass object with a smooth, flat surface. Palette knives - whichever you are most comfortable working with. For mixing and pouring pigment. Measuring spoons for binder and/or pigment measuring. Pans to pour your mulled paint into or alternatives such as sea shells, bottle caps, metal eye shadow palette pans. You can get really creative with this! Safety mask so you don't get high on cadmium. I have no idea if that's possible but yeah, no sniffing that pigment please! Especially if it is something extra special like Authentic Indigo! Pigment - whichever pleases you! So many choices!!!! Binder - you can make your own or buy it pre-made from most art shops. Gloves Paper Towels, Rags or wet wipes for cleaning. Cream cleanser or an abrasive cleanser for cleaning pans, hands and surfaces. Handy for those pesky staining pigments! Notebook and pen for recording your notes, recipes, do not's, do's etc. Watercolor paper and paintbrush for testing colors - the other fun part!!!!! Helpful Links: Muller from Jackson's Art Supplies https://www.jacksonsart.com/search/?q=muller Dimensions of sheet of glass featured - 51cm L x 40 W cm x 4cm D There are many more burning topics I have on my radar BUT is there anything in particular that you are curious about? Let me know in the comments below. Stacey.

If you love color, especially vibrant yummy colors - read on! I have just released a fun and exciting new set that was curated by a very talented friend of mine - Laura Moraiti. If you're not familiar with her I suggest you visit her pages listed at the end of this post. I am inspired by the choice of color she uses within her talented illustrative work. It is a delight to be able to create a palette that embodies her vision. Her vision was to curate a set of colors that are versatile enough to be used in a range of ways. The Blush color was an addition to the palette as mixing a pale skin color can be tricky at times so this saves you the time. Think Buff Titanium with a touch of pink! Here is the set in all its glory. Highly pigmented colors with a wide range. These colors have been tested for use and come with happy reviews. Ultra Blue is a traditional Ultramarine Blue. Pineapple is actually a retired color that is making a return. It is a combination pigment that includes Cadmium Yellow. True Rose is a super pigmented Quinacridone Magenta. A little of this color will go a long long looooonnnng way! Cyan was the trickiest color to create. If you are familiar with the popular Mermaid's Song, then I must tell you that Cyan is the reason for it's existence. I made Mermaid's Song in the process of making Cyan and instantly stopped adding blue pigment because I fell in love big time with Mermaid's Song. Cyan is a similar set of pigments in completely different ratios. I finally nailed it when Laura gave me the tick of approval. When I collaborate with an artist, it is crucial I meet their vision. So now you know a little bit more about the story of the creation behind Cyan and how I collaborate with artists. Perhaps this might be another post to write about if you're interested? Leave me a comment below if you are. Lastly, Blush. Not at all Titanium Buff. It is a sister pigment to my Cinder Rose. The same opaque, super charged pigmented paint. A little of this color will go a long way too! Please enjoy the short clip below. It's very short, so make your dance moves count! The Vibrant Primaries set is available to purchase on the SHOP section of this website. Each set comes in a tin and with a BONUS A5 print of an illustration made by Laura herself using only the Vibrant Primaries palette. A fabulous way to demonstrate the range of colors that can be achieved with only 5 colors. It's like magic! Can we talk about that adorable kiwi for a second? So much love went into this piece of art. It was a complete surprise as to what Laura would create. That wee kiwi has stolen my heart. What a treat to get a piece of art with your palette of new paints! Go and check out Laura's delightful instagram @laumoraiti.illustration She also has a website http://www.laumoraiti.com/ I hope you enjoyed reading a little bit more behind the making of the Vibrant Primaries set. Make sure you are subscribed to my website so that you do not miss out on future posts. Stacey.