Here are the results of the Watercolor Pigment Poll, which closed yesterday. The poll asked you to: "Vote for your 8 Absolutely Indispensable Watercolor Pigments." Thanks for voting. There were 147 votes in all.
Most Indispensable Watercolor Pigments
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Antique English inlaid mahogany watercolour box
made by Winsor & Newton around 1850.
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1. Ultramarine Blue—109 votes (74%)
2. Burnt Sienna—76 (51%)
3. Alizarin Crimson—72 (48%)
4. Cadmium Red—68 (46%)
5. Cadmium Yellow—66 (44%)
6. Burnt Umber—58 (39%)
7. Yellow Ochre—57 (38%)
8. Lemon Yellow—48 (32%)
9. Cobalt Blue—45 (30%)
10. Paynes Grey—44 (29%)
11. Cerulean Blue—43 (29%)
12. Raw Sienna—35 (23%)
13. Opaque White—34 (23% (tie))
14. Sap Green—34 (23%)
15. Gamboge—30 (20%)
16. Phthalo Blue—28 (19%)
17. Quinac. Rose—26 (17%)
18. Prussian Blue—23 (15%)
19. Viridian—22 (14%)
20. Raw Umber—20 (13%)
21. Hansa Yellow—17 (11%)
22. Perm. Magenta—17 (11%) (tie)
23. Hooker's Green—16 (10%)
24. Sepia—16 (10%)
25. Bone or Ivory Black—16 (10%)
26. Phthalo Green—11 (7%)
27. Other (in comments)—10 (6%)
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| Winsor and Newton color chart from 1910 |
Fewer than 10 votes
Pyrrole Red
Vermilion Red
Carmine Red
Venetian Red
Scarlet Lake
Cobalt Violet
Perm. Violet
Neutral Tint
Indian Red
Terre Verte
Emerald Green
Perm. Green
Manganese Blue
Lampblack
Conclusions
1. No greens made the top ten. Nor did black or white. Perhaps that's as it should be because it's quite easy to mix greens and blacks, and doing so offers the benefit of attractive variegation in the mixtures. And the question of whether, when, and how to use white—well, that's a whole 'nuther topic.
2. Ultramarine was #1 by a wide margin, and for good reason. It's an extraordinary pigment, nowadays synthesized cheaply by modern chemistry. But centuries ago when they had to mine it in Afghanistan as lapis lazuli, it was more valuable than gold. More about ultra's history here.
3. You could make a good palette out of the top 12. It would include a warm and cool red, a warm and cool yellow, three fine blues, and some good earth colors. You could even get by with a palette made of the top five.
4. Alizarin Crimson was #3, but before you buy it, remember that true Alizarin (PR 83) is prone to fading. Read more at this previous GJ post. But if you're painting in sketchbooks, you don't have to worry as much about lightfastness.
5. You can make a great color scheme out of almost any three pigments chosen at random. The limitation encourages harmony. Check out Nathan Fowkes' recent blog post, where he harmonizes lemon yellow, Venetian red, and ultra.
5. You can make a great color scheme out of almost any three pigments chosen at random. The limitation encourages harmony. Check out Nathan Fowkes' recent blog post, where he harmonizes lemon yellow, Venetian red, and ultra.
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| North America? Courtesy Golden Art Supplies |
A Note about Cadmiums
Cadmium red and cadmium yellow both appeared in the top ten. The cadmium pigments have been the subject of some controversy, because of the toxicity of the pigments, the regulatory requirements governing the manufacture, and concerns over environmental impacts after disposal.
Usage has been dropping, and there have been proposed cadmium bans. Those bans have been successfully opposed in most regions, largely due to exemptions of art supplies from banned products lists, but that may change eventually.
There are worthy modern alternatives, such as pyrrole red and hansa yellow, but they're not as well known.
Previous Poll
I conducted a similar pigment poll back in 2008, without specifying the medium. Back then, most people probably assumed I meant oil paint. The top ten in that poll did include black and white, which are more commonly used by oil painters, but otherwise the results were fairly similar.
Results of the 2008 Poll (which didn't specify the kind of paint)
1. Ultramarine Blue 1802. Titanium White 172
3. Yellow Ochre 161
4. Cadmium Red 158
5. Cadmium Yellow 150
6. Burnt Sienna 150
7. Alizarin Crimson 141
8. Burnt Umber 126
9. Black 98
10. Raw Umber 97
11. Raw Sienna 81
12. Cerulean Blue 79
13. Cobalt Blue 73
14. Viridian 64
15. Naples Yellow 60
16. Sap Green 56
12. Cerulean Blue 79
13. Cobalt Blue 73
14. Viridian 64
15. Naples Yellow 60
16. Sap Green 56
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. It's similar to one called "The Perfect Sketchbook" being 
.
, which are like pencils made of solid pigment, and square pigment sticks called 
. 
makes round water-soluble pigment sticks called 
(shown above)
have a bit more the feel of wax crayons. But they're all a good value because you get a lot of pigment for the price, and although I didn't use them on this drawing, I do use them occasionally for creating rough textures.
I like the fact that it opens flat and I like the horizontal (landscape) format. It has 36 pages—72 if you paint on the facing pages. It has a fake leather hardbound cover, an elastic strap, and a pocket in the back. The paper is 90-pound weight, which is rather lightweight for very wet watercolors, but it's OK if you're doing mostly drawings rather than juicy paintings.
, which is priced about the same as the Moleskine but has better paper — 140 lb (300gsm) cold press, acid-free paper. 
is another alternative with a linen cover. The linen cover is attractive if you want to do a little acrylic or oil painting on the cover.
is a vertical book with 26 pages of cold press 180lb. archival paper. The paper is substantial, but it doesn't open flat easily [Edit: unless you work to press open the binding, which doesn't hurt the book]. It can be held flat with clips. If you're thinking of working in casein, the heavier paper reduces the chance of impastos cracking.
, is well suited those who prefer a spiral binding. It's bigger, so check to make sure it will fit in your belt pouch or purse.
, which is very opaque. Paint markers also cover fairly well, but they tend to wear off faster. I usually title the sketchbook with a phrase taken from the first page of the sketchbook.
(24 half pans)
opens up to about 5 x 8 inches, which fits the left side of a Moleskine or Pentalic sketchbook. This box will hold 12 half pans or six full pans.
and fill them with tube colors. The empty pans cost only 34 cents each. For students or anyone on a tight budget, you can get the 
for just $30.00. If you have dried up watercolor tubes, don't throw them out; cut them open and scrape out the tar-like pigment to fill empty half pans. Even if they're dried hard you can reactivate them with water once you cut the tube open.
, which you can get for around $15.00. This has a plastic box containing Cadmium Yellow Pale Hue, Ultramarine, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow Hue, Cobalt Blue Hue, Burnt Sienna, Cadmium Red Pale Hue, Sap Green, Burnt Umber, Alizarin Crimson, Viridian Hue, and Chinese White. That's a pretty good assortment, and the quality of the paint is OK. Note that when it says "hue," they're replacing an expensive pigment with a cheaper pigment of a similar hue.
, which is under $20. It includes the brush and fits in your pocket. The case is made of plastic, so you can't use magnets on it, but the lid has mixing wells, which helps if you're laying down larger washes. Two cautions: the lid doesn't open all the way flat, and when the colors are wet they can spill over into each other.
, a small travel brush, and a sawed off brush. The book is the 
with three 
. You could also use a generic 
instead of the Magic Sculpt. The magnets are powerful, so keep them away from your credit card and phone.
, which work well for architectural detail.
, which safely stows the brush tip inside the handle.
. They're the best brand I've found, and stand up to a lot of hard use. For info about filling them with ink, please scroll farther down this post.
white gouache, such as 
and a 
. Of all the clips and clamps that I've tried, these seem to be the most versatile for holding the book open or clipping the watercolor box to the easel.
, which not only catches the shavings, but also has a little flap that covers the hole, so the shavings don't leak out and pollute the pages of the sketchbook. 
and a 
.
, but I also like 
for rich, saturated colors.
. Over the years I have added and subtracted individual colors from the standard set. Below are the colors I take with me most often. It emphasizes warm colors that I like for portraits and animal drawing.
(HB, B, or 2B) for the initial drawing.
looks pretty similar. I recommend that you buy the pack at an outdoor store after you select the contents to make sure everything fits. A quiet zipper and minimal Velcro is a consideration if you plan to sketch in quiet places where you don't want to attract attention.
. The square quick release plate matches the 
quick release plate, so the two are compatable. You can get extra 
to attach to any cameras, easels, or sliders that you want to attach to a tripod to aid quick setup.
is something I carry in the car or in a backpack when I plan to sit. Sometimes I bring an extra to use as a field taboret for art gear. If you want a very compact folding stool that fits in your backpack, and you're lighter than 175 pounds, you might prefer the 
. I'm too heavy for those, and one of them gave out on me once in a museum, but my wife sat happily with no problems, laughing at my misfortune.
which will attach to the tripod and securely hold the plywood. The sketchbook attaches to the plywood base with rubber bands or plastic clamps.
that I sewed onto an old aluminum Pendaflex file folder frame, a holdover from the dinosaur era.
held on with an adustable 
I'm holding a 
, which clips onto the bar for night sketching.
, which is small and light and full-featured. I also use a 
with a 
. For time lapse, I use a 
with a free time lapse program called "Time Lapse Assembler."
. I normally carry between three and five water brushes. One is filled with water, which fills easily under a normal faucet by unscrewing the handle and squeezing the barrel.
(black), and an old bottle of 
. The color in my 30-year-old bottle is mellow blue-black, which I believe is no longer available. The 
is a bolder blue. For a brown color, I use either the 
or the 
, the latter of which has a redder cast. If you mix two colors of ink, you should mix the same brands.
(center of photo above). A 
doesn't always work as well because the tip isn't small enough to fit inside the chamber of an empty fountain pen cartridge or water brush.
(top) for written notes. In the USA, you can buy refill cartridges in black and blue, but it's not easy to find brown or gray or other colors. As with the water brushes, you can refill them with your favorite color. The pen comes with a piston converter insert, but if you don't have one of those, you can refill empty cartridges with the syringe.
come in many colors, and give a constant indelible line, similar to the classic Rapidograph pens. For a brush-style tip, I've used the