Mis?Adventures in Watercolor-M. Graham watercolors

I've thought for a while that part of the reason I couldn't get the wash effects I was trying for, had to do with my Koi watercolors.  My husband got an Amazon gift certificate and gave it to me, so I decided I would try another brand.  I did a little research, and discovered the M. Graham line.  They are made in my home state Oregon, and use honey as part of their mix, and are all single pigment.  The M. Graham site, and several reviews assured me that the pigments were intense, and the paint stayed moist longer than most brands.

I found a 6-tube set that was only  a little more than my certificate and placed my order.  It hasn't arrived yet, but today I was at Craft Warehouse with a friend (with no intention of spending money mind you) and I decided to see if they carried the brand.  They do--and they were 40% off!!!  These tubes usually run about $10-$13.00 a tube so I had to take advantage.  My set didn't include a blue or a true yellow, so I picked up Azo Yellow, and Pthalo Blue.

So I tried the wet-into-wet wash that I hadn't been able to do before.  *BOOM*  These colors melted into each other!  This scan doesn't do the colors justice.  This picture is the result of wetting the page, adding a small (very small) amount of paint and letting them flow together.  I didn't do anything else.  I may just leave this since it's in my workbook book.


I'm not going to abandon my Koi watercolors by any means.  I'm very happy with them, but now I know their limits.  This next picture is done with a mix of the Koi and M. Graham.   I'm not doing much here, but playing with the flow of the colors, seeing how they do alone and then when mixed. (Those little birds are an exercise you often see to be used for this).

Comments

  1. wow!! that's intense colour, and yet you say the scan doesn't do it justice?? i love wet in wet work. it's beautiful, just like it is!

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  2. You might enjoy trying glazing with the new colors. It is a lot of fun, and really an interesting result. The video is at www.watercolor-painting-tips and done by Mary Ann Boysen. Have fun!

    Susan Art

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