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What Makes Granulating Watercolour so Special?

Kuo išsiskiria granuliuojančios akvarelės spalvos?

Ieva Tulaitė |

Granulating watercolour is gaining more and more importance in watercolour painting. The surface effect of these special shades is slightly different from that of ordinary watercolour shades. At first you may think that the colours look pale, but this is exactly the effect that certain techniques aim to achieve. We invite you to learn more about granulating watercolour!

 

So, what's behind the term Granulation?

The subtle textures created by granulation are a unique feature of watercolours.

Granulation is the ability of pigments to accumulate on paper.

This concentration of pigments is caused by two different reasons:
1. The heavy pigment particles, such as cobalt or manganese, are settled in the indentations of the paper.
2. Light pigment particles are deposited together by attraction.

Thus, granulating colours, unlike conventional colours, produce wonderful textural patterns due to the accumulation of pigments. The distribution of the pigments may make the colour appear slightly faded, but this is not the case - the pigments do not stay in one place, but are randomly distributed and dispersed on the paper creating a shimmering effect.

 

What kind of watercolour granulates?

Whether a watercolour is granular depends largely on the type of pigments in the paint. The brand and type of paint can also affect the strength of the granulation, as the formula varies considerably between manufacturers. Generally, cheaper, student-grade watercolours are less granular because they tend to have less pigment in their paint formula (pigments are expensive, so lower-quality paints use less pigment).

However, granulation also depends on the pigments themselves. Many traditional pigments such as cobalt, earth pigments, etc. tend to granulate more than modern inorganic pigments. As a result, blue and brown shades are recurrent in the range of granulating colours, but we hardly find any yellow and red shades.

How to mix granular colours?

To enhance the granulating effect and achieve unusual colour changes, simply mix two or more granulating colours together. Pre-testing is recommended as some colours are more dominant (opaque colours - e.g. Cobalt Turquoise) and others have a weaker effect (transparent colours - e.g. Potters Pink). Depending on the mixing ratio and the similarity or dissimilarity of the colours, the granulation effect of the colours also varies. Granular watercolour is the perfect choice for those who like to experiment.

Schmincke Horadam colour mixing example

 

Which paper is the best choice for the granulation effect?


The rule of thumb is: the rougher and more textured the paper, the stronger the granulation effect. At the same time, more absorbent paper needs slightly more water. Satin surface, hot press papers are not suitable for this effect. On cold-pressed or rough watercolour paper, the dispersion of the pigments is even and the pigments tend to soak into the indentations of textured paper. So the thicker and rougher the paper you choose, the clearer the effect of granulation!


Experiment!

Artists using granulating watercolour immerse themselves in a world where spontaneity combines with precision to create interesting details and unexpected colour juxtapositions. If you decide to add granulating watercolour to your range, your creativity will definitely be enriched. So don't be afraid to explore and you'll be amazed where these experiments can take you!


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