Get the Most from Granulating Colors (you already have!) Watercolor Techniques Video!

Hi friends, it seems like every art supply company is coming out with specialty granulating watercolor sets these days and while they are tempting they are quite pricy and chances are you have many of the colors already. Granulation happens when large pigment particles settle out in wet washes and dry on your paper in intersting textures. The wetter your paper is the better effect you will get. Earth tones containing iron are good granulators, as well as cobalt colors and ultramarine. Most mineral based colors granulate well too and if you mix a mineral based pigment with a dye you get some really pretty color separation and granulation (think of Daniel Smiths most famous mixes like Moonglow and Rose of Ultramarine.)

Today we will use ultramarine blue, burnt umber (or burnt sienna or Van Dyke Brown), yellow ochre and a transparent red-brown to create some muted granulating mixes for these birds on a wire. Let’s paint!

Supplies (affiliate links used)

• Watercolors: Mission gold watercolors at Blick or Amazon

• Strathmore 6″x18″ watercolor paper (Way cheaper at Blick but also on amazon

• Creative mark brushes

• Eraser shield: Blick or Amazon

• Magic eraser

• Water pots (Paint puck) Blick or Amazon.

• Reference

I hope you enjoyed this project and granulation lesson and til next time happy crafting!

PS If you love to paint birds I have a class for that! Check out my Feather’s and Fowl Class!