Wimpy paint? Let’s fix it!

Hi Friends! Do you have a tube of watercolor that just doesn’t do it for you? Do what the big brands do and goose it! Punching up the color with another pigment can help you get more useable paint.

For this tube of Potters Pink, I wanted a deeper color and I wanted to reduce the shininess of the binder and increase the flow and re-wettability. I added Turner Mars Violet to deepen the color and keep the heavy granulation and reduce the gloss from the binder as the MV is very matte in finish. I added a small touch of QoR Quin magenta to increase re-wettability and flow. I added W&N Permanent rose because that was the undertone I wanted.

Regrets? I have a few, OK 1. I should have picked a different QoR color because that pink was too vibrant for the look I was after and because it fills in the space around the granulating color it reduces the overall effect. I definitely recommend only mixing up a small amount and adding a tiny amount of colors because it’s very easy to overdo. That said, if you have a color that doesn’t work for you why not give it a try and see if you can improve it. It’s yours to do with what you wish! Bonus tips: Cut up your test papers for embellishments and bookmarks and save your paint caps when you use up a color in case another cap breaks. Happy crafting!