Making more watercolor because it's fun.

[eller]

My newest watercolor-making experiment! Producing this stuff at home is a lot of work, but hey, it gets me some colors not commercially available, so... XD



I wanted a supergranulating multi-pigment color that unmixes when you use it very wet, and I think it worked just fine! On rough (Torchon) paper, it creates these interesting effects. I think I'm going to use it a lot in landscape sketches!

Comments

Re: Thoughts

[eller]

"How long does it take?"

Forever. :/ As in: it took a few weeks. I soaked the pigments in alcohol before grinding (to avoid hazardous dust, because my home is not a chemistry lab and I don't have the necessary air filters), then I mixed the binder (mainly gum arabic, with some other stuff) into that, and then I had to wait (and stir regularly) for the alcohol to evaporate from the mix before I could start filling the paint into pans. And now, it's going to take another few weeks for that stuff to dry properly. Of course, most of that time is not, strictly speaking, "work time", but still.

"Consider cost also."

Oh, yes. Unfortunately, good handmade paints are EXPENSIVE, all caps. XD And, I mean, there's a reason. When anything goes wrong with the binder... Well, bad handmade paints are all over Etsy, and they are mostly useless. While I don't mind paying for good quality, I also, uhh, use a lot of paint. Which is one of the reasons why I bother making my own. (The other reason is that this stuff makes nice holiday gifts for artist friends, so I can make large batches of the stuff without anything going to waste.) I'm not making any money with this hobby - but saving a lot.

"calligraphy or portraits"

Good point! I mean, I do neither, but I'm sure that would work. :)

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Forever. :/ As in: it took a few weeks. <<

That sounds about right.

>> I soaked the pigments in alcohol before grinding (to avoid hazardous dust, because my home is not a chemistry lab and I don't have the necessary air filters), <<

Hence why people who enjoy making their own paints or dyes often set up a workshop in a garage or shed where they can install a hood fan, if they do enough to make it worth dedicating a space. That also makes sense in hobbies like ceramics where you want shelves for projects in a drying stage.

>> then I mixed the binder (mainly gum arabic, with some other stuff) into that, and then I had to wait (and stir regularly) for the alcohol to evaporate from the mix before I could start filling the paint into pans. And now, it's going to take another few weeks for that stuff to dry properly.<<

Yep. An advantage of filling your own pans is that you can stick a magnet on the bottom and then they're adjustable inside a steel tin:
https://web.archive.org/web/20201105231654/https://www.instructables.com/Movable-Pallet-Altoid-Tin-Watercolor-Set/

>> Of course, most of that time is not, strictly speaking, "work time", but still.<<

At least you can be doing something else most of that time, not leaning over the paint for extended periods. Once you get going, you can have many paints in different stages of development.

>> Oh, yes. Unfortunately, good handmade paints are EXPENSIVE, all caps. XD And, I mean, there's a reason. When anything goes wrong with the binder... Well, bad handmade paints are all over Etsy, and they are mostly useless. <<

Yyyyyeah.

>> While I don't mind paying for good quality, I also, uhh, use a lot of paint. Which is one of the reasons why I bother making my own.<<

Very sensible.

>> (The other reason is that this stuff makes nice holiday gifts for artist friends, so I can make large batches of the stuff without anything going to waste.) <<

I bet that's popular.

>>I'm not making any money with this hobby - but saving a lot.<<

Saving is good.

>>Good point! I mean, I do neither, but I'm sure that would work. :)

Well, if you know anyone who does, it suggest you might want to throw a pan of that into their gift set.

Re: Thoughts

[eller]

"a workshop in a garage or shed"

Ohhh, that would be SO useful, also for my other hobbies - but I don't have one, so... Very careful handling of pigments it is. XD

"stick a magnet on the bottom"

Technically, you could also do that with store-bought pans, but... Yeah. It's more fun when the colors are special. XD I own a few of these cute little tins!

"At least you can be doing something else most of that time, not leaning over the paint for extended periods."

And that's a good thing, seeing how I have a whole life that (unfortunately) does not revolve around watercolor paints. It's a shame! ;) I mean, grinding can take a few hours, depending on the pigment, but that can be done on the weekend, and anything else in the evenings.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Ohhh, that would be SO useful, also for my other hobbies - but I don't have one, so... Very careful handling of pigments it is. XD <<

Careful handling is a good start. For the future, you could watch yardsales, Craigslist, Freecycle, etc. for a used shed cheap or free. Also, the small ones aren't very expensive and don't take up much room -- things meant to store bicycles or a mower -- if you have a small budget and/or yard. It's worth considering how much space you would need, in case you do see one free or cheap.

>>And that's a good thing, seeing how I have a whole life that (unfortunately) does not revolve around watercolor paints. It's a shame! ;) I mean, grinding can take a few hours, depending on the pigment, but that can be done on the weekend, and anything else in the evenings.<<

There's a certain charm to crafts or hobbies where you can get a bunch of stuff set up, then let it do its thing while you work on something else. I do that with terraria. Once asssembled, they require a minimum of care but are fun to look at.