Granulation

When I set up my watercolor palette I prefer granulating colors. If you aren’t familiar with graduation it is when a pigment separates into the colors used to make that formulation. You need to use a lot of water or granulating fluid for best results. For example, Cascade Green by Daniel Smith, will show the blue and green that make up that tube color. Unfortunately yellows and reds don’t granulate. The sample charts pictured are too small to see the granulation effectively. If you want to test your colors create a bigger swatch. Most artist grade watercolors have a code on the tube to identify whether it granulates. G = granulating, NG = non-granulating. Give them a try. They are beautiful in a juicy watercolor painting.

Planning a watercolor palette.