Tag: semi-transparent non-staining watercolor

French Ultramarine is a classic, expressive blue prized for its warmth, granulation, and versatility. It is one of the most widely used blues in watercolor because of its ability to create both luminous passages and richly textured darks without overwhelming other colors.

Understanding French Ultramarine on the Palette

French Ultramarine occupies a warm blue position on the color wheel, leaning toward violet rather than green. This placement allows it to create depth and atmosphere while maintaining harmony with both warm and cool colors.

Because it is semi-transparent and non-staining, French Ultramarine excels in layered washes, soft transitions, and passages where subtle color variation and texture are desired. Its warmth makes it especially effective for shadow work and spatial recession.

Pigment Information: What French Ultramarine Is Made Of

French Ultramarine is made from Ultramarine Blue (PB29), a synthetic inorganic pigment originally developed as a replacement for natural lapis lazuli.

Typical characteristics include:

• Semi-transparent
• Warm blue-violet bias
• Strong natural granulation
• Moderate tinting strength
• Excellent lightfastness

PB29 is valued for its stability, predictability, and distinctive textural qualities.

Granulation & Handling Characteristics

French Ultramarine is known for:

• Pronounced granulation
• Soft, broken color in washes
• Expressive texture on cold-press and rough paper

Because it is non-staining:

• It can be lifted more easily than staining blues
• It responds well to rewetting
• It layers beautifully without becoming heavy

These properties make it especially well suited for atmospheric landscapes and painterly techniques.

Why French Ultramarine Works Well in Color Theory Systems

As a warm blue, French Ultramarine:

• Produces rich neutrals with earth colors
• Creates natural shadow mixtures
• Maintains clarity in both complementary and analogous relationships

Its moderate strength makes color interactions easy to control and visually informative.

Color Schemes Using French Ultramarine

French Ultramarine is one of my favorite blues. It is a warm semi-transparent non-staining watercolor that mixes well with other transparent non-staining colors. It is a good color to use as foreground shadows.

Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber complement French Ultramarine when juxtaposed in a composition.

Complementary Relationships

Warm earth colors such as Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber provide strong complementary contrast to French Ultramarine. When mixed, these pairings create a wide range of expressive neutrals ideal for shadows, architecture, and landscape forms.

Analogous Relationships

Sitting between Winsor Blue (Green Shade) and Ultramarine Violet, French Ultramarine supports smooth transitions across the blue spectrum. These combinations are especially effective for skies, water, and atmospheric distance.

Triadic & Expanded Mixing Use

Within broader palettes, French Ultramarine:

• Anchors triadic schemes with warmth and texture
• Softens high-chroma colors
• Supports believable spatial depth

Its adaptability makes it a foundational blue in both limited and expanded palettes.

French Ultramarine Compared to Other Blues

• French Ultramarine: warm, granulating, non-staining
• Winsor Blue (Green Shade): cool, staining, high-chroma
• Cobalt Blue: softer, lighter, more delicate

French Ultramarine offers the greatest balance between texture, warmth, and control.

Best Uses for French Ultramarine

French Ultramarine is particularly effective for:

• Foreground and midground shadows
• Skies and water
• Landscape painting
• Architectural forms
• Expressive, painterly watercolor styles

Limitations of French Ultramarine

While highly versatile, French Ultramarine:

• Cannot achieve the intensity of staining blues
• Granulates heavily on some papers
• Requires layering for deep saturation

These qualities are often strengths when used intentionally.

A Note on French Ultramarine’s Role on the Palette

French Ultramarine brings warmth, texture, and emotional depth to the palette. Its granulation and non-staining behavior make it indispensable for artists who value atmospheric color, expressive surfaces, and nuanced shadow work in watercolor.

New Gamboge is a rich, warm yellow prized for its glow, versatility, and expressive warmth. It bridges the space between cool yellows and oranges, making it especially useful for creating form, light, and dimensionality in watercolor painting.

Understanding New Gamboge on the Palette

New Gamboge occupies a warm yellow position on the color wheel, leaning gently toward orange without losing its clarity. This placement allows it to function both as a luminous yellow and as a natural transition color when moving into warmer passages.

Because of its warmth and moderate strength, New Gamboge is especially effective for conveying sunlight, warmth, and volume—particularly in yellow-to-orange forms where subtle shifts in temperature are essential.

Pigment Information: What New Gamboge Is Made Of

Modern New Gamboge is a convenience color, typically made from a blend of transparent yellow and orange pigments rather than the historical, fugitive gamboge resin.

Typical characteristics include:

• Transparent to semi-transparent
• Warm yellow-orange bias
• Moderate to strong tinting strength
• Smooth, even washes
• Excellent lightfastness (modern formulations)

Pigment combinations vary by manufacturer, so checking pigment codes is always recommended.

Handling & Mixing Characteristics

New Gamboge is known for:

• Smooth, flowing washes
• Warm, luminous mixtures
• Easy transitions into oranges and earth tones

Because of its warmth:

• It creates natural shadows within yellow forms
• It mixes beautifully with reds for glowing oranges
• It pairs well with cool violets for balanced contrast

It performs equally well in direct washes and layered applications.

Why New Gamboge Works Well in Color Theory Systems

As a warm yellow, New Gamboge:

• Balances cooler yellows such as Aureolin
• Creates strong temperature contrast with violets
• Supports believable form modeling in warm subjects

Its position makes color relationships easy to understand and visually satisfying in structured palettes.

Color Schemes Using New Gamboge

New Gamboge is my favorite, warm, yellow semi-transparent non-staining watercolor. It sits between Aureolin and Cadmium Orange on the color wheel.

I like to use it whenever a cheery yellow is called for and when creating 3-dimensional form for yellow-to-orange objects.

Complementary Relationships

Cool violets such as Ultramarine Violet and Permanent Mauve provide strong complementary contrast to New Gamboge. These pairings create visual vibration while also producing rich neutrals when mixed.

Analogous Relationships

Sitting between Aureolin and Cadmium Orange, New Gamboge naturally supports smooth analogous transitions. These combinations are ideal for sunlit passages, florals, fruit, and warm landscape elements.

Triadic & Expanded Mixing Use

Within broader palettes, New Gamboge contributes warmth and light to triadic schemes by:

• Supporting reds in glowing mixtures
• Balancing cooler blues and violets
• Maintaining luminosity in complex color interactions

New Gamboge Compared to Other Yellows

• New Gamboge: warm, glowing, versatile
• Aureolin: cooler, lighter, more transparent
• Cadmium Yellow: opaque, heavier, more direct

New Gamboge sits comfortably between delicacy and strength.

Best Uses for New Gamboge

New Gamboge is particularly effective for:

• Sunlit highlights
• Florals and botanicals
• Fruit and warm still-life subjects
• Creating form within yellow shapes
• Cheerful, expressive passages

Limitations of New Gamboge

While highly versatile, New Gamboge:

• Can overpower cooler yellows if overused
• Requires temperature awareness in mixes
• Varies by brand due to mixed pigment formulations

Used intentionally, these traits enhance its expressive potential.

A Note on New Gamboge’s Role on the Palette

New Gamboge brings warmth, optimism, and dimensionality to the palette. Its ability to bridge yellow and orange while maintaining clarity makes it an indispensable color for artists who value expressive warmth and believable form in watercolor.

Permanent Mauve is a refined, modern violet valued for its clarity, balance, and versatility. Positioned between red and violet on the color wheel, it provides a crucial bridge between warm and cool passages, making it an essential color for structured palettes and expressive mixing.

Understanding Permanent Mauve on the Palette

Permanent Mauve is a SECONDARY VIOLET that maintains strong chroma without overpowering adjacent hues. Its balanced temperature allows it to move easily between floral passages, shadows, and transitional mixtures.

Permanent Mauve offers a cleaner, more controlled alternative to historical fugitive violets, making it reliable for both teaching and professional work.

Pigment Information: What Permanent Mauve Is Made Of

Permanent Mauve is commonly formulated from modern synthetic pigments, often combinations of quinacridone and dioxazine-based pigments (exact formulations vary by manufacturer).

Typical characteristics include:

• Transparent to semi-transparent
• High chroma relative to traditional mauves
• Smooth, non-granulating washes
• Moderate to strong tinting strength
• Excellent lightfastness

These properties make Permanent Mauve highly predictable and easy to control in mixes.

Handling & Mixing Characteristics

Permanent Mauve is known for:

• Clean, luminous washes
• Smooth layering and glazing
• Reliable performance in mixtures

Because it does not granulate:

• It excels in glazing techniques
• It produces even transitions in wet washes
• It maintains clarity when mixed with both warm and cool colors

Its balance makes it especially effective in structured color systems such as the Quiller color wheel.

Why Permanent Mauve Works Well in Color Theory Systems

As a secondary violet, Permanent Mauve:

• Creates clear complementary relationships
• Produces harmonious neutrals with yellows and greens
• Maintains chroma across split-complementary and triadic schemes

Its predictability makes it ideal for artists learning color relationships as well as those working in controlled palettes.

Color Schemes Using Permanent Mauve

I use Permanent Mauve as the SECONDARY VIOLET on the color wheel because it is a pure semi-transparent non-staining watercolor that is perfect for its complementary color listed below.

The following color schemes are based on Stephen Quiller’s “Quiller Color Wheel” and his book “Color Choices: Making Color Sense Out of Color Theory.“

Complementary

The complementary color sits on the opposite side of the color wheel. For Permanent Mauve, the complementary color is:

• Aureolin

This pairing creates luminous contrast and clean neutrals when mixed, ideal for floral highlights and atmospheric shadows.

Split-Complementary

The split-complementary colors are the two colors located on either side of the complementary color on the color wheel. The following are the split-complementary colors for Permanent Mauve:

• Cadmium Orange
• Winsor Green (Yellow Shade)

This scheme offers strong visual interest while maintaining balance between warm and cool passages.

Analogous

Going clockwise on the color wheel from VIOLET to RED, the analogous colors for Permanent Mauve are:

• Winsor Violet
• Alizarin Crimson

These combinations are especially effective for florals, skin tones, and expressive transitions.

Triadic

This Triadic consists of three SECONDARY colors. In addition to Permanent Mauve, the other colors that make up this Triadic color scheme are:

• Viridian
• Cadmium Scarlet

This triad creates dynamic color interaction while maintaining structural harmony.

Permanent Mauve Compared to Other Violets

• Permanent Mauve: balanced, clean, modern
• Ultramarine Violet: granulating, atmospheric, subdued
• Winsor Violet: high-chroma, intense, staining

Permanent Mauve sits comfortably between expressive restraint and chromatic clarity.

Best Uses for Permanent Mauve

Permanent Mauve is particularly effective for:

• Florals and botanical subjects
• Transitional shadows
• Controlled glazing techniques
• Color harmony studies
• Teaching color theory and palette structure

Limitations of Permanent Mauve

While versatile, Permanent Mauve:

• Lacks granulation for textured effects
• Can feel too clean for highly atmospheric passages
• Benefits from pairing with earth colors for added depth

Used intentionally, these limitations become strengths in disciplined palettes.

A Note on Permanent Mauve’s Role on the Palette

Permanent Mauve provides structure, balance, and reliability. Its clarity, modern pigment formulation, and adaptability make it a cornerstone violet in organized watercolor palettes and color theory–driven approaches.