4 Reasons Why Handmade Watercolors Are Different
Today, I have a very special guest here to share her insights on handmade watercolors. Stacey Dodd of Stakiwi Colours makes beautiful handmade watercolors out of New Zealand. Her watercolor paints were actually my first introduction to handmade watercolors! I asked her to share some of the differences between handmade and store-bought with us on the blog. I know I definitely learned something new, I hope you do too!
So why handmade watercolors?
It’s a great question! There are so many options out there. When you visit a local art supply store – you won’t find handmade but if you, like me, enjoy shopping online to enable more choice, then I’m sure you’ve come across handmade watercolors at some stage or other. For example, Jackson’s Art and Kremer sell pigments but they also make and sell their own handmade brands too. Another consideration is whether or not handmade is student or artist grade?
Let’s unpack this together!
My name is Stacey and I make and sell watercolors, otherwise known as Stakiwi Colours. I am very happy to tell you a little bit more about handmade watercolors. I have had the opportunity to sample a large variety of handmade watercolors by other makers too. I have had the opportunity to work with artist grade and student grade store bought watercolors. So, I feel that I am in a safe position to give you my honest opinion.
See below a photo of store-bought Winsor & Newton (left) versus my own handmade watercolors (right).
The W&N is student grade but for student grade, they are often the first place a beginner watercolor artist will start with, hence why I chose them.
For comparison purposes, each colour used is the same: Cadmium Red and Cadmium Yellow.
Can you see the difference in pigmentation and saturation? You will notice a significant difference because handmade watercolors are artist grade quality - highly pigmented and lightfast.
Left: Winsor & Newton, Right: Stakiwi Colours
NO FILLERS & PRESERVATIVES
Firstly, handmade watercolors include no fillers and preservatives (unless stated by the maker). Because of this, this means that handmade are simply pigment and binder (Gum Arabic or Acacia Gum). Sometimes Glycerin is used as a softener (humectant) for certain pigments that require a lot of moisture when setting. Glycerin is not always used with every pigment such as shimmers (mica) because they do not always require as much moisture and reactivate well without it. The idea is that it enables the watercolors to be more flexible and less prone to cracking.
MADE IN SMALL BATCHES
Secondly, handmade watercolors are generally made in small batches with care taken to ensure setting of each color. Cracking can happen with handmade paints and there could be many reasons for this. If you visit my blog at www.stakiwicolours.com you will learn how you can possibly fix this yourself with ingredients from a local art store. Does cracking affect the paint’s functionality? Generally, no, unless the paint is completely crumbled. Also, it is important to note here that great care should always be taken with caring for your paints of any kind. Exposure to heat and dry conditions will suck the moisture from your paints. Airtight storage in a cool place is ideal. The fridge is another ideal environment too!
PERSONAL TOUCH
Thirdly, handmade watercolors, have a personable touch to them that you will never get from buying store bought. A relationship with the maker itself is a valuable one because this means that if there is a concern or question that you have, I would be confident in saying that a majority of hand-makers will bend over backwards to assist you. Please always be mindful when buying handmade that not every hand-maker operates the same way. Choose someone you feel comfortable with. Depending on the relationship you have with the hand-maker, you may even have the opportunity to influence the colors the maker makes. I am open to feedback so I operate on needs based.
UNIQUE COLOR CHOICES
And the fourth reason that is really unique is the availability of color choice. Even before I started to make my own, I noticed this immediately, in that a lot of the hand-makers have such a fabulous range to choose from. Sometimes, the colors are so unique that not even Daniel Smith has them in their range! Shimmer watercolors are really exploding onto the market lately and the range of choice from hand-makers is unlimited! Store bought will never match handmade in this respect. There are some fascinating granulating and combination pigment color choices that handmade can offer that is far more extensive than any store-bought option. Daniel Smith does some really amazing colors but the range itself is expensive so therefore not as accessible to all. You can buy handmade that is personable and more affordable and it does a fabulous job too!
You know what? I could talk ALL day about watercolors! If you would like to learn more, you can visit my blog. I talk about how to make watercolors and there is a forum which you can join for free to get advice from fellow watercolor makers.
I hope you learnt something new today and maybe I have persuaded you to give handmade watercolors a go. If you have any burning questions, please feel free to comment below or approach me via Instagram or the main website.
Thank you so much for reading!
Stacey
Website: www.stakiwicolours.com
Instagram: @stakiwicolours
I hope you enjoyed today’s post by Stacey. If you have any questions for her, drop them in the comments below or drop her a message on IG!
The world of watercolor paints can be a little overwhelming when you’re just getting into it. As she mentioned above, a great place to start (without breaking the bank) is to begin with a good student grade watercolor like the Winsor & Newton Cotman Series. If you’re not quite ready to dive into handmade watercolors, visit this blog post for some beginner paint suggestions or grab a free copy of my supply buying guide!