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Description
This is a scan of what I call my color book. It is indispensable and I use it all the time. Everyone who paints should create one, especially watercolor. What I did was take a 11 x 14 spiral bound watercolor paper pad and designated it my color book. The first few pages I cut into 1/3 long strips. Along the top of each strip a drew in a 1 inch black marker strip. Then divided the strip with pencil into 1 inch long blocks. In each block I painted in each color in my paint box. The top is full color and painted over the black marker. Then I diluted to diminishing value. When dry, I added water and rubbed off a strip of paint with a cuetip. Finally I put the name and brand on top of the strip for identification. As I buy new colors, I add to this strip. It is sorted by hue.

What this does is first show me the dry color of the paint in graduating values. The paint over the black marker shows me how opaque this color is. The rubbed off strip shows me the lifting and staining properties of the color.

When I am searching for a color to add to my composition I will lay the separated strips over my work to see what color will work. It makes a great flip chart because the separated panes will lay the color right next to what you are comparing. Also, depending upon what you want to do, with this case, watercolor, I may want to use an opaque or staining color for an effect and I can readily see what this type of pigment will do. It is an indispensable tool for me.

This procedure of cataloging your colors can also be used for colored pencils, acrylic or ink. Whatever have you that you use for coloring traditional art.

Description
This is a scan of what I call my color book. It is indispensable and I use it all the time. Everyone who paints should create one, especially watercolor. What I did was take a 11 x 14 spiral bound watercolor paper pad and designated it my color book. The first few pages I cut into 1/3 long strips. Along the top of each strip a drew in a 1 inch black marker strip. Then divided the strip with pencil into 1 inch long blocks. In each block I painted in each color in my paint box. The top is full color and painted over the black marker. Then I diluted to diminishing value. When dry, I added water and rubbed off a strip of paint with a cuetip. Finally I put the name and brand on top of the strip for identification. As I buy new colors, I add to this strip. It is sorted by hue.

What this does is first show me the dry color of the paint in graduating values. The paint over the black marker shows me how opaque this color is. The rubbed off strip shows me the lifting and staining properties of the color.

When I am searching for a color to add to my composition I will lay the separated strips over my work to see what color will work. It makes a great flip chart because the separated panes will lay the color right next to what you are comparing. Also, depending upon what you want to do, with this case, watercolor, I may want to use an opaque or staining color for an effect and I can readily see what this type of pigment will do. It is an indispensable tool for me.

This procedure of cataloging your colors can also be used for colored pencils, acrylic or ink. Whatever have you that you use for coloring traditional art.