Materials used for water color paintings

Water color painting is the medium in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in water soluble vehicles.

Materials:

• colorant, normally pigment (an insoluble inorganic compound or metal oxide crystal, or an organic dye fused to an insoluble metal oxide crystal);

• binder, the material that holds the pigment in suspension and fixes the pigment to the painting surface;

• additives, substances that change the viscosity, hiding, durability or color of the pigment and vehicle mixture; and

• Solvent, the substance used to thin or dilute the paint for application and that evaporate when the paint hardens or dries.

The traditional and most ordinary support for watercolor paintings is paper; other supports include papyrus, bark papers, plastics, vellum or leather, wood, fabric, and canvas. A brush consists of three types: the tuft, the ferrule and the handle. A watercolor paper comes in three basic finishes: hot pressed, cold press, and rough.