Recommended Watercolor Paint List for Botanical Illustration You need only one tube of Orange-Yellow, Green-Yellow, two Earth Colors, one tube of Orange-Red, one tube of Violet-Red, one tube of Violet-Blue, two Green- Blues and Titanium White. (optional)
*This means you will have a total of 11 tubes of paint or 12 tubes if you choose to buy white – but this color is not required. Any combination of brands is fine.
Orange-Yellows Daniel Smith – Hansa Yellow Deep (ST**) Lightfast I PY 65 M. Graham – Arylide Yellow (T) Lightfast II PY 97 Daniel Smith – New Gamboge (ST) Lightfast I PY 153 M. Graham – Cadmium Yellow (O) Lightfast I PY 35 M. Graham – Gamboge (T) Lightfast I PO62
Green-Yellows Daniel Smith – Lemon Yellow (T) Lightfast I PY 175 M. Graham – Hansa Yellow 107 (T) Lightfast II PY 3 Winsor & Newton - Winsor Lemon (SO) Lightfast I PY 175 QoR – Bismuth Vanadate Yellow (ST) Lightfast I PY 184
Earth Colors Choose one from each Category: Category 1 Daniel Smith - Yellow Ochre (O) Lightfast I PY 43 M. Graham – Yellow Ochre (ST) Lightfast I PY 43 Daniel Smith Quinacridone Gold (T) Lightfast I PO 49
Category 2 Da Vinci – Burnt Sienna (ST to O) Lightfast I PBr 7 Daniel Smith – Burnt Sienna (ST) Lightfast I PBr 7 Maimeri – Burnt Sienna (ST) Lightfast I PBr 7 Holbien – Burnt Sienna (ST Lightfast I PBr 7
Cagtegory 3 M. Graham – Raw Sienna (ST) Lightfast I PBr 7 Daniel Smith – Raw Sienna (ST) Lightfast I PBr 7
Orange-Reds Daniel Smith - Organic Vermillion (ST) Lightfast II PR 188 Winsor & Newton – Scarlet Lake (T) Lightfast II PR 188 Daniel Smith – Pyrrole Scarlet (ST) Lightfast II PR 255 Sennelier French Vermillion Lightfast I PR 242 QoR – Pyrrole Red Light (ST) Lightfast I PR 255
Revised July 25, 2016
Violet-Reds Daniel Smith – Quinacridone Rose (T) Lightfast II PV 19 Winsor & Newton – Permanent Rose (T) Lightfast II PV 19 Daniel Smith – Pyrrole Red (ST) Lightfast I PR 254 M. Graham – Quinacridone Rose (T) Lightfast I PV 19 QoR – Quinacridone Red (T) Lightfast I PV 19
Violet-Blues Daniel Smith – French Ultramarine (T) Lightfast I PB 29 Da Vinci – Ultramarine (T) Lightfast I PB 29 M. Graham – Ultramarine Blue (T) Lightfast I PB 29 Winsor & Newton – French Ultramarine (T) Lightfast I PB 29 QoR - Ultramarine Blue (ST) Lightfast I PB 29
Green-Blues Choose one from each category:
Category I Holbien – Cerulean Blue (SO) Lightfast I PB 35 M. Graham – Cerulean Blue (SO) Lightfast I PB 36 Daniel Smith – Cobalt Turquoise (T) Lightfast I PB 36
Category 2 Daniel Smith - Phthalo Blue (T) Lightfast I PB 15:3 Daniel Smith - Prussian Blue (T) Lightfast I PB 27 M. Graham – Phthalocyanine Blue (T) Lightfast I PB 15:3
Greens Phthalocyanine Green (also Thalo or Phthalo Lightfast I PG 36 Green) (T) Winsor & Newton -Viridian (T) Lightfast I PG 18 Daniel Smith – Viridian (T) Lightfast I PG18
Titanium White Daniel Smith – Titanium White (O) Lightfast I PW 6 Winsor & Newton – Titanium White (O) Lightfast I PW 6 M. Graham – Chinese White (O) Lightfast I PW 6
Revised July 25, 2016
*There are several excellent brands of watercolor paint not mentioned on this list. This is a shorter list and the brands listed seem to me to be readily available to my students of color mixing in the areas where they live.
I have included the Pigment Designation number because that is the only sure way to buy the color intended: Pigment Red = PR, PB = Pigment Blue, PBr = Pigment Brown, PY = Pigment Yellow, PG = Pigment Green, etc. All paints listed are single pigment paints and not a combination. The written name on the tube of paint does not always reflect what is inside the tube. The Pigment Designation number is reassurance that you have the right color.
**Paints listed have the designation O = Opaque, T = Transparent, ST = Semi- transparent, or SO = Semi-opaque to designate their transparency or opacity.
Revised July 25, 2016