Why Potter’s Pink is a Watercolourist’s Secret Weapon

Potter’s Pink (pigment quantity PR233) is a textural, rosy pink pigment that was invented on the finish of the 18th century. This text takes a have a look at the origins of Potter’s Pink, and why it has such a particular function to play in a watercolour palette.

The historical past of Potter’s Pink is as quiet and understated because the pigment itself. It was invented by an unknown potter in Staffordshire sooner or later round 1790, and was launched to the artist market as ‘pinkcolour’ shortly afterwards. Its affect within the discipline of watercolour was important, and for years it was the one lightfast pink pigment accessible to watercolour artists. We are able to see it’s granular pink blush within the under portray by James Smetham (1821-1889):

Watercolour panorama by James Smetham. Nice Britain, mid nineteenth century. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Potter’s Pink is definitely a synthetic mineral pigment made by combining tin oxide, alumina, chromium oxide, lime, and quartz at a excessive temperature. The ensuing combination is completely washed and dried, making a lightfast, earthy pink. Its quartz content material implies that the pigment particles are fairly onerous and irregular, and this contributes to the granular, textural high quality the pigment produces. At this time it’s nonetheless largely used as a glaze for ceramics, however additionally it is a well-liked color on artist palettes– significantly for watercolour artists.

Is Potter’s Pink Solely Obtainable in Watercolour Ranges?

Potter’s Pink is restricted to watercolour ranges with few exceptions– Winsor and Newton supply an acrylic that makes use of the pigment PR233. Daniel Smith make a paint named Potter’s Pink, however they use the Quinacridone pigment PV19 rather than the real PR233 pigment. Typically it’s the case that sure pigments are incompatible with sure binders (Prussian Blue is an instance), however there may be nothing I can discover which signifies that PR233 is incompatible with any binder. The reply might be that it’s merely a reasonably boring pigment– it’s murky, opaque, and weak in tinting power, so maybe this makes it unattractive to artists working in oil and acrylic. Potter’s Pink’s very explicit traits, nonetheless, are revealed when it’s utilized in watercolour.

Why is it so helpful in watercolour?

Potter’s Pink actually is a super-granulating pigment. Granulation is a watercolour impact that sure pigments exhibit when utilized to paper with plenty of water. Pigments with massive and/or irregular pigment particles settle erratically into the feel of the paper, making a grainy, mottled impact that some artists love. It may be harnessed to characterize pure textures, evoke a way of depth, or just as a degree of characterful curiosity in a portray. Granulation may be elevated by portray on tough paper, and utilizing plenty of water within the wash.

The attribute of granulation isn’t evenly unfold throughout all colors. For instance, there are many granulating blues like Ultramarine, Cobalt Blue and Cerulean Blue. There are additionally loads of granulating greens, with examples like Cobalt Inexperienced and Viridian. However throughout the pink spectrum, there are only a few granulating colors. That is the place Potter’s Pink turns into a watercolourist’s secret weapon.

On this case, Potter’s Pink low tinting power is definitely its superpower. Including just a bit to a pink pigment doesn’t considerably change the color, but it surely contributes its granulating texture to the in any other case non-granulating pigment. On this method, it may be used as a type of granulation medium.

If mixing with Potter’s Pink and also you don’t need it’s color to be misplaced, it’s greatest to pair it with equally low tinting pigment. It additionally compliments different granulating colors. When blended with Cerulean Blue, it makes some smooth, textural greys. With Nickel Titanate Yellow it turns into a blushing peach-pink. One in every of my favorite mixtures is Potter’s Pink with Uncooked Sienna, which makes a lovely pink-brown.

Listed here are some suggestions of some Potter’s Pink paints. There isn’t a large amount of variation between manufacturers, however some are deeper and darker than others:

• MaimeriBlu Watercolour– a stunning instance of the color. It may be fairly darkish when used thickly, however washes out into a lovely smooth rose.
• Daniel Smith Watercolour– that is barely browner in hue than different Potter’s Pinks, which some artists may favor.
• Roman Szmal Watercolour – I might normally advocate getting Potters Pink in a tube as it’s simpler to get essentially the most from a delicate watercolour on this type, however this Roman Szmal color rewets fantastically with good color power.

Potter’s Pink can also be a stunning paint to make your self utilizing dry pigment. As a consequence of its quartz content material it’s troublesome to grind easily by hand however, as a result of its granular high quality is what makes it so particular it doesn’t take a lot grinding to produces a stunning, extra-granulating watercolour!

Additional Studying

Pigment Color Index: Purple Pigments

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Is Watercolour Higher in Pans or Tubes?

Pigment Tales: the Enduring Attraction of Alizarin Crimson

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