The very first thing you should do when you get your new watercolours home from the Art Store is to make yourself a colour chart. It is very hard to tell just what a colour is like by peering into the tube. You need to see it in a 3-stage wash, from deepest tone, to medium to lightest wash. This is simple exercise to do which also has a couple of other side benefits – you get used to your brushes and the paper you are using at the same time. Simply rule a spare piece of watercolour paper approximately A4 size ( a size that will fit into your work box is a good idea) with a series of horizontal lines about one centimetre apart, now add some vertical lines 2.5 centimetres apart. Sort your paints into colours, all your greens, blues, red etc – this will make it easier to compare them when you are searching for just the right tint. Starting in the top left corner of the page, lay a small amount of your first colour over half the 2.5 centimetre box. Rinse your brush, then using a damp (not wet) brush, and working from the right hand edge of the tiny wash spread the colour into the other corner of the box. The end result should give you three distinct wash grades, going from the deepest tint possible (still keeping it as watercolour, not gouache) to the lightest wash. Write down the name and brand of the colour in the box on the right hand side of the colour. Do this for all the colours in your collection. Leave space in the colour sections to add new colours as you acquire them. In any remaining space, record favourite mixes so you can remember how you made them. Keep you colour chart with your paints- refer to it often, pop it in a plastic sleeve if you don’t want it to get covered in splashes.
This idea works for all media - acrylic and oil paints can be painted onto a small piece of spare canvas. I even make colour charts of my coloured pencil collection. It just makes the process painting or drawing a bit easier and more enjoyable..
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