There’s a unique kind of magic in dipping your brush into a color you didn’t just buy, but carefully crafted with your own hands. Making watercolor paint is a journey back to the roots of artistry, connecting you intimately with the raw materials that translate your vision onto paper. Forget the sterile feel of mass-produced tubes for a moment and embrace the meditative, slightly messy, and deeply rewarding process of transforming pigment and binder into vibrant, usable paint. It’s less complicated than you might think, centering around one crucial step: mulling.
The Essence of Watercolor: Pigment and Binder
At its heart, paint is incredibly simple. It consists of two primary components: pigment (the color) and binder (the glue that holds it together and makes it stick to the surface). For watercolors, the traditional binder is a solution of gum arabic, a natural gum harvested from acacia trees. This binder allows the pigment to be suspended in water and then, as the water evaporates on the paper, it locks the pigment particles in place, remaining water-soluble so you can re-wet and lift the color.
Pigments themselves are fascinating. They can be earthy clays (like ochres and siennas), ground minerals (like lapis lazuli or malachite), or modern synthetic compounds engineered for specific hues and properties. Each pigment has its own personality – some are gritty, some are smooth, some disperse easily, others require more coaxing. Getting to know these characteristics is part of the paint-making adventure.
Gathering Your Tools and Materials
Before you dive in, you’ll need a few essential items. This isn’t an exhaustive list, as preferences vary, but it covers the basics:
- Dry Pigment: Choose pigments specifically intended for artist use. Start with less expensive earth tones perhaps, before investing in costly minerals.
- Watercolor Binder: You can buy pre-made liquid watercolor binder, or make your own using gum arabic crystals or powder dissolved in distilled water. Many recipes also include additives like honey or glycerin.
- Glass Muller: This is a heavy, flat-bottomed glass tool, often shaped like a mushroom or pestle. Its weight and smooth surface are key for the grinding process.
- Grinding Surface (Slab): A thick piece of ground glass, marble, or granite provides the necessary flat, hard, non-porous surface for mulling. Frosted glass offers a slight tooth which can help.
- Palette Knife: A flexible metal spatula is essential for mixing the initial paste and scraping paint together during mulling.
- Distilled Water: Used for making binder and potentially for minor consistency adjustments. Tap water can contain minerals that affect the paint.
- Dropper or Pipette: For adding binder or water precisely.
- Small Jars or Containers: For storing binder and finished paint (or use empty watercolor pans).
- Dust Mask and Gloves: Safety first! Always protect yourself from inhaling dry pigment dust.
The Heart of the Matter: The Mulling Process
Mulling is the physical process of dispersing the pigment particles evenly throughout the binder. It’s not about grinding the pigment particles smaller (they should already be finely processed), but about ensuring every tiny particle is coated with the binder. This creates a smooth, homogenous paint that flows well and has consistent color strength.
Step 1: Preparation is Key
Set up your workspace on a stable surface. Lay down newspaper or a protective sheet if you’re worried about spills (and you probably should be!). Ensure your muller and slab are perfectly clean and dry. Any residue from previous colors will contaminate your new paint. Have your pigment, binder, distilled water (if needed), palette knife, and dropper within easy reach.
Step 2: Creating the Initial Paste
Place a small pile of dry pigment onto the center of your slab. How much? Start small, perhaps a teaspoon or two, especially for your first few attempts. Create a small indentation or ‘well’ in the center of the pigment pile. Now, using your dropper, carefully add a small amount of watercolor binder into the well. Don’t drown it! You want to add just enough to start forming a paste.
Using your palette knife, gently begin incorporating the binder into the pigment. Fold the pigment from the outside edges into the binder in the center. Keep mixing until you have a stiff, crumbly paste. It should resemble something like wet sand or thick putty. It’s crucial to start with less binder than you think you need; you can always add more, but taking it away is impossible.
Handle Dry Pigments Safely. Always wear a fitted dust mask when working with dry pigments to prevent inhalation, as some can be harmful. Work in a well-ventilated area and consider wearing gloves. Clean up any spills promptly with a damp cloth, avoiding dry sweeping which can send dust airborne.
Step 3: The Mulling Motion
Once you have your thick paste, it’s time for the muller. Scrape the paste into a tighter pile in the center of the slab using your palette knife. Place the muller onto the paste. Hold the muller firmly but without excessive downward force – the weight of the muller itself does most of the work. Begin moving the muller in a wide, overlapping figure-eight pattern across the paste. You can also use circular motions, ensuring you cover the entire area of the paste.
Listen and feel. You might hear a slight gritty sound initially. As you mull, this sound should diminish, and the feel under the muller should become smoother and more fluid. The goal is to shear the pigment particles apart and coat them thoroughly with the binder. Periodically (every minute or two), stop mulling. Use your palette knife to scrape the paint that has spread out back into the center pile, also scraping any paint clinging to the sides and bottom of the muller back onto the slab. This ensures everything gets mulled evenly.
Step 4: Checking and Adjusting Consistency
How long do you mull? It depends entirely on the pigment. Some pigments might feel smooth after 15-20 minutes, while stubborn or gritty ones might require 45 minutes or even longer. You’re looking for several signs:
- Smoothness: The paint should feel silky smooth under the muller, with no noticeable grittiness.
- Sheen: The paint should develop a slight gloss or sheen as the binder fully coats the pigment.
- Consistency: It should have a consistency slightly thicker than honey or toothpaste – workable, but not runny.
Test the consistency. If the paint seems too stiff or dry, add binder literally one drop at a time, mulling thoroughly after each addition. If, somehow, it seems too thin (which is less common if you started cautiously), you might try adding a tiny pinch more pigment, but this can disrupt the balance, so careful addition of binder initially is best.
Considering Additives
While pigment and basic gum arabic binder are sufficient, many paint makers incorporate additives for specific qualities:
- Honey: Acts as a humectant, helping the paint retain moisture slightly longer in the pan and potentially re-wet more easily. Use sparingly, as too much can make the paint sticky.
- Glycerin: Increases the paint’s flow and solubility, also acting as a humectant. Again, a few drops are usually sufficient.
- Preservative: Traditionally, a drop of oil of cloves was added to homemade binder to prevent mold growth. However, clove oil can be an irritant for some. Other natural preservatives exist, or ensuring pans dry thoroughly between uses can often suffice for personal use, especially if using distilled water. Commercial binders usually contain preservatives.
If using additives, they are typically mixed into the binder solution before you start the mulling process, though tiny adjustments could potentially be mulled in near the end.
Mulling is Dispersion, Not Grinding. Remember, the goal isn’t to make the pigment particles smaller. The pigment should already be finely ground. Mulling ensures each microscopic particle is fully coated in binder, preventing clumping and creating a stable, vibrant, and smooth paint flow essential for watercolor techniques.
Storing Your Handcrafted Treasure
Once you’re satisfied with the consistency and smoothness of your paint, use your palette knife to carefully scrape it off the slab. Transfer the fresh paint into empty watercolor half-pans or full pans. Tap the pan gently on the work surface to help the paint settle and release any trapped air bubbles. Fill the pan slightly proud (a little mounded), as the paint will shrink as the water content evaporates.
Leave the pans to dry in a dust-free place. This can take several days to a week or more, depending on the pigment, additives, and ambient humidity. The paint should dry to a hard cake. Once dry, your handmade watercolor is ready to be activated with a wet brush!
The Ongoing Joy of Making
Making your own watercolor paints is more than just producing a usable art supply. It’s a process that fosters a deeper understanding of color itself. You learn the quirks and personalities of different pigments, the feel of the paint transforming under the muller, and the subtle effects of binder variations. Each pan holds not just color, but the time, care, and attention you invested. The slight variations, the unique texture of a hand-mulled paint – these become part of its charm and can add a distinct quality to your artwork. So, gather your materials, embrace the process, and discover the vibrant satisfaction of painting with colors born from your own hands.
