Winsor & Newton Professional Water Colour Tubes (5ml)

Discover everything you need to know in this Video Series: Winsor & Newton Professional Water Colours

Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour tubes use only the purest pigments, ensuring a supreme quality, permanence and strength of colour second to none. Winsor & Newton Professional water colour paints are available in a selection of 96 colours in a choice of pans or tubes, meaning artists can be sure to find a palette to meet their needs. Our YouTube channel is the perfect place to find a Winsor & Newton Professional Water Colour Demonstration.

Depth of Colour

One of Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolours Winsor Blue (Green Shade) has an intense blue depth, which approaches black in mass tone, with a green undertone. Part of the Six Colour Mixing System, it mixes very well with other colours (although care should be taken not to let it overpower your artwork) and when thinned, can be used for glazing with great effect. It is stable, intense and insolvable except in sulphuric acids.

Transparency

During the manufacturing process, pigment is dispersed in Winsor & Newton watercolour in a particular way to promote transparency in the paint. The transparency of paint is vital to allow the paper to shine through the pigments, displaying colour brilliance and excellent mixability. 

Who are Winsor & Newton?

In 1832, William Winsor and Henry Newton introduced the first moist watercolours to the world. Today, Winsor & Newton remain the premier choice for professional and beginner artists alike, offering a wide variety of fine art supplies including: oil, water colour, acrylic and alkyd paints, pastels, artists' brushes, canvases, papers and portfolios.

What is watercolour paint?

Watercolour is produced by the combination of a pigment with a binder, usually Gum Arabic. This is then applied, with water, to a support such as watercolour paper. The pigment fixes to the support upon evaporation of the water.

Water colours are water-based, so brushes used to apply the water colour paint need only mild soap and water to clean them after use. Knowing how to clean watercolour brushes will lengthen their lifespan and ensure you have better quality watercolour brushes in the long run. 

Why use Winsor & Newton professional watercolour tubes?

Watercolour paint is available in two main formats, tubes and pans. What you use is totally up to your personal preference as they are equal in terms of quality. Watercolour tubes are ideal for creating a strong wash quickly and are popular with artists who are producing large-scale work and using a lot of colours. Tube watercolour lends itself to many different techniques, in contrast to pan colours, which are better suited to creating more detailed artwork.

Tube or half pans?

There is no difference in quality between watercolour tubes and half pans, the difference is in the application. One of the main features of the tubes is controlled measurement of use, applying as little or as much as required by the artist. Big spaces are more easily covered using tube watercolours than when using a half pan, and with Winsor & Newton professional watercolours, you can rest assured that the high-quality pigment will be apparent in even the largest of areas.

Designed for ease of travel, half pan colours are perfect to use on the go. Half pans are popular with artists who paint infrequently, as the paints may be left for a long period of time between uses, without affecting their quality. These are great for students or beginners as less preparation and equipment is required for using watercolour pans.

What to do if your Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour tubes dry up?

If left in contact with air, watercolour paint will dry completely. Keeping the caps closed tightly on the watercolour tubes will help prevent the paint from drying up. Once a tube has dried up, the watercolour paint cannot be re-softened. However, the colour may still be used by cutting open the tube and using it in the same way as a pan of watercolour.

This guide offers some Tips On Reusing Dried Watercolour.

What is pigment Phthalocyanine?

Some shades of Winsor & Newton watercolour, such as Winsor Blue, are made of an organic synthetic pigment copper phthalocyanine. The phthalocyanine family of colours were first chemically synthesized in the late 1920s. Having a high lightfastness rating, the paint will stay permanent and not fade or change over time, giving artists reassurance and confidence their work will remain as fresh as the day it was created. This is one of the many reasons why these paints are of professional quality.

What is the Winsor & Newton Six Colour Mixing System?

For artists wanting to explore the colour theory of painting, Winsor & Newton’s Six Colour Mixing System, recommends a primary colour selection of Winsor Lemon, Winsor Yellow, French Ultramarine, Winsor Blue (Green Shade), Permanent Rose and Scarlet Lake.

When only three colours are used, Winsor & Newton advise Winsor Lemon, Winsor Blue (Red Shade) and Permanent Rose as the best selection of primary colours.

Is Watercolour Painting Easy?

Watercolour can be more difficult to use than some other mediums such as acrylic and oil painting. As watercolour paints are much thinner than other mediums, they are not as easy to use and can be harder to control. However, using the right materials and some practice can lead to great results with watercolour painting.

Which surfaces best support Watercolour?

Watercolours rely on the absorbency of the surface. When choosing a Watercolour surface, it is important to consider the absorbency, colour and stability of the paper. Our range of Watercolour Paper & Pads offers an extensive choice of size and style, to meet artists’ every requirement.

Which brushes are best for Watercolour painting?

Watercolour painting requires the brush to hold large amounts of water and paint. Natural hair brushes, particularly Red Sable brushes, tend to be favoured by artists working with Watercolour. With a middle body able to hold a good reservoir of colour, Sable hair has excellent spring and resilience. The hairs are particularly strong at the brush’s fine tip, allowing the brush to be used both delicately and aggressively. Advancements in the production of synthetic hair have resulted in a rise in popularity of Synthetic Watercolour Brushes, especially if price and durability are an issue.

Which techniques work best with Watercolour?

Watercolour is a hugely simple and versatile medium, thanks to decades of experimentation. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, there are always exciting techniques to liven up your work. The following links show some new techniques on how watercolours can be used:

Water Colour Revolution

Techniques For Contemporary Water Colour

Focus On Water Colour Illustration Techniques