Watercolor Light Red …quick demos

Light Red can be an excellent addition to your watercolor painting palette.

Years ago, I’d tried a few. Well, quite alot actually!  And gave up in disgust.

The ones I’d chosen were too muddy.  Too dull. They did not mix and blend well with the other colors on my palette either.

Causing a great deal of mayhem in my paintings. Ever happen to you?

 

 

Watercolor, Better Paints

 

But of course I have done more research, more experimenting and more …purchasing.

Trying to find a Better Light Red. 

 

A Light Red that isn’t dulled.

But vibrant.  Rich and earthy.  One that would be able to mix, to a degree, with some other colors, ie Staining paints.   

A Light Red that is lovely in full strength, and even better diluted down into subtle delicate blushes of color.

 

 

 

Light Red Brands

The 3 watercolor Light Red brands, that I’ve found best fit the criteria:

• Winsor and Newton Light Red pr101
• Blockx Light Red  (mine was in a large porcelain pan) pr101
• Holbein Light Red pr101 pbr25

 

 

 

All 3 have enough good assets and qualities to override the nature of the paint, it is an Opaque.

Opaque watercolor paints are notorious for mud

and for not being good social mixers with other paints.

 

 

 

Uses for Light Red…

Light Red is versatile.

Great for landscapes, trees, shrubs, bark, roads, sand, animals, rocks.

Additionally,  it can be used for skies.  Mixed wet in wet, with another color tapped into it perhaps.

The sky from Dawn Falls, is a great example in my mind  for why Light Red would be perfect to use in the sky.

 

 

 

Art Work Demo Samples

These samples done just prior to the last Master Color class, came out of my course workbook.

They give you a bit of an idea of  a couple of the things you can do with a good, Light Red.