Palette MasterHow to mix watercolor paint
In watercolor, water is part of the color. The same two pigments can make a pale wash or a deep, saturated note depending on how much water you add.
Why watercolor mixes differently
Watercolor is transparent. Instead of white paint, the paper gives you light, so you lighten a color by adding water. Colors dry noticeably lighter than they look when wet.
Some pigments granulate, settling into the texture of the paper. Others stain and are hard to lift. Mixing two granulating colors can give a lovely texture, but it can also look muddy if you overwork it.
Ratios that work
Mix in a well, not on the paper, so you have enough for the whole wash. Use two or three pigments at most. More than that tends to go grey. Test every mix on a scrap of the same paper and let it dry before you commit.
How Palette Master handles watercolor
Select watercolor and recipes use watercolor pigments and keep the number of pigments low. Step tips tell you how much water to add and what to watch for. The dry time shown on the Mix screen is about 10 minutes, so you know when to take your photo for the match check.