Watercolour Mediums - Jackson's - Golden
Watercolour mediums expand the creative potential of your practice, giving you more control over texture, flow, and blending of watercolour paints.
We stock a wide range of watercolour mediums at Jackson’s. Whether you're using ox gall to improve flow, a blending medium for smooth transitions, or a texture medium to add dimension, watercolour mediums can dramatically enhance your work. Discover the right watercolour medium and transform the way you paint.
Watercolour Mediums: Popular Questions from Artists
What Are Watercolour Mediums?
Watercolour mediums are specialised additives that artists incorporate into their watercolour paints to modify and enhance their properties.
These mediums allow for greater control, versatility, and creativity in watercolour painting by altering aspects such as drying time, texture, transparency, and flow. Key examples of watercolour mediums include:
Gum Arabic: A binding medium that increases the gloss and transparency of watercolours while slowing down drying time, allowing for smoother blending and layering.
Masking Fluid: A latex-based liquid used to preserve white areas of the paper, creating highlights and intricate details by protecting specific sections from paint.
Ox Gall: A flow enhancer that improves the smoothness and spreadability of watercolours, reducing surface tension and helping pigments flow more easily across the paper.
Blending Medium: Facilitates seamless colour transitions and gradients, enabling artists to blend different hues effortlessly.
Granulation Medium: Promotes the natural granulation effect in watercolours, where pigment particles settle unevenly on the paper, adding texture and depth.
Iridescent Medium: Adds a shimmering, pearlescent finish to watercolours, enhancing the visual appeal with subtle light reflections.
Binding Medium: Creates a smooth, watersoluble paste with a honey-like consistency when mixed with dry pigments. If paints are too thick, this medium can be used as a thinner.
Artists use watercolour mediums to tailor their watercolour paints to specific techniques and desired outcomes, offering greater versatility and control over their artwork. By incorporating different mediums, artists can:
Modify Paint Properties: Adjust the drying time, transparency, and flow of watercolours to suit various painting styles and techniques.
Enhance Texture and Depth: Create unique textures, such as granulation or iridescence, and build depth through layering and blending.
Protect Specific Areas: Use masking fluid to preserve white spaces and highlights, ensuring precise control over light and shadow in compositions.
Improve Technique: Utilise blending mediums to achieve smooth transitions and gradients, and ox gall to facilitate the even spread of pigments.
Expand Creative Possibilities: Experiment with different finishes and effects, such as glossy highlights or textured backgrounds, to add complexity and interest to artworks.
Watercolour mediums encourage artists to push the boundaries of their creativity, allowing for a wide range of expressive and detailed techniques that enhance the overall quality and impact of their paintings.
‘One of the great advantages of watercolour is its simplicity. All you need to start painting is water, a brush, and some pans or tubes of colour. But what if you want to take watercolour a little further? Watercolour mediums can help you control how watercolour paint behaves – including its texture, how it flows, how it lifts from the paper, and how fast it dries.’
— Evie Hatch, Studio and Materials Specialist, Jackson's Art Supplies
Watercolour mediums have been integral to the evolution of watercolour painting. While watercolours themselves date back centuries, the development of specialised mediums has allowed artists to refine and expand their techniques significantly.
Gum Arabic: Traditionally used in ceramics and printmaking, gum arabic was adopted by watercolour artists to enhance the binding and transparency of their paints.
Ox Gall: Originating from the bile of cattle, ox gall has been used since ancient times as a flow enhancer in various artistic mediums, including watercolour.
Masking Fluid: Introduced to address the need for preserving white spaces and creating sharp highlights, masking fluid became a staple for artists seeking greater precision in their work.
As the art world progressed, the introduction of modern watercolour mediums like blending and granulation mediums revolutionised watercolour techniques. Today, watercolour mediums continue to evolve, with advancements in formulation and application expanding their applications and creative potential.
At Jackson's Art Supplies, we are committed to providing artists with the highest quality watercolour mediums. Our extensive selection includes premium products from trusted brands, ensuring reliability and excellence in every medium we offer.
- Premium Quality: We stock watercolour mediums from renowned brands such as Schmincke, Sennelier, and Winsor & Newton, known for their superior formulation and performance.
- Extensive Selection: Our range encompasses a variety of mediums, including granulation medium for watercolour, blending medium, and watercolour flow medium, allowing artists to find the perfect product for their specific techniques.
- Competitive Pricing: We offer high quality watercolour mediums at affordable prices, making professional quality supplies accessible to all artists.
- Customer Trust: With a 4.8-star rating on Trustpilot, Jackson's Art Supplies is trusted by artists worldwide for our exceptional products and outstanding customer service.
By choosing Jackson's, you're not only investing in the best watercolour mediums but also joining a community that values quality, expertise, and artistic growth. Explore our comprehensive range to find the perfect watercolour mediums.
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Ready to enhance your watercolour paintings with high quality mediums? Browse our extensive collection of watercolour mediums and discover the perfect products to suit your creative needs. Start your order online today and benefit from our competitive prices, fast shipping, and exceptional customer service.
Need more help? Visit Contact Us and Help & Advice pages for expert guidance on selecting and using watercolour mediums effectively.