How long do watercolor paintings last

Many people are surprised to learn that I normally use just a half dozen colors, typically phthalocyanine blue, phthalocyanine green, quinacridone magenta, benzimidazolone yellow, Payne's gray, and lunar black. In a few recent paintings, such as "Tilt" detail above , I also used cadmium red, but it's not yet a regular item in my paintbox.

Why work with such a limited range? I find that such a simple palette allows me to get to know the handling characteristics of each paint quite intimately. Some artists with more prodigious memory powers might be able to recall and predict the unique behaviors of twenty or more different pigments and their possible combinations, but for me six is about the limit. I paint on sheets of Arches hot-press watercolor paper stretched onto a plywood backing board. I have only one small sable brush for details -- more often I use large squirrel quills and cheap student brushes.

You can see a demonstration of my painting methods on my blog , if you are curious to learn more about the nuts and bolts of the process. Why do you sign your work backwards? I wrote backwards all the time when I was younger As a left-hander it just felt more natural.

Each painting is also signed on the back. Overthinking , , watercolor. My normal signature lower right is backwards so it doesn't compete with the painted text center. How long does it take you to complete a painting? I normally spend anywhere from one to six weeks completing a watercolor painting. Occasionally, a complex or difficult subject will take longer, sometimes months. Shooting and editing the photographs that I use as source images can also add days or sometimes weeks to the overall process.

Are you the same Paul Pitsker I knew way back when? Do you sell prints of your work? Sorry, no. What if I have another question? Please feel free to contact me directly. And thanks for reading this far! All rights reserved.

This varies depending upon the storage conditions. Moldy watercolors are usually discarded. It may be possible to salvage tubes that are dry or separating. Small tubes of watercolor paint can go a long way. So even if you paint regularly, some of your less used colors may be a couple of years old.

The only information I found was from Schminke and Old Holland. Schminke says their tube watercolors will last 5 years. They also state that the shelf life of pan watercolors is nearly unlimited. Old Holland mentions that their pan watercolor will still be good after 10 years. They even imply they will last so long you can pass them on to your kids.

This post contains affiliate links to Amazon and Blick Art Materials. This means that if you click on a link photo or text link that leads to these sites and make a purchase, I earn a commission at no cost to you. As long as you allow them to dry out before you close the lid, they should last for many years.

You can moisten the paint with a wet brush, or mist the colors with a small spray bottle. Pan watercolors are very convenient which makes them great for painting outdoors. The inside of the lid doubles as a palette. Since pan watercolor paints can last a very long time, most of this article addresses the issues you may have with tube watercolor paints. Even if you have problems with your tubes of watercolors, you may be able to salvage them as I explain below.

Art supply stores will consider dry tubes of watercolor as expired. However, you can carefully slice the tube open and transfer the dry paint to a well of a watercolor palette. If the paint performs normally, you can use it like a pan of watercolor. All tubes of watercolor paint will eventually dry out. This is true even if you never open them. The moisture escapes from the tube somehow, and the paint becomes hard as a rock.

The only solution is to slice into the metal tube and try to peel it away. But, if you decide to try and save them anyway, you will need something sharp to cut the tube open. It may help to use a pair of needle nose pliers to peel the tube material away instead of using your fingers. Once you successfully remove the dry paint from the tube you can store it in a well of a watercolor palette. Then you can use it in the same way you use pan watercolors by adding water to it to soften it.

You can activate the dry paint by adding a few drops of water from your brush, or mist it with water from a small spray bottle. Use your brush to scrub the paint a little to pick up some of the color. Paper tapes or Japanese paper hinges are great for attaching the artwork to the mat board. They are of archival quality and do not leave any permanent effect on the painting. Archival framing essentially is a fully reversible process and does not physically alter the original artwork in any way.

When you go for archival framing, you cannot have too many options for the color. We often use colorful mats to help the art really pop but when it comes to archival framing the choice you have is a bit limited. Archival mats are usually used in neutral tones. If you really want an ornamented art display you can consider going for customized and decorative frames.

They will provide the right combination of glamour and functionality to your art work. Our Sydney custom picture framing services will meet all your framing needs.

If you are using a non-archival frame, you will have to line the insides of the frame where it touches the art with pH-neutral substance. Paintings in watercolor are particularly vulnerable to the effect of external factors like light and humidity. Never hang your painting opposite a window or on a wall where it is exposed to full sunlight for most part of the day.

This will cause colors to fade and the paper to become brittle. The color pigments in watercolors are extremely sensitive and will quickly fade when exposed to the ultra-violet rays in sunlight. You will also be dismayed to see the paper drying out, turning brittle, bleaching out and taking on an ugly yellow hue.

Fluorescent light is also as bad as sunlight for watercolors, so you will have to keep your art work away from it as well. Your gallery expert will tell you that the UV concentration in fluorescent light is the same as in sunlight. You should ideally hang the painting in a room with halogen or incandescent lighting. A low-emission ceiling spotlight is the best to highlight the painting. All places in your home are not suitable to hang art.