The FALL 2022 BOTANICAL PALETTE outlets of 6 Half Pans: Artisanal Watercolors Made by hand with Love and Honey, in Burlington, Vermont

The FALL 2022 BOTANICAL PALETTE of 6 Half Pans: Artisanal Watercolors Made by hand with Love and Honey, in Burlington, Vermont

Nestled in a tin are the following half pans of handmade watercolors:

WELD (Reseda luteola, also known as Dyer's weed)
LOGWOOD (Haematoxylum campechianum)
MADDER (Rubia tinctorum, one of the oldest tradition dyestuffs known)
GUATEMALAN INDIGO (Indigofera guatemalensis)
BRASS (alloy of copper and zinc)
QUEBRACHO YELLOW (Schinopsis lorentzii, derived from the Quebracho trees of Paraguay, sustainably harvested)

Brass is a genuine mineral purchased in Montreal.
The botanical colors in this collection are all derived from plants and, as such, they are not generally considered lightfast; they are perfect for sketchbook work or work you plan to scan and print, but you need to be careful to shield the originals from direct sunlight or they may fade over time.

All pigments are mixed into watercolors using my personal binder of gum arabic (made with the sap of the acacia tree), vegetable glycerin (derived from plant oils), outlets local Vermont honey, and a few drops of essential oil of southern Italian bergamot.

Each batch of paint I make is quite small and the amount in each pan may vary slightly according to the degree to which each pigment shrinks. With certain colors, cracks and some tackiness, as well as dimples, are normal and do not affect the quality of the paint. You will surely notice that the colors are so highly pigmented that a tiny amount goes a very long way and I hope these colors will give you many hours of creative pleasure. In between painting sessions I recommend letting your watercolors air dry thoroughly before closing the palette lid in order to prevent mold. Some colors tend to dry out more than others, especially natural earths; if the cake of color should slip out of the pan, you could just put it back in and keep using it or do the following: put a few drop of water inside the empty pan; replace the cake of paint inside it loosely; wait a few minutes for the paint to soften a bit and then push the cake of paint firmly inside the pan. If you use your colors regularly this is not likely to happen, but if the colors dry out in between painting sessions just repeat this process as necessary. The pans have a small magnet attached to their bottom, which makes them stick to the tin but also lets you rearrange the colors to your liking.

Please note that my watercolor pans are not individually wrapped: just open the tin, place a few drops of water on each color, wait a couple of minutes, and you are ready to paint. Please message me with questions or comments at any time.