Wednesday, 24 March 2021
Thursday, 11 March 2021
Schminke Liquid Charcoal
You may wonder why, on a Watercolour Blog, Liquid Charcoal is the subject of this piece? The following will explain why.
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This new product from Schminke isn't a watercolour or is it? There are three variations. Grape Seed Black, Cherry Pit Black and Peach Stone Black. The paints are produced by "charring" the ingredients listed above and combining them with gum arabic. The result is something similar in texture (and smell) to gouache.
The reviewer states they can " be added to a watercolour palette". When I checked the price on Jacksons website I noticed they stated the pigment used was "Pbr8". I then went to the pigment database and this is what it said. "Pbr8 Vine Black is an impure carbon of organic and mineral origin.....It can contain substantial impurities, is very staining and has high tinting strength". Are the "substantial impurities' a problem? `What this means in terms of final result I don't know.
The article introducing this product is on Jacksons - Art in the Studio" blog. This is an excellent blog from Jacksons with regular articles, including much of interest. The article is question is by Evie Hatch followed by a review by a Russian artist called Anna Zadorozhaya. I don't know what her connection is with Jacksons or why they regularly have her reviews, which include Jacksons own brands.
Finally price. This product is available in 35 ml tubes at £17.80p currently discounted to £16,02p. Unless someone can explain otherwise it seems to me this is a form of watercolour paint. My friend Zvonimir considers the Nitram Liquid Charcoal similar to a watercolour when he looked at the composition and - to me - this seems even more so. I am very tempted to try some.