Records of Physical Behavior of Colored Materials in the Watercolor System
Numerous colored substances exist in nature, daily life, and industrial products, appearing as liquids, powders, granules, or highly reflective particles. Color itself is a visual attribute of a material. However, a functioning watercolor system involves the colored substance, water, the binder medium, the dispersion state of particles, and the actual paint layer formed on paper after drying.
1. Direct Observations of Various Material Forms in the Watercolor System
1. Liquid Coloring Materials
Volatile liquids with strong color, such as high-concentration alcohol inks, leave color marks behind once their liquid components evaporate and dry. These dried color marks do not form an effective bond with watercolor binders. Upon re-exposure to water, they do not return to a dispersible state and do not form watercolor paint.
2. Food Powders and Plant Powders
Materials such as milk powder, cocoa powder, grain flour, ground legumes, and plant powders present a powdered form and distinct colors when pulverized.
When introduced into a watercolor binder system, these powders retain the original plant fiber, starch, or protein particle structures of the raw materials. When applied to paper, they present a rough texture of accumulated powder particles.
3. Industrial Pigments and Coating Materials
Color powders used in plastics, coatings, or other industrial products exhibit incompatibility when introduced into a watercolor binder system. When attached to paper, the particles retain their original plastic-like or coarse granular accumulation form.
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Specific Test Record: When attempting to mix pigments meant for industrial coatings with a watercolor binder, the mixture formed a thick, paste-like structure. On paper, it showed no wetting or flowing wash effects.
4. Pigments of Unknown Composition and Fine Metallic Reflective Materials
Certain color powders of unstated composition exhibit excessive opacity, a rough feel on paper, or interruptions in color layer continuity after entering a watercolor binder system.
Certain fine particles with metallic luster also show physical separation when mixed into a watercolor binder system.
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Specific Test Record: When stirring and grinding extremely fine metallic pigments with the binder, the pigment particles failed to form a uniform mix with the binder and continuously floated on the surface of the binder.
5. Rigid Hardening Materials
Certain powder materials form a hard block structure after absorbing binder and drying. These hardened clumps do not soften or re-disperse when re-exposed to water.
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Specific Test Record: During initial pigment screening tests, certain pigments formed hard granules after drying with the binder. When painted on paper, these hard granules remained in the paint layer without showing the texture of watercolor. Such pigments were subsequently excluded from further use.
6. Daily Chemical Products
Colored cleaning supplies, detergents, and other liquid or gel products in daily life contain color as part of their product design. When applied to paper, these products manifest as chemical films or liquid seepage marks.
2. Comparison of Material Behaviors
| Material Category | Observed Material State and Behavior | Behavior in the Watercolor System |
| Liquid Coloring Materials | Marks left by evaporated alcohol inks fail to bond with watercolor binder. | Does not re-disperse with water; does not form watercolor paint. |
| Food / Plant Powders | Retains original fiber, starch, or protein particle structures. | Presents a rough accumulation of powder particles on paper. |
| Industrial Coating Pigments | Forms a paste-like structure with binder; retains plastic-like or coarse particles on paper. | Shows no wetting or flowing wash effects. |
| Fine Metallic Particles | Pigment particles continuously float on top of the binder after stirring and grinding. | Fails to form a uniformly mixed state. |
| Hard-Curing Powders | Dries into hard blocks; hard granules remain embedded in the paint layer on paper. | Does not soften or re-disperse upon re-exposure to water. |
| Daily Chemical Products | Manifests on paper as thin chemical films or liquid seepage marks. | Fails to form an independent solid paint layer structure. |
3. Material Boundaries and Scope of Application
Whether a colored material can enter a watercolor system depends on its ability to enter the binder system, disperse stably, form appropriate particle states, produce a proper color layer on paper, maintain a suitable state after drying, exhibit appropriate material behavior when re-exposed to water, and ultimately present the characteristics inherent to watercolor.
Through long-term testing and screening across multiple pigment sources and colored substances, a range of suitable and stable pigments for long-term use in handcrafted watercolor paint production has been confirmed. These records serve to document the concrete physical presentations of different colored substances within the watercolor system.
Supplementary Note: Video documentations and records regarding specific operational details during handcrafted paint production and physical pigment behavior are archived at VHacademy (an independent project focusing on material behavior research, with restricted paid access).
