Why Handmade Watercolors Follow a Different Production Process
Handmade and industrial production follow different approaches
Handmade and industrial watercolors are produced under different working conditions.
Industrial production is based on standardized procedures, automated equipment, and carefully controlled production environments. Temperature, humidity, dosing, and many other stages are managed to maintain a high level of consistency from one production run to the next.
Handmade watercolor production follows a different approach, with observation becoming part of the production process itself.
Material observation accompanies every production process
Throughout the production of handmade watercolors, the material remains under continuous observation.
Different pigments develop differently during mixing, grinding, pan filling, and drying. Rather than following an identical sequence for every color, each production process develops in response to the characteristics of the individual pigment.
Production therefore follows the material as much as it follows the process.
Natural conditions remain part of the production process
Handmade watercolors usually dry under natural environmental conditions.
Seasonal changes, temperature, and humidity all become part of the drying process and continue to influence how individual colors develop. These changing conditions are not removed from production but are documented as part of the long-term observation of the material.
The production process therefore develops together with its environment.
Every production session expands the archive
Handmade watercolors are typically produced in small batches.
Working on a smaller scale makes it possible to observe materials throughout the entire production process and to document recurring differences between pigments, production conditions, and different periods of work.
Each production session therefore contributes not only another color, but also another observation to the Production Archive.
Handmade production focuses on understanding materials
The purpose of handmade production is not to reproduce an industrial manufacturing system on a smaller scale.
Instead, it focuses on observing pigments, binders, and production processes over time, documenting how different materials develop throughout the making of each color.
The Production Archive therefore records not only finished watercolors, but also the continuing observation of how they are made.
Related Production Documentation
The production processes described in this article are documented separately as part of the Production Archive.
