eliseveldt Posted October 2 Report Posted October 2 Ive read somewhere watercolors can be used to adjust the base tint of the wood and to controll the refeltiveness of raw wood when retouching. Just purely for my own enjoyment i want to learn to retouch on "the usual" mass produced violins since i got a couple of them. Do i need any particular brand for the water colors?
Andreas Preuss Posted October 2 Report Posted October 2 Schmincke they are not really cheap but you can buy single colors in art supply stores.
Jeffrey Holmes Posted October 2 Report Posted October 2 I use the Winsor Newton tube watercolors and get along fine with them. I suggest buying the small tubes as they do dry out in time (well before I use them up). I mix on a white plate. Make sure you get the color applied close to the wood (just above the sealer coat for the touchup).
Brad Dorsey Posted October 3 Report Posted October 3 3 hours ago, Jeffrey Holmes said: I use the Winsor Newton tube watercolors and get along fine with them. I suggest buying the small tubes as they do dry out… I’ve been trying to use dry cake water colors, but I find it hard to pick up any of the color on my brush. So I’ve been thinking of trying the tubes. Are there any particular WN colors that you find particularly useful for matching violin woods? After they dry up. is there any practical way to reconstitute them by adding water? .
Dorisch Posted October 3 Report Posted October 3 Schminke Horadam are excellent but a bit pricy. Pelikan, the normal ones at least, not so much. They used to have a more serious version, also quite expensive, but they seem to be out of production. Graf von Faber Castell are kind of the middle ground. What is good enough for you, I can’t tell, but Pelikan would the the lowest level I would care about and using the Horadam series is a totally different experience. My wife uses them for drawing, very nice colors that I sometimes borrow.
eliseveldt Posted October 3 Author Report Posted October 3 10 hours ago, Jeffrey Holmes said: I use the Winsor Newton tube watercolors and get along fine with them. I suggest buying the small tubes as they do dry out in time (well before I use them up). I mix on a white plate. Make sure you get the color applied close to the wood (just above the sealer coat for the touchup). Thankyou!
eliseveldt Posted October 3 Author Report Posted October 3 12 hours ago, Andreas Preuss said: Schmincke they are not really cheap but you can buy single colors in art supply stores. Thankyou i will get atleast a couple of the brands in this thread and just use some trial and error.
Andreas Preuss Posted October 3 Report Posted October 3 1 hour ago, eliseveldt said: Thankyou i will get atleast a couple of the brands in this thread and just use some trial and error. I should add that I am not using tube colors because they dry out. I have some colors in my set I am not using so often which I bought maybe 30 years ago.
Jeffrey Holmes Posted October 3 Report Posted October 3 10 hours ago, Brad Dorsey said: I’ve been trying to use dry cake water colors, but I find it hard to pick up any of the color on my brush. So I’ve been thinking of trying the tubes. Are there any particular WN colors that you find particularly useful for matching violin woods? After they dry up. is there any practical way to reconstitute them by adding water? . Yes, the tube colors can be reconstituted a bit with water if they are not too far gone. They also last longer if you're careful to put a couple brush full(s) of water before you close the screw on cap. They do not last as long as the cake coolers do, but I like the results. I keep 5 or six colors around (muted yellows & browns, ochers and earths). Not at the shop this weekend, but happy to get you a list next week.
eliseveldt Posted October 3 Author Report Posted October 3 3 hours ago, Jeffrey Holmes said: Yes, the tube colors can be reconstituted a bit with water if they are not too far gone. They also last longer if you're careful to put a couple brush full(s) of water before you close the screw on cap. They do not last as long as the cake coolers do, but I like the results. I keep 5 or six colors around (muted yellows & browns, ochers and earths). Not at the shop this weekend, but happy to get you a list next week. Id be happy to know the exact kinds you use. Makes the learning process a bit cheaper to have a good starting point
Jeffrey Holmes Posted October 3 Report Posted October 3 1 minute ago, eliseveldt said: Id be happy to know the exact kinds you use. Makes the learning process a bit cheaper to have a good starting point I'll be happy to put up my colors on Monday... In the meantime others may chime in with their pallets.
Jerry Lynn Posted October 3 Report Posted October 3 My most used Windsor Newton Tube colors are Naples Yellow, Burnt Umber, and Davey Grey. With those three I can adjust a lot of things close to the wood before going further.
The Violin Beautiful Posted October 3 Report Posted October 3 I have a little “travel” watercolor set with a built in palette and collapsible brush. The colors are in little trays and you just add water to get them going. I find them very handy occasionally for adjusting opacity before adding regular colored varnish. Water solubility and cleanup is convenient.
Brad Dorsey Posted October 4 Report Posted October 4 3 hours ago, The Violin Beautiful said: ...The colors are in little trays and you just add water to get them going... Do you pour a little water into the trays, or do add water with a wet brush?
Jerry Lynn Posted October 4 Report Posted October 4 I’ve found the stuff in the trays does not work nearly as well as the tube water color that has gum Arabic in it. Though, as in all things, your mileage may vary.
testingwaters Posted October 4 Report Posted October 4 You can’t go wrong with professional lines. But i would leave Daniel Smith out due to granulation which many of their pigments are popular for but may not be the desired effect in this case. Some brands use honey in their formulas, that may be something you want or not. I would recommend Holbein or W&N.
The Violin Beautiful Posted October 4 Report Posted October 4 10 hours ago, Brad Dorsey said: Do you pour a little water into the trays, or do add water with a wet brush? I just add water with a brush. The tube colors may be better, but I find these easy to use, especially since I use them in such small amounts. I’ve had my set for nearly 20 years and the colors are only lightly used even now. I also have some powdered earth pigments that are alcohol soluble that I mix in with varnish for opacity. Those are extremely useful as well.
violinvent Posted October 4 Report Posted October 4 For either tubes or trays, how thick do you apply them, and in how many layers? Any tips for techniques?
David Burgess Posted October 4 Report Posted October 4 4 hours ago, The Violin Beautiful said: I also have some powdered earth pigments that are alcohol soluble that I mix in with varnish for opacity. Are they truly alcohol soluble, or more like alcohol dispersible?
Jeffrey Holmes Posted October 5 Report Posted October 5 On 10/3/2026 at 11:00 AM, eliseveldt said: Id be happy to know the exact kinds you use. Makes the learning process a bit cheaper to have a good starting point The colors I use most are: Brown ochre, Turners yellow, Naples Yellow, Burnt Sienna (very sparingly only when needed) and Raw Sienna. I have black and transparent yellow as well. Occasionally I use a tiny bit of black sparingly if things need to go slightly gray. I haven't tried the Davey Grey @Jerry Lynn mentioned but it looks like it may be useful, so I'll order a tube. Sounds like Jerry's picks are a good way to get started. I had fewer colors to begin with, but found having choices of hues useful in the end.
Jerry Lynn Posted October 6 Report Posted October 6 18 hours ago, Jeffrey Holmes said: The colors I use most are: Brown ochre, Turners yellow, Naples Yellow, Burnt Sienna (very sparingly only when needed) and Raw Sienna. I have black and transparent yellow as well. Occasionally I use a tiny bit of black sparingly if things need to go slightly gray. I haven't tried the Davey Grey @Jerry Lynn mentioned but it looks like it may be useful, so I'll order a tube. Sounds like Jerry's picks are a good way to get started. I had fewer colors to begin with, but found having choices of hues useful in the end. I just kinda copied what you had with you at the restoration workshop.... In reality, the color that gets used the absolute most is Naples Yellow, It's almost like Titanium white in its usefulness of hiding sins, but it's not as glaring and easier to retouch over.
Jeffrey Holmes Posted October 7 Report Posted October 7 9 hours ago, Jerry Lynn said: I just kinda copied what you had with you at the restoration workshop.... Hey... I never thought of Davey Gray! That's all you! Looks like a useful color.
nathan slobodkin Posted October 7 Report Posted October 7 On 10/4/2026 at 9:18 AM, violinvent said: For either tubes or trays, how thick do you apply them, and in how many layers? Any tips for techniques? Rene Morel used watercolor very sparingly usually where there was discolored wood or a crack that could not be adequately cleaned. He never painted over an area or a crack but applied pin prick dots to “break up” the line of the crack before doing his regular retouch.
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