Pigment Properties Chart: Waterproof India Ink, Pigment Swatch and lift out

If you really want to know what a pigments properties are or  I also call them personalities make a Color Properties Chart.  Start with waterproof India Ink. Let this dry bone dry. Using your one inch 995 Winsor Newton flat water color brush, lay down a 3" swatch of pigment across the India Ink. 

• If it disappears its basically a transparent watercolor and will lift out easily on watercolor paper.  
• If it makes the India Ink darker it is a stain and it difficult to lift out in a watercolor painting. 
• If it leaves a film its is opaque and will set heavy on your watercolor paper.

Note the small white line above the black India Ink  this was lifted out using a 995, 1/2" Winsor Newton flat watercolor brush.  If the pigment doesn't lift out well you know it has stain properties. Note the bottom left Manganese Blue the line came off to pure white paper. This is very transparent and lifts easily from your paper.
This knowledge helps you orchestrate your watercolor design and will make you a master painter.

Mixing Purples, Oranges and Greens from primary hues.

Mixing Purples: Reds are placed along the top. Blues and one green with a blue undertone on the left side. Note how some mixtures are pure neutrals with separation of pigments as they dried. Some wonderful Red Violets emerged and Blue Violets. Some Blue mixtures of blues simple were just blue. Look at the separation qualities of some of the pigments.  Some pigments are heavy and settled to the bottom while other pigments are light and set on top of the mixture. A Happy Experience.

Mixing Oranges.  Warm Yellow Hues are place along the top. Red Hues are placed on the left side. Follow the line of color to see what mixed Hues are made from two different pigment

Mixing Greens Note the different warm tones along the top of the page used for a green Hue mixture. Cool colors were placed to the left. Pigments were then mixed. Fascinating how some pigments are transparent and pure other are have granulation properties others opaque.

About these mixtures: There are many different books with exercises to mix secondary colors. It is of up most importance that you create your own charts with the pigments that you like and have preference too.
Then these mixtures become your own and you will have knowledge of how best to orchestrate them on your design.