What makes A J Ludlow Professional Watercolours unique?

There are many things that makes A J Ludlow Professional Watercolours unique, but the most obvious is our watercolours are packed in clear glass jars.  Out of all the artist quality brands, A J Ludlow Professional Watercolours are the only one who supply their watercolour in jars and pots, which has been seen as an absolute benefit by one artist, who stated:

“Finally watercolour paints that’s not in the same boring tubes, with all the problems that go with them, like separation, tubes splitting and pigment drying hard in the tube making it impossible to use.”

There is another reason for using jars and pots that may not be so obvious, but makes our brand’s quality stand out from the crowd. In essence, it is our watercolours’ rheology; the property that defines how liquids flow. Rheology plays a crucial role in the formulation of watercolour paints, especially as each pigment affects flow differently.   

To create a uniqueness that defines our brand and our brand values, we set about preserving each pigment’s natural properties and ensuring that each colour was formulated to its full pigment concentration; something that would be a major benefit to all watercolourists and the key to our watercolour’s exceptional performance and quality. So, in order to give each paint its highest possible pigment loading meant that the rheology of each watercolour would vary, hence some are free flowing, whilst others have stiff consistencies, which are too thick to be packed into tubes. To accommodate the variation in rheology, we re-design our packaging and A J Ludlow’s “jar colour” was born.

Figure 1: Each A J Ludlow Professional Watercolour has been formulated to its full pigment concentration; something that would be a major benefit to all watercolourists and the key to our watercolour’s exceptional performance and quality.

There are other benefits to packing A J Ludlow’s watercolours in glass jars instead of filling into tubes, which includes being able to manage paint separation, drying out and sustainable practices, offering an eco-friendly alternative to paint soiled tubes, something another artist saw as a major benefit:

“I’m fed up sending so much pigment to landfill, it’s no good for my pocket and the environment. So, its brilliant you’re putting yours in jars. No waste and no fuss!”

What are the most prized properties of A J Ludlow Professional Watercolour paints?

There are ten properties that watercolourists prize above all in our Professional Watercolours: 

1. Transparency and Opacity: A J Ludlow’s Professional Watercolour paints are pure-pigmented and do not include fillers (weak white pigments used to extend the pigment in paint formulations) and as such, our watercolours are either transparent or opaque depending on the natural properties and crystal shape of the pigment used in the formulation.

Watercolourists like the way we show the degree of transparency/opacity as a graduated wash on black watercolour paper, as it shows them the differences at variable film weights (as shown below). These graduated washes are available for all our watercolours and can be found in the individual watercolour descriptions presented in our on-line Art Materials shop on our website.



Figure 2: Assessment washes for Quinacridone Rose (transparent), Pyrrole Red (semi-transparent) and Cadmium Red (opaque). Note that in higher film weights (the top part of the wash), the high pigment loading of each watercolour shows a degree of opacity, which allows our watercolours to be used as a body-colour (or gouache) in watercolour paintings.

2. Permanence or lightfastness: Without exception, each of our Professional Watercolours contain only lightfast pigments. Furthermore, A J Ludlow’s watercolours have been formulated to have the highest degree of lightfastness and permanence, with each ingredient being painstakingly selected to ensure that our watercolour’s quality is truly professional and meets the high standard demanded by the watercolourists who use and trust our Brand.

Each watercolour has had its stability to light tested as graduated washes and each watercolour performed excellently, showing no darkening nor fading, even at lower film weights (the less intense portion of the wash). 



Figure 3: Checking Dioxaine Violet watercolour’s graduated wash for any colour changes during the test for lightfastness. Note that there is no difference between the unexposed portion of the wash (under the strip of lightfast black paper) and the exposed portion.

3. Granulation: If any one property defines the uniqueness of watercolour as an artistic painting medium, it is the effect of granulation. Because our watercolour paints are pure-pigmented and contain an exceptional amount of pigment, then each A J Ludlow Professional Watercolour will either granulate or not depending on the natural properties and crystal shape of the pigment used in the formulation. A particular effect that makes our watercolours standout, which is much prized by those that use them, is the way granulation easily occurs when our watercolours are allowed to flow into one and other and discrete clumps of the individual colours are formed.

Figure 4: Detail of a watercolour painting showing granulation created by allowing the watercolours to flow into each other.

4. Staining and non-staining: Watercolourists like the way we show whether our Professional Watercolour paints are staining or can be lifted out. A graduated wash of each watercolour is prepared on Saunders Waterford watercolour paper (cold pressed (NOT) surface and at a weight of 425gms) and allowed to completely dry, then a wet brush or cloth/tissue is used to lift out a portion of the painted colour. 

As our watercolours are pure-pigmented, staining is purely dependant on the natural properties and crystal size of the pigment used in the formulation. However, we also appreciate that the surface and type of watercolour paper will also influence the staining and would suggest that if you use only one type of paper, you will most likely only be concerned with how our watercolours behave on your paper, so just paint out a graduated wash and inspect how the colour lifts out at the different graduations.

Figure 5: Assessment washes for Ultramarine Blue (non-staining), Cadmium Red (semi-staining) and Dioxide Violet (staining).

5. Purity of colour: Being pure-pigmented with the finest quality pigments, combined with the exceptionally high pigment loading, ensures that the colour purity of each of our Professional Watercolours is exceptional in both heavily applied watercolour to the most delicate of touches. 



Figure 6: Assessing the fineness of grind for a new delivery of pigment.

Maintaining the quality of the raw materials we use is also very important and we have stringent checks in place to ensure that each material meets the high standards expected of a renowned manufacturer of the finest professional quality watercolour, with expertise gained from over 40 years’ experience.

6. Colour intensity or brightness: The A J Ludlow Professional Watercolour range consists of 48 single pure-pigmented watercolours, made from the finest quality pigments, combined with the exceptionally high pigment loading, ensures that the brightness of each watercolour is exceptional. The colours (hues) chosen provide a wide spectrum from which our watercolourists choose their preferred mixing palette. Because of the quality of the pigments and raw materials used, secondary mixtures are often just as bright and intense as their component parts, which is a property prized by many artists who use our watercolours.

In addition, there are a number of mixed pigment colours, which extend the number of available hues in our watercolour spectrum. They have been formulated to retain their brightness when mixed with other colours in the range. To ensure authenticity they have been matched to the traditional hues that were available to watercolour artists painting at the turn of the 19^th century.



Figure 7: Comparing Hooker’s Green from A J Ludlow with a hand painted wash (Hooker’s Green No1) from the turn of the 19^th century.

7. Tinctorial strength: Having watercolours that have a high tinctorial strength is much prized, as it allows dilute washes to have outstanding colour intensity, a property A J Ludlow’s watercolours are famous for. The watercolours in our range that are semi-transparent and opaque when applied dilute will not only be transparent but are also favoured for their excellent colour intensity. 



Figure 8: Comparing the tinctorial strength of another brand’s Prussian Blue against the stronger Prussian Blue from A J Ludlow (the sample with the deeper blue). Both colours have been mixed with the same white gouache in the same ratio.

8. Wet to dry colour shift: All of A J Ludlow Professional Watercolour paints when applied at high and medium dilutions, show minimal colour shift on drying. There is a slight shift with very dilute watercolour (as is the norm and in some cases worst for other artist quality brands). 

9. Re-solubility: Our Professional Watercolours are formulated to be easily re-wet after drying out on the palette, a property which is recognised to add to the enjoyment of using A J Ludlow watercolour. It also means that after painting, the watercolours can be left to dry on the palette until the next time. Artists have told us that they have left watercolours out for a few months and they have been fine and easily re-wetted the next time they were used. 

10. Wet-in-wet flow: Watercolour is such a versatile and expressive medium, offering endless opportunities for creativity and experimentation, especially with wet-in-wet. Mastery of this technique and understanding the interplay between water, pigment and paper has long been recognised by watercolourists as the way to create dynamic and captivating artwork.



Figure 9: Wet in wet flow; Ultramarine Blue flows into Cobalt Turquoise on Saunders Waterford watercolour paper (cold pressed (NOT) surface and at a weight of 425gms)

It is no surprise that this is one of the most prized ability our watercolour paints have. Each watercolour has unique characteristics and the natural flow of each pigment is enhanced in the formulation, allowing artists to fully experience and manipulate the medium's potential.

Can A J Ludlow watercolour paints be used to make home-made pans?

Not all brands’ moist watercolour paints are suitable for use in pans, but our Professional Watercolours are formulated to be easily re-wet after drying out on the palette, so are well suited for using to make home-made pan colour. We even recommend that the watercolour supplied in our smaller pot be allowed to dry and used as a pan colour.

Having exceptional re-solubility and the high pigment loading of each watercolour, ensures that several criticisms aimed at pan colour, for example, difficulty in working up an intensely coloured or very large wash, are no longer an issue if A J Ludlow Professional Watercolours are used.

Figure 10: Our personal preference is to work from watercolour on ceramic tiles and use it just like a palette. A J Ludlow Professional Watercolour paints have excellent re-wettability and so can be left on the tile until the next painting session.

What are your primary colours or which watercolours are the essential ones to begin with?

Whether you are beginner or seasoned watercolourist, you will want to mix your own colours and the Professional Watercolour range from A J Ludlow, has been specially designed to help you create the most vivid hues and shades possible. 

As watercolourists, we often talk about warm or cool primary colours, as these are often considered to be the foundation of our colour palette and the building blocks of colour mixing. Sometimes they are also referred to as split primaries and by using both cool and warm yellows, reds and blues (six colours in all) the range and purity of the colours that are possible to mix, is much greater.

In the A J Ludlow Professional Watercolour range, the following watercolours have been designated:

Cool Blue – Phthalocyanine Blue (Green Shade), C.I. Pigment Blue 
Warm Blue – Ultramarine Blue, C.I. Pigment Blue 29
Cool Yellow – Cadmium Lemon Yellow, C.I. Pigment Yellow 35
Warm Yellow – Cadmium Yellow, C.I. Pigment Yellow 35
Cool Red – Anthraquinone Crimson, C.I. Pigment Red 177
Warm Red – Cadmium Red, C.I. Pigment Red 108

Figure 11: Six colour mixing star for the three warm primaries (Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red and Ultramarine Blue) and the three cool primaries (Cadmium Lemon Yellow, Anthraquinone Crimson and Phthalo Blue (Green Shade)).

Even with these six single pigmented watercolours, I would be inclined to add Phthalocyanine Green (Yellow Shade), C.I Pigment Green 36, Dioxaine Violet, C.I. Pigment Violet 23 and the very versatile earth colour, Burnt Sienna, C.I. Pigment Brown 7, to my regular palette, just to have a wider selection of single pigmented watercolours to draw on.

What types of pigments are used in A J Ludlow Professional Watercolours and why isn’t a permanence rating provided? 

Our Professional Watercolour consists of 48 single pigmented watercolours, which have not just been selected for their colour, but also on the basis that their permanence and lightfastness rating were excellent. So, without exception every pigment selected has excellent lightfastness according to the ASTM and Blue Wool scales, so all our watercolours would be rated the same.