David Dewey is the author of a detailed watercolor manual, The Watercolor Book (1995). Dewey’s paintings, many of which are featured in the book, are in a hyper realistic, almost photographic style.
I got The Watercolor Book out of the library because it was recommended by pigment expert and frequent citee Bruce MacEvoy.
This is one of my all time favorite art books, a model of concise instruction, wise advice, deceptively simple exercises, and compact design. Like they say on TV: if you buy just one watercolor book, make it this one.
Bruce MacEvoy, handprint.com
I’m not a big fan of realist painting (to look at or to do), but I do appreciate that this book is densely informative. Dewey has a detailed, methodical approach; I can see why it appealed to a detailed, methodical person like MacEvoy. I especially appreciate that the section on color theory is quite detailed.
The Palette
Dewey’s choice of a recommended palette for beginners underwhelmed me, but I think a lot of the limitations in the choices come from the fact that it was 1995 and there were neither as many colors nor as widespread information about lightfastness available.
- Cadmium Lemon (PY35). I prefer a mid yellow to a cool yellow, but this is a technically more “primary” yellow. I painted Imidazolone Lemon because I don’t use cadmiums.
- Aureolin (PY40). This is a fugitive color that is rarely used today, but was popular 30 years ago for its transparency. I painted Nickel Azo Yellow, which is also a transparent yellow and appeared similar to the picture in the book.
- Cadmium Yellow (PY35). The version pictured in the book is quite a deep yellow so I used New Gamboge as its substitute.
- Permanent Rose (PV19). Finally, one I have. This is a primary-ish pink/magenta.
- Cadmium Red (PR108). Again I replaced a Cadmium, using Perylene Red (PR178), my most used middle red. Pyrrol Red (PR254) would probably be a better match.
- Alizarin Crimson (PY83). Another color usually passed over today as it is fugitive. I used a permanent dupe from Holbein which is a mix of PV19 and PBr25.
- Payne’s Gray. Another one I have!
- Ultramarine Blue (PB29). Dewey recommends French ultramarine, but same difference. It seems strange to me that a realist would like granulation.
- Phthalo Blue Green Shade (PB15). Primary cyan.
- Cerulean Blue (PB35). Another granulating one.
- Phthalo Green Blue Shade (PG7). Nice to see this one get some love considering that other classic manuals I’ve read hate it.
- Burnt Sienna (PBr7). Classic earth orange.
- Sepia, usually a mix of brown and black. I mixed my hue with the Burnt Sienna and Payne’s Gray.
- Ivory Black. I didn’t have this so I used black gouache.
It is an interesting coincidence that this contains 14 colors, the same number I usually use in a palette because that’s what fits in an Art Toolkit. This is long before Art Toolkit, however, and 12 colors was usually more common to fit in a standard paint box.
Given Dewey’s attention to color theory, it feels intentional that most of the slots are taken up by primaries: 3 yellows, 3 reds, and 3 blues. The remaining 5 colors are earths/neutrals and a mixing green. It is also clear that an effort has been made to contain a mix of paint types (transparent and opaque, granulating and smooth, etc.)
I would consider some of these recommendations old-fashioned if they appeared in a modern book, notably Aureolin and Alizarin Crimson. These would be top of my list to replace.
- Aureolin is usually replaced with a middle yellow. Various colors are sometimes called Aureolin, suggesting similar handling characterstics; this includes Schmincke Aureolin Modern (PY151, aka Azo Yellow) and a mix from Holbein that includes Nickel Azo Yellow (PY150), Imidazolone Yellow (PY154), and Imidazolone Lemon (PY175).
- Alizarin Crimson is often replaced with mixes of Permanent Rose and deeper reds/maroons/browns, such as the example from Holbein I included. I probably wouldn’t put an Alizarin Crimson equivalent and Permanent Rose in the same palette as they are rather similar, especially in dilute. Permanent Rose is actually often suggested as a replacement for PY83 Alizarin. Instead, I might use this slot for a dark red or maroon instead, such as Perylene Maroon or Violet. The Imidazolone Brown that Holbein uses in the mix for their Permanent Alizarin Crimson would also work. For a color that could be used more interchangeably, but also has more distinctness from Permanent Rose, I might consider Pyrrol Crimson (PR264).
Clearly, I would also replace the Cadmiums with nontoxic alternatives, as I did in the paintout.
Finally, here are some other nitpicks:
- Sepia: I was able to mix a hue easily from two colors already in the palette, so it doesn’t feel like a particularly useful palette slot.
- Black: Not a color I find particularly necessary, especially with Payne’s Gray on the palette.
It always feels like I’m being an obnoxious upstart for criticizing the palettes of people who are much better at painting than me (and who, in Dewey’s case at least, also has a better understanding of color on a technical level). But I think one thing about people who are very good at painting is that they can kind of use any color and get a good result. Meanwhile, I’m often stymied by how to mix stuff or disappointed with my mixes, so I feel I need to make it as easy as possible on myself by having the most foolproof colors in my palette. Dewey’s palette is, for sure, useable and contains some workhorse colors; it’s just not as relentlessly optimized as I would expect of MacEvoy’s mentor.
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