Sketch Material Wish List for 2022

 

From left, these are the Museum Aquarelle colors I chose – one warm and one cool from each of the primaries and secondaries: Vermilion (60), Purplish Red (350), Orange (30), Raw Sienna (36), Gold Cadmium Yellow (530), Lemon Yellow (240), Olive (249), Phthalocyanine Green (710), Phthalocyanine Blue (162), Middle Cobalt Blue (660), Dark Plum (106), Periwinkle (131), Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Payne’s Grey (181) (which I use only for initial blocking), Night Blue (149), Cassel Earth (046).

Typically a wish list consists of things (by “things,” I mean art materials and tools, of course) that we would ask Santa for – products that currently exist. My annual tradition is to come up with products that don’t yet exist – but should. (And sometimes these wishes are fulfilled, so it never hurts to make the list!) This year my list is short and sweet.

When I was switching back recently to my Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelles after using a Cd’A Luminance palette in the field, I was surprised by how many important colors are missing from the Museum Aquarelle line. (Shown above is the Museum palette I selected.) I hadn’t really missed them before because I had always used my own eclectic palette. When I was picking out my Luminance palette, though, I was specifically seeking a warm and a cool in each of the primaries and each of the secondaries, which prompted me to choose colors I might not have otherwise. After getting to know the new palette, I discovered several useful hues that are simply not available in Museum Aquarelles:

Golden Bismuth Yellow (820)
Indanthrene Blue (649)
Ultramarine (140)
Quinacridone Purple (115)
Violet Brown (129)

Ultramarine, for cryin’ out loud! Isn’t that a basic hue in any palette? Instead, the Museum Aquarelle line includes Dark Ultramarine (640). Since I always use the slightly warmer Middle Cobalt Blue (660) for Seattle blue skies, I had never missed Ultramarine – but now I do!

Violet Brown, a subdued, neutral violet, makes a nice complement with Golden Bismuth Yellow. Quinacridone Purple is not one I use often in urban sketching, but in general, the Museum Aquarelle line lacks good purples. This would be a good one to add.

Indanthrene is a useful cool dark for winter shadows. Prussian Blue (159) or Night Blue (149) will suffice, but why not Indanthrene, too?

I don’t think the Museum Aquarelle line of 76 colors has grown at all since it was introduced in 2013. After the Luminance line was expanded to 100 a couple of years ago, I had hoped and speculated that Cd’A would do the same for Museum. Come on, Caran d’Ache – give your world-class watercolor pencils equal time!

What’s on your wish list this year?