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I don't remember why, perhaps it was Covid boredom, but about six weeks ago I went to the National Watercolor Society's website to see what "deals" were to be had (if you are a member, go to the NWS website, log in, and click the Members Only tab). There, I discovered a link to receive a free QoR Sample Set...a triad of small tubes which I received along with a note: "Once you have had some time to try the QoR Watercolors we would appreciate any feedback you might have about the colors, QoR Watercolors in general and our company, Golden Artist Colors. Input from artists is always appreciated so that we can continually improve our products and the services we provide."

Before I tell you about my experiments, here's what I found on the QoR (pronounced "core") website about these Modern Watercolors:

• Vibrant, intense colors that stay brilliant even after they dry
• Exceptionally smooth transitions, flow and liveliness on paper
• Excellent resolubility in water and glazing qualities
• Vivid depth of color with each brushstroke
• Greater resistance to cracking and flaking
• More density of color than traditional watercolors
• Exclusive Aquazol® binder used in conservation

I also read a few online reviews that are far more in-depth than mine, so after playing around with my QoR sample set and not liking what was happening, I came up with an idea: I would simply paint a few studies of the same subject; one would be painted with the QoR watercolors and one with my usual colors. That way, I could test the QoR watercolors by seeing how they behaved as I used my normal techniques.

The first thing I did was make swatches of each pigment. I was excited to see that Nickel Azo Yellow was similar in hue to Quinacridone Gold, but with a single pigment. I added it to my palette...and was instantly freaked out about its intensity! I had to back up.

All three sample colors I received are single pigment (my preference), and have excellent lightfastness. The Quinacridone Magenta and Nickel Azo Yellow are both very staining which didn't surprise me. The Ultramarine Blue is considered semi-transparent and staining (though not as staining as the other two) and is only slightly granulating.

Once I decided to create comparison studies, I chose Northern Cardinal in Trees (above) for my first subject. This 6" x 8" piece is painted in the style I use often. I began with an underpainting using three colors: Peacock Blue, Scarlet Lake, and Winsor Yellow Deep. I did add a few additional colors to enhance the bird. The techniques used were saran wrap (for the underpainting), three layers of negative painting, and overall glazing and softening.

The 8" x 5" painting above uses the same subject and techniques, but I switched the orientation. Although I used my usual method to create the underpainting, once it had dried, it looked as though this was going to be a very gaudy painting! However, the QoR colors reacted well to the saran wrap, providing the texture I wanted.

Next, I mixed the magenta and yellow to paint the bird. After the first glaze, I feared that my Cardinal would be very drab. You see, the Nickel Azo Yellow is a cool yellow (which means it has a touch of blue in it) and the Quinacridone Magenta is a cool red (also meaning it has a touch of blue in it). Bottom line, the subtle blue cast would neutralize my red and yellow mixture. Of course I could have used my usual Scarlet Lake for the bird, but I wanted to stick to the QoR sample colors. However, I did cheat a little by adding my own Quinacridone Burnt Orange to the QoR Ultramarine blue to make a strong black for the Cardinal's face.

Since I had such a brightly colored foundation, I decided to use complimentary colors to tone down the intensity when I negatively painted around the trees. (Usually I choose analogous colors when layering, as you can see in the first study, Northern Cardinal in Trees). The QoR watercolors layered well and created pleasing neutrals. I only needed two layers of negative painting to reach the final value I wanted, and I didn't do any final softening because I didn't see any hard lines...that's a plus!

The last step was to glaze the red mixture over the bird a second time. Perhaps because of the somewhat-neutralized background, I decided the Cardinal wasn't as dull as I'd feared.

That was fun! Using subjects and techniques I was comfortable with was turning out to be a good way to test these Q0R Modern Watercolors.

The next thing I decided to do was paint an Indigo Bunting (my current obsession). I again used the three test colors - plus a tiny bit of my black mixture - to create this piece (above). The techniques used were salt to create texture on the branch, wet-into-wet color mingling, using value to create volume, and glazing for shadow areas.

The QoR pigments superbly handled every technique I tested; I simply had to keep the paint's intensity in mind and make adjustments accordingly. I was thrilled with how this painting turned out, but I looked forward to repeating the process with my favorite colors. (Remember, I'm only testing three of the 83 QoR Modern Watercolors available.)

"Morning Song"

I again painted the Indigo Bunting, using the same techniques but without the restriction of the triad (I probably used 6-8 different colors on this piece).

Experimentation with my QoR sample set will continue...perhaps it would be a good idea to combine QoR colors with other brands to see how well they play together. Until next time...

Experiment. Paint. Love. Repeat.