How We Make Our Finest Professional Watercolours

Pigment

We source our pigments from around the world, working closely with manufacturers to ensure the highest standards of quality, ethics, and consistency.

 

• For more details and pigment analysis, visit our dedicated pigment blog

Distilled Water & Kordofan Gum Arabic

We dissolve hand-selected Sudanese Kordofan Gum Arabic in distilled water (produced on-site). This slow, meticulous process can take weeks, as rushing it may introduce imperfections. Once fully dissolved, we filter the mixture through unbleached muslin bags to ensure purity, then add vegetable glycerin and a preservative.

Why Distilled Water?

Tap water contains minerals like calcium, iron, and magnesium, which can react negatively with pigments. Distilling removes these impurities, ensuring a more stable and consistent paint formulation.

Why Kordofan Gum Arabic Lumps Instead of Powdered Gum Arabic?

Gum Arabic is harvested from the Acacia Senegal tree, where the sap hardens naturally. Powdered versions often contain unwanted impurities from the collection process, leading to a slightly cloudy final product. By using whole lumps, we can dissolve and filter out these impurities, resulting in an exceptionally pure gum solution.

 

Vegetable Glycerin

A clear, odorless, hygroscopic liquid, our vegetable glycerin is derived from rapeseed oil. It serves as both a humectant(retaining moisture) and plasticizer, preventing the gum Arabic from becoming brittle or flaking off paper.

• Balance is key: Too much glycerin makes the paint sticky and slow-drying, while too little makes it brittle. Proper formulation ensures the paint reactivates beautifully with just a damp brush.

High-Speed Mixing

Each batch is initially wetted out by hand, then further refined using a high-speed mixer to ensure the pigment is fully dispersed in the gum Arabic vehicle.

Pigment Dispersion Using a Triple Roll Mill

Once the pigment is properly wetted, it undergoes further refinement through a Triple Roll Mill with ceramic rollers (to prevent adverse reactions with certain pigments).

How Does a Triple Roll Mill Work?

The mill disperses pigment using sheer force between three rollers rotating at different speeds.

1. The feed roller and center roller break down pigment agglomerates.

2. The apron roller picks up the dispersed pigment and transfers it onto a blade for collection or further milling.

Quality Control

We ensure batch consistency through rigorous testing:

• Fineness of Grind: Tested using a Hegman Gauge to measure particle size.

• Density: Checked with a density cup to match previous batches.

• Swatching: Each batch is tested on various watercolor papers to assess color strength, transparency, and dilution properties—verified by our skilled chemists.

Filling & Labelling

Depending on batch size, each tube is filled either by hand or by a precision machine. Density calculations ensure accurate fill levels.
All pots, half pans, and tubes are hand-labeled with high-quality prints designed in-house and produced by trusted professional printers.

Finished Product

Watch our video featuring Marc Jackman of Jackman’s Art Materials as we create professional watercolors for SAA Artist Alison C. Board’s Own Brand—filmed exclusively at SAA Studios.