Granulating medium ingredients?

[Kaylen]

Does anyone know what is in granulating medium?

Kaylen Savoie
https://www.savoieartist.com/
At least twice a year,paint something better than you ever painted before.

[Yorky Administrator Ormskirk]

Not sure. (Bump!)

Doug

Some of my paintings over the years
We must leave our mark on this World

[Kaylen]

It could be interesting to know, I am curious to find out if it would be cheap to make , but also I am so careful what I put in my serious works. If you dont know whats in it how could I know how it will effect the pigments and paper over time? Curious minds want to know

Kaylen Savoie
https://www.savoieartist.com/
At least twice a year,paint something better than you ever painted before.

[EmmaTwo]

Just some idle speculation on my part, not confirmed facts.

Since brands granulate differently, it may be a formula that they are guarding.  I think there’s at least a couple of things that cause clumping and flocculation.  There might be something that causes pigment pieces to attract each other more.  There might be another chemical something that forces pigment to move away from it.

Sea salt might be the cheapest DIY.

I don’t care for WN’s brand and it behaves much differently than the Schminke spray.

[Lavendulan]

Jackson’s art blog has an article that quotes Schminke chemists.  Granulating mediums cant make a pigment granulate, they can either push it around, or cause it to clump.

https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2019/10/31/watercolour-granulation/

Reading between the lines of the MSDS sheets:

Schminke is >90% ethanol, and my guess that is what it is, 90% ethyl alcohol.

WN is more difficult, but my guess is an aqueous solution of some salt maybe? It has ph7, and has a boiling point of >100C, which a saturated salt solution would do.

I tested 90% isopropyl alcohol, because that’s what I had, and got a reasonable approximation of granulation.  It works based on pushing pigment about.   Saturated solutions of sea salt and epsom salt didn’t give much, but the epsom salt worked a little better.

Lora
C&C welcome

[art magenta]

I wonder if Ox Gall might be part of a granulation medium?

“The most common use for ox gall in watercolor painting is as a dispersant.  A dispersant aids in the separation of particles and generally inhibits clumping and settling.”

Read more at :

https://www.greenleafblueberry.com/blogs/news/how-to-use-ox-gall-in-watercolor-painting

[Kaylen]

Thank you all with ideas, I have a bottle of WN but it does not really do anything that I can see,,, over time I will play with some of your ideas.

Kaylen Savoie
https://www.savoieartist.com/
At least twice a year,paint something better than you ever painted before.

[EmmaTwo]

I got better results with WN when I mixed it 1:1 before painting.

I had a class where the teacher drop it by eyedropper drops into a wash, but I didn’t see any effect.

[Kaylen]

Thanks Emma

Kaylen Savoie
https://www.savoieartist.com/
At least twice a year,paint something better than you ever painted before.

[oldey]

Great question.  I am curious as well.  I have never tried any of those mediums.

[Author]

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