Watercolor Reference Wheels

We are finally getting some much needed rain. I watched our backyard turfgrass seemingly grow an inch yesterday afternoon after the rains came through.


This is giving me the chance to go through some photos I took last week. This one was very interesting to me while I was out in the forest.




watercolor sample wheel and Claytonia wildflower

A few weeks back, when we were still getting snow, I made these small wheels with my watercolor paints around the edges. I like this arrangement because it allows me to carry a reference of colors directly into the field without a lot of bulk. I made the wheels based on color groups. Although I (almost) never use watercolors straight from the tube, it makes it a lot easier to see which base to start from, and make some notes right there in front of the flower. Each wheel has space on the front and back.


The green paint that is right next to the Claytonia virginica, or Spring Beauty wildflower, is Daniel Smith's Green Apatite Genuine. I bought it on a whim a few weeks ago because I liked the color on the display. When I tried it out at home, I found that it has a very different look in pale washes and in heavier mass tones.


As you can see, the mass tone was very similar to the leaf color in this lighting.


The color also has an intriguing, sedimentary look on the paper.


So, will this mean I can take a shortcut and use this green? It would save me time in the field not to have to mix a color. I am not sure, yet- I need to become more familiar with it. I use (and like) many different brands of paint, and there are other ways to mix this green, using other paints on my palette. But this one intrigued me, because I had not purchased it with wildflower painting in mind.


This also reinforced how much I like using these wheels. You do have to be familiar with how the paints mix, though.


How do you carry your color references into the field for field sketching?