Which paints granulate?

December 23, 2024

My participants in the watercolor courses I teach have repeatedly asked for a list of which colors granulate. I want to share this list with everyone reading here on akvarell.se.

I’ve chosen to also include colors I’ve written about here on the blog. My plan is to update the list as I write about new colors.

It’s difficult to specify how much a particular color granulates because it varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Even though, for example, French Ultramarine is always PB29, the degree of granulation differs between brands.

I’ve created three columns. In the first, you’ll find colors that dry completely smooth, without granulation. The second contains colors that granulate, but not very strongly. The last column lists colors with distinct or strong granulation. Judging the degree of granulation for a specific color can be tricky. Some colors might fall between “Granulates” and “Strong Granulation,” while others granulate extremely strongly. So, consider this list as a rough estimation of the degree of granulation.

Some colors have unique characteristics that set them apart from others. When this is the case, I mark them with an asterisk (*).

* = The color may granulate faintly when applied generously in diluted form.
** = The color has a slight tendency to flocculate.
*** = In addition to granulating, the color flocculates visibly, often forming a thread-like pattern.

(If the list below looks crowded and becomes difficult to read on a mobile phone, turn your phone, and read it horizontally.)

Blue
Green
Yellow
Red
Violet
Earth
Black

Granulating – blue colors

No granulation	Granulates	Heavy granulation
		French Ultramarine PB29
	Cobalt Blue PB28
Prussian blue PB27
Phthalo blue PB15*
Phthalo Turquois (PB16)*
	Cerulean Blue (PB35, PB36)
Indanthrone PB60
Indigo NB1**
	Mayan blue PB82

Granulating – Green colors

No granulation	Granulates	Heavy granulation
Phthal green* (PG7 – PG36)
	Cobalt Green, Teal, Turquoise (PG50)
Perylene green (PBk31)
		Serpentine green
	Green earth PG23
		Viridian PG18

Granulating – Yellow colors

No granulation	Granulates	Heavy granulation	Color sample
Aureolin (PY40)
Cadmium yellow colors
Green Gold PY129**
Isoindoline Yellow PY139
Azo or Hansa yellow colors
Isoindolinone Yellow (PY110)
Lemon yellow PY175
Mayan Yellow (PY223)
Nickel Azo yellow PY150**
Chrome Antimony Titanate (PBr24) Incorrectly called Naples Yellow

Granulating – Red colors

No granulation	Granulates	Heavy granulation	Color sample
Alizarin crimson (PR83)
Cadmium red colors
Quinacridone Violet (PV42)**
Quinacridone red PR209
Quinacridone Rose PV19
Madder lake NP9
Perylene Red PR149
Pyrrole Orange (PO71)
Pyrrole red (PR254)

Granulating – Violet colors

No granulation	Granulates	Heavy granulation
Carbazole violet PV23
Quinacridone Purple PV55
	Cobalt violet PV14
		Manganese violet PV16***
	Ultramarine violet (PV15)

Granulating – Earth colors

In the category “Earth Colors,” you’ll find all colors resembling true earth tones, including both natural and synthetic pigments.

One challenge in specifying granulation for a color like Burnt Umber is that different manufacturers use various pigments, resulting in colors with entirely different characteristics. In other words, it’s not possible to definitively state that Burnt Umber is granulating, even though most are. For this reason, all earth colors—whose properties vary significantly depending on the manufacturer—are excluded from this list.

No granulation	Granulates	Heavy granulation
		Magnesium Ferrite (PBr11)***
	Mummy Bauxite Pbr7
Perylene Maroon PR179
		Transparent Brown Oxide PR101***
		Transparent red oxide PR101***
		Transparent Yellow Oxide PY42***
Benzimidazolone Brown (Pbr25)
	Van Dyke brown NBr8