White Watercolor Paint

På Svenska

Modern watercolor artists primarily rely on the white of the paper, making white watercolor paint largely unnecessary. Artists of earlier generations thought much the same, although white paint was used more frequently a century ago than it is today. Even though the white of the paper remains by far the most common way to create highlights in watercolor, a few white watercolor paints are still available.

Lead White

In traditional painting, Lead White (PW1) was by far the most widely used white pigment. Chalk and gypsum were also used, but mainly as fillers or for preparing painting grounds. Lead White is one of the oldest synthetic pigments ever produced and was already in common use during antiquity. It remained the dominant white pigment until the late nineteenth century and continued to be used by many artists well into the twentieth century.

Zinc White and Chinese White

During the early nineteenth century, the product name Chinese White first appeared. It may have been inspired by the fine Chinese porcelain that was fashionable at the time. Another theory suggests that the name referred to the white lead pigments imported from Asia. Whatever its origin, Chinese White became the established English name for white watercolor paint.

At about the same time, the new pigment Zinc White (PW4) was introduced. Compared with Lead White, it was considerably more transparent and had much lower covering power. This allowed artists to lighten colors without making them appear as chalky or dull as they often did when mixed with more opaque whites. Zinc White is also excellent for creating atmospheric effects such as mist, haze, smoke, and sunbeams.

In 1834, Winsor & Newton became the first manufacturer to market a watercolor paint called Chinese White, made from Zinc White. The name was most likely a marketing strategy intended to associate the paint’s clean, soft whiteness with the elegant Chinese porcelain that was highly fashionable at the time. Since then, Chinese White has become an established product name for white watercolor paints, regardless of which white pigment they actually contain.

During the nineteenth century, artists became increasingly aware of the toxicity of Lead White. Its use was gradually restricted and eventually banned in many countries. In Sweden, Lead White was prohibited for interior painting in 1860 and for exterior painting in 1920.

Titanium White (PW6)

In the early twentieth century, the Norwegian chemists Peder Farup and Gustav Jebsen developed and patented a method for producing pure titanium dioxide pigment. The resulting pigment, Titanium White (PW6), offered several major advantages: it was non-toxic, exceptionally lightfast, and possessed outstanding hiding power.

Today, Titanium White is by far the world’s most widely used white pigment. Besides artists’ paints, it is found in most high-quality white papers, where it increases opacity. It is also widely used in outdoor plastics to improve resistance to ultraviolet light, as well as in sunscreen, mineral makeup, foundation, eye shadow, and toothpaste.

Titanium White is, of course, also available as a watercolor paint. Thanks to its exceptional opacity, it largely replaced Lead White in many applications.

Other White Watercolor Pigments

Besides Zinc White and Titanium White, which have distinctly different properties, a few other white pigments are occasionally found in watercolor paints.

Lithopone (PW5) is a semi-transparent white pigment. It was an important white during the late nineteenth century but is now only encountered occasionally, mostly in inexpensive watercolor paints. It is also sometimes used as an extender in paints intended to imitate more expensive pigments, such as Cobalt Blue or Cerulean Blue.

Tin Oxide (PW15) appears in many special-effect watercolors, including interference colors and metallic paints such as gold, silver, and bronze. It is not normally added separately by the paint manufacturer. Instead, it forms part of a finished composite pigment in which the tin oxide is already incorporated into the pigment’s crystal structure or surface coating.

Calcium Carbonate (PW18) is uncommon as a watercolor pigment, although Schmincke, Kremer, and ShinHan offer a few single-pigment paints based on it. Rather than being pure white, it has a faint beige tint. It has low covering power, is relatively transparent, and is valued mainly for the attractive granulation it produces.

Mica (PW20) is not really a white pigment at all, but a light-reflecting effect pigment. It is widely used in cosmetics and industry and is the ingredient responsible for the pearlescent and metallic effects found in many specialty watercolor paints.

Apart from these, a few other white pigments exist but are so rarely encountered in watercolor paints that they are hardly worth mentioning. Among established watercolor manufacturers, Kremer, Schmincke, and Rublev are the companies most likely to offer such specialty pigments.

Summary

In practice, there are really only two white watercolor pigments of general interest: Zinc White and Titanium White. The remaining white pigments are either too specialized or possess characteristics that make them less suitable for general watercolor painting.

Zinc White and Titanium White differ significantly and serve different purposes. Artists who occasionally use white watercolor paint may therefore benefit from having both available.

Zinc White is semi-transparent and mixes well with other watercolor colors. It is particularly useful for glazing techniques and for creating mist, haze, smoke, and other atmospheric effects.

Titanium White, on the other hand, is opaque. It is less suitable for mixing because it produces dense, opaque colors. However, it excels at painting small highlights, bright reflections, and other details where maximum covering power is desirable.

Anyone purchasing a watercolor paint labelled Chinese White should always check the pigment information. The name itself reveals nothing about the actual pigment used. It may contain Zinc White, Titanium White, Lithopone, or a mixture of several white pigments.

The use of white watercolor paint remains somewhat controversial. Not everyone appreciates a watercolor in which white paint has been applied over the paper. Personally, I occasionally use white, mainly for small highlights and specular reflections. Since I want these tiny details to be as opaque as possible, I prefer using Titanium White gouache rather than Titanium White watercolor.