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I'm certainly familiar with mixing charts, but finally made one myself after reading a blog series on them by Susan Chiang, a watercolour artist. She broke down the different types of mixing charts, and following her instructions I charted a sample set of watercolours I have which include 2 sets of primaries (a warm set and a cool set), plus a violet from the same company.
Again I am reminded that reading about and doing something are two different things, and you really need to do it yourself for maximum benefit. Especially with watercolour paints; how they behave is something you only discover by using them. Unfortunately I used a cheaper brand of watercolour paper for my chart which tore when I pulled up the tape strips I used to make my grid - just one lesson learned. But the chart still has value so it's going in my swatch book.

You are so organized! Great job. I swatched a few things years back, like I took all my stencils and have 2 large 12x12 books of stencils I have made templates for but I rarely refer to them. I had high hopes in the beginning.

That chart makes me want to pull out my watercolors again. All the gorgeous colors!

Debbie J wrote:You are so organized! Great job. I swatched a few things years back, like I took all my stencils and have 2 large 12x12 books of stencils I have made templates for but I rarely refer to them. I had high hopes in the beginning.

There are probably more things not swatched here in the Glitter Grotto than are, but I do find my Swatch Book extremely useful for the things I've included. Mostly coloured mediums: inks, paints, pigment powders, markers, etc. I think because those are the things that having a sample for are most useful - how an ink colour really looks on the paper for example. I'm still flipping through stencils and embossing folders and stamps and dies when I use them, but the stamps at least are sorted by subject so I don't have to go through them all when I want one.

Debbie J wrote:You are so organized! Great job. I swatched a few things years back, like I took all my stencils and have 2 large 12x12 books of stencils I have made templates for but I rarely refer to them. I had high hopes in the beginning.

Keitha your swatch page is terrific! Thank you for sharing this inspiring project. I could work all year through making swatches of various craft items. Not just inks.


Debbie, I want to make some swatches but I’m thinking I’ll enjoy making them and then never look at them again too. But maybe not. I do want to give it a try but I will probably wait until January before I start any big projects.

Farley, what finally inspired me to start my swatch book was the realization that every time I wanted to colour something I'd pull out all the ink pads of a certain colour that were contenders. Every. Time. I'd ink a small sample of each on a piece of scratch paper and decide which I'd use, and sometimes went through this process for several colours just for one project - which was a lot of testing for certain colours. Much faster to just flip through my swatches and pick the colours, without having to pull out all the contenders and try them first.
There's lots here that could still be done but I started with my most used products, and now add to the swatch book if I feel like having a play with a certain product. It also identifies if something has dried up or gone off colour and can be tossed - before I really, really want it for something.
You Catherine Pooler ink fans know that she provides ink charts you can print out and swatch, right? My recommendation is to print them on a thin, smooth cardstock for best results. My other tip is to keep your swatches handy. I set up a disc binder that lives right beside my desk; doesn't take up a lot of room and is easy to pull things in and out of. Or, you could keep your swatch sheets stored with the product for convenience.