How to: get the most out of Professional Watercolour Sticks

Professional Water Colour Stick

The debut of Winsor & Newton’s Professional Watercolour Sticks marked an innovative leap for the medium. Introducing a versatile, fresh new take on painting in watercolour, the sticks allow fluid movement between drawing and painting, working wet and dry, and mixing with traditional forms of watercolour.

Curious about experimenting with our Watercolour Sticks in your practice? Read on to learn about their phenomenal capabilities, impressive colour qualities, and how to best use them, store them, and more.

How do the Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks work?

Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks are a versatile aid for any artist drawing and/or painting their composition. The colour can be applied to paper like pencil before a small amount of water is added to create a wash.

Alternatively, it can be used directly with a brush like pan colour, or used to add detail to an existing watercolour artwork.

Are the Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks the same quality as Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour tubes and pans?

Yes! Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks are made from the same professional grade pigments as Professional Watercolour tubes and pans, as our innovation and development team knows that pigment loading is optimum for the brightest colour performance.

Where can I use Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks?

You can use your Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks in the same way as watercolour pans. Try painting outdoors, in a studio setting or even on the go. The sticks have been specially formulated so they can be used dry and then wet after any period of time.

How should I store Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks?

Your Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks are soluble, so remember to store them in a dry place away from moisture and humidity.

What temperatures are best for using Winsor & Newton Professional Water Colour Sticks?

The sticks can be used at the same temperature as any other watercolour range (between 0C and 40C).

What is the difference between a dye-based watercolour stick and a pigment-based watercolour stick?

Specially formulated using highly durable, lightfast pigments, Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks will provide excellent permanence, well above that of a dye-based equivalent colour.

 

Winsor & Newton Watercolour Sticks: intermixable with traditional watercolour

Can I use Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks with other traditional watercolour paint, such as tubes and/or pans)?

You can. Winsor & Newton Professional Water Colour Sticks are fully intermixable with traditional watercolour and complement many watercolour techniques.

Can I use Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks with dry colours like pastels, pencils and charcoal?

Yes, your sticks can be used in conjunction with other forms of dry colour. Try incorporating them into your sketching and drawing practice to produce interesting results.

Can I sharpen the Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks? How?

Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks do not lend themselves to easy sharpening, but the shape has been developed to facilitate the drawing of fine lines.

Why is there a label on the Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks?

Like watercolour pans, the sticks are highly pigmented, which means colours look quite similar in their concentrated stick form. The label provides a useful colour reference. The handling of the water sensitive sticks is also made easier and less messy by having a label, with added perforations for controlled removal.

If you are interested in seeing a detailed colour chart for the sticks range, you can view and download a PDF online.

What surfaces can Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks be used on?

Your sticks can be used on the same surfaces as any traditional Winsor & Newton watercolour paint. View our range of watercolour paper to explore some of these surfaces.

How does a Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Stick compare to a pan or tube in terms of amount of paint?

A stick provides a similar amount of colour and usage as an equivalent Professional Watercolour whole pan or 5ml Professional Watercolour tube.

Do I need to prepare my surface before using Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks?

You do not need to prepare your surface. Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks can either be used directly on dry paper and then washed, or applied onto pre-wetted water colour paper. It all depends on the effect you want to achieve.

What is the finish of the Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour Sticks?

Your sticks will give you the same matt finish as Winsor & Newton traditional watercolour pans and tubes.

Can I varnish the finished work?

As with traditional watercolours, due to their sensitivity to water, varnishes should not be used. Conventional advice for watercolours is to display art work behind glass.

Learn more about our Professional Watercolour Sticks here, where you can see examples of their blendability and watch videos featuring notable watercolour artists.