Denise's Swatch Resource
Yellows | Oranges | Reds & Magentas | Pinks & Purples | Blues
Greens |Earth Yellows | Earth Reds | Browns | Blacks & Greys
Welcome to Denise's Swatch Resource!
Please read the following information before using this database.
These cards are admittedly not as detailed as many others available from others in the watercolor community today. They list the color name, brand name, and pigment number if available, and they have a permanent marker stripe to show opacity. They are painted with one gradient wash across the majority of the card. After this gradient dries, a second wash is painted down the side to show how each color layers.
Due to their simplicity, I feel their greatest use is for hue comparisons between brands, as shown in many of my earlier YouTube videos. For this reason, this resource is not organized by brand or pigment information. Instead, it is organized by hue. This is a subjective way to organize swatch cards and it can be difficult to decide where to put colors that fall in between major color categories. However, this is how I store them for my own reference, so my hope is that it provides a useful point of reference for you as well as you are looking to build your own watercolor collection.
While I do not have every color from every brand, all that I do have will be included here.
All scans have been calibrated to the best of my ability to represent accurate color. However, your screen may impact the colors or formatting on this page. The images here are best viewed on a color-calibrated computer monitor. You can click on each swatch for a larger version of the image.
All of my swatches are painted on 2x3" cards cut from 9x12" pieces of Arches 140lb Cold-Pressed Watercolor Paper (yields 18 cards per sheet). They are painted with a 1/2" Synthetic Flat Brush and are stored in trading card sleeves in a large binder.
Click on the color categories above to navigate to each collection of swatches.
This Swatch Resource has been made possible by the support of my Patrons. If you find this resource valuable and are able to do so, please consider supporting me on Patreon to help keep this resource updated. If you would like to purchase any of these watercolors, affiliate links are listed below. As a Da Vinci Affiliate, Jackson's Art Affiliate, and Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you!