Artist-Grade Watercolors, Made by Hand at Drawing Etc.
Most people who know me, know I’m not a watercolorist. My practice has always been rooted in printmaking, in working with wood and pressure and grain. The “materiality of things” always resonates with me, maybe that’s exactly why this happened. Pigment Project came out of a deep interest in material, and a desire to connect more directly with the raw ingredients of our work.
At Drawing Etc., we’ve been quietly experimenting in the back room: Tweaking formulas, hand-mulling, pouring, and reworking small batches of watercolor by hand. It started out of curiosity, but also frustration. With so much mass-produced material in the market, we wanted to see what it might mean to make something truly personal, small-scale, and fully within our own control.
Why Make Our Own Paint?
We believe there’s value in knowing what goes into your tools. Pigment Project is our attempt to be as transparent, honest, and intentional as possible with what we offer. That means no fillers, no shortcuts, and no fluff.
Every pan is made with a single pigment, sourced from trusted specialist suppliers from around the world. These are not generic industrial pigments, they include rare earth minerals, traditional colors, and some that are notoriously challenging to work with. Each one is chosen for its character and potential, and we don’t hide it behind mixes or additives.
We make our own gum arabic binder from raw material, test every formula in-house, and pour each half pan in up to four slow, careful layers. Because every pigment behaves differently, there’s no one-size-fits-all formula — and that’s part of the point. Some shrink more, some cure slower, some take more time to activate. We don’t try to suppress that. Instead, we build our process around it.
Purist Colors With Real Character
By using single pigment formulas with no extenders or opacifiers, we keep the pigment load as high as it can go. This makes our pans long-lasting, but also full of nuance. You’ll find subtle granulation, unexpected edges, and sometimes a slight ruggedness that we don’t polish these out. You may find that some colors are easier to work with, while some require extra coaxing. It’s part of what makes the them alive.
We leave the mixing decisions up to you. When too many pigments are blended together, their unique qualities get lost. We want you to have a palette where each color speaks clearly on its own, and plays well with others when you decide to bring them together.
Handmade in Singapore
Pigment Project is made entirely in our studio in Singapore. It’s among the first artist-grade watercolors to be developed and produced locally at this level. Each batch is small, and every pan is a little piece of our benchwork — measured, mixed, poured, and cured by hand.
We’re not trying to make another line of watercolors that looks the same as everything else. We’re interested in something more tactile, a little raw, and a lot more human. As we release more colors over time, we hope this becomes a palette that feels grounded in process and full of potential.
Thank you for being curious enough to read this far.
– Zhang Fuming
Founder of Drawing Etc. & Artist