What is so special about QoR watercolors, why should you choose them over any other brand? First, let’s go through a bit of a history lesson about Aquazol, the binder Golden uses in their QoR watercolors. Dow Chemicals were the first to patent the binder, Aquazol, in 1977. However, it wasn’t originally named that; it was only after it was licensed to another manufacturer that it was given the commonly used and known name, Aquazol.
Nine years later in 1986, Thomas Chiu began his investigation of Aquazol’s properties as an adhesive. He found that it was capable of combining with other polymers used for coatings and adhesives, and could possibly be used to improve on the properties of the other products. During his testing, Chiu found that Aquazol was also rather heat resistant and was able to withstand extremely high temperatures of up to 175 degrees Fahrenheit without becoming unstable. During this time, Aquazol was being used for art conservatorship and any subsequent testing was done with this purpose in mind.
It wasn’t until 1994 when Richard Wolbers began testing Aquazol as a possible replacement binder to Gum Arabic, causing Aquazol to be introduced into artist circles. Wolbers and his colleagues began testing for the product’s light stability, its ability to remain re-soluble over time, and any signs of degradation. And as such, they found that the product was able to outperform most other binders. The only drawback being that Aquazol was found to slightly lose strength and some color overtime.
During this time, Golden was alerted to this new binder after conservation researchers began using it as both an adhesive and for inpainting* purposes (*the act of restoring damaged, missing, or deteriorated areas in artwork). After looking further into Aquazol, and even performing their own research, Golden found that it had several unique properties, such as: its stability when exposed to sunlight, its low odor, its FDA safety approval, and its re-solubility in water.
However this wasn’t enough for Golden to consider this a suitable replacement for traditional Gum Arabic. For that to happen it would have to perform even better than Gum Arabic and offer additional properties that couldn’t be achieved in traditional formulas. As thus, Golden began testing Aquazol as a binder inside of watercolors instead of testing and comparing its properties on its own.
When combined with pigments to form watercolors, Golden found that Aquazol remained stable, flexible, and attached to its testing supports when exposed to rapid aging studies. In comparison, the samples that used Gum Arabic as the binder during the same test were found to become brittle and loose, subsequently detaching from the test supports.
In the end, Gum Arabic and Aquazol share many similar properties. Ultimately, however, Aquazol was found to have an even greater level of re-solubility when compared to other binders, amongst many other benefits.
Now that the history and science portion is out of the way, let’s begin discussing QoR’s special attributes. Aside from the aforementioned properties granted by Aquazol, QoR is a fantastic choice for watercolorists who want more opaque vibrant colors without the use of mediums or gouaches! Aquazol is naturally less yellow in color than Gum Arabic, meaning you get richer, clear, and truer colors!
Due to the adhesive properties of Aquazol, QoR watercolors are also less prone to cracking, flaking, or warping the surface underneath in thicker applications/layers. They also allow artists to achieve smoother transitions and have an easier time blending. Moreover, with their high tinting strength and intense color payoff, a small amount of paint goes quite a long way! Even if you apply too much paint to your palette, QoR watercolors have fantastic re-solubility, meaning you will always get the same great color payoff and texture as when you’ve initially put the paint on your palette!
QoR watercolors also mix well with each other or with other watercolor brands without “muddling” or diluting the colors’ pigments. The paints can even be used to create beautiful, subtle, washes to create unique looks!
Ultimately, Golden’s QoR watercolors are a reimagined look into the future of watercolors! Ultra vibrant, super smooth, innovative, and revolutionary; that’s what makes Golden’s QoR watercolors so special.
Sources: Mark Golden, The Science Behind QoR, https://justpaint.org/the-science-behind-qor/, August 1, 2014
