Q: I don’t know which white to use in my watercolors. How do you
choose the right white? A: Many traditional watercolorists will
say the only white that should appear in a watercolor painting
is the color of the paper—either untouched by the brush or
showing through the layers of applied paint. With this method, a
color is tinted strictly by diluting the amount of pigment
applied to the paper. However, if you prefer to lighten areas of
a painting by applying white, or by mixing a lighter shade of a
tube color, the rule of thumb is to use Chinese white for mixing
and titanium white for covering. The reason is thus: titanium
white is a more opaque pigment and better suited for adding just
a few light highlights to a nearly finished painting, while
Chinese white is made with zinc oxide and is therefore more
transparent. Q: Is there any problem with using acrylic white
for highlights, snowflakes, etc. on a watercolor? A: White
acrylic paint will adhere well to watercolor paper, but many
watercolorists choose to u