Master artist Joseph Zbukvic is known worldwide for his use of grey in his watercolor paintings.  “I’m always asked by my students, as well as other artists, what grey I use. I had actually been making up my own shades of grey by mixing just about every colour on my palette, so their question almost impossible to answer. This led me to develop three different greys in collaboration with DANIEL SMITH, as part of their Signature Series of Extra Fine Watercolors. I hope these watercolors bring success to everyone using them.”

Why multiple greys? Joseph suggested creating a range of greys for painting in different light, because light can be either cool, neutral or warm. On its own, grey is so expressive – for example, see how Joseph captures the feeling of light in his city landscapes. Greys are also very useful for quickly modifying other colors when mixed.

Joseph Z's Cool Grey

Joseph Z’s Cool Grey

“I designed this grey to use for those frosty morning and rainy winter day paintings. It has a lovely greenish sediment, which is perfect for low light or early morning light effects. I think this is a must for anyone painting winter scenes.”

Joseph Z’s Neutral Grey

“Perfect for those strong, New York-type cityscapes. When undiluted, it is basically black and can provide powerful, monolithic shapes without looking chalky.  It gives a look of charcoal drawing or old-fashioned photographs.”

  • Series: 2
  • Lightfastness: I – Excellent
  • Transparency: Semi-Transparent
  • Granulation: Granulating
  • Staining: 2 – Low Staining
  • Pigments: PB 29, PBk 9, PBk 10
  • Ultramarine Blue, Ivory Black, Graphite Gray
Joseph Z's Neutral Grey
Joseph Z's Warm Grey

Joseph Z’s Warm Grey

“Perfect for strong summer light, when shadows have that rich warm glow. It’s particularly useful for painting late afternoon  pinkish light effects when it’s diluted into lighter washes. It can capture that evening glow perfectly.”

Joseph Z’s Greys are wonderful for studio and plein air work – having reliable, pre-mixed grays ready to use is helpful when time is short and light is constantly changing. Here are three mixing grids that show a few of the lovely shades that can be achieved by mixing these greys with colors from our Essentials Watercolor Set.