Welcome back to the Art Supplies Spotlight series! Today, I’ll be diving into the world of handmade watercolour paints by Lene Myhre Art. My introduction to Lene’s work came when I first discovered the fascinating realm of handmade watercolours. Like many artists, I quickly fell down the rabbit hole, exploring various makers on Instagram and Etsy. Recently, I’ve been using her paints to work on a piece inspired by Australian wildflowers—a design that didn’t quite make the cut during the preliminary sketches for a commission.
Lene Myhre is a talented artist from Norway who specializes in watercolour and gouache. Her work focuses on intricate depictions of nature, including bugs, fungi, insects, and plants. In addition to her stunning artwork, Lene’s Etsy shop offers a wide range of products, such as original paintings, prints, stickers, magnets, washi tape, tea towels, and, of course, her handmade watercolour paints.
These handmade paints are created using a honey-based binder made from glycerine, honey, clove oil, and gum arabic. They are available as either single pigment or mixed pigment paints. Many of the mixed pigment paints are of earthy, muted tones, often combining two, three, or even four pigments. Common pigments in the mix include PBr7 (Umber or Sienna), PB27 (Prussian Blue), PY37 (Cadmium Yellow Deep), PB72 (Cobalt Blue Deep), and occasionally TiO2 (Titanium Dioxide).
As a general rule, I avoid paints with Prussian Blue due to its fugitive nature—it fades with sunlight exposure. While this makes it better suited for sketchbook work or pieces intended for prints, it’s something to keep in mind when working with these paints especially when it comes to original art or commissions.
Lene’s paints are sold exclusively in half pans, priced between $10 and $13 AUD—a very reasonable range for handmade watercolours. One thing to note is that the pans themselves don’t include pigment information or paint names, but this information is typically available in the product description in her Etsy shop. If it’s missing, Lene is always quick to respond to inquiries. Most of the pigments she uses are lightfast, though a few—such as PR170 (Naphthol Red), PY3 (Lemon Yellow), and PB27 (Prussian Blue)—are marginally lightfast, meaning they can gradually lose vibrancy with prolonged sunlight exposure.
In this post, I’ll also be sharing swatches from one of my tins, which holds my collection of about 50 Lene Myhre Art paints. See these beautiful colours in action below!
These paints are of exceptional quality, smooth and have excellent flow. Thanks to the honey and glycerine in the binder, they aren’t sticky but have a soft, glossy finish. One of their standout features is how easy they are to rewet—there’s no need to pre-spray them with water before use.
That said, some pigments, like PR259 (Ultramarine Pink), can be challenging to layer or achieve a strong colour payoff due to their naturally low tinting strength. While most pans perform flawlessly, I’ve noticed that a few (three, to be precise) develop a brownish or discoloured surface layer over time. This is a minor issue, as gently wetting and removing the top layer with a brush reveals perfectly usable paint underneath. After some research I suspect the pigments used might be those containing natural minerals or metallic elements which can oxidise when exposed to air and moisture. Pigments and earth tones such as siennas and umbers, or paints containing iron oxides, may darken or develop a brownish film over time.
Check out the swatches of all the paints below to see their beautiful colours and unique qualities!
The following painting, "Australian Wildflowers," was created using only Lene Myhre Art paints.
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this blog post.
Until next time.
Much love,
Wendy
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