Synthetic Ox Gall in Watercolors: Which Brands Use It and Why It Matters
🎨 What Is Ox Gall?
Natural ox gall: Derived from animal bile salts, used for centuries in European paints.
Purpose: Improves pigment dispersion, prevents “beading” on hard-sized paper, and enhances flow.
Synthetic ox gall: A lab-made alternative that mimics the same effect without animal products.
If your paints ever feel resistant or “stiffy” on the paper, adding a drop of ox gall (or a synthetic wetting agent) can dramatically change how they behave.
🧴 Which Brands Include Ox Gall?
These are the ones I use regularly:
Schmincke Horadam – includes ox gall
Winsor & Newton Professional – includes synthetic ox gall
M. Graham – no ox gall (honey-based)
Daniel Smith – no ox gall
Holbein – no ox gall
Rockwell – not much info published, likely no ox gall?
QoR (Golden) – no ox gall (uses Aquazol binder instead)
Kuretake Gansai Tambi – no ox gall (different binder, gansai style)
Other well-known brands:
Rembrandt (Royal Talens) – includes ox gall
Old Holland – includes ox gall
Da Vinci – includes ox gall
White Nights (St. Petersburg) – includes ox gall
Sennelier – no ox gall (honey-based)
Blockx – no ox gall (honey-based)
Mission Gold (Mijello) – no ox gall
🔬 My Own Pigment Tests
As part of my lightfastness and handling tests, I explored how certain pigments behaved with and without wetting agents:
Prussian Blue (PB27): Known for shifting and darkening. In my tests, it didn’t just fade — it changed character. Adding a little ox gall helped it flow better, but it also exaggerated its tendency to spread unpredictably, especially in washes.
Lunar Black (PBk11): This granulating pigment behaved very differently. Ox gall made it disperse more evenly across the paper, softening its gritty texture without completely removing its dramatic granulation.
I found both fascinating in how they either resisted or embraced ox gall, which led me into some unexpected creative results.
🖼 In My Dalí-Inspired Pieces
I recently worked on a series of Dalí-inspired watercolor and gouache studies, where flow and dispersion were essential for creating that surreal, dreamlike feeling.
For the background of my first piece (the elephant, watercolor), I used Holbein’s Daybreak Orange from their Granulating Series. These paints are known for being a little stiff, but with a few drops of synthetic ox gall in the wash water, the flow opened up beautifully and created the atmosphere I wanted.
In my second piece (the tiger, gouache), I noticed how synthetic ox gall influenced the medium itself. It allowed the paint to spread and soften more than usual — great for covering large areas, though less ideal for fine details.
What could have been technical “problems” turned into expressive choices. The way pigments and paints moved with or without ox gall really shaped the final mood of these works.
🎨 My Takeaway
From these experiments, I’ve found synthetic ox gall to be:
Excellent for: staining pigments, vibrant transparent colors, and covering large washes (especially when you want even flow).
Less useful for: very granulating, earthy, or heavily textured colors, and for areas requiring tight detail.
In other words: ox gall shines when you need expansive flow and clarity, but it can work against you when you want granulation, control, or density.
🖌 Tips for Artists
If your paints already contain ox gall, you usually don’t need to add more.
If they don’t, or if they feel resistant, try adding a drop of liquid ox gall or a synthetic wetting agent to your rinse water.
Always test on a scrap sheet first — too much ox gall can make colors run wildly.
Use pigment quirks (like Prussian Blue’s shifts or Lunar Black’s granulation) as creative tools, not just technical hurdles.
✨ Final Thoughts
Understanding whether your favorite watercolor brand uses ox gall — and how pigments respond to it — gives you more control in the studio. My experiments with Prussian Blue and Lunar Black reminded me that every pigment has its own personality. Sometimes ox gall smooths the ride, and sometimes you want to let the wildness show.
If you’ve tried adding ox gall (or synthetic substitutes) to your paints, I’d love to hear your results. Did it tame your colors, or set them free?
