Why are there two watercolour whites?

Winsor & Newton’s two watercolour whites have different uses. Many artists use Chinese White at the end of their painting for highlights, or to dull some colour mixtures during painting. Introduced by Winsor & Newton in 1834, Chinese White is the most popular white in watercolour. It is semi-opaque and has a blue undertone.

Titanium White is the whitest, most opaque white. It has a high tinting strength and a high covering power.