I love this series, it's so helpful when you have a limited budget. I can't afford to try all these myself, so I let you buy them all instead! I recently bought the Art Nouveau set from Kuretaki Gansai Tambi. They're my first Japanese watercolors and I'm really enjoying them, but I don't know anything about their pigments or lightfastness. They're really interesting colors and they're good as an add-on set I think. Maybe you can talk about the some time, they're available on amazon.
I have more expensive paints but I still use my pretty excellent paints. I think they’re so fun and vibrant. I use them in my sketchbooks and always have fun. Thanks for the reviews!
I have the old stock version of Meiliang that I bought from Temu earlier in the year. I actually like them a lot, but now that you said they are not lightfast, I won't use them for final paintings. I do have a White Nights Botanical Sketch set in tubes that I like. I bought my niece an Art Whale set last year as it was recommit highly somewhere else, too. She likes it a lot. I have been giving her watercolor lessons. This was very informative. Thank you!
Greetings from Canada. Thank you so much for your wonderful, in-depth reviews.❤ They sure help! I ended up getting the Niji 24 pans plus the White & Night in the plastic container as I could not find the other one. They are lovely. I also have a 24 set of the Mangyo. Enough paints to last me a lifetime! I'm 66 and just starting.. But now I'm off to apply some magenta color nail polish to my nails as you inspired me to give myself a manicure 💅 😊
I got White Nights, and since they became scarce, I explored Roman Szmal. They are affordable too and many more pigments to choose from. I purchased some even though I thought my set was complete.
I’ll do a similar video on indie brands soon. Roman Szmal has some really fun colors. Have you tried mineral violet? That one has a lot of personality.
As far as Prang, a family friend gave me a used palette as she teaches elementary. I think if I'm not mistaken they're more comparable to Crayola kids paint.
Wow! An amazing, useful overview! I've never seen this information presented anywhere else. I will subscribe even before seeing anything else you post for easy access to this great video. Thank-you! Debs in Montana... who has a granddaughter who loves watercolor but is only 11. After a few years of her choosing "paint with gram'ma" as her favorite activity, I've started looking for inexpensive (she is still young) but nicer than dollar store sets of paint for birthdays. This is so helpful.
Excellent video!👏👏👏 Thank you for providing very detailed information for each product. Compiling it must have been time consuming. This content is extremely helpful since I know little about pigments and how their properties effect the paint. I Greatly appreciate your willingness to share knowledge.💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
PS Rosa Gallery paints are excellent value and great quality. You might want to consider them for a future review. Available in sets and open stock, full pans and tubes, at affordable prices. They all have pigment info. You can get 21 full pans in a sturdy tin for $35 right now. They offer even cheaper options in cardboard boxes, a great option if you already have tins. Jackson's and Amazon stock these. Some people say compare them to White Night's, but having over 50 of WN, they are NOT like Rosa. I find Rosa less chalky and better flowing, with great transparency. I stick to buying open stock single pigment colours only, so I have more control over the mixes. Have a go, I think you will like them.
38:02 Prang. These are for school kids, low price and non toxic. I would not expect pigment info. They are targeted at primary school classes for(selling rhem by the box with 20 units). I love the tin, super sturdy and great design. Once the colours are empty they can be filled with good tube paint. The washable ones are streaky and gummy. I did not like them. They are made by Dixon, owned by Fila, which owns Daler Rowney, Arches, Canson, Strathmore, Maimeri, Lukas, Princeton Brushes and many other companies. (Check the back of the box, you will see Dixon)
What a great detailed video! Would you consider making one for artist level paints such as WN, Daniel Smith, A. Gallo, etc.? Luv your swatch sheets! So pretty!
Excellent! This is great info! 🎉 For helping students find their tools, I will recommend it. Recently, I'm loving the Rosa pans and tubes, would love to see how you rate them.
I agree about the Mei Liang paints, I don't even use them in my journals anymore. Most of my art is in journals but I've found that there is better even in student and hobby grade paints. I like my Jane Davenport paints for vibrant hobby grade paints although I tell people not to run out and buy them either because they are also a bit expensive for what they are. Michael's used to carry them and I had an excellent coupon.
I’ve had fun with Jane Davenport Brights, but I can’t find them anywhere online. Do they even make them anymore? They’re not lightfast at all, but they made the coolest retro 70s look when mixed.
I also can't find them anywhere. I do know the brights and neutrals sets were made when Jane was under contract with American Crafts, when they ended their partnership it appears those sets were no longer manufactured. Several RU-vidrs have speculated the Prima Marketing palletes are white labeled by the same people and the quality is very similar. I have not looked recently but I think those are still available.
I’m surprised how many RU-vidrs recommend Mei Liang. I was very disappointed with them. I don’t use mine anymore but if friends come over to paint they like the wide choice of colours.
I’m glad to know that you consider Cotman a good student grade brand, although you don’t like the box. Indeed, I have a 24 set that came in a nice tin in which I ‘ve added a few colors more. I think you’d like this more than the little plastic box.
Well now, if opinions validate you and your choices hold on to your set my friend because I'm about to hit you with some real world truth. Cotman is pretty much all any real artist uses. By real I mean people actually painting and selling original art work instead of prints and personality online. Nothing wrong with it, by God everyone should start a RU-vidr channel, but most artists are painting and surviving on their sales. Those whom aren't sponsored or ambassadors of a company, or aren't paid with free product to sell that product on RU-vid almost all paint with cotman tubes. Every country has plein air competitions and galleries open only to real artists and real art collectors. Again, by real I mean those willing to slap down an easy 1200usd for a 3x5 watercolor and the artist who painted it survived solely upon gallery sales. Those not making money by being advertisers on social media. Again, not a bad thing either way. Just different. We use cotman tubes because A) they are great reliable quality B) cost a fraction of other brands C) available everywhere in the world. No matter where you find yourself painting, if your tube of ultramarine should get stepped on, forgotten, etc, one can easily run down to the local box craft store and pick up a replacement. So you are in great company. :)
I was surprised by Lukas's price for what it offers-it's crazy 🤯🤯!! It's almost the same price as the professional 24-color set from Schminke. Blows my mind 😵💫. White Night is definitely on my wishlist 💙, but I’m aiming for the 12-tube set because I'm saving up for the 36-tube Mijello Gold Mission set 😅😂. I’m currently using the Cotman and Kuretake 48-set. Good review video, thanks! Art Whale surprise me hehe.
I am just starting WC and I bought the Mei Liang set. It had individual pans that you unwrap each one. It had a swatch card to use, but it had different named paints than what was written on the chart. I diNt known
The Lukas paint company got bought by Daler Rowney and are now made in the UK. I find the older version that was made in Germany a bit more concentrated.
Oh, that's good to know! If you Google, the top results will tell you they're still made in Germany. Amazon doesn't say either way in their listings. But after reading your comment, I just dug through my "boxes of packaging" which I keep just in case . . . and it turns out the Lukas 1862 set does say in the tiniest print that it's made in the UK. I'll correct that on my fact sheet.
@@KeyLimeInk Great video. You put a lot of work into it. I only wanted to add to your knowledge base since I noticed a difference in a set I had from long ago and a newer set I bought.
I’m a complete newbie to watercolour; you mentioned during the White Nights 36 white box review that fluorescent brighteners aren’t good…? Why is that exactly? This is the first time I’m seeing them discussed, so I’d love to know! Also, if I may ask, is cauliflowering when the paint pools into lumpier cloud-like shapes when it’s fading into a water base? Is it preferable to have it simply fade out as a gradient? Sorry if these are daft questions!
Welcome to watercolor! Yes and yes. Fluorescent brighteners are an issue for anything you plan to put out on display because they’re prone to fade quickly. Companies use them because it’s cheaper and easier than sourcing actual pigments. (Or it might not even be possible to get a color that bright, so they fake it.) Opera Rose is a color which uses brighteners in most (but not all) brands. Some of these can fade completely within a matter of days or weeks if you hang them on a wall that gets sunlight. It’s not bad to use them in journals or for work you plan to scan rather than hang, but it’s wrong for companies to label them as lightfast when they most definitely aren’t. Reputable brands are more likely to be forthcoming so you can make your own decision about whether to use those colors. And cauliflowering is kind of a personal preference. Some painters think it’s fun and dynamic. I don’t. 😂 I think it looks like you put a drop of water on what should have been a finished piece. It can happen because of the paint, the paper, or technique. Unless I’m imagining it, some paints just seem more prone to it.
I started with collecting Daniel Smith after some student grade and Kuretake Gansai Tambi, which I actually enjoyed. I must admit, I still really adore my Cotman studio set watercolors. The only downfall is the sap green’s lack of potency.
I haven’t tried Rosa yet. They’re on my list. Kim Crick tested their lightfastness, so be sure to check her blog for a handful of colors which faded despite being rated higher. She really liked a lot of the colors, though. Especially magenta!
As for the Lukas 1862, their 3* LF = 7/8 on the Blue Wool scale ( up to 100 yrs under museum conditions) and a 2* LF = 6/7 on the BW scale (50-100yrs under museum conditions). I would not call that being 'not lightfast enough'. My mom has a painting of a race horse done with Lukas paints that has hung on her livingroom wall for almost 40 yrs, no issues with fading
Right, but independent tests show shifting with some of the pigments they’ve chosen to add recently. I don’t doubt a painting with their colors from 40 years ago performed well. That’s awesome! I’m talking about specific colors from this particular set which inexplicably have new, odd formulations.
@@KeyLimeInk Yes I've heard some say that after the Lukas paints were no longer made in germany, but england they are not what they used to be. I have an old set from the 80s and I love them. I also found some 1/2 pans made in germany in my local hardware/art store and I bought them all 😄 There's also some issues with the van Gogh paints. There is some kind of white filler in them. If you make a fairly thick mix and let it dry in your mixing pallet you will find the dry paint has a white underside , so no wonder they look a bit dull and behave a bit funny when mixing colours.
I’m so glad you noticed the white filler in Van Gogh as well. They’re fine for me on watercolor paper, but I’m more likely to see the effects when I push the boundaries and try to use them on journals which have less texture / tooth / saturation. There’s nowhere for the filler to hide.
Hello I'm in Florida. I found the best paints are Daniel Smith 😍 love love love ❤️ there paints 🎨. I bought the May Liang set and was very disappointed 😞!!!!! It was the set with the small tins yuck!! I don't like the paints either😢. Cost like 30.00 dollars I should have sent them back because it showed half pans!! What a rip! Oh well live and learn. I had Recently bought a new Paul Runbans paints with 12 paints in it. I wish I could send you a picture of it but I don't like the May Geen even though it's a one pigment PG7, the Pussian Blue is a one pigment PB27, the color doesn't want to come off the pan into the brush! I couldn't figure it out? Also they have a white and a black both are one pigment colors. Then it has cadmium yellow hue PY151 and cadmium red hue PR255?? With the cadmium I'm worried about cancer? The Sepia is close to the same color as the one pigment PY42 burnt umber but the Sepia has 3 pigments? The violet has 2 pigments. I was going to send this back but I thought I ask and see what you say about it. I only have a few days to send back. Oh this set cost 30. You did a lot of work on the pallet and paints you reviewed. Have a good day 😊. JK FLORIDA USA 🇺🇸.
If a color has ‘hue’ in its name, then it’s one made to look like the original but does not have the chemical or metal in it. So- your Cad yellow and red does not have any cadmium used in it. Hue colors are safer.
I’ll have to look at that particular Paul Rubens set. For easier re-wetting, get a little spray bottle and spray the paints with water about ten minutes before you sit down to work. They’ll be much easier to pick up with your brush if you activate them that way.
@@KeyLimeInk I know it’s not a ton but I have an older set and a newer set and noticed differences in the reds and purples/pinks I think. That said they may still be quite fugitive :)
Personally thought the comparison of every single palette to a $20 bill and business card was kinda/ very irrelevant and unnecessary hahah. You could just compare them to either the 24 or 48 color metal tins which ppl are already familiar with! Or just give an example of their size like what you said about the aqua-mini palette by comparing it to an Altoids tin. Love your TN & watercolor vids so def not a hate comment haha But when you compare each single palette separately to a bill and card each time, it’s still difficult to get an accurate comparison!
I hear you, but I think you’d be surprised how many viewers have no idea what a 48 half pan tin looks like on their desktop. I’ve seen so many reviews of watercolors where customers say they’re returning their order because the paints were so much smaller than they expected for the price. Maybe they’re used to seeing big acrylic tubes or even cans of house paint?! Or, the opposite. Lots of people return the White Nights 36 full pan box because it’s ginormous and they can’t take it in their backpack or it covers their work surface. Just trying to give them a visual they might already have in their pocket.
Accurate size comparison is so important on all types of media communication. If it’s not provided the mind of the observer comes up with all different sizes randomly.
