Please continue to give us your honest reviews, whether it's favorable or not. I value your opinion, and it really helps me make purchase decisions. Thanks Lindsay!
I appreciate all your reviews. Good, bad, or indifferent. I really appreciate the reviews that share information on what not to buy. Your wide knowledge base and openness with your honest opinions are invaluable!💜💜💜
I appreciate your opinions on products and trust your judgement because I know all the care you put into reviews. You always try to balance good with not so much when that's an issue. The poppies are pretty, too.
Thanks for reviewing. We need to know, and I think we all don't want to waste our craft supply budget on things that we might regret down the road. Your honesty and integrity mean a lot to so many!!
I’ve watched this review Lindsay and I thank you for it, and appreciate how detailed and comprehensive it is. I noticed you mentioned other reviews and so I just thought maybe you wouldn’t mind if I added my two cents’ worth. I recently came across the new Meeden watercolors and I reviewed them on my channel a couple of weeks ago. I gave them a good review, in the context of the price range and target market that they are aimed at. As a set of paints for beginner hobby painters who don’t aspire to be the next Picasso, LOL, I think they are great. In my set I found the colors to be intense, clean, transparent and easy to mix. I can hardly tell them apart from my Paul Rubens. If their claims re the pigments’ light fastness are correct (they all get 3* ratings bar one which gets 2*) for everyday painting of a casual nature, for use with kids, as a start-up for total beginners and to paint backgrounds for junk journals or collage, they can hardly be beaten. I wouldn’t recommend them to people who are starting out on a serious study of art, or who want to paint layered transparent paintings, who want to paint a lot of wet in wet, who want to paint for posterity or especially those who want to sell their art, but for crafters, hobbyists, casual painters and children and especially grandchildren, I stand by them as a good buy. Looking forward to your next review, and I always watch your channel on Saturday mornings!
Thank you for your input. I always recommend people watch severy reviews to see what is right for them. I am kinda picky as I know some similarity priced paint (pretty excellent for instance) that preform better but I can see your point for sure. Thanks for commenting!
Really interesting review and i think it's very helpful to hear the negative reviews. I've seen a few positive reviews, which I think are because the reviewers haven't really used budget watercolour and had really low expectations so were surprised by the paint not being that bad. I think out of the reviewers I've seen you have the most experience of using a wide variety of budget and high end watercolours which I find reassuring and so trust your opinion. Please do post your negative opinions, it makes me believe your positive ones more too! I have got the paper but haven't used it yet. I thought your poppy was lovely so will check out the other tutorials.
I trust your judgment the most, Lindsay. So even if the review isn’t positive, I would love to hear your opinion on it. You’re always very fair and thorough on your reviews and never mean about your honest opinion. You know craft grade, student grade and artist grade watercolors so well, it’s invaluable knowledge. Would love to see a new poppy tutorial with different paints as well. Only if you want, of course.
Love to see a poppy tutorial! Thanks for your knowledge and honesty, as usual, Lindsay! I did get these… before your review. I got the paper, too, and I do like the paper! I dried these down and they are ‘ok’ to play with. I painted a couple roses, then a couple with Owin, Renesans, and MGraham… quite a difference ! Thanks!
I like to hear this sort of review because it helps me see the differences in how better paint handles as opposed to ones that aren't so great. It all helps.
Thank you for the review! I respect and appreciate you giving your honest opinion whether it's good or bad. I'd definitely consider the Meeden paper, the price is pretty good.
😂 I adore your channel. You and Unnatural Vegan are my people. Personal integrity is EVERYTHING to me and y'all have it in spades. Thank you for just being you, no matter what. ❤
That's one of the things I love best, too. A friend of mine likes to talk about the plague of the "RU-vid voice," those people who just talk in that certain...youtubey way, and it comes across as so inauthentic. I don't know if I've ever seen the other chan el you mentioned, but people just being themselves is huge!
Really appreciate the review. It's important to have a counterpoint review, particularly if the other reviews are favorable. I almost order this set bc the price was under $12 ( just for the paints), but you have ALOT more experience than most RU-vidrs in reviewing many brands...and you are able to articulate what the issues are in things like how specific pigments SHOULD perform.... And last but not least, you always look for ways to be kind even if you must go against other reviewers- for example, the paper affecting the paint quality....Lindsay, you're the best. 👍👍☺️😎
Yes please! Honesty is always welcomed and refreshing. These reviews are as much important as the good ones, in my eyes. Thank you so much for your honesty. One of the reasons I go out to buy the products you suggest and I can be almost 99% certain they will be great unless they change formulation between now and then.. but that’s just my bad for not checking the latest reviews 😅
Hullo Lindsay, I am astounded by your skills with some of these budget brands! I love how you review supplies, you are so kind and I know that you are not going to trash anyone. I bet you could, if you wanted to make them cry, but that is not you! I have several Meeden porcelain palettes and they are quite nice! I am not going to buy these paints nor the brushes. The brushes remind me of why synthetic brushes got that reputation for being horrible with watercolor painting! New synthetic brushes that use variable diameter shafts and textured surface are so much better and some are as good as Kolinsky! I know that there will be decent with my experience, but I have compared several brushes and I am willing to bet that I can put together a set made by say, Princeton that many Artists will be unable to tell the difference between natural or synthetic hair brushes! Without the labels I am saying that most cannot tell the difference! I hope you continue to show your viewers how to use the wide range of art supplies that are available. I have made lovely paintings with even more simple supplies! It is not always about getting the best but working with what you can find or sometimes afford! Giving alternative choices can be the best that can be done. Thank you. Oh, I am never going to recommend student grade supplies ever again. It got me into trouble once and I just do not want to experience that again!! Please take care, be safe and enjoy the upcoming week!
I'd love a tutorial of the poppy and the lilac. I don't care if you have old ones, I want new ones, ha. I like your honesty. I think when every review is positive, I start questioning the reviewer. I'm sure the Meeden watercolors aren't a whole lot worse than any of the other low-priced brands. The non-toxicity is definitely a win. I know some young artists who would love them and they'd be great for inky backgrounds and textures for cards. I saw a Katie Moody video where she pointed out how streaky watercolor markers can make nice textures, so maybe gloopiness has a fit somewhere too, ha. So if a big sale comes up or something, it might be fun for some to get these. About Meeden, I own two of their palettes and love them. I always feared buying ceramic palettes online, but they package them extremely well. And on Amazon, at least, they aren't even trying to hide that their cotton watercolor paper is Baohong Academy which is a great paper. So Meeden is definitely a good brand. Thanks for the review.
I must echo those who've spoken before me - I really appreciate your reviews! You bring SO MUCH to the table. It's so so helpful Random side note - generally any paint tubes which have a seal you need to break, will also have a pointy bit in the center of their cap. So basically flipping the cap upside down can break the seal. No pin required 😄
An honest review is always helpful whether positive, negative, or in between. Your reviews give us the necessary information to make an informed decision. Hope you and your family enjoyed the holiday long weekend. 😊
Your knowledge on art supplies is invaluable. I 100% think you should do reviews on all art supplies especially when there are people out there giving reviews on products that they might think are good but they don’t know the meat and potatoes about it, you know what I mean? There have been art products that I have purchased thinking a person was more knowledgeable then they actually were. It’s honestly why I don’t do reviews on my channel. I don’t want someone purchasing a product because I think it’s good when all of this is fairly new to me. I know there are better people out there to give better information so I don’t do reviews. I direct them to people like you who know the in and outs of products. Many times you also state how you use a supply and why it works or doesn’t work for you.
I really appreciate your honest reviews. To me this came across as if you are a disappointed parent having a loving conversation with an erring child. You point out all the pros about this, but gently comment on the problems. Also a good example of how a talented artist can produce something wonderful (that field of poppies painting) with less than great paint. Nice to know about the paper.
You are a true professional in reviewing products in my opinion. You always stay neutral or specify if you’re biased by whatever and even give examples for what “meh products” are good for (I mean all the products that don’t spark joy, inspiration or other “meh” feelings) and what to get instead if you were hoping for x of y in a certain product. I much prefer to know it all and as you mention enough in each video/review; it is just your opinion. With all your experience you are an essential source of information and we can still decide for ourselves so put them up, every review. I’m just one viewer but I think I voice what a lot of your viewers would voice, put them up. Put them all up, we learn with each and every one of them!
Thanks Lindsey for being honest. I follow Art and Beauty tube and Beauty YTers have learnt the hard way that just can’t just praise bad or mediocre products just because they get stuff for free. They get taken to task. Hopefully Art community will also start being held accountable for their fake reviews. The worst art adult coloring book reviews. Just awful awful books would get glowing reviews just because they were sent them for free by the artists. They were 🤮🤣🤣🤣 Thank you again. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thanks Lindsay- that’s so disappointing to encounter a product that’s lacking! Art should be fun, freeing, and accessible to everyone. Budget brands are a wonderful place to learn from, & when any of the art supplies are frustrating, it creates an unnecessary hurdle to the enjoyment of art! Honest opinions are always the best-thanks for telling it like it is❤
I've bought products based upon reviews that I've watched on RU-vid. The products were quality brands, the sets were curated either by artists or by the art supply store employees. Schminke and even Daniel Smith curated sets have been disappointing. It was a learning experience, at any rate and I always think that if I were putting this set together, I would make these kinds of changes. Every artist is going to have his or her favorite colors and combinations. If the artist is well known enough to be invited to put together a set, then that artist will select the pans or tubes that work best for him/her. I have never used Meeden tube paints. I'm not sure if I've ever used any Meeden products, ever. Thanks to this review, I'm not likely to buy these paints.
I always enjoy your videos for many reasons, but the TOP TOP reason, is because of how honest and transparent you are! No wonder why when you say something's good, noone gives it a second thought and the item gets sold out within minutes! 😂😂😂😂
Interesting review I haven’t tried meeden watercolour tunes yet. I do have meeden watercolour pans and I quite like those watercolours. Very helpful review Lindsay!
I want to see honest reviews. If a product isn't up to snuff then I want to know. Please don't be like some RU-vidrs who fawn over free products that are terrible. Simply because they fear being dropped by companies who send free products out for review on YT. I appreciate the honesty you put into every product review and wouldn't want it any other way.
The reviewers probably have different tastes. I use a lot of watercolor in my sketchbook to add color to sketches and I love the original meeden paints. They dry well, rewet easier than my Cotman paints, are vibrant, don't get muddy when I mix them, I got my last set of 24 for $8 and I don't have to be precious about it. I'd obviously use my professional paints for finished pieces but nothing else I use in my sketchbook is lightfast anyway so that doesn't matter to me. You really liked the fan watercolors. I hated those. Got them out recently to try them again, and I still hate them. I've used the meeden for years and I'd probably buy more when these run out. The other reviewers were probably just like me and want cheap watercolors to throw in a sketchbook without worrying about price. I can't speak for the newer version though
Hi Snow Panther, that’s exactly the reason I like these paints and gave them a good review. Not everyone is painting for posterity or even painting in layers, and many people share their paints with children, or have a multitude of reasons for wanting really inexpensive paints. Meeden approached me with another great discount offer to share with folk, and when I tried the paints out they gave me a clean, even and bright swatch with none of the irregularities Lindsay found. So I recommend them for hobby painters unreservedly. So glad you like them!
@@DianeAntoneStudio Honestly, as much as I love my Paul Rubens, Sonnet and Camlin watercolors (got those one sale too), I can't think of a better deal for $8. 12ml can refill my pans multiple times and I go through so much paint in my sketchbook it's not funny
Budget paint gets really expensive when you end up not using it or wasting your time. Budget brands are out of control sometimes. It’s cost driven but sometimes it’s not even about product anymore.
I just tried their new gouache set and felt it performed slightly better than the Arteza (which was my previous favorite of the student gouaches). That’s not saying much since it’s kind of a choice of “least bad” 🤣
That's good to know! I just bought the Dan Smith mixing se of 4 and a burnt umber from block to try. I am alo considering the shinhan pro gouache as the price is good and I like their pwc/swc watercolor. I hope you review them and let us know if the pigment info feels accurate.
I am glad you’re doing negative reviews when a product deserves one. I think I may have said this before, but one of the reasons I trust your reviews is that you’re not afraid to say when something isn’t up to scratch.
Tell all! I'm not interested in just dishing dirt, but if something seems like a product us cheapskates might like, please try it and tell it like it is! I like the Meeden palettes, and paint drawers, and I may have gone for the deal and wasted my money. I enjoy your reviews of cheap to medium paints and supplies. Sometimes I'll buy the product, especially if there is a discount(!), and play with it for awhile. If the shine wears off, or I start getting embarrassed about my hoard, I pass them along and am happy. Thanks !
Thanks for the reivew, Lindsay. I am glad you are honest, as you help so many like that. I want to see good and bad reviews. What would be the point of the review, otherwise, if you don't tell us all the good AND bad points of the product. As a small business, I do appreciate when a customer mentions something to me about my products that can be improved. As long as it isn't in a malicious way. Thanks again.
Thank you for this review & yes, please continue giving us your feedback of brands. I’m trying out a few different watercolors these days (I have had a 24 set of WN for several years now), and at your suggestion I’ve just gotten onset/twosey tubes rather than an entire set of a couple other brands. I did just purchase one of the small Meeden porcelain pallet, awaiting its arrival.
Please review everything. I have been on these RU-vid sites looking around since Fall of 2021. I haven't done much art since the early 80's and again in the later 90's. I am learning and looking to understand the way art supplies work in the present day. I had high school art classes 1975-1977. I need to be in the know. Even though I am 64 years old and mainly doing art for my own pleasure. Thank you.
Thank you for the honest review, yes I would like a review if you dislike something especially paints, your knowledge on water paints is an asset, yep have this paper and it is fabulous, paper has a big effect on the paints for watercolours. I know you have other Poopie paints but I like this one I know so demanding be I, lol so um yes please, I think it’s the hills I like. Your honest opinions are always appreciated, thank you again.
I saw a favorable review on these paints, so I purchased them. I am new to watercolor art, so I'm not mad at these. I don't intend to sell my art, I'm just learning and practicing. These work fine for me, for the price. I'm not at a point where I want to spend the money on great products. Hoping to get there some day! I do appreciate that you are honest in your reviews, as this is very helpful to us newbies that have no clue. I love your art and your videos!
I appreciate your review. It's good to know why you have a negative reaction to the paint and it allows me to decide if those concerns are important to me. I like your reviews - both the positive and the negative. And yes, I would like another poppy tutorial.
I appreciate honest reviews. I've listened to reviews where they say bad things but suddenly at the end, the product is great. Positive or negative, honesty is what matters. I will admit that I'm still using my reeves watercolors, and a koh i noor (or something like that) stackable pallet. I added iridescent medium to some of the reeves before letting them dry. I enjoy playing with them. I am not looking to do art pieces. Backgrounds and the occasional stamped image is what I do. I've been using the same koh i noor (or something like that) stackable pallet for several years. Maybe 8. When I spritz them with water, grab a make up sponge, and stencil with them, they STAY PUT!! Those can be really fun backgrounds. I see wonderful reviews for high quality watercolor paints, but I use these because they are the right level of paint for me. I don't actually enjoy watercolor painting. If I want flowy backgrounds, I reach for my set of brushos. I think paint like this can be acceptable if you know what to expect. Honestly, if I ever run out of my watercolors, these wouldn't be a bad option. If the paper was dry, and the paint was wet, I bet they would stencil well. I bet they would stay put.
This is exactly the type of review we want. Honesty is key and desperately needed for those of us who want everything that sounds like such a wonderful product. I know I can’t waste money on something that isn’t going to work well especially since I would think I’m the reason it isn’t working well.
Thank you for your review! I'm very skeptical about the lightfastness and other ratings for budget brands. I really like meeded palettes, but I'll stay away from their paint.
I absolutely want to hear any negative reviews you feel are relevant. I learned a great deal hearing you explain why you don’t think the paints are as good as others are saying (or at all), but also what it is about the paints and the addition of the paper, that would lead someone less knowledgeable and experienced with watercolor paint and painting in general AND the formulation of watercolors to believe the paints are a better quality than they are. Regardless of how pretty the colors are, quality watercolors behave a certain way when applied to watercolor paper with a wet (and decent) brush, dependent upon the amount of water and how it’s applied, the quality of the paper, and the type and quality of the brush. I wouldn’t have thought of the better quality paper affecting the paint, even though I know how important the quality of the paper is.
I completely gave up on these types of paints. There are two gems amongst the chinese paints, and those are Superior and Paul Rubens/Pretty Excellent. The other products will obviously work, too, but there will always be those typical drawbacks: They won't flow right, they leave ugly streaks from the binder, they are too opaque, the colors aren't really clean, and so on and so forth. When someone asks me for a recommendation for an affordable watercolor now, I just tell them to buy the cheapest student grade set of one of the known manufacturers. Van Gogh, Aquafine, Cotman - There is a reason why these brands have managed to stick around for as long as they have.
I honestly appreciate reviews that let me know that a product may not be what it's hyped up to be. Especially if it's related to a medium that you have an expansive knowledge of.
I'm always so impressed with you wealth of knowledge about all the different pigments and their characteristics. I'm sure it comes from you experience in teaching and working with all the various mediums you use. Is there a source or course or blog you recommend to learn more about pigments and lightfastness. You just rattel all the pigment numbers off like an old family recipe 😊 And yes, we appreciate your opinion and thanks for your honest assessment. Inquiring minds need to know the skinny of if something is a deal or not!
Negative reviews are way more important to me than glowing ones. It helps me save money. People who criticize negative reviews are probably trolls or bots for the company. And now with chatGPT and AI that’s honed to an art form 😛. . I just rewatched Jen Luvs video on the Sunday Riley scandal (few years back) . Ratings, 5 stars etc have such a huge impact on the bottom line.
Interesting. Usually I blame inaccurate lightfastness ratings on the ASTM ratings, which are done on other mediums besides watercolors. But I just looked up PY1 and it has a rating of "very poor" from the ASTM, so who the heck knows why they are rating it as lightfast as PR101. Recently got a couple more porcelain palettes from them, very happy with those!
I actually bought their watercolor paint bundle when I first started about a year ago, with the tubes, brushes and pallete. I love the brushes so much! Something about the texture of the bristles and I've used some really good brushes. I like them much more than all the Princeton brushes. So I just bought another set. Then I saw their plastic 33 well travel pallete and bought that too! I will say...I was underwhelmed about the paints also. But they were fine when I first started to see if watercolor was even something I wanted to pursue. Thanks for all your reviews!
This review reminds me of a video from years ago when you said some people criticize you for encouraging beginners to buy cheap materials. Their argument was cheap materials are harder to use and could put off beginners who struggle. But this video shows there's a difference between an affordable, quality, beginner material and an affordable, low-quality material. I've always appreciated how your reviews help people navigate the difference between the two.
I think negative reviews are very important, actually. Or rather I should just say honest reviews. The internet is often getting flooded with raving reviews, hyping up products and we all know the products are not always as hypeworthy as we may think after hearing about it everywhere. So negative/honest reviwes are really important to help balance it out a bit. So please, keep reviewing all products and saying what you really think about them 🙂
Some youtubers test colors by swatching but not using, so take reviews as you may. Hopefully some variance in opinions allows Meeden to potentially improve upon their product.
Thanks Lindsay 💜 idk, i checked my phone screen and even cleaned it but to me there looks like some kind of deposit on the black marker line matching the paint swatch color on almost each swatch. 🤔
Thanks for the review, Lindsay. At the beginning, you were pointing to some colors with 3 star lightfastness and saying they weren't lightfast; were you looking at the opacity meter instead by any chance? Or does 3 star mean low lightfastness? Just wondering because this set is on sale on Amazon Canada and seems a great price for all you get, and I need some tubes to fill tiny palettes for plein air.
I was going by pigments used. I'd recommend the Paul rubens qoimei tubes or the meilang tubes over these. They are much nice to use and should be similar in price.
Diane Antione Studios received and reviewed and liked them and on her rec I bought those exact same ones. Maybe some of you pros could get together with each other and share some of your findings, thoughts etc. Brand new to wc so we'll see.... sigh. Tfs
I saw her review, and they seem to work with her style, but I think the paper was doing all the heavy lifting. I don't think she was trying to deceive. The paint is vibrant, but the flow is off, and some of the pigment numbers don't feel quite (or at all) accurate. I think seeing pigment numbers an lightfast ratings on a tube can make us feel like it is better quality (just like soap packages in craft paper and tied on jute feels handmade and organic) and that can sway reviewers subconsciously. I do not think other reviewers are dishonest but we all have different experiences. I have tried a lot if budget and mid grade paint and there are better options at that price point. I'm not even saying the paint is overpriced, it's pretty inexpensive, but it might hinder ones growth and you can get better paint for the money.
Thank you for your honest review! I’m glad you actually provided a balanced and honest review and I actually sought out your review after seeing some glowing reviews on these paints, and I am happy I did! Please keep providing your honest reviews on products, it’s extremely helpful! ❤
Hi Lindsay, I am wondering what "scaliness" means, I have heard that term used in reviews but can't find any definition. Could you please help me understand what it means? Thank you.
Sure, it's kind of like the term chalky but instead if white specks it's more like the texture of mineral deposits on a metal sink or how really dry skin looks scaly. That analogy makes it sound worse but it's a scale like texture found in some cheaper quality paint. I saw it and called it out in the new pretty excellent/meilang tube paints in about 4 of the colors when the original pans were completely smooth in finish. I was disappointed to see that meilaing had seemingly added more filler to those colors and I made a point of mentioning it to my viewers who might purchase the tube set to refill the pans. I hope that explanation helps.
Doncha hate it when you have zero expectation for a painting, and it comes out THIS great!? Lol. Now you'll have to use the paints again to re-achieve that beauty. The painting's incredible, would make a terrific pastel piece. And thank you for your honesty. It's the #1 reason I watch your channel religiously. :) Fanna
Expensive paint is less necessary for acrylic paints than watercolor paints. If you're just starting out, there's no reason to buy Golden. If I wanted higher end acrylics and I was just starting out, I would do Liquitex basics. Honestly though, craft paint would serve you just as well until you really get mixing colors. If you watch a lot of professional acrylic artists on RU-vid, they're not using expensive paints. I attended art school for a few years, and all of us were using craft paint from Walmart. Famous acrylic paintings in museums were made with house paint (which I would not suggest if you're famous because they're not archival however my point is there's no need for expensive acrylic paint to be an amazing artist).
One thing that I like about you reviews is that they are honestly what you think. And your opinions aren't just a 'Doesn't this swatch and package look great - so the product must be awesome' kind of think. You always go that extra mile to test the product and compare it to similar items if it applies before you give a review. And regardless of whether or not you liked the product you are always very respectful of other people's opinion. Basically, what I'm trying to say is to keep up what your doing. I love hearing about all the good, bad and ugly in the art/craft world. It helps us budget minded folks make informed buying choices. Thanks a million for all you do!
Please don't change the way you do things for anyone else! I appreciate you're honest opinion so much! when I'm thinking about getting a new product i always check your channel to see your opinion and I'd hate if everything you said was positive😊!😊 nothing is perfect and that includes these awesome products we all love to use. Even the best products have negatives and it helps educate us on what we are buying! I appreciate when you let us know what's worth money and what's not and I think these reviews are the most helpful of all because I have looked at that exact set like 20 times wondering if it was any good or not and now I know😊!
