I would have to say my favorite far and above any other is Daniel Smith. They are amazing and the primateks just can’t be beat. My other choices would be Sennelier - so soft and creamy because of the honey. Then schmincke. I have a 48 pan set and several of the granulating colors. They are beautiful paints. They don’t carry the same punch Daniel Smith does but still gorgeous paints. I love M. Graham and would choose to buy a lot more of them but they don’t dry in the pan where I live. I love love my A. Gallo paints also! They are beautiful! I could mention more that I have but will stop now. I would tell new watercolorists to buy the very best they can afford and to buy 100 % cotton paper. That will help you to be able to paint better and not be easily frustrated. Thanks for sharing your favorites. I thought you might like to hear mine.
Out of the many review channels I have watched, which embarrassingly is quite a lot, I would say your selections and reviews are some of the most thorough and comparative with suggestions I completely agree with. As I love to see other people's opinions about things that I have used myself, because I like to try out watercolors from all different brands and countries of origin, and form my own opinions based on my experiences too. Although I am yet to try out Schmincke Horadam Watercolors, I have tried many other top brands such as M. Graham, Daniel Smith, White Nights, Rosa Gallery, Paul Rubens, Lukas 1862, Winsor & Newton... And the list goes on. I would love to try the Schminke as well as the Rermbrandt, but it would be just for novelty, as I think I have pretty much decided on my #1 being Da Vinci. To me Da Vinci is the best performing, best made, locally available, best priced premium artist grade watercolor available, and I am sticking to it ( and I have 33 to 48 colors in each of the other top brands I have mentioned. To me the only other brand that could give them a run for their spot is M. Graham... but... HONEY is the problem, and in my opinion is not very suitable for portability in travel palettes, but it is fantastic if you have a studio where you can leave it undisturbed, covered, and gravity compatible. While Da Vinci is my first love, White Nights and Rosa Gallery is my second. Lukas 1862 is my sort of serious practice beater pigments that behave very similarly to Da Vinci, and I can toss them around and experiment on ideas without using up my favorites. I agree with you about Art Whale too as being a good foundation for beginning artists at a reasonable price. They are hard to beat for a budget set. I could also say Paul Rubens is a good place to start if you want to get a feel for how good watercolors should flow and behave, but the only thing that I have against them is sketchy pigment information and quirky color labeling issues. Great video!
Hi, I discovered you channel today and subscribed just because you mentioned White Nights paints. I watch a lot of art videos and you are one of the few artists who gave an unbiased review of the White Nights paints. I purchased a set and enjoy painting with them. They last a long time and it suits my style of painting. White Nights paints helped me improve my colour mixing skills. I have other brands of paint, but I always reach for White Nights because they have large pans and I don't have to damage my brushes digging through a tiny half pan.
Love love love White Nights! Their Sap Green is MY FAVORITE. If you get a chance and don't already have these colors, try Claret, Violet Mist, Titan Red, Green [PG8] and Iragzin Yellow! And this might ruffle some feathers, but I use them with my Rosa Gallery, and I'm okay with that. I support them... just like I support Rosa Gallery! They are both wonderful companies that have nothing to do with the disputes going in... imo at least.
Thank you for the tips! PG8 Green from White Nights is my favorite. Kim Crick did a really long lightfastness test (two years, I think?) and found it performed better than its rating. Yay!
For those who may be looking for an alternative to White Nights in terms of quality and performance, might I suggest Rosa Gallery? They're made in Ukraine, are formulated almost identically, and are similarly priced.
Lightfastness is an issue with certain pigments in any brand, but Rosa Gallery labels them as stable when they aren't. Be sure to cross-reference with Kim Crick's independent ratings and then mark anything questionably fugitive on your swatch card so you don't accidentally use them for work intended to be displayed. If you're just painting in a journal, fine. If you plan to gift, sell, or hang your work, be sure to avoid problematic Rosa colors like Carmine, Coral, Green, Lavender, Madder Red, and Opera Rose.
Discovered your channel today. 😊 Like you, I look at the paint quality and properties but also at the company behind them when I decide what to buy. I like to know about pigments, lightfastness, etc. I also want to have a clear conscience that workers have decent salaries and working conditions, that the company production abides by environmental & labour standards, that they offer safety data information for their paints. I have stopped buying from brands that do not offer information in those aspects. So many paints have a fantasy name but you cannot know anything about the company. Again, I appreciate you take this into consideration. Sadly, there was no mention ofnthese factors in the other brands mentioned.
Yes, that’s what’s so unfortunate about many of the newer brands and those which have been bought by conglomerates. There’s little information available, and a lot of what is in the packaging is incorrect. Da Vinci has to follow California’s guidelines which are more stringent than most US states. That might be a brand for you to consider if you’d like one where the paints are vegan, the company is small and family owned, etc. You can message them and the owner will reply and answer any questions you have about manufacturing.
Wondering if you have tried Rosa Galleria? (Other watercolorists have said that they are similar to White Nights, and I was wondering when I saw your White nights section above)
I haven’t tried Rosa yet. Kim Crick has a good review on her blog, and it contains results of her lightfast test. Just Google Kim Crick Rosa Gallery. 😊
Oops! I’m just seeing this now. Lots of people rave about Rosa Gallery, but I would recommend cross-referencing lightfastness with Kim Crick’s review. She tested them in Florida sun and found several colors which are listed as lightfast were actually quite fugitive. Just mark an X on your swatch card and avoid using those colors in professional work or pieces you plan to hang.
Sure! Lightfast colors are unlikely to fade when displayed in direct sunlight. Fugitive colors may fade over a few years - or even months. If you’re only painting in your journals and sketchbooks, it’s not a big deal. If you paint anything you plan to give as a gift, sell, or put on your wall you might consider using only lightfast colors.
Hello! That is the same price it’s been for at least six months, so yes. They were out of stock a few weeks ago, so it’s nice to see some available again. Happy painting!
