😍 The Letter Sparrow paint is SO pigmented and lovely!! I've got to check them out. When I first began watercolor I used Winsor & Newton Cotman (actually from a RU-vid video recommendation, lol!) and I really struggled for the longest with them just all around not behaving and being unpredictable to a point that became super frustrating. I thought it was my lacking skill level and almost put down my brush for good until I came across a video of another artist explaining how she too had used Cotman to begin with, and struggled the exact same, nearly giving up. She decided to try a different brand of paints before throwing in the towel and bought a mixable triad of artist grade paints, and the difference was night and day. I too took that advice and now, 8 years later, I'm SO thankful I did!! (The artist grade brand I initially went with was Daniel Smith but I since have also tried and greatly love Schminke, Maimeri Blu, and M. Graham.) So if anyone out there is struggling or has struggled with the Cotman paints, have no fear - it's not you!! Lol 😅 Thanks for sharing your WC necessities! Love your channel!! 🙏☺
My greatest issue with Cotman is their reactivation time is long, my second issue is that there isn't much pigment. I only have a few colors, and have stopped purchasing them.
Those handmade paints look like they are beautiful! Just FYI, Baohong has a student grade paper called Academy. It's a bit less expensive, and I like it even more than Baohong! Apparently I'm not the only one who feels that way, so you may want to try it. 😊
Paper No1, paint no2, brush defenately No3 and as usual overlooked, yet more important than most people give them credit for. I found out thats true, when I got my first raphael 803 quill mop and Raphael 8408 No6 + No2. These brushes made me stop trying my luck, with other brushes, however, I also like Da Vinci series 35 and Royal Talens Rembrandt Series 100 pure Kolinsky.These are by far the best brushes , followed by Escoda and then Princeton completes the top 5. Even though the 2 German made ones I mentioned, have the higher quality and fit and finish, it's the Raphael that have the best designs, they provide more control/precision to your brushstrokes (even the 803 quill mop does that emhaticaly!) Rembrandt series 100, are the most underrated ones, I know people considering them, the best Kolinsky at the moment!
Arches is my favorite paper also. The only time I've had masking tape rip the paper is when it's been there for a long time, like months. I've only used the blue or green masking tapes with watercolor painting a few times, and from my experience, they tend to lift a little when they get too wet.
To show my support of you I just ordered through your affiliate links, some arches watercolor paper. No, it’s not much, but I can’t afford to do Patreon or anything else like that at this time and afford to paint 😢
Awesome video, thank you! I have a question regarding the fine-tipped masking fluid: how in heaven’s name do you keep that cap and nozzle from clogging up?
Can anyone help me out with size comparisons for polina bright brushes? I’ve been looking at them for a long time but keep deciding to not buy them because I feel unsure about the sizing. The round size zero… How big is that compared to a Princeton round?
Wait... you have a patreon group? I've followed you for about a year now (found you during a surgery recovery last February). How did I not know this? Looking for you there!
Great video and I agree with most points. However, I do NOT want to support small businesses creating their own craft watercolours paints! Definitely skipping on that weird trend! Why I hate small craft makers? 1. Most people (98% of all) are relatively stuрid and have zero clue how to create a products, so quality is rarely present (compared to established brands with long history of craftsmanship). 2. Lack of consistency and availability (I expect my paint to be always available and at the consistent quality I can rely on). 3. Those go belly up so fast, so I can’t expect continuous re-purchasing for many years to come (so, better get used to pigment behaviour on paints that are from large and reputable brands). 4. Small businesses can’t afford to sell at a reasonable price, due to low volume of sales (raising the price to astronomical level, that they just aren’t worth). 5. Investing in such garbage, removes profit from reputable brands, threatening global trust in those companies continuing to exist and improve (small maker simply can’t invest in R&D, so we need the real proper big companies to led the watercolour paint industry). Buy from good companies and skip these freakin’ “Karen brands”, seriously!
Also, why would you say pads are economical?! It’s just a big fat LIE! Why lie to people??? The best way to save is obviously buying full sheets or rolls, plus the quality of sheets and rolls is SIGNIFICANTLY higher! Pad is the worst of them all, making it the most EXPENSIVE option for watercolours paper! You are a beginner and should NOT offer your idiоcy, it’s misleading and just dead WRONG! Learn first, so you don’t sound as fuсking dumb as you are.
I agree with some of what you said, and I’m very picky about the handmade watercolors I use. I don’t depend on the paints from letter sparrow, as you can see I use a variety, but they are fun and I see no issues with the quality and I’ve been using her paints for years. I do get frustrated when I see artists spending lots of money on crappy handmade paint when I don’t really get the point. My main set is the winsor and Newton, but I don’t think there is anything wrong with supporting a small business you trust, especially if you understand the potential problems that could come up that you mentioned. I appreciate your insight!
Then please don't support them if you think they are garbage. I do my research and ask questions for all my paint purchases. I find the artisan community very forthcoming about what is in their paints and their chroma and tinting strengths (Hello Daniel Smith/Primatek, maybe take a lesson) and their customer service is excellent. Beam, Honey Bee Pigment, Hannah Lou Meyers, KWARTS Creations, Red Clover Meadow are ones off the top of my head that I have enjoyed using along side my 'big company' paints. Now I have another one to investigate. Thank you, Kristin! As far as research and innovation, small companies/artisans can research, make and market things large companies can't because of the need to make the big bucks. They can be creative such as using local plants and earths. They can find and buy small amounts of scarce pigment because they do not need to have big runs. So, please go on buying what you want to buy and stop insisting you and only you are right. You are welcome oy to your opinion but not to disparage others or call them names.
What an intensely unpleasant person. You “hate” them? They are “Karens”? You must be an absolute delight at parties. Just for you, I am going to go straight away and buy myself some more Deep Deep Light and Essee Co watercolours! Don’t be an ugly person, Mike. Life is too short.
