Qor Watercolor Mini Review: HATED these paints!! 

Always interesting to hear your opinion on supplies. I bought the QoR Mini as a way to try out the brand in a cute palette. I like to drop the paint into water on the paper and just watch it flow. I can't say I've created anything in particular with them. I started with DS but have moved on to Schmincke, which I prefer. If only I'd start making more paintings instead of swatching and admiring the colors!

I am a Schmincke girl. mainly because I started with them and they are most easily available where I live, but recently I started to dabble into other paints. if I want reliable results I still like to work with Schmincke (though I had good reliable results with Roman Szmal and White nights), but often I also want to be a bit surprised by the paints and kinda "problem solve" towards a good painting. that's why I like picking limited palettes but also why I also use handmade paints and try out other brands like Qor and Daniel Smith. I find it fun that the same pigment can look different with different brands and I like the Qor for doing more unexpected things. I find Schmincke is very smooth which is good for more conventional works...it's a work horse and I know what to expect, especially if I go for well-known colours, though the more granulating ones do introduce a little pinch of adventure into the painting process. haha I only recently got a Qor set. It's the portrait set. They are a bit more difficult to control. Like you said, I think they were originally formulated to work for bigger paintings, where the higher rate of the pigment spread is a feature not a bug. working with them on smaller portraits (roughly palm-sized) is a bit more tricky but I do like how vibrant they are. they claim that Aquazol is more archival than Honey and Gum Arabic and that it influences the colours less by being clear instead of the mot yellowish tint that other binders have. I don't know... up 'til now I didn't notice a difference in tint. maybe you gotta wait 50 years for it to be apparent.

Yup, QoR were my first artist grade paints 😂. At the time I was working with middle school kids, and would mix up cups of color for them to dip brushes into or put 2-3 dots to dry for use on a nature journal page. Qor's vibrant colors and unpredictable flow were a huge hit.

I wonder if the pan formula is different from the tube, because I really liked the colors from the tube, even when rewetting them from my own poured pans.

I can’t stand QoR in most ways with the exception of maybe 5 tube paints. Like you I prefer Sennelier or DSmith (and schmincke even though I have a small collection). I miss your videos!!! I haven’t drifted away from watercolor but have thrown myself into gardening pretty heavily since painting succulents. I turned into a succulent junkie with the excuse that I was going to paint botanical studies from the ones I purchased. Well a few thousand dollars later it’s an obsession almost as strong as my love and obsession for watercolor except there is a consequence to putting plants on hold and I have a weird conscience and can’t let perfectly good and beautiful plants die. I need to get my ish together and organized to take my reference pictures and color swatches for each specimen and get to painting!! Xoxo

It was really interesting seeing how you worked with these! I’m sad they didn’t work with your style, but I like seeing your honest opinion! 😄

Is interesting how people likes and dislikes. I really love Quor watercolor, more than I like Sennelier or Daniel Smith.

Thank you for your honest review. I’m sorry you didn’t like Qor watercolor, they’re actually my favorite ❤️ They are quirky but to me, it’s in a good way. They move fast, make interesting bleeds and blooms which I really love. They’re not for the faint of heart, but that’s what I like about them

Sorry to see this so late. I bought this same set. I have another tube set too. But I confess I just love the tins they come in and not that fond of the paints. I totally agree with you on your review. They do not dry any more vibrant than my Schmincke or other brands I have. Although bright, they even seem a bit flat or off in my mind. Is that my imagination? I am seriously thinking maybe I should put my Schmincke paint in the Qor tins. The tins are wonderful.

Great review and great to see and hear your point of view. Learned a lot about these paints.

I had my eye on them, maybe still do, but my Sennelier box knocked it out of the ballpark for me for some time! In WC love! (I add 2 drops of glycerine to my water and they GLOW) Great to get your take on them...all reviews have been really positive.

Very helpful review!

I had been wandering about the Qor paints so thank you for the review. With our connective tissue issues utensils that case pain are definitely out!

Thank you for your candor and, especially, for showing Sennelier side-by-side. I have seen QOR praised for its vibrancy and Sennelier slammed for NOT being vibrant. I am pretty exclusively Sennelier and M Graham and just didn't get it as I'm very happy with both. However, thought well maybe I should try QOR and see for myself. You've just saved me the money so thanks so much! I'm done vacillating as what's held me back is I don't think there's any paint that can match Sennelier's "glow." So I'm happy now. :-)

Oh the excitement of a new toy got busted :) :) Love the pink and gold. Maybe a different paper , different brushes -- might give better results ??

Thank you for this honest review and for pointing out where personally you find it weak. I am about to buy a 12 color set, and this review gives me a clearer view of the paint before I get them. It actually made me even more curious on it. You think theyd be great for loose landscapes?

I just saw this video, the title was intriguing. I know it's an older video for you, and not sure if you still have these paints. But yesterday I wastched a video where a person was showing how they use Qor paints, And she used them WITH other paints. something about that binder that makes it creep into other brands of paint. It was really interesting to see. Like roots into the dirt, is kind of what it reminded me of. Or branches into a bush. Your painting style seems very precise and controlled, stay within the lines, so I can see why that wouldn't work for you. But if you still have them, you might want to try putting one of your other brands down, and then putting a Qor next to it and watch the magic. I was considering getting one, but I am a beignner, like cheap Prang type beginner. I haven't even tried my real cotton watercolor paper yet, so expensive

Hello, I'm new to QoR and just found your review. I agree on a lot of points. Qor Paints are really different and hard to control. I'm fascinated with them and I think they have great potential, but they are very hard to control and behave much differently than traditional watercolors. I think they are as different from traditional watercolors as gouache is. It's more like if someone cracked open some alcohol markers and used them for paint. I'm not saying it's good or bad, but if you are expecting them to behave like any other watercolor you may be disappointed. I'm not sure what my final take will be. I'm going to use them for a few months and see if I can figure it out. One thing for sure, they are incredibly vibrant and staining and my work looks almost like it was done with acrylic. Great review!

Thank you Hajra - what an excellent review! I had been looking at them as a treat for myself but now I won’t get them because if you had trouble, I sure as well will too. lol Happy Christmas to you and yours, honey. 😘❤️🎄🌟

I was thinking about getting Qor when I switch to a pro brand until I saw another video on how they spread. Your video leaves no doubt that I won't like the brand for the same reasons you mentioned. I'm going to try Daniel Smith. I got a D.S. activity set with a small dot card and a few pics to paint along with a DVD.

I am glad you did this video! I also have Qor and Sennelier and thought I just needed more time to learn the quirks of Qor. I do like them and will use them since I have them (only $20 for my set on sale), and I am finally learning how to work these paints...but I definitely love my Sennelier more

I very much appreciate this honest review. I am new to watercolor and love trying new paint. I had this set in my cart to possibly try later. I doubt I will be purchasing it though. So far my M Graham paints are my favorites.

Thanks for the review. I own a few QOR paints. I noticed that some (like the Quin Magenta), are fractals in a tube - lol, the paint grows complex looking tendrils as it branches out into another area of the paper. I really liked their PY129, seems to have a little more texture (not just a lime green) than other ones I have seen online.

I just love your color wheel, it took a lot of patience to paint . I would love to have one like yours but not enough patience to do so. You may not be crazy about the QoR paints but your paintings are really pretty, you did a fantastic job with them. Thank you.

When i saw the title of this i just HAD to hear your thoughts because, for real, in the video i watched just before yours the lady said Qor was the absolute best paint, obviously in HER opinion. Obviously personal opinion means everything in deciding what is "the best" 😊

Dear Hajra Stll love love your art channel here on youtube. I use a little bit of diluted Daniel Smith watercolor ground to erase mistakes, work wonders I believe. Big polar bear hug

That bear is so cute though! O would love to see you review Mijello Mission Golds, but they are tubes.

Great review - I really appreciated the fact that you tried using them in different ways given that they don't seem to suit your painting style. The "looser" painting with the bear seemed to work the best but I am not a fan of their effect. The spreading does look like bleeding and I can't say I like the effect in painting any more than I like it with fountain pens on cheap paper haha. You did a really good job of highlighting how they look in an actual painting. All the other reviews I've seen have just been swatches so I didn't really get an idea of how they would handle in a painting. They're definitely a novelty item but not for me. Thanks for the review!

i’m actually really sad that you didn’t find much with these paints cause they’re one of my favorites right next to the kuretake gansi tambi paints. the thing is that my painting style is a lot different from yours, and i’ve been using these paints longer so i’ve learned to control the unpredictability of them mostly cause i work in tight and very detailed style but i also work on larger sized paintings. i’m happy that you still gave them a try though, i think the way the spread across paper is something you have to get use to and learn to handle. but i have to admit, i have the 24 count of tube set and not the half pan set. also! i really enjoyed the paintings you were able to do with them and the review :)

I love these paints for glazing and layering, because they are so staining they dont lift which is great. If I want to do lifting work I turn to my DS paints. :)

Thank you for the good review. From other reviews that i have read, sounds as if re-wetting is a challenge. Straight out of the tube, many reviewers rave. Not always practical.

nice !!!

Holy smokes! Expensive! It's too bad these paints don't suit your style of painting but you still achieved lovely results despite the struggle. I especially love the pink bear with gold ornament painting. Your wizardry with the glitter effects, satin ribbon and fuzzy bear is outstanding! You mentioned Labyrinth which reminded me I did watch it for the first time recently. So 80s! LOL. That certainly had many elements to captivate a child growing up in the 80s.

Thanks, you just saved me. a lot of money! I was tempted to buy a set but as I paint in a fairly controlled manner- no big washes etc - I think after hearing your view of them these paints are not for me.

I ve tried them but didn’t really like them. Steve Mitchell has a video where he put that brand on a canvas. They really moved on the canvas which was what he was wanting and it was interesting to watch.

I think you will like holbein brands, you should try it, it is a brand preferred by botanical painters as well as some who like to paint photorealism, simply because it is the smoothest of all paint brands which means it is so finely ground that even granulation colors does not granulate as much, as well as it do not have dispersants so it wont really move that much...

Like you, I want very technical information about the products I use. I think very few share my views, but I’m determined about that. It’s too bad this set didn’t please you. Better luck next time.

I'm interested in the paint, but honestly I mostly want the tin - I love the mixing wells 😂 not quite enough to shell out £64 (current price on Jackson's) though 😬

Oh no!!!! Definitely not the paint for botanical or highly detailed/hot press type of painting. I almost cried when I saw the blue paint. The pain!!!

I thought you did an amazing job even with a brand you don’t enjoy 😊

I love Qor watercolors! They are one of two favorite brands along with Daniel Smith. I will admit that I haven't tried Schminke or Sennelier or M. Graham. but I have tried Mission and Daniel Smith and Windsor & Newton and Holbein. Part of the reason for not trying them all is that the other high quality brands are more difficult for me to find animal friendly versions of each color. I am interested to try Sennelier but I don't currently need anymore colors than what I already have. I appreciate the honest opinion but it is a little off putting to hear something you love called crap. My painting style is very different from yours though and you do mention that one persons trash is anothers treasure. I guess I'm just really into trash, lol. Anyway, the video was great and I still got some useful information out of it. After seeing your color swatch comparison I feel a little better about sticking with what I have for now, since the color payoff is pretty similar to other brands and I find the color spreads with QOR to be a joy to work with. All in all it was a lot of great useful information! Thanks Hajra!!

I totally agree with you. Qor's watercolours are not more intense than any other watercolours offered on the market. And that was a big disappointment, given their price & the fact that they are so inconceivably staining. Moreover, its Quin Magenta is as pigmented as the Old Holland Magenta. So far the only products that I have truly enjoyed (owing to their hues) are the Cobalt Violet (on Lanaquarelle Rough texture), the Cobalt Blue (it has a slight iridescent finish) and the Sap Green. I hated the Indigo (flat & greyish in a bad way). I also have the Transp. Pyrrole Orange & the Cobalt Teal. I do not intend to buy any other Qor watercolours.

what brushes did u use ? which brand were they

I will try buying them from you if you keep them long, lol.

They look like they behave a lot like the Colorex liquid watercolours by Pebeo, which is a dye based ink in essence. The seem to move in a wildly uncontrollable. Great for galaxy style backgrounds, or out of focus forestry, but clearly bot great for that detail based illustrative or botanical style. The binder seems to make the pigment float across the water too much, but at the same time saturates the pigment into the paper causing it to be heavily staining, generally I see these as top aspects you don’t want to combine. I think I can safely remove these from my wish list for the future. Wishing you and your family lots of love and a peaceful holiday season.

I was kinda surprised to see you purchase these wild, spready paints given your style. I have this set and its fun for loose splashy landscapes but I would use them for a more controlled piece. If anything, i thought the Rembrandt paints might be more up your alley (please dont feel compelled to try them, nice paints but not superior to anything you already have). Appreciate your honesty

Been tempted to by the QoR, I have too many paints already,this has been very helpful .

oh crap indeed!!! Poor baby!

I understand that you don't like their loosey-goosey spread characterstics but the painting you did is actually quite striking.

Do they dry lighter ? Do they stain the silicone as well? Thanks so much for going beyond just swatching so we can see the difference. Thx for the sketches on patreon 💜💚💜

I enjoyed your Honest review...I think you are the first reviewer (I've seen) that said she hated Qor. I got a 6-pack of tubes in very bright colors just to give them a try. They are no better, but no worse, than my many other professional tubes. I simply wondered about their "swoosh" factor. I do wonder if they would last as long as other paints...they just seem so watery.

I'm sorry you HATED these paInts. You tend to use the word hate quite a bit don't you? I love these paints.

I'm sorry you don't like them. I love them for the spreading and blooms and interesting movemant. But then i love abstract. They are to pricey in my opinion and i am a M. Graham fan. They are my favorite!

Or you can give them away, that would be a good idea.

Variety is the spice of Life! That cute little tin will soon be copied by all the other paint makers, including your favorite. You used the word "hate", that sounds like someone that has a difficult time when out of their comfort zone. It's just a itsy bitsy tin of paint that doesn't come with an encyclopedia to explain how to use them...that's maybe what a website will help with.

Please send me your watercolors if you don't like them.. I have no money and am disabled . I would love them ..