I too have a few of the 31 Purple Fish (LOVE) but my absolute fave is Deep Deep Light out of Latvia. A two woman team with what I would call a poetic approach to colour. Their paints are soooo pigmented and so beautiful.
Good afternoon! You asked viewers to put in the comments their experience with hand made watercolor paints. As an amateur, I have tried Regina's watercolor paints. They are fun to use with bright colors and beautiful packaging. They do not dry completely in the pans, kind of like the M Graham watercolors made with honey. These are also made with liquid pigments instead of powder. The granulation is fun. Not sure about the color fastness(Amateur alert!). I have also delved into making my own watercolor paints with the Natural Earth Pigments, gum arabic, honey and organic vegetable glycerin. I really love making my own paints! But I am far from perfecting many of the formulas. As each powdered pigment has its own characteristics, it is hard to know how much humectant and binder to add to each. Lastly, my favorite yellow by far is the yellow I created from those pigments called yellow ocher. It is balanced between soft and bright. It is also a very clean and pure looking yellow. It was one of the first I made and I am madly in love with it. Thank you for allowing me to share. Love your videos!
I'm hooked. I first discovered A. Gallo handmade watercolors when I was searching for non toxic alternatives to cadmiums and others. I was just looking for a cleaner palette, but what I found was a gorgeous range of paints that rewet and mix like a dream. They completely enchanted me. Alina Gallo attends to every little detail. The pans are already hand labeled on the plastic pan, the paper wrappers are actually painted with the pan color for an accurate depiction, and they contain all the pigment info. Many of the pigments are also labeled with the locale of where it was sourced, like a wine appellation. Plus everything is packaged in beautiful Italian marbled paper, they include free tins even when you order individual pans, and every delivery is like opening a lovely, thoughtful gift. Using these handcrafted paints just enhances my connection to my work, there's no going back.
I have only relatively recently started painting in watercolour, but already I am in love with two handmade watercolour companies: Deep Deep Light (two lovely and passionate ladies in Latvia) - a magical range of often surprising colours (e.g. “Rüta’s Dream”, which looks green and granulates out to a reddish pink), and Arkaar Creation, a husband and wife team from India - delightful to use, beautifully packaged. The wife hand mulls all the colours on a slab, and the husband makes and binds watercolour paper notebooks. I am having the best time use them, and admit to being somewhat addicted now!
Le Pigmentarium (French) does an advent calendar every year and it's a great way to try test her watercolours. She has an awesome range of colours, some light shifting which are truly magical! Octarine Aquarelle (French as well) has those breathtaking granulated colours I just can't rave enough about! I've been following Issy Design (Dutch), but haven't bought from her yet My main pet peeves from handmade watercolours is we often don't know the pigments used nor the lightfastness nor if your favourite colour will be discontinued bc it sold out (and if it'll even come back again), but I'm all for supporting these wonderful people! thank you for highlighting them and thanks to everyone in the comments for all the recs!
Hi Margot , wow your video left me totally speechless. I’ve never seen or heard a product review made so spectacular and interesting. You’re amazing and your story telling is incredible. Thank you so much for sharing. ❤
I really like Beam Paints, they are definitely worth checking out. They usually include the pigment numbers so it's easier to understand what you are buying. Julia K also has some really nice paints.
So pretty! My only qualm is that it's hard to know how lightfast artisan watercolors are. But they usually cost as much or more than professional watercolors! 😭
True. And some don’t show the pigment numbers Some of the colors are so pretty…But….You find a wonderful color only to discover the person doesn’t make it again or the second one doesn’t match. Or a pan has a big air hole.
You are SO creative! I also am in love with handmade watercolors. Each brand has their own surprising personality. My fave is 31purplefish...I cried the first time I swatched them because they were so unique and beautiful. Lettersparrow is my other favorite. Thank you for making me smile this afternoon! 😊❤
Margot, adore your video!!!! I feel so validated !!Am also obsessed with collecting handmade water colors. The brands I regularly collect include: Case For Making; AGallo; Greenleaf & Blueberry. I also like Mashas watercolors and Beam Paints. I would love a sequel to this beyond fabulous video. Thank you so much for creating this absorbing and beautiful video. Dying for you to make a sequel to handmade water colors. Simply divine video, Margot!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hi Julie! Thank you so much for your kind words and compliment! That means so much! Those are all fantastic makers! I've been itching to try those too! Gotta work hard and save more dough for the sequel haha 😉
You have exposed my most recent addiction - handmade watercolors. I have most recently been pulled down this rabbit hole. Wonderful artisans to discover but let's not talk about the impact to my budget. I am obsessed. Of those I have purchased Mashas Watercolors, Deep Deep Light and Arkaar Creations (from India) are some of my favorites. I've tried some Jasper Stardust but they were not among my favorites. I hope watching this video doesn't suck me deeper into the abyss although I have no complaints about the journey so I will investigate those you have mentioned that I have yet to discover. Love your story format. Your videos are always engaging. Thank you for sharing your new journey into this hidden world of color.
Margot I just love you so much - every video you just capture me and I devour every bit of information you share. This story was particularly amazing - thankyou Lynne from Australia
I’ve picked my poison, and it’s A Gallo handmade watercolors. Except Greenleaf & Blueberry handmade watercolors occasionally pops into my head 🤔. Last year I had a fascination with handmade watercolors made with gemstones so I purchased handmade azurite and malachite watercolors. They have a weak tinting strength and were a disappointment. I don’t blame the maker it’s the nature of gemstones. One point I will add is that the artist’s skill make the paints shine. You’re very skilled and your art is beautiful. You could paint with any brand whether children’s art supplies, student grade, or professional grade! Once again a very enjoyable video, thank you! ❤
I guess I will be the negative Nellie of the group. Every homemade set of watercolours I've bought have been disappointing., with the exception of one set. They also tend to be expensive (Etsy) and I regret buying them, thinking I could have invested in a set of professional paints for the price.
@@mandieappleton8204we have some artists in Australia making handmade watercolours too. Not as many, but a few. Just select from Australia in the filters on Etsy searches.
Greenleaf Blueberry, Traci Bautista, Lisilinka, and a few from 10 years ago I’ve forgotten. I also work intermittently with soft pastels (full sets can run in the thousands), oil (the least amount of supplies of all). @pointebrush I just found you tonight and have already watched 5-6 videos. PLUS have read all the comments. I’m off to learn about more handmades!
Hello dear Margot! Beam Paints is a lovely little company that I recently discovered and have fallen in love with. The fact that the owner is the success story of an indigenous woman based here in Canada was an added bonus ❤ My other beautiful discovery and now go-to palettes are from A. Gallo, another wonderful company based in Assisi, Italy. I think you would love both. Thank you for your AMAZING videos ❤️👏🇨🇦
@@supme7558 your use of the term “identity politics” shows that this isn’t a serious question or genuine curiosity. You would simply like to create conflict, and no one is here for that 🤣🤣🤣
Great call out on all of these handmade watercolor brands! I really enjoy ocean paper and I have also enjoyed putting together my own set from Poems About You that I found on Etsy! You did such beautiful work with each of these representations from amazing watercolor artisans and I love your storytelling! It's so great when new video content is available up from you!❤
Wonderful video….and yes I have tried the Ocean Paper and jasper stardust… Like them both. Jasper Stardust makes some of THE most beautiful paintbrushes I have ever seen! I have several of them are they are special! Check them out……just to add to your misery! This are is addictive for sure!
‘Poems About You’ hand made watercolors are very lovely. Lena has even created a few inktober palettes and famous artist palettes. I adore her Inktober palette. Another great handmade paint to try is Beam Paints. She is a indigenous woman business owner and uses local pigments. Her gouache is yummy too. Those are two of my favorite handmade watercolor shops I am a very bad pigment hoarder ;)
I have tried multiple brands of handmade watercolors, but this video made me extremely curious about the Jazper ones. I love Art of Soil and Zoils & Pigments because of how they are made.
I really don't care about anything here. I want to know what pigments were used and how light-fast they are. I want to know this so that i am insured that the works i create and sell will be there next year for their buyers. Nothing less.
I would avoid handmade watercolors if you need absolute honest information about pigments and light fast qualities- I love handmade paints for their funky properties, but a lot of the smaller handmade paint makers that pop up lie about their pigments and lightfastness. Many makers are honest, but because a few of them make their paints from huge cheap eyeshadow palettes and inferior ingredients, it sort of makes the whole range of them questionable. It's a shame, but there are a handful of handmade watercolors sold by large art resellers, and those are more trustworthy.
Such a great video! I've never heard of the handmades you mentioned, with the exception of Jazper Stardust. A friend gifted me his Lapis Lazuli, which is beautiful but a bit dry and difficult to work with. I have a small set of earth colors from A Gallo that my daughter gave me for Christmas last year - they are heavenly! Stonework Mills is another favorite. There was also a brand called Lighthouse Cove that was amazing, but the shop was recently closed. Many times, for me, it's the unique colors - ones that don't quite match anything that comes in a tube. I'm also a big fan of granulation, and some of the handmade watercolors do this exceptionally well.
@@LostTimeLady Kayleigh from Archie’s is delightful. For those who purchase overseas she throws in a PG Tips tea for us. :) Side question based on your name… do you read Jodi Taylor or Jasper Fford works?
Hi Margot 👋 Very useful and informative video , I was intrigued about Jasper Stardust too for years, so, I’m glad you tried them for us all. Yes, I have delved into the handmade Watercolor world but not as a buyer, I was/ am a paint maker , however , due to the immense hard work involved I needed to decide, am I an artist or a paint maker, because to have a good product you cannot do both, and though I do have the knowledge now and can make my own earth Color’s if I run out. I chose to focus on the art creation instead. Paint making is exhausting and super labour intensive.
I also discovered handmade watercolors lately, if you don't already know them: « les couleurs VF » (the VF colors)- watercolors made in France in Charente are real poetry. Un délice pour les yeux et pour l’âme. Merci pour tous vos partages, c’est toujours un réel plaisir de vous suivre 🙏
Never heard of any of these paint-makers except Jasper Stardust. The paints that I would like try are those of A Gallo 🇮🇹, Della Magna 🇮🇹, Green Leaf and Blueberry 🇺🇸, Deep Deep Light 🇱🇻 , Essee 🇪🇸 or 🇮🇹, maybe some paints from Colors of the Iron Range 🇺🇸, definitely some from Nightshade Watercolors 🇺🇸, Prodigal Sons 🇺🇸 and Dirty Blue Shop 🇳🇱.
Has anyone heard from Ocean Paper recently? I have several of their paints and they are beautiful. I put a large order in quite some time ago though , emailed several times for a status update, and now my emails are getting rejected .
Monica, the same thing has happened to me. I am really distressed about the horrendous customer service by the Ocean Paper Paints. The owner refuses to reply to emails, texts, or by instagram. I feel thoroughly ripped off. Never buying from this company again. Worst customer service ever!
What a lovely review! Out all the brand you show, I really want to try 31 Purple fish 👀 Being from Europe, I shop mostly from European seller and I have three favorite paint makers: Tiny Cloud paint, who makes the most beautiful and interesting color palette and separating paints, Clairechi studio, who has a huge variety of gorgeous shimmers of all kinds and Tiny Watercolor: if you want to prioritize pigment information, I would definitely recommend her: her paints are quite similar to A. Gallo in term of quality, with a big focus on single pigment (lots of rare one, she even sell Manganese Blue pb33!) and lovely mixes with stunning granulation ♥
Oh Margot! I am so happy to have found your channel. You are such breath of fresh air. An actress and WC artist! Annnnd you are great at both. Thank you so much for all the work you put into your videos. I’ve learned quite a bit from you and I am very appreciative. ❤
id love to learn more about the specific paints you tried. my handmade fav is greenleaf & blueberry. i was initially drawn by their broad range of ochres and natural earth pigments (a full spectrum of reds, yellows, oranges, violets, blues, greens, greys) and mayan colors. then pigments from stones like malachite, magnetite, and lapis. some quite expensive. opacity varies from one pigment to another as do grain size and tinting strengths but no surprises as their website includes everything you might want to know about each paint.
Loved this video. I’ve got The Watercolour Factory paints. They’re handmade Australian paints made in Victoria (my home state) and I love them so much.
Wow. You are an incredible story teller. I was fully immersed in your video from the second it started. I fully stoped working on my painting which I basically never do. I’m excited to watch more of your videos.
Thank you so much! I enjoyed your storytelling ! I can only imagine how amazing you interpreted a story in ballet. Every thing we do whether it is art or dance or story telling or how we enjoy life on one day to next..❤
Ahhhh, handmade watercolors... my biggest temptation. I have a palette of Jazper Stardust that gives me very mixed feelings. The Magnificent Purple Mushroom is both a favorite, as a stand along palette, because of the absolute uniqueness of the colors. But I rarely turn to it because of the texture it leaves on the paper. (Actually planning to do a test to see if there are differences in how it sets on different papers). I adore all of JuliaK's watercolors (she's out of Sweden). She has lots of unique colors and some metallics that have just enough sheen to bring a touch of magic, without looking like you used glitter pens on your painting. And of course, there is A. Gallo... glorious! Ultimately, while I adore handmade paints, the price point usually means I keep hording them, rather than using them up. And their unique properties makes them less "dependable" when it comes to whether they play nice with other brands.
Apart from my A Gallo paints, the only other hand made artisan paints I own are by KJ Designs by Karen and JuliaK Art Studio, both on Etsy. Julia also has a RU-vid channel showing how she makes her paints. Another fabulous video Margo ❤
I have some A. Gallo and find them to be wonderful, vibrant paints. I tried some Jazper Stardust and did not have a good experience with that paint or with Jazper. At the time I bought the paints from him there was a promotion that if you spent enough money on his paints he would include a surprise gift worth $40. Well the surprise gift was a tiny bottle of paint that certainly wasn't worth anywhere near $40. I mentioned this to Jazper and he said he would make it right, but he never did. My favorite paints to buy on Etsy are Renesans, from Poland. Wonderful paint!
Your storytelling is oh so lovely! I got reminded of the time when I first fell for handmade watercolours 💜 hues by anindita makes beautiful granulating paints. Love the fantasy colours from Merakiwatercolors! And the dual tone separating mixes from the tiny tinkery paint
From your list, I have only tried Ocean Paper… and hate to report that I was very disappointed with them. Overpriced (yes, even for handmade watercolor), they offer no lightfast information or even the pigment name, the plastic mixing area has a weird texture (not smooth at all) and they are muddy, most of the mixing ends up being brown. This last one was of course the biggest disappointment, because individually, I did like the muted tones, but because many of them mix into a brownish, it is impossible to create many different mixes. I still prefer A. Gallo, which is hand made, similar price point, but lightfast and pigment info, beautiful packed, and a much better palette.
I love your story telling. Your children must rush to bed for story time! My favorite handmade WC paint is from Deep Deep Light. Granulating colors and transparent deep beautiful colors.
Ha!!! Bebee Newirth for sure. I had been trying to figure this resemblance out!! I love the information and entertainment from your videos! That said...I discovered Jazper Stardust last year and love the colors! I can spend hours just swatching to be continually surprised! Because I find the handmade colors often look nothing alike from dry to wet!! You have to explore various dilutions to find their depth! As always, thanks for 9:04 this wonderfully entertaining video!! 😊
Oh wow, I really had no idea, but I’ve always wanted to try them. I’m from Canada and we have an indigenous watercolour maker called Beam Paints that uses wood and wrapped paper and shells to house their handmade paints. Now I MUST try them and some I’ve found on Etsy. Thank you for this!
Sign up for their newsletter. A few times a year they have a $20 sale on their 'seconds'. You don't get to choose, but you'll get something that might have cracked or spilled over, or something simple like that. I've already bought most of their colours but I always grab three or four of the surprise seconds whenever they come on sale and I receive mixed pallets most times. It's a great way to try thing out for cheaper. Also, if youre Canadian, most Chapters locations carry their paints 😊
I don't know how you managed to get a batch from Jazper Stardust that had enough binder in it that the pigment didnt wipe off the page when dry, lmao. PSA FOR ARTISTS: DO NOT BUY FROM JAZPER STARDUST - his customer service is famously poor and he DOES NOT USE ENOUGH BINDER IN HIS PAINTS. Buy from LITERALLY any other handmade brand. Most are fantastic, and I have never found another who had the weird issues of jazper stardust. I will happily change my opinion when he changes his shady, sloppy business practices!
Thanks for the review! I've recently purchased a few handmade watercolors from France, where I live and have mixed feelings about them. I love the handmade part and the attention to details. But I have found that the tinting strength was poor on almost all the colours I've got and they are pretty chalky. Now, I am by no means an expert in handmade watercolors and don't know if this is normal. Also, I don't like the fact that these makers don't list the pigments used. I'll still use them but probably in my sketchbook.
I love handmade watercolors! It made me even start making my own handmade paints in the pandemic and still making new colors! A few of my favorite makers are LMColors, IssyDesign and Dirty Blue (and ofcourse my own Zoibu watercolors haha) they all work differently and have their own charm, and I just love them to bits! For shimmer/mica paint ClaireChi makes the best!!! Those are an absolute pleasure and for me she is the queen of shimmer paints~
Проблема ручной акварели в том, что там плохо перемешаны и перемолоты пигменты и отсутствует половина состава нормальной заводской акварели, влияющей на растекаемость краски и стойкость к трению. Человек, у которого есть 100500 часов на перемалывание и перемешивание курантом, не сможет продавать столько краски, сколько продают домашние мастера. Там либо есть профоборудование, либо делается все как получится. Чаще получается плохо.
Lovely story of the handmade paints!!! I have many Jasper Stardust watercolors and one of his hand made brushes, a real splurge. Masha's watercolor paints found on Etsy are wonderful and the Tiny Art by LRG also makes beautiful paints.
Margot, What a wonderful way of presenting these reviews!! Thank you for putting a smile on my face ❤. May I suggest 2 books that I just bought? I believe the handmade paints would be perfect to go along with "Color In and Out of the Garden" by Lorene Edward's Forkner. The other book is a journey, albeit not as playfully written as your story reviews, through time and colors. It is "Color" A Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Finlay. Very interesting read.
I am making my watercolours by grinding a violet flower in the bush in Australian out back, red soil and Turmeric. I grind them add hot water, filter them and then add gum Arabic! I am at an early stage of my experiment. My paints are watery and good for glazing or under painting. I don’t know how to make them solidify, may be I have add more gum Arabic! Please let know if you have any ideas!
Excitedly waiting for my first handmade paints from…yes Jasper Stardust. In my naughty brain it’s more the Chippendale variety 😂My next purchase will be Blue Pine arts paint from India. Mashas in also on the list. I want ALL her granulating paints. Ocean Paper lately has had some scandal attached. No response from customer service and packages not arriving. Probably the disaster affected them but not risking them for now.
When it comes to handmade watercolors i almost exclusively get them from Dirty Blue Shop. He actually lists which pigment it is he uses in his paints. He even sells a couple of now discontinued pigment paints. There's also AquaBloomAry who's paints i have tried. Her paints are fine.
Well, Talk about leading us to the Garden Gate... How can I unsee these beauties and not lust after them? I have landed on the Deep Deep Light website and have discovered heaven. I haven't even got to the other sites yet. How you have tempted and tortured me... yet very slyly given me a whole new realm in which to inspire myself. So Now I need a second job to fund a new rabbit hole of handmade watercolours. sigh! Seriously though, thank you for showing us this. I love to learn new things and discover secret underworlds that few know.
Well, I hope those are not expensive.. looks like the containers are either $1 from aliexpress or recycled tinbox. And those flat pans hold like 0.5 ml…
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again - you’re so darn cute! I think it’s because you’re everything I’m not - but I just love your whole aesthetic, delivery and vibe 🫶
It’s very particular and I can see how some people would dislike it. It definitely veers more opaque and like pastels which I mentioned in the video I think. If someone really wants saturated glazing colors, they’re going to be disappointed but to me it’s all about finding the uses within the properties of the paints. I liked them so much I’m considering a larger set sometime in the future
@@Pointebrush I like how you change your outlook to suite the paints rather than force the paints to succumb to your vision. I’ve recently been doing that with some paints who’s mixing properties I could not understand, but I could still clearly see that I can use them for landscapes.
I would be very careful and try one pan before ordering a lot of Jazper Stardust! Their paints were unusable for me. I don't think they mull their paint for long enough. It's very chunky, and pigment comes off the page quite a bit after it dries. Two of my pans turned into a chalky, gummy mess when I added water -- I'm not being fussy, I've never seen paint react that way ever. I had to throw the whole pans away after one use.
