Those bright greens in the Van Gogh set are phenomenal for mixing. You can get such a huge range of beautiful earthy greens, dark mossy greens, bright yellow greens, and even some purples, grays and browns depending on what you mix with them. A lot of people are thrown off by the brightness but if you mix some brown or red or burnt sienna into them, you can get some really nice earthy greens with those colors!
Regarding included white: PW4 is better for mixing, which is probably its intended purpose in the Van Gogh set; that is, to use a very small amount in the mix to increase opacity, not to recover whites. Speaking of which, I have read comments about Van Gogh not being as transparent as Cotman, though it wasn't an issue for me and is mostly noticeable in the few colors that include PW6 (which I avoid). My experience with Cotman pans may have been different than fresh out of the tube, but I found Cotman to be weak and annoying. Van Gogh has much more punch, better color selection and a broad range of single pigment colors that mix beautifully. In addition, Van Gogh can be dried on the palette or in pans and re-wets easily (so much better than Cotman), and Van Gogh isn't made in China.
I use Artist Grade paint but I have a deep affection for Van Gogh. They are cheap, highly pigmented, bold and bright. They also have more specialty colors than Cotman--their Lavender, Mars Black, Quinacridone Purple Blue, Dusk Colors are all worth checking out. They aren't as nice as my artist paints, but I keep a small stash of Van Gogh tubes in my collection and recommend them to beginners all the time.
I think it's a great way to get the best of both (or more) worlds by not buying a set of paints, but buy it by tube. That way you can buy the ones you like or use the most, from whatever brand you like them best, because paints mix very well from different brands. I myself have paints from 5 different brands, a few student, but most artist queality.
I ended up getting some Van Gogh paints in June this year because Amazon was having a really good sale. I got the metallic half pan set and then the 18 half pan set. I ended up loving them so much I bought the tubes and made myself a studio palette. I've since expanded into handmade colors from Etsy sellers and Daniel Smith but I still love going back to my Van Gogh. I haven't tried any W&N paints yet and will eventually get to them. Van Gogh was just more easily accessed where I am, even after the Amazon sale.
During World Watercolor Month 2021 I won a set of 24 Van Gogh half pans. The palette I recieved was their Botanical set which includes many single pigment colors. Most are transparent with a few semi-transparent options. I prefer the Botanical palette to other sets where multiple pigments and white are used in a lot of the colors. If you're interested in Van Gogh I would recommend checking out the Botanical set.
Lucky! I always sign up for their giveaways but never win. It got tedious always clicking different links for more chances to win. And I would do it for all 4-5 items in the email 😂 so it was a lot of clicking. But I gave up haha. Too time consuming so congrats for winning something
Thank you, Emily! This was very informative. I have a W&N Cotman set. Though, it's a little older. I like W&N products. I always used their ink for calligraphy, before my hand injury. I'm new to watercolor and you are such a wonderful teacher. It's very kind of you to provide those downloads. I've been an Artist since I was a child dabbling in oils. However, 20 years away from doing anything artistic really, has left me feeling really behind. And 60 yrs old, so I am thankful for everything you share. You have really inspired me. I'm grateful for that.
W&N professional is excellent but the Cotman line is really… not great. Personally I find White Nights, Rosa Gallery, Paul Rubens, Lukas and Van Gogh to be comparable in price but much easier to use, better and higher quality. I love Sennelier but their student line, La Petite L’Aquarelle is not great either. When I started taking art and watercolor more seriously, I bought a TON of White Nights and a couple sets of Paul Rubens and I have 0 regrets. I now have a lot of sets of more expensive and professional brands but I still go back to White Nights and Paul Rubens for studies and sketchbook work. They’re reliable and they just do what they’re supposed to do with no fuss. Of course it’s all up to personal taste and what you want from watercolors and how you want to use them. But I just think for the same price that you could do much better than Cotman.
Very insightful comment, thank you! It's nice to hear from someone who has a lot of experience with the paints. White Nights and Rosa Gallery are on my list to try!
Some 3+ years back, I swapped my pretty extensive White Nights & Rosa Gallery pallets to Van Goghs. Most I think I like RG, but Van Goghs I’ve bought seem to have safe pigments. RG I think varies and I got warnings about WN. Safety is something I’m not willing to risk (lived in a studio where I literally ate and painted on the same table). VG overall is the best so far I think
Depends on the painting style. I heard so much hype about Van Gogh that I had to buy them and was immediately turned off by their chalkyness. Most people hate cotmans because one can never lift enough pigment from their pans. My solution for the problem is I prepare my paints beforehand by selecting and mixing puddles of colours I want to use in a deep well palette. You mostly don't need more than 6-7 colours for a single painting. After lifting all the colours I want, I put away the pan set and paint exclusively from the liquid colours. I manage to get consistently translucent washes with this set. Cotmans are ideal for ink and wash sketches.
I've a number of Van Gogh tubes and while both brands seem almost interchangeable, I still go towards Cotman. However, as mentioned, Van Gogh has a bigger palette of colors and that has come handy to me. Basically, I used Cotman, Van Gogh and Daniel Smith, in that order. Thanks for producing this! 🎨
I Finland Van Gogh wcs are so much cheaper than W&N Cotman tupes that there is no problem to add the colours to your pallette. 10 mill liter tubes are only about 2,5€, depending on where you buy them.
I bought the Cotman 24 half pans and then bought a few other colors individually to add to my set. I'll probably never buy the professional line because the Cotmans are all I need.
Cotman! I do like both brands, out of the student paints these are the best along with Schmincke‘s , but I do prefer the Cotmans. I think they feel nicer to work with than the Van Goghs. The Van Goghs are so immobile, even for a student paint it‘s extreme how little they flow. And I do not like that they, when applied thickly, tend do get those shiny spots. That is something that I also noticed with some of the Rembrandts. They are lovely paints but just not my faves. I‘m definitely more of a Winsor and Newton girl, both in the student and the pro range.
I love the Van Gogh line and consider them full artist grade! The Cotman are not as good but still useable. I like certian cotman colours more than others but I love ALL Van Gogh! Just remember individual preferences vary, paper effects everything and style/techniques effect things. Not one correct answer. For cotman I do highly recommend raw sienna. For Van Gogh I reccomend quinacridone rose. (And we’ll all of them) Also the Van Gogh work better dried into a pallet for a few days and re wet. But the cotman works better fresh from the tubes!
I have both. VG is more of an Intermediate level than beginner … brighter and glazes beautifully, imho. VG goes where the painter wants while WNC moves around in the familiar WC way. As for color pallets, well, you’re talking the difference between landscapes colors of the Netherlands & England.
I have all the Cotman tubes and a matching selection of Van Gogh tubes, and I have to say that although Van Gogh tends to be brighter and has higher color payload, Cotman behaves more like artist grade paint, imo. It’s just a different feel for me. And I like how the Cotman paints blend on paper and disperse wet into wet. The Cotman colors remain transparent and vibrant when they dry-even though some of their pigments (sap green?) are weak to activate from dry. Van Gogh dries somewhat flat on the paper I like to use (Arches) and I am not fond of how it flows (or lack thereof). Each artist has their favorites. Anyways, great comparison!
My collection includes paints from both companies. This is more because my local shop is limited in the Van Gogh selection and our big store only carries Cotman. They mix well together and the colors a really nice. I don't mind it. Thanks for the review.
Cotman is my first choice but I have some of the Van Gogh colours in my main palette. I love their Oxide Black and Rose. I also have a few handmade paints in my main palette, Potters Pink, Cobalt Blue PB28, and a PG50 Green, and some professional watercolours, such as Winsor and Newton PG50 Light Turquoise.
I have been painting for some years and have used many of the professional brands but I still use Cotman cerulean blue for my skies. I think Cotman makes the best student grade paints. Thank You for this video.
I have Van Gogh but in pan versions, 24 set in metal packaging, I have 3 more colors, they have space in that metal pan. I plan to get some more colors even. Very pigmented and easy to use, easy activated with water and love the colors.
For the majority of "adult" painting life (last 8yrs) I have used Grumbacher Academy with occasional Cotman & Van Gogh tubes when colors were out of stock. I would recommend Van Gogh over Cotman, but Cotman is definitely the easier to find in stores. Having just started switching over to Da Vinci my best recommendation for new watercolorists would be get a beginner set of Van Gogh (or whichever brand is easiest to get in their area) then replace it with 15ml tubes of Da Vinci (or American Journey if there is a sale since word is it's the same paint) once they know they want to stick with it. I did some math & it breaks down to about the same price per ml to get the 15ml tube as the 7.5 tubes of the "cheaper" brand Grumbacher (which is right in-between Cotman and Van Gogh prices).
Thanks for this! After using both brands, Van Gogh gets 👍🏻 from me. They flow so easily, are suoer pigmented, have great lightfastness and habe lots of single pigment colours. Cotmans have frustrated me so often, as the paint doesn't really flow much and some colours are chalky. At €2 for a half pan andd € 3 for a tube, Van Gogh is unbeatable. Thanks for the comparison -the tube set has some colours that Indid not have in my half pan set and I enjoyed watching it.
I personally think student grade paints and professional paints are interchangeable when an artist has the skill and techniques to overcome the challenges of higher binder/lower pigment ratios in student grade paint. But as a beginner I can def tell the difference between student and professional watercolors! I find the artists grade more predictable results. Thanks for the review and the cupcakes look great. Would've loved to have seen these in action .
Please, Can you mix Van Goghs with Cotmans, to create a different color, or it has to be the same brand? I build my 1st set, with Van Goghs at the moment. Can I get a Cotman to add it to my palette, or it would be better to stick with only one brand?! Merry Christmas and a happy new year!!
@@greekveteran2715 You can mix any watercolors with each other. I am switching over from Grumbacher Academy to Da Vinci (student vs artist) & currently have a half and half palette, they work perfectly fine together.
Thank you for the review! Sometimes I feel like I need to have a certain brand that will help me learn faster or mix better, etc. I got a small set of Turner watercolors from Jerry's and I really like the color range and price, but I do have 1-2 Cotman and Van Gogh colors as well. I would love to hear your thoughts about Turner watercolors as it does not seem to be as popular as others. (Their gouache is really fun, too) It is helpful to hear from someone who has much more experience that you can be successful with a small student set.
Turner is my FAVORITE watercolors! I started with Cotman and a few Van Gogh, then a set of 24 Turner. Then I got Daniel Smith, Schminke, Sennelier, Da Vinci, White Nights, and some assorted tubes of other brands. Turner is still my favorite. Side-by-side compared to Daniel Smith, they really are just as good and sometimes better. Daniel Smith does have a huge range of unique colors. But Turner does have 150+ colors. And Turner is less than half the price of DS and others. There isn't much said on RU-vid about Turner, I think because they're kind of hard to find. Only Jerry's Artarama in the US carries them. Jackson's UK started selling them a couple of years ago, but the price is much higher. I HIGHLY recommend that you get a tube of Turner Indanthrene Blue. It is a wonderful mixing color. Also, Cotman Cerulean Blue Hue is my favorite sky color. I bought a big tube of it, and use it with all paints.
@@OhJodi69 Thank you for the information! I will check out the Idanthrene Blue and the Cerulean Blue Hue. My favorite Turner color is the Turner Yellow Green. I'm amazed at how many different colors they offer. I also really like the Maya colors, but find they don't mix as easily as I'd like with "regular" colors as they are much more muted. I am going to swap out a Hansa Lemon and Alizarin Crimson for the Maya Yellow and Maya Red that come in the Turner set. I want to have a separate palette just for the Maya colors, though I have to collect all of those first :) I went with Turner because of the color range offered in the smaller size sets. I am interested in Japanese animation background painting which often has very vibrant greens and blues, and these colors are not in traditional landscape sets that I've found that might be more muted and earthy. It seems that Japanese companies tend to go up on chroma or vibrancy in their paint sets and can be hard to replicate in western paints (at least in sets). I found that when I looked at the Turner set swatches it had the color vibe I was looking for and they are SO vibrant.
I was taught by earlier people to use only high grade paints like Daniel Smith and Holbein. So I found this video very interesting. thank you, Emily. I would like to see a video like this comparing watercolor paper. Like another comment below, I would enjoy a video making the cupcake, Emily. That was pretty.
That's true, however I can't get Daniel Smiths in my country, so I had to rely on Van Goghs. I'm new to watercolors, so I don't think it's a bad choice, they look way better than I thought. Videos don't do justice to Van Goghs, they look much better in person!
Fun video. I really enjoy giving my] Van Gogh watercolors to my kids to keep them away from my Daniel Smith, M Grahm, etc. 😊. They are so affordable. I tend to go for openstock to pick the colors I think they will like, just as you mentioned. Or add in a lavender or black when requested. These are great for my kids and keep my supplies "safer".
Though I don’t like student grade paints unless it’s Schmincke akademie ones 😍 but I’d choose the Van Gogh over the Winsor&Newton Cotman anytime 🥳 thank you for the video 🙏
I have been using Winsor & Newton cotman watercolor and the cotman brushes for years and they are pretty decent. Really good to start with. Please do review more brands. I love your reviews and paintings and off course you talking and being beautiful and awesome!
I love Van Gogh watercolors for their affordability (and they're the most available brand in my country), but the color selection in the set you reviewed is too... "traditional" I suppose. In today's day and age a set without Phthalo blue and Quin. Rose is inexcusable. I have their pocket pan palette with a slightly different selection, and I immediately dumped out the 2-pigment blue and green and replaced them with Phthalo blue and Quin. Rose. (By the way my pocket pan palette closes normally, not sure if they botched all the large ones, or you got a faulty one.)
@@demi3115 Yes, I'm aware of the specialty "pinks and violets" set, as well as being able to purchase color individually (like I did). You're missing the point.
Mrs Olson as already done somme serious Sennelier action , just dig the channel it's worth it .Her pet portrait guide (free) include Sennelier alternative colors .
My daughter uses M Graham. We got a good amount on sale. She tried a color of Van Gogh since it was a third of the price. She definitely prefers M Graham and the Van Gogh will likely be donated to a thrift store.
Hi. I started out using the cottman watercolors. I love them but there is a slight difference between the students and professionals in the tube. Now I don't like the cottman pan sets. I got a portable set to take plain air with me and it was hard to get any actual pure color from the pans. Thank you 😊.
I’d be interested in your take on the Rembrandt paints. I picked up a bunch of their discontinued colors from Ken Bromley recently for about a dollar a half pan- including some cadmiums. I will probably round out the colors to make a full palette if I see them on sale at Jackson’s. BTW, Winsor Newton’s AA, A ratings are actually permanence ratings, which takes the lightfast ratings into account, but also other environmental factors like heat and humidity. They are the only manufacturer I know of that does this. I’m sentimental about my Cotmans, they were my first watercolors, and I have continued to use them even though I have more pro grade paints than I will ever use. I also picked up some Daler-Rowney Aquafine- very similar to Van Gogh, and I got a 12 set for about 12$. The blues are too similar in the set, like the Van Gogh, but I swapped a couple of colors out. Ken Bromley sells the half pan dual sets for £2.14, which with the exchange rate is about a dollar a pan for some pretty nice student grade paint. Plus they have a real PB16 Phthalo Turquoise in that line! Heck of a deal.
Hullo Emily, this is the 3rd or 4th video of yours I have watched in the past month and I have enjoyed them all. I have not subscribed as yet, I am going to have to go check out your channel and see what else you are offering! Thank you for sharing your time and efforts with your viewers. I truly believe that a beginner should have a basic set of warm and cool primaries and if a company is selling a set without them, perhaps it is not meant for true beginners but for artists looking to switch brands? Thanks again, please enjoy your afternoon!
OK I'm cancelling my WN cotman tubes order! The VG is so much prettier! Except I love the lightest & darkest blue of WN .. but its OK I have these shades in my VG pan pallette.
Van Gogh is chalky though. I mean visibly chalky. People hate Cotman because you need to scrub their pans for much longer to pick enough paint, whereas van Gogh is easier but if you were going to use tubes anyway, it would not be such a problem. For most people Van Gogh is their stepping stone to artist colours so they tend to review it with the newfound awe of vibrancy and rewetability. As I was already using artist paints like Sennelier, Schmincke and Holbein the opacity and chalkyness were the standout characters. Cotman on the other hand works beautifully in layers but it will likely not deliver highly pigmented wet in wet results. Surprisingly Van Goghs blend really well despite their chalkyness...
@kunaljanvalkar2850 thanks! I am just beginning. Got cotman half pans, van gough half pans & tubes. After these I'm trying schminke artist. But after I've filled 1-2 sketch note books hehe
I went to an actual brick and mortar store of Jerry’s Artarama yesterday. It was AMAZING. Wish I had picked up one of those swatch tablets. Will definitely look for one next trip. The most wonderful thing I bought was a set of sword liner brushes… it was love at first stroke! Thanks for another great video. I didn’t know Cotman was student grade… I’ve been using them along with my Daniel Smiths and Holbein and honestly cannot tell the difference (not sure what that says about me).
I wanted to get this swatch book. I will next time I go to Jerry's. I also want to ask does anybody else had a problem with VanGogh brush. It was an amazing brush, but after about 10 uses or less the brisles just stuck out in different directions. It never happened with any other of my cheap and more expensive brushes. I am very careful and gentle with them.
Van Gogh!!! BUT the 12+3 (half pans) Set that It comes with a nice variety of colors... (warms and cools) ....3 yellows-3 "reds" (red-orange-rose)-3 blues- 2 greens- Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber-Payne's Grey and sadly...White... In Greece its around 20€ and the 12 halfpan Winsor And Newton is around the same money....Its a no brainer for me but im sure its not the same in USA. There are some cool brands from EU (Schmincke-AKADEMIEAquarell ) And Russian (Nevskaya Palitra-White Nights) to check but im pretty sure its not worth it and its not VFM. (Royal talens has the 12half pansVan Gogh watercolor set but is not utilizing the whole package and i find it desrespectful to the customers but whatever....)Thanks for reviewing and speaking trully
Great video! I see so many people buying " cheap chalky no brand watercolors" wich are more expensive than student grade palette. When a student grade palette is lightfast, what more can you expect? Is there any good substitute for you 5 pet portraits color in those set ?
I am curious as to why you chose tubes over a palette of pans. I have the Cotman pan set, and although I am interested in tubes, I am wondering if as a beginner I should have chosen tubes first. Thanks for your content/advise…it is valued and helpful.
It comes down to personal preference. Pans are fine. I personally prefer tubes, because then I can use them in different palettes more interchangeably.
An excellent side by side tutorial Emily, thank you. You mentioned your free guide to starting out and I am a complete beginner. However, when I try to go to your website, nothing displays correctly. I’m unsure what to do. I even tried logging into your actual homepage, but it was the same. Are you aware of this issue? If so, I hope you find a fix for it soon. Many thanks for your very helpful tutorials
@@EmilyOlsonArt no problem Emily, I just wasn't sure you were aware of it oooh, now I will go and have a nose around! Well, perhaps in the morning as it's late here in Scotland. Night Zzzz 👍🏻🥱❤️❤️
Thanks, Emily - I just filled a small palette with 12 Van Gogh. I primarily use DS, and occasionally Holbein + some handmade paints. In your choosing Cotman over VG (I agree with the color choices), a selling point for the conclusion is something you mentioned in the beginning: the larger tubes. But my question here is about the Cheap Joe's color swatching book. I bought one some time ago, and am not sure how to use it. I get the painting part, although I've never done the real test swatches. But, I wonder about locating the color in the future. Say I want to use a certain shade of green. How can this be organized? If I separate it into pushes of the same color, how do I find, say, the whole Cotman palette? Am I overthinking? Exactly what does this help with down the road? 🤔🙅🏼♀️🖌️🎨
I think the best solution to this would be to create two different color collections--one could be a collection of a brand line, and the other could be organized by color. I prefer to organize by color so I can make easier comparisons between brands. It's a matter of preference really.
I bought the Van Gogh 12 set box a while ago and I loved them. I use the watercolours wich Inks so I hate when the watercolours makes the ink like dirty when you paint over the ink with the watercolour and I just don't have this problem with the Van Gogh. Now I am looking forward for an professional set and I just don't know wich ones should I get... for begginers the Van Gogh are the best ones I highly recommend them! You can do a really amazing stuffs! I dont really Like Winsor and Newton in general not even in Oils or brushes,I don't know why I just don't like the quality of that brand...
for lightfastness i need ask what W&N ratings mean. i use only best and 2nd rated colours ecpect my main brand (Schmincke) i use also third rating but their way only best of best pigments get best rating. when we think blue wool scale their gest is 8. AA and *** in these your review brands are blue wool scale i understand 7-8. this my main brand second step is 7 and third step is 5-6. and 6-8 is fine serious art what i understand. and i think most colours are at least 6. based how other sources say main pigments in this brand none is 5. and still 5 is much better than many pricey coloured pencils where many hues are only 1-3. where i udnetstanded 1 means fades in two weeks museum conditions measurable amount. these fading times i tihnk means measurable amount not totally.
Does anybody know, is Cotman and Van Gogh can mix together? I mean, I want to make a palette to begin my watercolor journey, and the only ones they sell here, are Van Goghs, and the Cotman from W&N and If Im not mistaken, a shop has the W&N professional. There is also only 1 White Nights 12set left and a Sonnet. Please, Which brands can be mixed together? Should I stick to only one brand? I can get individual half pans. Thanks in advance. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
The Cotman pans are awful……I’m guessing the tubes when wet are much better. I still prefer Van Gogh for a nice portable palette even though Cotman is very cheap here as I’m in the U.K. For the price I’d go with Rosa Gallery they are much better than student grade paints which put me off watercolour for a long time!
Van Gogh watercolour far superior than Cotman...the Winsor after drying the colours lose there lustre not so with the van Gogh nice and vibrant.. I had 22 tubes of Cotman for sale even at $35 for the lot nobody wanted them.
Thank you! I always thought of these paints as something you would give to a child (student) artist. I didn’t recommend them to adults. What I am interested in seeing are comparisons of palettes of professional colors that are good starter sets. Maybe even pans. I like the watercolor swatch test book from Jerry’s artarama.