I feel a little cringe when I see a brand vs brand ‘showdown’… I have every watercolor brand in my palette and I just go with what color speaks to me. DS has some incredible colors - Cascade Green, Aussie Red Gold, Moonglow, the Primateks. W&N has Rose Dore, Aqua Green, Cobalt Turquoise Light… I could go on and on about wonderful hues from other brands. All major brands have something to offer. In most cases, I would advise artists choose based on availability, accessibility and budget… but don’t limit yourself to only one brand. So much of the fun is experimenting with the variety of supplies available to us!
I completeLy agree. I have all brands i am a WN gjrl but have tons of all the major professional brands....DS Schminke Senn Qor BlockX M Graham etc. I hate LUKAS and dont have Asian ones
The funny thing is that we all started out in extra-fine watercolors with W&N. So we think it's a bit old school, less elaborate than more recent brands. I think W&N is as good as DS, but above all, there are still dozens of other brands to try out. My only piece of advice: choose mostly transparent and lightfast colors, and try out extra-fine brands such as Daniel Smith, W&N, Schmincke Horadam, Isaro, Blockx, Roman Szmal, Holbein, Maimeri Blu, Rembrandt, Sennelier, Mijello, A. Gallo, M. Graham, etc. among your favorite colors.
Exactly I never even used Prang or anything at first. My parents scraped to get my that first Cotman palette and then scraped again to get me the professional series. W&N is soooo nostalgic for me!!
My biggest disappointment is that Moonglow isn't lightfast, even though DS claims it is. The only other non-light-fast pigments are the typical ones, like Opera and Prussian Blue, the ones you would expect. I wish DS would tighten up their credibility ship though.
Heard that about the credbility several times about DS makes me kind of shy away. Winsor Newton is great. I did use M Graham on some of my Christmas cards this past Christmas and was thrilled to see that the more layers I put on the belts etc. the more they stuck out. They became so opaque I was so happy as that was exactly what I wanted it to do.
Recently broke down and got a couple Daniel Smith (1 tube and 1 watercolor stick) and the depth of pigment blew me away! And have to say the watercolor sticks are so much more bang for your buck.
Whew, I don't know much about either DS or W&N. I have a ten pack of DS that included moonglow, Aussie red gold and opera pink. I love them! My only W&N is a big tube of lamp black. Love it! Hands down my favorite for painting bloomy granulate-y shadow shapes and fur. With a hake brush you can get gorgeous light washes that blend so smooth. I do have to say that M Graham is a favorite of mine. Don't know why, really. Something about the way it dries vibrantly. Tyfs!
This prompted me to count the number of each in my inventory. Not surprisingly, there are 55 tubes of Daniel Smith and 16 of Winsor and Newton with an additional 27 Sennelier tubes and pans. DS dominates my mixed palette and that says it all. That said, there are several WN colors that I prefer over DS like Green Gold, Scarlet Lake, Permanent Rose and Payne's Gray, but that's a personal thing.
oK. Soggy bottom LINE on "Hoo Iz Betta"??? Here's my experience as a professional Artist and art teacher of many many MANY years. Each manufacturer Winsor & Newton pro & Cotman, Danial Smith, Schminke, Sennelier, Kuretake (Gambi), and even the Daler Rowney and dollar store "kids" sets ALL have their different (and even some redeemable) QUALITIES! Some "batches" even come out different from year to year. You almost have to experiment with each "NEW" pan to see which color is "thicker" and "less" water "soluble" Between Winsor & Newton Pro & Cotman AND Danial Smith. UCH! This is NOT a "cop out" I do like both" I DOO. I like them equally. ~
I am a Daniel Smith guy, but this is clearly a matter of personal taste. Both are excellent paints, but I could throw in at least a half dozen more brands that are comparable and arguably the best. What you paint; how you paint; what qualities you value most in a paint; what you are most used to using; availability; and a dozen more factors all enter into the equation. If you are having to choose between the two, then you are in pretty good shape.
@@janinewoodhull3611 I know this is totally off-subject, but when I read M Graham I cannot help but picture Robin Williams in Birdcage doing his Martha Graham imitation dance - brilliant!🤭
What can I say, I like them both. I love W&N for exactly the reasons that you named here, their transparency, flow and traditional beauty. And I think Daniel Smith in an absolute treasure when it comes to earth tones. Overall I believe that a good watercolor collection benefits from a multitude of brands. If I had to settle for just one brand of the two though, either W&N or DS, W&N it would be. There is only one brand of watercolor and gouache that I love more than W&N, and that is Schmincke. But of course this could be the result of living in Germany and where these two brands, particularly Schmincke, are the most available. If I lived in the US, who knows, maybe I would have formed this attachment to DS. Honestly, I think once you buy actual pro watercolors from the big brands, they are all very good quality, and it is not an objective matter but simply a question of your own personal taste and habits which is the better one.
Daniel Smith all the way! I know a lot of people are really loyal to Windsor and Newton and that's wonderful for them but I think price/vibrancy/overall user experience, DS has won out for me. I'm also a big fan of Maimeri Blu! They both have some really gorgeous primaries.
I believe it depends on the kind of watercolor work that you do. I love all brands! I am a watercolor infant portrait artist and realism is important in portraits. I love some of Daniel Smith paints but they are not best for realism. They are heavily staining but not as staining as M Graham. So far have not enjoyed much working with DS except for certain subjects because its got a bit of a gummy feeling. Many of my Primatek's have dried with a waxy surface on top and dropping in Glycerin didn't loosen it up. It started dissolving once I rubbed ox-gal on top. But its still so hard. I don't care for finding chunks of unground pigment in paint that is NOT suppose to granulate. I don't want my Quinacridones to granulate. Plus, as vibrant as DS is, I don't see as much of a fresh clean color that I see in Winser & Newton. Yes its in your face bright. But not as clean. W&N is not gummy and so smooth and organic. I get that same nice fluidity & freshness in both Holbein and Schmincke. I have been using Daniel Smith, Winser & Newton, Schmincke, Holbein & M Graham, DaVinci and MaiMeriBlu for 12 years. My go to for Baby portraits is Holbein because its the least staining and doesn't over react wet into wet. I prefer Schmincke for realistic botanicals. Daniel Smith and Holbein was wonderful for my Steam Engines on hot pressed. The Granulating affects of Hematite Genuine was a plus for the tracks, dirt and gravel. I have tried finding a total favorite brand.. I have none! I love them all because it depends on the subject matter and what kind of paper I'm using. ;-) So, how can I ever say one brand is better than another? None are.
That's it! I said DS was "highly pigmented" (which sometimes works great, sometimes not), but so are even my Senelliers... but you're right: the _staining_ plays a huge role! I'm working more full-time now but need to go back through my paints and do MY OWN "staining" rating (not just DS probably), and also note which paints are particularly high-tinting strength. And I've got to figure out a way to mark the "duo colors" (DS duos, and Schm super-granulatings), too. Maybe it varies for each painter, as well, but I've started using cadmiums again (I did with oil, when I was a kid), and it reminds me that the companies don't always get the opacity right, either. Since I'm working more now, I have to force time to paint and can't go through my swatch books as much, but what a bummer when a DS paint name says "transparent" but OOPS 😂 it might be named that way, but it covers *sharpie!* Dang! (Or the opposite: you're thinking a PR101 is opaque and perfect... nah, it's transparent and will need a glaze or two 😩 which means drying time.) Doesn't sound like it, but minus some of the Primafakes, and DS is a great contender. I just need to re-catalogue them for MY tastes (not what's on the tube) so no heartbreaking surprises!
@@MelanCholy2001 You are so right! LOL! You might enjoy the book "Confident COLOR, by Nita Leland. Its such a great go to keeper that stays in my library. She explains so much about high key colors verses low key colors. Which work best together for special affects and so on. I started artist grade watercolor in 2008 and still have not found my stand alone brand. I played with watercolor as a child, oils as a teen, acrylics during my 20's but got so busy raising my children, I painted noting for years! & I chose to try watercolor in 2008. Came full circle!
I love them all. There's no rules that we can't mix any brand we like. My favorites colors to use are D.S Primatek piedmontite genuine, D.S moonglow, W&N cobalt Turquoise light and M. Graham Quin gold. I've got no loyalty what so ever!!! Ah!
I am not disagreeing with you as I am new to all the different water colors, but, as a new painter, a video like this and all the comments that follow, help us, me anyway, to decide which to buy to start with.
When I first started learning watercolor painting, I took a course on Craftsy. The teacher said to get the Daniel Smith 6 primaries set. I learned a ton from the class, especially about color theory and mixing colors. Around the same time I got a Winsor & Newton 18 pan set. For a long time after finishing the class I used the W&N set. But then I got a little 12-pan Sennelier set and one half pan from Schmincke, to try. I prefer pan paints because I feel there is less waste. But I’m trying out your method of filling half pans with tube paint to see how it goes. I hate granulation. To me it looks like junk got into the paint. It’s the main thing I don’t like about DS plus I live in Scotland and they are expensive here. I have since splurged and got a 24 half pan set from Schmincke and a 48 set from Sennelier, when they went on sale. I go back and forth between W&N, Sennelier and Schmincke. When we move back to the US I might try M Graham. And I have Paul Rubens glitter paints and Mozart paints just for fun. My personal experience and in watching videos have shown me that among artist grade, certain brands will have a version of a color I like more than another brand’s version… so mixing and matching and creating a custom palette would be the “Ultimate Experience” 🤓
I adore WN the more I venture out into other brands. The vibrant depth, intensity, and subtlety, draw me back to it time and time again. I love that ritualistic minute of waiting for water to reactivate the paint. It stills me, reminds me to be patient and attuned. And the idea of using rare earth treasures like amethyst in paint, when we can so easily mimic them synthetically, doesn't sit well with me.
wait til you hear about the meteorite paint! i dont know if i could paint with those rare paints either! but i bet it would feel special to use it so its tempting. i dont think i can bring myself to buy them though for the reason you said
I’m using products from both. I learned on and love Windsor and Newton and have used Daniel Smith also! To compare is like picking a favorite child! Each have their wonder and also their bumps! Personal choice is difficult, I use both and will pay more attention now, which one will I choose , I love them both! Thanks for just a little more confusion on my art table! ❤love learning from you, Karen Dirmish
I love them both. However if I sell my paintings I will use Windsor Newton. They are tried and true. With DS artists are finding a few colors that are not lightfast that DS says are.
I love DS paints. The colors and paints have personality. Some of the paints that are ground from rock make the most interesting textures. Kyanite is such a complex color that can look anything from blue to blackish, and if you paint it darker you can often see the shiny particles in it. There are 4 of the Prima Tek colors that do that, and I always get compliments when I use them.
I've only got a limited selection of Daniel Smith paints, just the 6 essentials and 6 primatek sets so I can't speak for the rest of their line, but I still struggle with them a little bit. I find for my style of painting I really have to make my layers a lot lighter and build up more than I do with my Winsor & Newton paints. Don't get me wrong, they're lovely, vibrant paints that mix well, but I've only made a couple pieces that I'm properly happy with when painting with them. Another factor to why maybe I like them less than my W&N paints is possibly due to the price difference from being in the UK. Amazon UK sells the 6 essentials set for £33 or about $45. Meanwhile Amazon USA sells the essentials set for $35, which would be about £26! I break the bank a lot less buying W&N paints since they're a UK based brand vs the expense of DS, which is almost certainly caused by import duties and stores needing to make a profit.
@@KristyRice It's a fun experience to try new paints and see how you get along with them, I'm sure there's some DS colours out there that could knock my socks off!
I use both. I chose to use only the primary colors of Daniel Smith so I could work on my mixing/blending, etc. love it! I get a huge range of colors and they all look really organic and earthy, how I like it😎. I like to reserve DS for when I use Arches paper. I use W&N for anything else. I feel a certain vibrancy, a connection, if you will, to various pigments. The feel I get with DS is rich and deep. W&N...I don’t get the same depth and connection with it, but still, very respectable. Love your channel ❤️
I prefer Daniel smith. Mainly because I adore their iridescent and duochrome line. So beautiful. But their normal colors are gorgeous too. Their dot cards were a gateway drug for sure. Led me into a 600$ rabbit hole 😂
The duochrome in Daniel Smith isn't a real duochrome they are actually misusing the term really, as a real duochrome will shine two separate colours depending on how you tilt the paper. Or in other words the colour should change when the light hitting it reflects from different angles and not depend on the colour under to change it like Daniel Smith does. If you want to experience a real duochrome the best is finetec although they are expensive the effect is truly magical ,look from the left and it's green yet when you change your viewing angle it becomes magenta for instance. They have so many beautiful combinations of colours ,they have the most special and spectacular effects .sorry but Daniel smith's duochrome just can't compare really your just stuck with the one colour depending on what's under it ,finetec switches between two regardless of the colours under, constantly shifting with the viewer.
I love Daniel Smith watercolors. I have some W and N paints and they are good quality, but i definitely like the Daniel Smith better. Theyhave never disappointed me and ive been using them for years. The pigments are delightful. They make me excited to paint, and the fact that they are made in the United States is wonderful too.
Not a fan of either. Daniel Smith is like painting with rocks. They get so hard you have to scrub & scrub to get any pigment. My favorite watercolor is M Graham (American made) Sennelier, Mission Gold and A Gallo.
I started out with WN several years ago. So after watching many tutorials and seeing what they were using, DS was the one I needed to try. I purchased the set with 6 colors each of blue, red, and yellow - one each warm and the other cool. I love working with them and I am going to start using these now and am expanding my colors. I took a long hiatus from painting because I psyched myself into thinking I wasn’t any good. My husband kept trying to encourage me but I didn’t listen. So after about 4 years many of my WN tubes dried and I am throwing the, away. Remarkably with some new confidence and instructions online I am feeling really good about my work.I know it won’t win any awards. It I am actually having fun making greeting cards. Does anybody have some favorite DS colors they can’t live without? I would like to know. So my vote is for Daniel Smith!
Indigo from DS! It's really beautiful and a very nice addition to that six primary set. (I have the same! It's absolutely gorgeous! Between it and the French Ultramarine, you can make some absolutely gorgeous shadow mixes.) Otherwise there are so so many I'm wanting to try. I've also got a couple of beautiful tunes from Maimeri Blu but I know this might be a controversial choice.
The 2 painting test is not a fair comparison. The colors chosen from Windsor and newton particularly the greens makes it not comparable. Of course it looks worse than DS the selection leans to non natural blue green looking foliage. Are you an influencer for DS? or a non biased user of the paints. So many influencers nowadays with free product it's hard to know the true story on products.
@@KristyRice good to know. I did purchase the Windsor and Newton. The DS look nice but the brand doesn't have the track record that WN has and DS a newer brand has been pushed by so many influencers. It's hard to know. The reviews on Blick are few for DS and WN has a higher rating with significantly more reviews. I've got to go with that for now. I'll have to give the DS a try someday. Thank you for your response.
I tend to prefer Daniel Smith over Winsor Newton although I've been trying to make a point of using my Winsor Newton paints so they don't go to waste. I also like Sennelier. Maybe it's because it's honey-based but I like the way they look on paper and I like the way they feel when I paint with them.
I totally agree with all of this. Yes, to the Sennelier watercolors. They have such a lovely sheen, and feel rich when going down on the paper, but DS has the X factor.
I just got my first Daniel Smith watercolors in their Inspiration palette (I wanted to try that Moonglow). I'm so excited to try even those six colors. I only have two W&N right now, Opera Rose and Phthalo Turquoise but have some of their Cottman. New at this but even so, I'm leaning towards DS.
I'm W&N all the way. I appreciate all the colors that DS offers, but don't find a need for all of the "gimmicky" shades they offer. I can mix just about anything except a metallic or color shifting shade from the W&N 28 colors that I use and rebuy. I don't find them hard to re-wet - just spray my palette lightly before I begin to paint.
@@sheryllamoureux1068 Winsor Newton also has one and they have a granulation one also so there you go you get it all maybe. I started out with W&N so I can't really say which I like the best. So much to do so little time. Thank you Kristy
@bggranny Please don't throw good watercolors away! I have over 64 Winsor Newton watercolors that I rescued from my sister's art studio after she died that were over 30 years old. They are still bright and beautiful and seem more pigmented than my new ones (maybe they changed the formula). Give your watercolors away to someone who appreciates them - please don't throw them away. Watercolors are forever unlike acrylics and oils.
I've been thinking about this recently because though I started out with Cotman, I've purchased a few DS and WN professional colors. I have to say I dislike Daniel Smith because of the granulation. Undersea green is the ugliest color I've seen altho' there are probably some special uses for it (seaweed?). Winsor Newton isn't perfect either, but better than Daniel Smith in my opinion. I don't like the tiny tubes of either, the caps are so hard to get on right. One WN color I dislike is Winsor Violet. It's hard to get a light or medium violet shade, it's so overpigmented, and when you do thin it out, it's very chalky and dull. I actually prefer Grumbacher Mauve to Winsor Violet. It's cheaper and can't justify spending much money on an easy color to mix. I like the idea of using one brand for simplicity, but probably there are always some colors from other brands that I prefer. I even like a few of the Cotman colors better than the professional version. Thanks for doing the comparison. It's always good to know more about watercolor paints!
I have a hell of a time re-wetting my W&N paints and I had never heard that was a known problem with them. Now I feel less crazy! Ive recently gotten into trying some DS colors and I literally can’t tell a difference. Then again I’ve only been doing this for a few months…so I guess that’s why. Haha. I do appreciate DS having a wider range, but it’s so friggin overwhelming and for someone who gets analysis paralysis, it turns me off when I’m ready to pick some new colors. I like that DS makes sets to kind of narrow it down.
When I tried some handmade mica paints, they came with the advice to wet them and leave them for 3-5 minutes before painting. I now do this with all of my paints, and never have the problem of them not activating properly. Sometimes have to activate them a second time, because I ran out of paint... 😉
@@jennyb-aeternabitart7436 ya know, I feel like that could also be my problem! I’m still working on figuring out consistency and probably use too much or not enough. I have no idea what I’m doing but I’m having a good time 😂
I add a tiny drop of glycerin to my WN watercolor pans to make them more rewettable. Also use it for DS (and other brands) cobalts, minerally pigments and Primateks. I bought a small bottle of glycerin in a chain drugstore for about $4.
I vote Daniel Smith. Most of the tutorials I started out with used Daniel Smith, so that is what I went with , and I think they are great. I have a tube here and there of other brands just to give them a try. Your video today was so helpful! You explained some of the qualities of Daniel Smith, which helped me understand the reasons I like the brand too. Thanks!
I feel like I cannot trust Daniel Smith anymore, after some of their paints were found to be fugitive when labeled light fast. I would prefer a brand that I can trust. I do have a few Daniel Smith paints and I like them, but I prefer lightfast colours so I will be sticking with other brands until DS do something about the damage to their brand.
i know! i believed their ratings and then bought quite a few and then found out that several i got were not nearly as lightfast as they claim. so i use my winsor newtons when I'm making stuff for other people.
Both are good, but I prefer Daniel Smith for most colors. I don't know if I can express why. They just flow so beautifully and the colors are wonderful, except cobalt violet, but I have yet to find that in a brand that I can stand. It's always a gloppy mess. I have some Mission Gold from a few years ago and they are ok. Not my fav, but great for playing. I also like Da Vinci. My current palette has a mix of DS, WN, and DV, but it's heavy on the DS. I'm in the US but where I live has no real art supply stores, just Michael's and Hobby Lobby. My Michael's doesn't have DS though I've heard some do. Anyway, I have to order my supplies so that might make me a little pickier too. I generally know what I'm getting with DS. That said, I have WN permanent sap green and winsor red in my current palette. I like the winsor red and I didn't want to buy another sap. 😂
i feel that in the 2 paintings for me winsor & newton is more vibrint and punchy. personly i would use them both i do like the verity that daniel has it ddoes frustrate me that a compnany like winsor & newton that has been around for so long still does not have a huge color selection including metalic colors.
This wasn’t a fair comparison IMO. Why? Because a real comparison WOULD have been the same colors, with the same pigment # put on the paper in the same manner and allow them to dry down and see what you had. While having a huge range of colors may be fine for marketing, few real artists would use more than 10 colors for any one single painting. This is of course my opinion honed over many years of swatching paints. ClaudiaSJI
Fair enough except for the “real artist” thing. I’m as real as they come and love to have convenience colors galore. Paint mixing actually gives me anxiety and takes away from my flow and vibe as I work through a piece. Long after being taught the traditional way and feeling stifled, I approached palette organization and paint collecting my own way which made me come alive with confidence.
I love the Daniel Smith Primatek colors! The granulation is amazing. I am a beginner though and sometimes get frustrated. Moonglow, Cascade Green and Blue Apatite Genuine are my favorites. I do like Windsor and Newton as well.
I recently started painting, and there are so many awesome reviews of Daniel Smith on RU-vid that I got sucked in completely and am now a Daniel Smith brand loyalist! But I really respect W&N and may have one or two of their paints. Certainly their gouache is awesome too. Great video, thanks!
I collect my old paint chips too. I used the tin for my upgrade to liquid paints. At the time I thought I was a genius for coming up with the idea to save money and paint. 😂 Its been almost a year since I did that and I still love it. I never leave home without that and my art journal. ❤ The tin also came with a water brush. My water painting mind was blown 🤯. I didn’t even know those existed.
Oh how I love all the watercolor brand choices. My wallet not so much. I look at them from so many different views. W&N what I learned with through art school. But vibrancy unpredictablity is what I love so in this case DS wins. As a retired art therapist the more inexpensive brands with good pigment payout were amazing.. QoR and the DS Primatek line are some of my most used especially as a silversmith when I paint a piece of kingman turquoise with kingman turquoise paint. Then I literally have at least 15 other brands I have pallets that are brand specific and ones that are favorite color specific. I have my art school swatches and my joyful fun swatches. I guess that’s why your channel has always been a safe fit for me know the rules sure but break them definitely.
I've only just started my watercolour obsession. However, I already have WN (Cotman-not professional) palette of 45 half pans), I have some sample packs of DS (literally just got the Mineral Marvels and Watercolour Confetti packs for my birthday and haven't tried them yet - going to play tomorrow), as well as a small collection of handmade samples from KMS Watercolours, and my Artistro 48 tin. I have two wee Mungyo tins in which I will start my customized palette. I'm leaning towards DS, but they are expensive so it will be a very gradual build.
I have been saving as much money as I can for the Van Gough set. He is one of my favorite artists. Monet, and Thomas Kinkade round out my top three. I have been curious about the Daniel Smith sets. I have been working lately with h2o pencils and found a set of Derwent graphite pencils that are water soluble
I have some tubes of Daniel Smith paints due to ease of buying and for the quantity of paint per tube so I prefer DS. Comparing your two paintings, weeeell, I don’t have a preference, I love them both. I cannot think of any other way to use your paint chips except to make a mosaic.
Great idea, an artist in Australia made an opal chip portrait of Jesus for a church. I only saw a picture way back and cannot find it in the Universe of the Internet, but it was beautiful.
I’m in the UK- DS is a mortgageable purchase…but I tried a few…what on Earth is all the fuss? To me, they don’t even touch my White Nights. I like a lot of the .W&N colours! Just don’t get .Daniel .smith. .sorry.
I have given up completely on Dan Smith paints completely! I have even thought to trash them, but they were so expensive. I believe they have truly become a selfish corporation and will cheat their customers and are currently being sued by so many of them! but I do not want to give them away! MY FAVORITE paint company is DaVinci Paints of California. Better paints and better customer service! DS is a horrid company. If I only had to choose between DS and W&N? W&N no question! OH and those expensive mineral paints? They are being sued because they do not have the minerals they are supposed to have! Real gem stones? NOPE none detected!! Thieves, dirty thieves! This is the phrase that comes to mind every time I hear of this company!!
W & N was what I started with a few years ago and I enjoyed it but definitely drier paints than D.S. For sure, love the variety and interesting colors from D.S. Several other brands are also beautiful, certain colors especially, but between the two you compared, D.S. is my winner!
Winsor and Newton artist watercolour isn't vegan. they are good paints but I moved over to Daniel smith as they are vegan except Ivory Black, Sepia, Payne’s Grey, which are easily replaced with one of their other colours. usually more granulating colours but I don't mind that.
Kristy, I simply cannot find your paintbrush collection anywhere! Amazon does not have it...are you merchandizing them yourself? Send me a link, please. I adore your videos, you are so fresh and enthusiastic, not to mention talented. Thank you.
I have whites nights for the vibrancy, fun, building Daniel smith custom 36 great colour but very overpriced in the uk and just started using Sennelier which is great for how I paint, and excellent value, But I wont be buying anymore brands me thinks.
Does a painting have to be painted with the same brand? Can I pick the best ones from the brands that all meet the criteria for my needs? Such as lighfastness, pigment, color etc?
Interesting as this review is there are a lot of other factors that would determine what you use. I first started using W&N way back in 1965 when it was the only really good brand of art materials you could get back in the UK then , I have only used their brand of watercolour and particularly gouache as I was an illustrator by profession. Over the recent years I have been in awe of the Asian/Chinese artist who do the most wonderful granulated watercolour work, but personally, as brilliant as it is ...... this is not my watercolour style. One criticism I have of Daniel Smith's watercolours is the vast colour range they offer , to me this is unnecessary when you can paint a watercolour with the three primary colours and a bit of know how. Another reason for sticking with W&N is all the past watercolour artists who's work has influenced me, particularly the likes of James Fletcher-Watson only used W&N. I have dabbled a bit in the past with Holbein's , and still use a couple of their colours in my palette box particularly Lavender and Jaune Brilliant, I love the opacity of the latter . I gave up on the Holbein's mainly due to the instability of them and their availability and went back to my trusted W&N.
Enjoyed reading your comment Karl. I too started with W&N of course in the 60s - and my watercolor journey was enhanced by James Fletcher-Watson whose work I love, and all the other brilliant watercolorists of the mid 20th century (Rowland Hilder was another favourite). How things have changed, but I still often paint using no more than three tubes and still get a wide range of colors! There’s the fun of it!
i have heard good things about them, but also that they take more work to rewet. i think its jenna rainey, here on youtube, who has recently been sponsored by the maimeri blu paint and she seems to love it!
I like Winsor & Newton and have a couple of their paints on my palette, and I've tried Daniel Smith too but only kept one color. For me, M. Graham and Da Vinci are the best as I'm not a fan of DS granulation and W&N is more expensive where I live.
I too like both of them. I tend to purchase the more affordable paints which both of these are comparable in price. I would say that I would choose Daniel Smith. I may be a little bias (I live in Seattle) but honestly, I like the vibrancy of DS and the unexpected nature of the paint as well. Thank you, Kristy, for sharing this video. Love to see more comparisons done on other watercolors. Don't know what the heck you're gonna do with all those vintage paints, could you melt them down and mix your own??? Humm, just a thought.
I got more excited about your vintage tins than about the WNP vs DS. I've converted several of my vintage tins to usable ones with different color palette in each one. Would love to see your collection!!! If you figure out what to do with the vintage paint chips let us know. I'm saving mine too. Back to WNP vs DS. Neither is my favorite but I have favorite tubes from each. Also I have favorite pigments from Holbein, Da Vinci, American Journey, Sennelier, Maimeri Blu, Schmincke, Qor , M Graham, Turner.
I'm a little down on DS because the primafakes I used in some earlier paintings got "dirt marks" over time, and I had to repaint some. They're not marketed wholly honestly. But I think nearly all the pro brands have some stunners. DS Quin Coral and Rose are lovely; aussie red gold, really decent earths (though I'm fond of Schminke and W&N earths, too). The one thing I don't get about DS is their lack of cadmiums; I think a line should really have a range of cads. W&N knocks 'em out of the ballpark there. And there are some W&Ns I def. prefer over the DS (Prussian is huge). DS generally seems more pigmented except some blues, but sometimes I want a less-pigmented version which is where other brands (incl W&N) come in. Ad I've got love/hate relationships with some DS mixes, like cascade green 😂 I do like that DS has the primary/secondary 'starter kits' so people can pick up a generally cheap packet of paints and get to painting! W&N has 'cotman' (eh, "no"), or a pricey palette with "not their best" paints. If you drop over $100 on a 24 half-pan set and there's no teal or phthalo turquoise, I don't understand! They have the nicer Winsor-branded paints, but few of their real stunners. I'd put a few stunners in the 24 half-pan set, especially for the price. So that DS comes in with 3 or 6 basic tubes that are pretty solid out of that little packet, and cheap, is a huge positive to rec to friends wanting to start painting!
Ive not personally tried W&N professional and got fixated on DS after creating my own charts with a bunch of lower-end brands I started with and some DS reds and violets. My goal is to do boranicals, so now im slightly regretting not getting the greens set for DS yet,but i looove mixing my own greens. I Love DS vibrancy and find it waters down really well, but manages to stay vibrant. That said, i may try some of the W&N professionals and other brands' colors recommended here.
Personally I would describe Windsor and Newton as the older, more traditional, classic type of sibling and Daniel Smith as the younger more flamboyant sibling, who has some traditional nuances but with much more of a unpredictable side what with their range of one of kind specialty paints. Winsor and Newton was my first step into professional paints, I love em and they hold nostalgia for me. Daniel Smith definitely has worked it’s way into my pallets too. I have several other brands but lately I’ve been trying to narrow it down to specific, higher quality paints with permanence and fade resistance since my pieces are selling and I’m getting commissions. So I’ve been searching for information like your video, so thank you! Lol
I love Turner, the best. I've tried most of the major brands, and it's as great as, and often better than, Daniel Smith, IMO And it's much less expensive.
Frankly it's hard to tell in a youtube video. some of the colours were more vibrant in WN and some in DS. Where I live, DS is far too expensive for an amateur artist and having painted for a few years with very cheap watercolours (and enjoyed them immensely), I have now ordered my first WN professional set as they are a good brand and far more reasonably priced than other professional brands. In the end it doesn't matter what you use, just enjoy painting.
I love Daniel Smith but it's quite expensive in Europe... but I always find that Winsor & Newton and Schmincke to rewet easy and they are really interchangeable to me. I never had that problem that my paint out of the tubes are way to dry. Daniel Smith is great but... It's just too expensive for me to get everything from them.
Winsor Newton has said that it's tube paints aren't meant to be put in pans to dry...their pan paints and tube paints are different formulations. I only use Winsor Newton readymade pans in my palette now but have found that a drop of glycerin mixed with the tube paints helps the rewetting process. I have many different brands of watercolor, QoR, Daniel Smith, Winsor Newton, A Gallo, Schmincke, Lukus, Da Vinci, Sennelier, Beam, Roman Szmal.....but it's like picking a favorite child...I love them all. I guess if pressed Lukas is my least favorite and Daniel Smith would be my choice if I could only have one brand. But I think not enough praises are sung for Da Vinci. So bright and easy to use. For land scrapes and earthy moody colors, A Gallo wins for sure.
Reallly?? I’ve only ever put their tube paints in pans!!! And I feel like their pre-made pans are different than the tube formulation but not in a way I like. So interesting!!
@@KristyRice Yes I asked directly and that's what they told me....tubes for squeezing out and using immediately and pans for long term palette use. I have both but haven't noticed any difference in color or flow....would be an interesting comparison I'll have to try that.
@@lark6676 That actually makes so much sense to me!! :) Oh and I ❤️❤️❤️ my DaVinci paints, maybe even a tiny bit more than DS, Winsor and Newton, etc. I also really like Qor. 😆😍
@@ninamarie60 Ameican Journey paints from Cheap Joe's are the Da Vinci generic brand. I like them both and love getting 37 ml tubes too. So much more economical.
Lively video taking on two titans of watercolor, Kristy...Kudos...My first watercolors were WN...than DS came to town in 1993...literally...I live by Seattle WA...shopped, took many classes & tours at the store...with every watercolor teacher I bought more DS...but also was introduced to many other brands & colors to play with...though DS is my go to palette...i appreciate & use other colors & makers like...Schminke Transparent Orange, WN Rose Dore, Holbein Violet Grey, Mission Gold Shell Pink, SWC Jaune Brilliant #2..What an AMAZING time to be alive with so many paints to play with and adore!!!!
W&N are probably my least favourite brand, which is unfortunate because they're available everywhere here in the uk, but they just seem so dull compared to other brands. Daniel Smith paints have a real wow factor so my palette mainly consists of them along with several sennelier colours and even a few white nights. Having said that, i've noticed that Winsor and Newton paints tend to be popular with artists who paint very realistic paintings such as botanical illustrations so perhaps that is where the brand's strengths lie.
Dunno... I find Winsor & Newton kinda depressing, both Cotman and Pro lines, this stuff is equal opportunity depressing, though Cotman is good for shadowy things since they're not very pigmented to begin with. Daniel Smith is a very expensive option in the UK to have a large collection, but I do see the attraction for people in the US. I get unique colours from DS, like those in the Jean Haines set, some Primateks etc., though not keen on the attitude of DS as a company. My favs so far are Sennelier, Schmincke and some colours from Roman Szmal and White Nights. M. Graham is also really nice, both their paints and human qualities, though only two places carry their paints in the UK, plus their range is mixing-oriented, being 70 colours.
I have more DS than W&N because I love the unpredictability and granulation. But I also like my Schmincke and Sennlier, it really depends on my mood. Plus I have paints from several artisans. For Example Keiko from Alohawatercolors' metallics that I really love. 😱 Wait, rereading this I just realized, I might have a watercolor paint addiction 😳😜
My favorite is neither. I prefer M Graham above all others. It has the highest pigment load and is always ready, no pre-spraying required. Some other favorites are tube Sennelier, Mission Gold, and Schmincke.
I think Daniel Smith wins over all!!! I love how there paints reset and the vibrancy is top!! The pigment is so true to the stones that they grind it from. The flow of the colors are the best!! I will say there is one color that I love from core that is a bit better than Daniel's and that's yes the orange. The core orange out blast any of the other brands in my opinion! I love it! ❤️ Other than that Daniel Smith is the best!!!! Thank you for the comparison. Appreciate it. 😊 FLORIDA.
I'm a "why not both" kind of painter and often use both W&N and the Daniel Smith paints in the same painting. Depends on what's in my immediate reach, mostly. (same goes for my M. Graham and Senelier, though I have many fewer of those)
