Building a custom Daniel Smith WATERCOLOR palette

Spring is here and I'm excited to get back outside and paint in the beautiful Scottish Highlands. I felt it was time to revisit my color choices and select some new ones to better represent what I want to create in my artwork. In this video I'll share my process and thoughts behind building my custom Daniel Smith watercolor palette. I'll show you lots of swatches and discuss why I'm creating this new palette of colors. The next video will share the color mixes and landscape paintings.
What is your favorite Daniel Smith color?
Watch the series:
Part 2 - Setting up my custom palette ➤ • Curating my perfect LA...
Part 3 - Final updates of 2023 ➤ • See what watercolors I...
Blog post about my research & swatches ➤ bit.ly/42UQRNV
00:00 Why I'm changing things & swatching colors
03:22 Choosing colors
05:17 Swatching my final colors
08:06 Why I chose my colors
-----------------------------------
➤ Tutorials on Patreon: bit.ly/sburnspatreon

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

To clarify, Daniel Smith doesn’t add animal byproducts to their watercolor paint binder. The entire line is considered “vegan friendly” except for colors containing PBk9 (ivory black) of which there are only 3 of their main line. My blog post goes in-depth about the toxicity research. Read that before commenting about it (link in description). For some reason toxicity in paint can be a polarizing topic, so be courteous in the comments if you discuss it. Rude or unnecessarily antagonistic comments will be removed without warning.

[@lizmorettiart]

Thank you for this! I’m vegan and it’s always good to know the supplies I order are also vegan. Vader is so darn cute. The way he looked up at you was so sweet!

[@lightwavz]

I really do appreciate the discussion of it. I do paint with the full range of paints. But I am unable to paint around my pets. I have a water-drinking brush-stealing cat. When I am painting, I have to be superaware of her. But I also sew and same thing with needles and thread. We can make the choices for ourselves, but we are also making choices for our households, alas.

[@loati94]

@@lightwavz I use jars with lids for my water because I have birds and I caught them once drinking from a paint jar. Now they just try to open the lid with no luck the little rascals.

[@ghouling1111]

*4 -Ivory Black, Sepia, Neutral Gray and Payne’s Gray have been listed as not vegan. (Posting for other vegans trying not to pull their hair out trying to get into water colours 😅)

[@doratiscareno5856]

Was that a Water Color Canvas you sampled on ? Thanks California 🏖🇺🇸🦅

[@None.of.ya.business666]

I'm madly in love with that cat. He's gorgeous.

[@artbylisaharrington]

There's nothing like a palette refresh to get the creative juices flowing. I love seeing new colors play together! Daniel Smith are my go-to watercolors and I see a few colors that I'll 'need' to encorporate into my next refresh! ❤

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

It’s so true, a few new colors always gets me super excited to get outside and paint!

[@PeachesandMoss]

Thank you for going over paint toxicity. I am very sensitive and I never hear anyone else discussing it. Great video.

[@ladyjustice619]

Deep scarlet does not get enough recognition! It is one of my absolute favorites and has a place in almost all of my different palettes. I hope you enjoy!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

You’re right, it’s a hidden gem!

[@jdane2277]

Deep Scarlet and Burgundy are some of my favorite reds

[@brendayarborough1271]

I've been a fan of Daniel Smith since they first came out. I miss those early days when they didn't have nearly the variety they do today, every month they came out with a new "trio" that was $18 for all three! I almost always purchased the trios. One color that is not as "known" that you may want to look at is Saguaro Green, it is a duochrome that is a lovely warm, earthy green mixed with a gold iridescent. It is good alone but is amazing layered over other greens. I'm NOT an expert, and I was away from watercolor for eight years due to circumstances. I SO much enjoy your channel!! Thank you for all the work you put out for everyone to enjoy and admire.

[@ghouling1111]

Thank you so much for the toxicity research! Im new to watercolours and I am vegan. I already have so much to research and as someone wanting to make healther choices i didnt even think about toxicity! Thank you!!!

[@pinkcloud3126]

I'm just a few minutes in, but this has everything I could wish for in a video: beautiful (vegan, non toxic paints), intersting information, calmness and cat.

[@pinkcloud3126]

I almost forgot about lightfastness - absolutely love that as well!

[@lunastefanieroy]

Toxicity is not something I had considered! I'm still a beginner and I'm using an old set of Reeves tubes I purchased as a teenager. I really appreciate that you took the time to create a palette that fits YOU and your needs. :)

[@pesto12601]

Toxicity is important ... but I think we are exposed to so many other pollutants and toxins that what you may directly be exposed to from using water color paints is very minimal... the bigger impact is in the manufacture and disposal of the products... and how it affects the ecosystem.

[@lunastefanieroy]

@@pesto12601 No offense meant, but I just meant this video made me think about toxicity - not make the change. I think that if Sarah feels this is a palette she can use and get joy from, then it's the perfect palette for her. I don't have the budget to replace any of my paints any time soon. :)

[@Mz.Winona]

Ironically these are the colors I have narrowed my DS collection too. Besides deep scarlet, which I don’t have… yet 😂

[@BethFarish]

Oh lovely collection! Should be very inspiring. My daughter is also primarily a landscape painter. She has made similar choices in paints, eliminating things she can't always practice safe studio protocols for, among others. Thanks. Now, if Daniel Smith would offer a Sarah Burns curated collection.. 😊

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Maybe someday 😄

[@karylm23]

I appreciate all the time you take to learn and experience these paints! It's so soothing to watch you swatch.

[@darlenesmith515]

I love the colors you picked out. Thanks for sharing.

[@rachelcrawford4812]

Thank you so much for making these videos! They are both educational and soothing. ❤

[@N1MHLING]

I could watch this all day! Such a lovely selection of colors. Looking forward to see what you create with the new palette :)

[@Wendy8888]

I always enjoy your palette decision making videos. Thanks for making this!

[@DonnaFoxy]

Your color choices are so gorgeous! I've been wanting to upgrade my watercolors, and this couldn't have come at a better time for me. I'm going to pour over your blog post. Thank you so much!

[@julietoye9872]

What a beautiful selection for your new palette! It looks absolutely stunning. I have a few of those colours myself. New art supplies always bring joy. 😊💖🤗

[@lindatannock]

Love your colour choices! Beautiful, and makes total sense. Let's hope our Scottish weather gets better soon, so you can get outside more! 😉💜🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@margaretspringer9197]

This video and your blogpost with all the photos of swatches and mixes are so helpful!!! Thanks so much for sharing all your hard work with us! The colors and mixes are absolutely gorgeous. The links are helpful, too...a complete watercolor course, at least as far as choosing colors, on just a few pages.

[@azzuparis]

Hi Sarah , I really love your color choices, it reflects perfectly the gorgeous Highlands landscape ❤ Looking forward to the next video 😊

[@moma-b]

I missed a few of your videos because LIFE happened, and now I'm catching up. This was so relaxing to watch. Since I'm not a professional I will probably never buy Daniel Smith but I love watching the swatches. Gorgeous. Fitting to the Scottish nature. 😊

[@space.tel-e-grams]

I love your choices, and the reasoning behind them. I probably will replace a few of my colors with some of these when I run out because I do like them better. Thanks for doing all of the research and sharing!

[@NittyNorth]

Oh my word ! 😍 fab choices there. I have some of those colours and now I see more temptation - I’m just pulling together a new palette to work on some seascapes

[@JacquelineJax]

Terrific video I enjoyed the way you smashed and explained your thoughts on the colors. It was a relaxing moment, and I discovered a few that I haven’t used before.

[@kimesch9698]

Your kitty looks like a panther. Sooo beautiful!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I call him my mini panther 😚

[@Ahobbitatheart]

It's lovely how much thought you put into your palette which becomes an extension of who you are in so many ways. I'm glad you are staying true to your art journey and what is important to you and trying to live into those things in life and as an artist. I look forward to seeing the beauty you will create - the colors are incredibly beautiful. As a beginner, if I can begin by making choices that are good for the environment, animals, and humans, that's the way I hope to learn. Thank you, Sarah. Best wishes to you and your family.

[@ann-marielofberg1159]

Wonderful choices, when I need new paint I will choose environment friendly choices, that's for sure and I hope I remember to come back for this video!

[@Pattymelt415]

I'm so excited to see that you are excited about your watercolors! I miss your watercolor videos! Can't wait to see more!❤

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I use both almost every day, I love them both! :) That’s the hard part about youtube, it takes so much time to make a normal video that I have to choose one usually so some people miss out on their favorite medium

[@kimlindseyOH]

What a perfect palette for the Highlands! Can't wait to see what you'll create with these beautiful colors (and textures, with the Primateks, especially) 😀 Thanks as always for being an inspiration, Sarah!

[@gastonguz607]

I have some concerns about those Primateks not declaring what is used inside, because even when they are marketed as "made with real minerals" the reality is that under the microscope they are just pigment with a tiny part of minerals inside(sometimes the majority just cheap ones like quartz in amethyst genuine). I say this based in a huge controversy few years ago when a geologist discovered it and emailed Daniel Smith to clarify this, receiving back a very unprofessional answer. Under that evidence I could perfectly suspect that toxic or not lightfast pigments can be used in primateks, without any warning, and with an overpriced tag based in a morally questionable marketing strategy, which is a terrible way to treat clients.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I talk about this in my blog post.

[@gastonguz607]

@@SarahBurnsStudio I'm sorry, and you have a good argument there. Personally I try to avoid buy Primateks and make dupes with my own paints, because the suspicious high price in some of those paints and the fact that, for me, that way to treat customers is a deal breaker, but undeniably the quality and painting experience that those paints provide is something valuable for an artist, and certainly there is no so much similar options in the market.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

@@gastonguz607 understandably! Color, texture, etc. is a very personal choice and we each get inspired by different things. I have seen a few videos where artists create replicas of Primatek colors, same with the ‘super granulating’ colors by Schmincke, but I guess it’s a convenience thing for me. If I use it a lot, having the perfect color readymade in a tube is what I pay extra for. 🙃

[@barbaraconnolly9000]

You have a house panther, I love black cats. Don't have one in the house but there is one in my feral colony, who I have trapped, neutered and put back, as they are feral.

[@shirleyf21916]

wow what a beautiful palette, the quin burnt orange and brown iron oxide are probably my favorites!! btw those are really nice swatches!!!

[@meretekj_creates]

I can't imagine the number of hours of work going into this. Thanks for the video, and I'll definitely check out the blog post too! 😊

[@kimallen8521]

I have been looking for an excuse to buy more DS colours so thank you very much, I now feel completely justified 🤣

[@janiceccollins2351]

As usual I just want to go out and add all of these colors to my collection. Love your swatching vids. I can Watch them all day. 😊

[@kathrynlester3757]

This is extremely helpful! Thank you for sharing. I recently switched to Daniel Smith and I also want to remove toxic paints. I use a lot of green and that Green Apatite looks amazing!

[@gabischmidt2753]

Hi Sarah, the DS colours you have chosen are beautiful. I also bought 20 of them and I am totally thrilled. You bought some that I'm going to get as well. Moonglow and Maroon are my favourite colours for shadows in the rocks. Thank you for doing the work and explaining so much. I look forward to you making videos with the new colours. I got your brushes and I am so excited:)). They are like a treasure on my work table. It was good to hear that you also have times when you don't know what you want to paint. Now spring is coming soon and the colours are exploding. Happy painting, dear Sarah. Gabi x

[@amywolke3118]

I can’t get enough of Daniel Smith Goethite. Thanks for this video!

[@watercolorpaintingintheaft9142]

Oh, I just loved that. Every DS tube I've purchased has bee worth it. Thank you for this list.

[@M0odyBlue]

Your cat!!!!! So beautiful and affectionate. Daniel Smith watercolors are amazing. Hard to choose just one favorite. I appreciate that you say what you are going to use the colors for. A lot of artists just swatch without the explanation of why they choose the colors.

[@NittyNorth]

Fab video, as usual, Sarah. Thank you for sharing 😁

[@surpriseitsus9622]

I love DS watercolors. I can totally see wanting a creative spark. Love it!

[@Christine_R]

Manganese Blue is a wonderful mixing color and on it's own. It looks like a brighter Cerulean Blue and leans more turquoise at the same time. I loved mixing it with PR206 that is now discontinued.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Yes it really is a great mixing color. It allows me to make more subtle mixes. Kind of on the pastel color side of things.

[@williammendeleyev1934]

Excuse me? PR206 is discontinued??

[@hannahthufvesson]

​@@williammendeleyev1934 Yes! As is PO48. Daniel Smith stated that they have a stockpile of the pigment for several years to come, but I think that was in regards to PO48 and I have no idea how that's looking for PR206.

[@williammendeleyev1934]

@@hannahthufvesson That's not a very nice April Fools joke.

[@hannahthufvesson]

@@williammendeleyev1934 Wish it were one!

[@jixargenal]

the greens and the blues 🤤 I have a set of Daniel Smith with 24 colors and i stopped painting long time ago and now my fav watercolor artists is using DS 🤗 It is the best inspo to come back 💘Thank you Sarah !

[@adumelial]

I am so glad to see this in-depth review and choosing of the Daniel Smith Watercolors. I have been mulling over some of the colors myself, and I think you may have chosen my selection for me? Very well done, and I do really love the colors you chose. ❤️

[@AudreyRaDesign]

Really helpful to see and hear your thought process. Thank you for this video! Love that quinacridone lilac! I've been looking for a bright pink that is lightfast.

[@nancyb.4508]

This was very helpful information. I, too, have the dot card and have been swatching and trying to choose. You are right, so many beautiful colors is overwhelming. I love the earthy, granulating colors and lean toward many of the Primatek colors. Thanks for putting all of the pigment information, that saved me a lot of work :) .. There is nothing like creating a new palette, testing new colors, and I agree, this has been a long dark winter (Michigan) I always look forward to all of your posts. I get a cup of coffee and just settle in and watch.. ♥

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

The excitement of this new palette kept me “warm” today painting outside! 😄

[@popflickbogeypoo]

That was really relaxing Sarah thank you xx

[@rachelmarks796]

I’m so excited for the mixing demo on this one!!! Loving your new palette! I’m also trying to formulate a personal Daniel Smith palette (but for botanical). So inspiring. Thanks so much for letting us get a peek at your process!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

What’s your choice for mixing yellow?

[@rachelmarks796]

Outside of lemon yellow, I actually prefer W&N Transparent Yellow PY150 - you need just the tiniest amount to make a natural color shift in a flower, and it’s a perfect glazing yellow. I’m still experimenting with the DS yellows and haven’t settled on one yet 🤗

[@Pixieshade]

You picked many of my favorites 😊 I love the genuine colors I got in the PrimaTek sample set. Quin. Burnt Orange is stunning color. You picked a few I'd love to have as well. Manganese Blue Hue and Diopside Green Genuine. I also love jewelry and Green Chrome Diopside gemstones are stunning and DS captures that beautiful shade perfectly. 🥰 Have a blessed weekend. ❤

[@debsmith7050]

Very helpful as I am setting up my own Daniel Smith palette - thanks Sarah

[@grannieannie1371]

I love using a different colour palette. I bought the Roman Szmal urban sketchers kit. And there are colours that I wouldn't have chosen but I'm having so much fun using it I'm using it over my usual studio palette just because it's fun. Plus I'm learning more about mixing these colours before I use them in the wild.

[@ChantelleArts]

There's some really lovely shades here, my favourites are bloodstone genuine and amazonite genuine ☺

[@Jackjonesis]

I just finished my swatches of the dot cards and ordered my new paints yesterday!! I have 5 of the same paints you chose plus some florals and forest colors. I am so excited and waiting for them to come later in the week. I am going to swatch them as butterflies -- just for fun -- so I am preparing that page now. I look forward to your upcoming videos since I plan on doing a lot of mixing and swatching coming up.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

That’s exciting!

[@kdikun]

Thank you so much for making the spreadsheet available! I was just getting ready to do this for Daniel Smith paints as I also try to only use vegan paints without heavy metals. This is great timing and I'm excited to put together my own palette with this information!

[@PayneWaterStudio]

Such a great video! I just got back from my local art store and picked up some more DA colors. I’ve fallen in love with moonstone undersea green and Amazonite genuine. I want to try more of their primeteck colors as well! I do urban sketching so I’m gonna narrow down my travel palette as well (14 colors)

[@a.cornelia]

I love these palette building videos! I hope we’ll get one annually ❤😊

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Seems to be my trend 😅

[@creationslandscapedesigns]

I also used the dot cards and found it so helpful in choosing my colors.

[@KariAndresen]

Awesome spreadsheet. Bronzite is really pretty. I love the sparkly paints. Kyanite is one I have that is like a sparkly payne's gray. I've been trying to create an all-transparent palette - just because - and it's hard to narrow it down to the number of colors that will fit in the palette. That's where your spreadsheet is so helpful because I can copy it & sort by transparency and narrow down my choices. Thanks for making that available!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

My pleasure!

[@DavZell]

It was great seeing the impact of having Wolfie (spelling?) involved. Having someone film you and talk to you adds a new dimension. Best wishes on your new endevours.

[@j.s.elliot7121]

Lovely new color selection! (Hello, Vader! 💖 )

[@kateblair1863]

Man I love that Minnesota pipestone - it's just lovely

[@geraldineconway1865]

I love this Sarah.

[@empress_craft]

I LOVE GREEN APATITE GENUINE! I have that and Jadeite on my palette (which I let replace my beloved Perylene Green because they are nearly the same in mixing effects, but Jadeite has more chromatic range). I have Amazonite for mixing ocean blues! And Manganese Blue! (It's just thrilling to see someone I admire making similar choices hahaha)

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I think they add a bit of phthalocyanine green to Amazonite which is probably why I love it 🤩 it’s so perfect for oceans

[@s.maskell7134]

SAME YO ALL

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

@@JringArt I get it. But it’s expected that they add other pigments, the majority of genuine minerals they use don’t have the color power to required for paint. I love phthalo green, it was on my palette for 6 years. It’s probably why I love Amazonite. They are lightfast and the perfect color I need. Anyways, to each their own!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

@@JringArt oh yea, that’s true - it would be nice if they added that, it’s not like it would detract from it (to me and many others)

[@catharinecowan4514]

Watching swatching videos like this are both relaxing and make me itch to paint - as a beginner I really appreciate your in-depth info. These colors together are so lovely it makes me want to re-sort what I have to try to “dupe the vibe” so to speak…can’t really justify replacing colors until I use what i have up! 😂

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I understand that. I am saving all my unused paint for future requirements (if I have some kind of special commission) and future workshops, where I’d like to provide students with high quality paint to test out.

[@SereneStudio]

Omg I am SO PLEASED bloodstone got onto your pallete because I love it so much! It is like alizarem crimson deeper darker more mysterious cousin. 😍

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

It’s definitely a new favorite

[@sarah.sojourns6861]

Girl! I was geeking out with you so hard with that spreadsheet 👏

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Can never have too many spreadsheets 😂

[@Insidekimsworld]

What a lovely choice of colors. I love diverse pallets that don’t follow the norm. Those colors would excite me…except I am urban sketching in St. Louis, Missouri. Still, I like to challenge myself with various limited pallets. This video was beautiful, calming eye-candy for the soul.

[@katel9378]

Awesome new palette! Great choices! Green Apatite Genuine is one of my all time faves. You mentioned Sodalite. Love that one too. Amethyst and Minnesota pipestone have been on my list forever. Making a trip to the art store today 🤩

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

It’s nice to have some really fun colors with a lot of character!

[@katel9378]

@@SarahBurnsStudio I always get excited when you get new art supplies 🥰

[@cindyblackman2275]

I love the Undersea Green and I like the DS sticks.

[@c.f.callier]

Buff Titanium is a color I purchased in the last couple of months. I haven't used it much as of yet but I know it's going to be a useful color to have in my palette. I wasn't aware about cerulean blue. Once my tube is gone I will have to replace it with something else since I try to use paints that don't have metals, etc. in them. Thank you for sharing your findings!

[@colinjoyceart]

Interesting to see and hear what you considered for your new palette of colours Sarah. Lots of work involved but isn't it always so enjoyable to paint swatches. I have a new paint box just waiting to be filled but, like you, I want to think long and hard about which pigments make it and which I let go. I'm moving back to Raw Sienna from the more opaque Yellow Ochre for example but Green Apatite Genuine will definitely be in there. I love how it granulates.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

It’s interesting how tastes shift over time!

[@Hexe.Mueller]

Beatuiful colors you've choosen. Green Apatite genuine I have and I love, too. Unfortunately Daniel Smith is so expensive in Germany. More than our German brand Schmincke. Wish you much fun with your new colors and will be happy to see your paintings. ❤

[@AmazinGraceXOXO1]

Gotta get to shopping now lol I have most of these colors but still missing a few. How beautiful they all looked!

[@brigitteitg]

Beautiful colours! I still have a few places in my Daniel Smith palette so this was great inspiration, thanks! Quin Burnt Orange is one of my favourite colours - I usually mix it with Indanthrone Blue to create neutrals and black, but it’s also beautiful with Phthalo Blue RS 🧡💙

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Yea it mixes such gorgeous greys and neutrals!

[@sharonsteinbis7247]

Great choices! Beautiful colors!

[@sharonsteinbis7247]

How do you feel about Daniel Smith gouache?

[@rgrdesigns]

This video gave me some wonderful input as I consider additions to my own DS palette. Thanks for sharing your rich knowledge.❤

[@empress_craft]

Deep scarlet reminds me of the original DS formula of Pyrrol Orange! Thanks for sharing this choice, it's worth comparing and looking into

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I know a lot of people love Pyrrol but I never tried it. Deep Scarlet is such a gorgeous color!

[@berolinastrassmann]

❤ looking at new colours and am always intrigued by everyone's logic for choosing colours. My process starts at 1. Mono pigments 2. Only best lightfastness 3. A mix of opaque/transparent 4. Include some granulating colours. The process includes swatching and colour charting. This is why enjoy your videos. 🎉 Congratulations 🎉 on including Guidelines for comments. Yours is the first channel where I saw this. I hadn't come across this and find it a great addition to remind all of us to be kind and civil. I look forward to the upcoming videos with your new palette. I am especially interested in colours for seascapes. I am going to the coast for the summer and am in the (fun) dilemma of setting my 🎨 seascape travel palette.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Thank you! And yea, I never saw the settings for 'guidelines' before now, but I think it's a great way to remind people to be civil. You'd be surprised at some of the nasty comments I get, and I'm just an art channel. Imagine comments on channels with more polarizing topics

[@pippikrumeluss5167]

Very good choices! I bought the full dot card by DS some weeks ago and still considering which ones to buy. I think I will concentrate on buying some granulating colours, that are very different from the ones of other brands , as I already have quite a palette of brands like schmincke, Winsor and newton and others. One of my favourite colours by DS, that I already own is undersea green.

[@ChristinaTodd1970]

Ooooh girl! You got a lot of series 5 paints. I bet those 18 cost a pretty penny. I hope you love them.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I know, I will only be restocking when I have Jacksons affiliate monies!

[@ruthjames9278]

Awesome thanks Sarah

[@audreylawrence82]

Love my Daniel Smith Watercolors with more than 238 colors to chose from it is hard to decide and also difficult to stop buying them 😂❤ the sets are nice to start out with but then I chose colors I actually want to fill empty pallets with.

[@carolinew302]

WOW, you are amazing. That took a long time to analyze, record, research etc. Thank you 💜. As a vegan I love Daniel Smith.

[@melissaamyx2196]

Daniel Smith is directly responsible for my severe color addiction lol! And the Primatek line is irresistible for me! I love the Buff Titanium, its fun to add to almost anything to get a muted slightly opaque color. Thanks Sarah, spent a Saturday afternoon watching you swatch all those luscious colors 😊

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I’ve been mixing my titanium buff with nearly everything too for some softer tones, it’s especially great for misty beach scenes!

[@FaithAnnNB]

I always learn something when I listen to you speak about colour… another great video ❤. I have the DS dot cards and I really should do up a chart and swatch them, but I’ve been saving them until I have the time to research my colours more. I only have a couple of primatek colours and after watching your swatching, I think I need to investigate them some more… they’re so pretty! Good job staying under 20!!

[@FaithAnnNB]

Just read your blog post and enjoyed the extensive detail you shared; it was really interesting. Especially… LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the mixing charts at the end!!!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Swatching the dot card was like opening 284 presents 🤩

[@SarahAndBoston]

Love these colors! I recently got the Deep Scarlet and love it. I really want to try that Amazonite Genuine, omg

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Deep Scarlet is such a great mixing red!

[@soniasulaiman]

I have a DS palette for urban sketching. It's kind of cool to see how different our sets are! I have a lot of neutrals because this town is very grey. I think I have Jane's Grey, Moonglow, and Sepia to cover my bases. And to that I have a split primary with some pretty basic choices. But I have... been sneaking in some primatek ones too. Oh, and I finally picked up your brush set. They've been sitting in the mailroom at my new place for the past week. :D Arrived safe and sound!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Yay thank you! I hope you enjoy them :)

[@MsMoniqueWilson]

I love Daniel Smith paints. :).

[@kazfarndon4990]

Thanks for this Sarah, great info into your research as usual. I found it difficult enough to choose 30 from DS to fit my pallette. You have chosen several I use but it has me questioning the safety behind some I chose eg nickel azo yellow and rich green gold. I have only avoided cobalts and cads so far...( thanks so much for sharing your spreadsheet on the blog with all that valuable info)

[@lisac7045]

Yet another wonderful informative video. I have recently started my own journey down the pigment rabbit hole having been inspired by your earlier videos to build a less toxic palette and along the way have become fascinated by colour, pigments and their histories so I don’t think I’ll escape this rabbit hole anytime soon 😂 I’m reading “The Secret Lives of Colour” by Kassia St Clair and recommend it if you haven’t come across it. Looking forward to the swatching details!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

I’ve heard of that but still haven’t read it. I think I will add it to my list this year!

[@agentxp0749]

Excited to see your new palette, as well as what you will paint with it

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Thanks for the suggestion! I am sure I'll be revisiting my color selection again next spring :)

[@jennw6809]

Oh by the way! I received your brushes a little while ago and they are AMAZING! I compared to other brushes with golden taklon and it's apparent there are many variations within that type of fiber. I love how you used different stiffnesses for the rounds! I love a lot of Princeton brushes so I'd tried the Velvetouch for gouache, but yours are sooooo much better!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

So glad to hear that!!

[@normroe3122]

Thank you Sarah. Will you do a similar update on your gouache pallet?

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Not at the moment, I’m experimenting with dried gouache AND making my own gouache! So that’s a whole other monster 😅

[@IamMaiLan]

Wow, again very authentic content. Appreciate to watch. When part II is coming? Lots of kind regards.

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

Thanks! Hopefully next weekend

[@karendirmish2696]

So much to learn, wonderful video. I enjoy Daniel Smith watercolors, and your list will send me to Amazon, I need to clean up and tone down my paint supply. Thank you for reminding me that at times less is best, and practice is better than always buying A New Color! Thanks sharing your talents! Karen Dirmish , constant learner 21:33 21:33

[@kimberlyjeffers1623]

Definitely heading over the the blog. I literally bought their swatch cards to do this exact thing and I have no idea what to pick! lol giving myself till the end of the year INSANELY helpful. I was so overwhelmed lol

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

When you swatch the card its like opening hundreds of presents! At least that’s how i felt

[@kimberlyjeffers1623]

@@SarahBurnsStudio yes! lol I just was like omg how am I going to choose lol. I love all your choices though. I'm heading over to see your notes on the ones I like

[@pesto12601]

Will be interesting to see what you do with these paints to create combos... I'm still using my original 12 DS palette and learning to mix and create from them... So many choices that you could just collect paints and palettes and never learn to use them properly!

[@SarahBurnsStudio]

absolutely 😂 I guess collecting art supplies could be a hobby in itself But yes, this summer there will be lots of videos sharing how I use these colors to paint real scenes

[@sandjune2753]

Wow Sarah I had no idea cerulean had cobalt in it. Damn thanks for that heads up.

[@hArtyTruffle]

Lovely choices. I wish I could let go of Nickel Azo Yellow and Rich Green Gold, but the way Nickel Azo Yellow moves into other pigments, I am currently hooked (even though I only seem to be able to paint squares atm). The cobalts I can let go of though. Green Apatite Genuine is my all time favourite ❤

[@kazfarndon4990]

Thanks for your comment healing hArt I use Rich green gold a lot and had never considered its toxicity. Just researched and found pY129 listed as hazardous. I'm gutted.

[@hArtyTruffle]

@@kazfarndon4990 I know. There’s nothing quite like PY150 and PY129 😭 I can make a very good Rich Green Gold Hue, but it involves Nickel Azo Yellow 🙄 When I manage to get back to painting, I’ll probably keep them in my studio palette. I just won’t use them plein air.

[@stonewashedskies]

I don't think PY129 is toxic in the same way PY150 is, as it isn't a nickel pigment but a copper one like phthalos are. I know Denise Soden uses it on her Earth Friendly pallete. I think Sarah was referring to Daniel Smith's convenience green gold, which is a mixture with PY150 in it, but I'm not sure.

[@hArtyTruffle]

@@stonewashedskies OMGoodness, Thankyou so much! I don’t know why thought it was toxic. I’m over the moon to be corrected. I’m sure Kaz will be too ✨🫶🏻✨ woohoo :)

[@kazfarndon4990]

@@stonewashedskies thanks for the info about Denise using it. The info I found about it's toxicity was on an industrial site not an art site so probably used differently

[@ditadit9548]

thank you Sarah for making this vid. i’ve always been curious about your chosen watercolor pigments/ brands. love the color selections! need to check out the lemon yellow later and save some money for the primateks 😆🤍