Colossal Color Showdown S2 Ep.7 - Cobalt Violets | Comparing 11 Watercolor Brands

[@YoureBeautiful4Life]

Rembrandt has one pretty close in color to Winsor & Newton or Daniel Smith that rewets easier than others with a nice color pay off. Loved this! Might add the M Graham for a deeper tone.

[@susanvdm8611]

Cobalt Violet is the only colour I buy in a pan, love the W&n one. Relativy easy to rewet.

[@DustyMusician]

Do you think you could do an episode on Ultramarine Pink/Rose/Red? Edit: I have DaVinci Cobalt Violet and it isn’t that pale. It takes a lot of work to get some color but you can get a strong (for a cobalt violet) mass tone.

[@darvoid66]

The Daniel Smith Cobalt Violet Deep. PV14 looks just like the M Graham and Roman Szmal.

[@alejandromorales9516]

I bought mine from WN in a pan and it's exactly like the one you painted out and it's incredible ... and easy to rewet. I only use this paint to throw a little pink accents into washes so that pan is enough for me

[@starr-starr]

Mission Gold has a cobalt violet brilliant PV102. It is a spectacular granulating purple pink that looks like it has a brightener, but it doesn’t. My 6 month lightfastness has shown no fading whatsoever.

[@starr-starr]

@@LulArt I have all the Mission Gold pure pigments. I haven’t found a bad one in the bunch, and they are intensely pigmented. They dont have ox gall, so they dont move as much as other brands. I don’t mind that, and I can make adjustments if I need to.

[@pinkflamingo5628]

Yes, you’ve gotten a bad tube of DaVinci. I’ve had trouble with their pigment to binder ratio, but yours, there’s something definitely wrong. Sorry to say. I love the brand 🦩🌺

[@sora2602]

I have just ordered Schmincke's cobalt violet hue because I fell in love with its properties in your series on the super granulating colors!

[@justinealberty8064]

I have recently gotten the Schmincke Cobalt Violet Hue and I'm smitten. It is so easy to work with unlike real cobalts.

[@ZenARTSupplies]

Wooho! That's another wonderful video full of great information - you do an amazing job, Oto! So glad we have discovered you! - Beatrice

[@rachelconnor2327]

I love the look of the M. Graham cobalt violet. I have Daniel Smith cobalt blue violet, which is gorgeous.

[@EveBolt]

The Sennelier one is... unique. (Did they even try to get the same color and granulation? lol) It's a pretty quin color though!

[@mydogeatspuke]

The Schmincke one is such a unique shade. Their colour library has really surprised me.

[@ligaskirbauska8652]

It reminds me Ultramarine violet by white nights

[@ArtbyJRRH]

Have used both the Holbein and Daniel Smith versions for use in skin tones to provide some irregularity and for a reddish undertone. While the DS version is very good for blushes, I find it easier to use the Holbein version more generally and use something like quin rose, venetian red, or potters pink when I need it to lean more obviously red/pink.

[@mikepolo2887]

I have the W&N one, and it has an extremely rubbery texture, I haven’t figured out what to do with it. I like the hue from Schmincke and the DS ones...

[@AlexYorim]

Cobalt violet is pretty yet delicate color. Even if I use a hue version of it, they give off a purple pink tone to it.

[@Lanaprivitera]

Many thanks for a fantastic presentation, Oto! So thorough! I'm definitely going to recommend your channel to my watercolor students... If they follow you, they'll get better info about color properties than I can ever give them.

[@MadebyDawn23]

Thank you Oto, I truly enjoyed your Colossal show down. I should try doing it with watercolour paints found in Belize. 🤔. However a colour I have always been curious about is Cadmium Red Violet or PV55, not sure if you did before but I not see it. Thank you again, truly enjoyed your work

[@MissMagic]

PV55 is a transparent quinacridone colour, all genuine cadmium reds of any tone from pale warm red to deep and cool red (sometimes described as purple) are PR108 and opaque. I'm slightly confused by which paint you are referring to here but I don't think Oto has covered either quinacridone purple/violet or cadmium red.

[@jaimeanderson9238]

I like Schmincke the most and it looked like it went down smooth in your swatches. I also like M Graham.

[@judicousineau]

Woohoo! Another wonderful video chalk full of really great information. Thank you so much Dr. Kano.

[@MDCampbell]

You go, Dr. Oto Kano - exposing the controversy! I love it! lol! Spank that problem child! [No, I do not promote actual spanking]. Still, that Sennelier looks awfully opaque. Is it or is it just me? The pale DaVinci reminds me of a pale tube of Daniel Smith Potter's Pink, which broke my spirit when I tried to paint with it. Same result. I've also seen it with some Cerulean Blue tubes, too. Very annoying. However, loving the other colors you've got here. The Schmincke and M. Graham's in my own sets are my favorites, though Daniel Smith is always good. Overall, an excellent presentation, as always! Cheers! ~ Mark

[@MelanCholy2001]

The Sennelier deep hue is ...strange. I can't use it as a cobalt or a violet; accidentally found out it's transparent enough to mix into other hues for light greys. SIGH so I went ahead and just now grabbed another M Graham tube (the last transaction earned me a rock hard tube but I think the PV14 is it... IF I can get a non-rock-solid tube. I'm tempted to try to jab at the tube and peel the metal away and have a tube-shaped "pan" 😂 but I really want the M. Graham cobalt violet (because of muh guy Mind of Watercolor! He does AMAZING things with that paint!)

[@flyinghaggertys9362]

My tube is just the opposite, pours out so liquidy from the tube, I practically squeezed out half the tube on a napkin like it’s all binder 😵 it’s so incredibly beautiful though and the paint is fabulous. I think I’m going to order a second tube to see if it’s just a batch? It’s so lovely

[@brigette3004]

The Roman Szmal is my favorite. Seeing the difference like this is great. I’m adding that to my Szmal palette.

[@suel4269]

I’m here because I was swatching my DS Cobalt Violet from a tube today. It’s so thick and doesn’t move at all.

[@PaintinHiding]

this is extremely helpful, thank you again Oto :D interestingly enough i only have Rembrandt's and Shinhan PWC's cobalt violets. swatch comparison on my channel if you're interested. i dont have others to compare with but have heard Rembrandt's is similar to W&N. if that's the case, i'd say PWC's is close to holbein :D

[@raymatthews4319]

When you mentioned the "Old Holland smell" I thought of a tube of their Naples Yellow acrylic paint I recently ordered. Once I opened the tube I was hit with a strong odor like a stale petroleum smell. I am actually afraid to use it. I ordered their Venetian Red acrylic and noticed no odor.

[@GregorysMode]

Helpful as always

[@annettefournier9655]

Thanks so much Oto. I've wondered about cobalt violet 💜

[@hannahthufvesson]

I love the W&N Cobalt Violet, and I find that the pan version rewets more easily than the tube one, and also that it gives me a much greater color payoff and lays down more evenly, so I can actually get nice glazes with it - but I Do use a very soft brush for that to work! ☺️ Rembrandt's Cobalt Violet is slightly warmer than W&N, which shows up in mixes (and it does come off as less bright), and rewets pretty good. I don't find it as pigmented, though, and it does get more streaky, in my opinion. But it's a good vegan option, I believe. I'd give it a second place in comparison to the cobalt violets in the video. (I have only tried the tube version.)

[@watercolourartincapetown2919]

Hmm I think I’ll avoid the cobalt violets I prefer intense saturated mass tone they seem pretty low intensity Great tip about the honey binders 😂 my eye was initially drawn to the problem child Sennelier Hahahaha so I think that shows I’m not meant to go with a genuine cobalt violet I’ll probably stick with quinacridones Thanks for your very in-depth colour series

[@brigitteitg]

I’ve got the Lukas 1862 Cobalt Violet (PV14) and it’s the weakest colour I’ve got, although it’s very pretty. It’s somewhere between the DS and Schmincke and almost exactly like W&N Ultramarine Violet (PV15). It’s not streaky at all (swatchrd on Canson XL).

[@silentstorm91]

Oh I got that too and was so disappointed! Very weak, barely there at all... Intensity like the weakest colour in Oto's video with a slightly bluer hue. I guess the production must be very difficult for this colour? I've never noticed "bad" batches with any other tube...

[@brigitteitg]

@@silentstorm91 I’ve got the half pan and had to scrub a lot to get colour out. It glazed nicely though and it wasn’t smearing like the ones in the video, maybe it’s worse from tubes?!

[@peteinuk]

I wish you had tried Rembrandt and Lukas also!

[@gosiaplummer4794]

I have noted DS has a problem with resetting cobalt colors. WN cobalt violet is my favorite.... need to try roman szmal!

[@MaryG0725]

I think you received a bad tube of DaVinci. I don’t have the color, but their website indicates a much more pigmented paint. Could the pigment have drastically separated from the binder in the tube?

[@danamelton9066]

I agree with other viewer in that you just have a bad tube of DaVinci's cobalt violet. Also want to say I have had no issue rewetting it either. Thanks for sharing these reviews.

[@Llamanescent]

I have the Roman Szmal version and I love the color, but the consistency is still a bit weird due to all the binder required. It does rewet pretty well, though. I also have the Schmincke cobalt violet hue and I love it, but obviously the color is very different. I use that one instead of ultramarine violet since they are very similar, but Schmincke's ultramarine violet is just a little more blue.

[@carolinaarias1669]

welp, now that my artstore is gonna be restocking winsor and newton, i know what im gonna get next

[@suzeaa]

Very interesting!

[@jimicrumb3700]

My favorite light cobalt violets are by Rembrandt and QOR. The deep cobalt violet i use is by M.Graham. Rembrandt's cobalt violet is way more vibrant than any of these light violets.

[@KatriannaNonDuality]

@jimi crumb is the qor very hard to pick up? i’m wondering if i got a bad tube?

[@ligaskirbauska8652]

I wanna spoil me for birthday and get couple fine paints..for purple I can’t decide for cobalt violet from MGrams or Amethist from Daniel Smith...what makes nicer colour mixes,looks more beautiful with other colours? Help!

[@MissMagic]

The Old Holland paint should be marketed as a hue, it does annoy me when a mixed paint is so mislabelled.

[@fmajor7omh.266]

omg that's basically robbery buying Holbein in the UK!!! A 15ml tube of series F Cobalt Violet only costs £6.65 in China (and 14 ml tubes of w&n series 4 cost £9.98, 15ml Schmincke Horadam s3 cobalt violet hue for £8.54, 15ml Daniel Smith s3 Co. Violet for £6.78, 11ml QoR s4 co violet for £11.65 Holbein is cheaper in Japan for £6.05 Btw, Paul Rubens used to produce Genuine Cobalt Violet with PV14, but now this color is discontinued. It’s a low-tinting, dull, gooey and grayish violet that has way too much binder in it. Definitely a great decision they’ve discontinued that lol. Other colors from Paul Rubens are really nice tho.

[@ligaskirbauska8652]

How nice prices we had just year ago...

[@aeli999]

I have the Daniel Smith one and I hate it. It's gloppy and nasty and really hard to work with. That's an interesting range of colors in the video. Makes me wonder what some of these companies were on when they made/named them. lol I like the looks of Schmincke and M Graham (even though they are wrong), but I'm trying to get away from cobalts and other bad for the environment things.

[@Elisa-vq5qf]

I bought the Qor one and it is sticky and won't go on the page. I don't know what to do. I wish I bought the winsor and newton one because it was cheaper and had good reviews...

[@OtoKano]

oh it should not be doing that. I recommend emailing QoR directly, and they should be able to send you out an replacement.

[@prophetkat]

The sennelier might not be violet but Im liking it

[@fullapple]

I go back and forth between the Holbein one and Daler Rowney makes an excellent one, that does veer closer to the red than the blue. The blue hue of the Holbein is my true favorite, but here in the States it is THE most expensive paint option (over $30 for 14ml 😳). I also use the M. Graham one, but it is such a different color! Closer to Dioxazine Violet. CV makes a great underpainting for skin tones, if you're stuggling for how to use it. Also, that "gumminess" is pretty standard.

[@MissMagic]

Yay someone else who uses Daler Rowney paints. They are often sadly overlooked.

[@valasafantastic1055]

Hmmm. I was considering if I should get this colour. I’m thinking I won’t get cobalt violet, too many downsides to this colour nothing that seems ‘worth it’ for all the downsides. I think the information I’d need moving forward is how this colour mixes with other colours. For now it seems like a colour with WAY more downsides. I think I can mix granulating violet-purples without the downsides this colour has with colours I already own. Good to know so I can invest in other colours instead. I’ll watch the next video as colour mixing is important for a ‘final’ decision. Useful video thanks.

[@DustyMusician]

I think a good alternative would be Ultramarine Pink. Similar hue but stronger color

[@valasafantastic1055]

@@DustyMusician I’ll look into it, thanks!

[@Llamanescent]

I haven't been able to mix it, but you might have more success depending on what paints you have. For me it is worth it to have since I love the color, but I do try to avoid cobalts usually.

[@jaimeanderson9238]

The m graham and schmincke don't have any binder issues and are really concentrated.

[@snuuby5468]

Oto, I think there is something wrong with the Da Vinci paint. I am very surprised at the extreme paleness of the colour.

[@DustyMusician]

My version of DaVinci cobalt violet is not that pale, either. I wonder what’s up with that

[@DustyMusician]

@@ninamarie60 that might be it. I have the 15ml tube and the paint hasn't separated, so it has more color, although it's still shiny.

[@reneaclark7689]

I wonder if your da Vinci one was a bad tube or batch. Maybe write them and ask?

[@therestlessknitter4290]

I have the art spectrum cobalt violet (pv14) and it’s very weak and gummy. It doesn’t rewet easily. Honestly I don’t know what I’d ever use it for, I wouldn’t buy it again

[@pinkflamingo5628]

Sigh ❤️

[@karyn3060]

I don't think I need cobalt violet on my palette.

[@bachplayer13]

i have the m graham and it will not harden. its a horrible mess in my travel palette. unusable if you travel for art lessons

[@paperkay]

Except for the one which looks 80% magenta, they are all terrible. Savagely overpriced paint/ pigment. At least with Potter's Pink you know it's terrible and still kind of adorable, and cheap. These are just bad.

[@ligaskirbauska8652]

Potters pink cheap? Schminkes 15 ml tube is Over 14£ on Jackson’s ..I personally like very much M.Grahams one,one of my favourite watercolours