M Graham Watercolor Paints. First impressions, swatching, chatting and making a mess!

I know I said I wasn't going to get these, but then I did....*sheepish grin*. This is a long chatty (hopefully relaxing) video, where I talk about the colours I found, squeeze them out into half pans and swatch them all out. If you just want to watch the swatching without all of my yakking beforehand, you can click through to here: 32:10
I bought these at www.theartshop.com.au but they currently aren't selling them online because they can't get more stock in at the moment (for whoever knows how long!). I am not sure if there is anywhere else in Australia who sells them, please tell me in the comments if you know of anywhere!
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As always, thank you so much for subscribing, watching and supporting my channel!
Becky x

[@CeruleanCzarina]

I am thoroughly enjoying your content! Very relaxing and engaging. I look forward to seeing you grow and keep up the awesome work!!

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you so much! ❤️

[@maximoquinn7218]

i guess I am kinda off topic but do anybody know a good place to watch new movies online ?

[@la_papetrie]

What wonderful colours so vibrant and intense such a great score ..I cannonly imagine what beauties you will create .

[@BeckyTregear]

They're gorgeous paints!

[@lorijones9579]

Very nice selection of colors considering how you came upon them. I love M. Graham, so well done.

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you; it has grown into a decent palette. 🙂

[@Tonisfarm2024]

I'm soo happy you decided to fill the pans only 1/2 way...that was going to be my tip for these paints. I have 5 m graham colors and I absolutely love them. I realized straight away that a little goes a long way and I only filled my pans about1/3 rd and it took a good week, but they did dry to the point I can take them out and about without worry. Figured I'd rather add to my pans then be miserable with a full pan not drying up at all. Mine did remain tacky but not at all runny. Happy painting with them🥰

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you, and yes they stay tacky for a very long time. I think mine are as set as they will ever be, haha!

[@marjoriejohnson6535]

I should have added that mgraham is probably the most likely to come right to the top in the tube of any of the name brand paints. I never feel shorted. And when i say expensive brushes....almost 60 years ago i fell in love with nice brushes and while working yet living at my parents house i thought nothing of spending a weeks wages on a brush, something i am more hesitant in doing today..for sure. But i learned to care for my brushes and still am using some of them today.

[@BeckyTregear]

Ah yes, good brushes will last a lifetime when cared for properly! I keep all of my good ones in a nice case, and I also have cheaper brushes for everyday purposes and for things like swatching etc.

[@isabellahaz]

I love watching videos like these. The talking about personal experience getting the paints, as well as even the little things as reading the pigments. I’m fairly new to watercolor and art overall, so it’s very interesting how easily you read and distinguish the pigments and colors from each other. All in all I loved♥️♥️♥️the video. Ok then fare well🤸🏼‍♀️🤸🏼‍♀️🤸🏼‍♀️

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you! After a while it becomes easier to distinguish particular colours, especially if they are from a single pigment, as they generally will look the same or similar between brands. 🙂

[@xargothunter5746]

What a great pallet! I am so not jealous, much. :D I am looking forward to see you use theese.

[@BeckyTregear]

They're really stunning to paint with, I shall be posting that video next week. 😁

[@hannahthufvesson]

Awesome video! Thank you! I recommend all the M. Graham colours I have tried; Anthraquinone Blue, Payne's Grey, Neutral Tint and Indian Yellow! Especially the blue, it's like velvet. It cannot be described. 😍

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you! I have a few more M Graham videos with additional colours (there's a playlist on my channel page), including anthraquinone blue, which is so beautiful! I don't have the other three, but maybe one day I will end up with more. 😆

[@hannahthufvesson]

@@BeckyTregear Ooh, I'm really looking forward to that one! And I'm so glad you have the blue, haha! No one should be without it 😂🥰

[@BeckyTregear]

@@hannahthufvesson haha for sure! I would have got it the first time but it was out of stock. Also sorry if the ads are in random places, I haven't had a chance to fix all of my videos yet, as I just got monetised yesterday!

[@hannahthufvesson]

@@BeckyTregear Congratulations! 😄🎉 I haven't thought about that at all, I've been busy watching your M. Graham videos! Now, onto the Sennelier swatches! 😄

[@ligaskirbauska8652]

I also live and have that Anthroquinone Blue..one of my favourite blues and Mgrahms is the best 😻

[@Christine_R]

I have the same issue with Phthalocyanine Blue by Mission Gold, too. It stays sticky and will transfer to the skin as soon as you touch it. I like the Azo Orange and the Cobalt Teal. I really like Cobalt Teal a lot to be honest. It's so nice to mix it with Quinacridone Violet.

[@CATAZTR0PHE]

It's relaxing to watch ☺️

[@marjoriejohnson6535]

I try to have a mixing palette cleaned and ready to clean my tube tops to when opening paints. It is my solution for being CHEAP. I use a midgrade brush ,and scoup out the top onto the ceramic palette. Allowing enough room to actually use the colors on swatch cards and in a painting after the paints are all out. P.s. the older I get the happier I am with myjello mission 33 well palettes for especially m graham and bigger brushes. Since i buy expensive brushes I dont want to mess them up with half pans.

[@jennw6809]

I just got one of those palettes! I love big brushes too. I even got a Reubens one that fits hake brushes.

[@sil2575]

Some tips :Use a mechanical pencil lead to spread the paint so it much cleaner than toothpick. M. Graham took crazy time to dry to a consistency that It won't run anywhere so if you want to travel with it.. Be careful.. I did that mistake before.. I waited like 3-4 days, close the palette and toss it somewhere.. Om gawd.. It spread everywhere and it sticky..

[@BeckyTregear]

Great tip about the pencil lead, I will have to try that! I think I'll be keeping the M. Grahams at home; they look too messy to take out travelling, haha!

[@marjoriejohnson6535]

Good advice. My m graham never get packed for plane travel...it would be one more thing to worry about. But in a basket I will take them to gardens( my own and others).

[@danielleb.7055]

I know this video is old but I appreciate the time you took to show us the paints and talk about them. I'm looking into getting a few M.Graham paints but trying to look more into them before I grab a few colors. Have a great day

[@BeckyTregear]

It is always useful finding videos about paint colours before choosing them. I am glad mine helped! They're gorgeous paints. 💜

[@watercoloracademy1083]

Loved it thanks

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

I love the Azo Orange and the Hooker's Green!

[@BeckyTregear]

Yes they are both really great colours, and a bit more unusual compared to some of my other regular palettes. I seem to use orange a lot as well, so I always love not having to mix it up, heheh.

[@nadeaner.cowley513]

I love M Graham. They flow beautifully in watercolor, better than Qor in my opinion. Great video thanks for sharing❤

[@BeckyTregear]

I'd say they're definitely richer than the Qor, though I like both brands. M Graham's cobalt violet is a lot easier to use as well. My Qor one keeps coming away from the binder. 😱

[@becg6822]

Beautiful paints! I still have a tiny bit of that purple in my palette after painting jacaranda trees!

[@BeckyTregear]

I still think of it as Jacaranda Purple! 😆

[@everartokelli]

Congrats on your find! I hope you do some color/brand comparisons of all your paints sometime :)

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you, and I am definitely planning on doing that, especially the same colours between brands.

[@jennw6809]

I think you made the right call Perm Green Light, since the Pale is really a bright yellow green! I recently went down the M. Graham rabbithole too. Started with a dozen but now I got 5 more. Palette is nearly full now! I never noticed that MG calls their PY 97 the "deep" shade, you are right, other companies call this one "medium."

[@BeckyTregear]

Companies couldn't possibly have the same name for paints, that would be too easy, haha!

[@marjoriejohnson6535]

If you use veridian...this is the best at rewetting....love it.

[@jenniefrench1338]

I feel bad for the shipping dilema. Here in the states as far as I know there is full production. If you know someone I am sure they could send something maybe Daniel Smith or DaVinci or American Journey. Initially there was a slow down but probably due to virus containment shipping is harder. Couple of my favs from DS are pyrrol scarlet, quin coral. From M.G. the azo yellow. From Davinci the perm alizarin crimson is awesome. I compared it to the top 6 or so. It has a depth that is gorgeous. I love deep Cobalt turquoise DaVinci and always the sap green from Winsor and Newton or I mix quinacridone gold with phalogreen. Love your colors. M.G.'s Cobalt teal is so much better than DS also DaVinci's real Cerulean is saturated smooth and real. The best I've found thus far. Take care! Happy painting!🤗

[@BeckyTregear]

Shipping has improved again after the initial few months where everything was a mess, and The Art Shop managed to restock its M.Graham supplies. But of course we can't just walk into a store at the moment, still being in stage 4 lockdown, so that's fun! I do love their cobalt teal, it's so pretty. But I'm happy with all of the colours; they're so saturated. 💙

[@Bonnie10au]

Ok, I am watching (and enjoying) this video for the second time. I am ready to order some M Graham paints from theartshop. I have plenty of brands but would like to try M Graham. Do you still like yours, Becky? I am thinking of getting some of their Gouache paints too. Have you tried those?

[@BeckyTregear]

I adore the M.Graham watercolours, they're really wonderful and I am sure you will love them too! I have only tried the white gouache by them but that works nicely and I imagine the other colours would be great. I don't think you can go wrong with that brand! 😁❤️

[@Bonnie10au]

@@BeckyTregear thanks so much. I think I will place an order and try a few colours. Hopefully theartshop has them all in stock.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@Bonnie10au they seem to get stock in regularly so hopefully everything you want is there. I was just there today, picking up a wooden rack to store all of my wayward folios and canvases. It was so much cheaper there than anywhere else, yay!

[@Bonnie10au]

@@BeckyTregear you're so lucky to have this shop so close by.

[@marjoriejohnson6535]

Oops...you fell down the same rabbit hole that i did...the m.graham rabbit hole.

[@BeckyTregear]

It's easy to do....their paints are so enticing! 😆

[@califmike2003]

These paints seem more opaque than other watercolors.

[@BeckyTregear]

Most of them are pretty transparent but they are intensely pigmented so they look a lot more opaque when they are at their mass tone. They do water out nicely....a little goes a long way with these! 😂

[@ginabadeaux9319]

i spent a small fortune 106.00 for ten im mad noone ever said they are cancer causing.i swatched them so i cant return them ive watched hundreds of videos on the best watercolors .i got many sets and even daniels smiths .wow im not sure what to do ill call the company i guess

[@BeckyTregear]

I think because they're an American company, they are obligated to put that warning on the label. Because there are genuine cobalts in some of the paints, there is a slight risk but really I think you'd need to ingest the paint. I do always make sure I wash hands thoroughly after using any paints, especially cobalt and cadmium colours! But maybe contact the company for reassurance if you are concerned 🙂❤️