Daniel Smith Watercolors - Why the Big Fuss?

I've used many top brands of watercolor, but never understood the big fuss about Daniel Smith. After seeing so many of Teoh Yi Chie's videos about how much he enjoys them, I finally took some holiday money and decided to find out for myself! Do they live up? Come see!
A special thank you to Teoh Yi Chie for all his incredible efforts on both his blog site and on KZbin, and for inspiring me to seek out new materials and ideas, as well as his generosity in a recent giveaway in which I won the Portable Painter Palette featured in this video.
Teoh Yi Chie:
KZbin:
/ @teohyc
Blog site:
www.parkablogs.com
MUSIC:
“Over the Influence” by M.D. Campbell
noisetrade.com/meandboristhebull
© 2018 M.D. Campbell (aka Me & Boris the Bull)
All rights reserved
MY BLOG:
www.markdcampbell.com/the-9-li...
Instagram: mdcampbellart
Facebook: m.d. campbell
GEAR:
• Hand•Book Travelogue journal
• Pentel Waterbrush
• Portable Painter Palette
• Daniel Smith watercolors
• Schmincke, M.Graham, & Sakura Koi watercolors
I hope this video was helpful in some way. Please "subscribe" to the channel, and feel free to leave comments, thoughts or questions below. Thank you and cheers!

[@MDCampbell]

Something I didn't mention in the video, which I wish I had, is that Daniel Smith, like many other brands, offers sample "dot cards" which are a great, inexpensive way to try before you buy, to get a tactile feel for their paints and their quality. :)

[@joyfulldj]

I think instead i will buy me their essential set, 6 primary colors for under 30 euro's is one you cant go wrong with since you basicly use those in any set

[@summerbee80]

ya dot cards by schminke are amazing and very helpful if u dont have 200 bucks to spend, hint hint :P

[@joyfulldj]

You are evil, you know i Iam a schmincke addict,or you would not say this,rofl, only have 26 pans of schmincke, i just want to share in the fuzz fun 😂

[@StarsinRain]

I am trying to create my own "set" and I got a 66 try-set for about $7-8 and it's really helpful before investing in buying tubes. I think a ~200 dot test sheet is about $10-15? It's really useful :)

[@AxiomEcho]

This little factoid makes me want to try them now. I lobe when companies have the consumer in mind with things like that.

[@teohyc]

Great to see that the Portable Painter has arrived safely on the other side of the world 😁

[@owingsart]

You discovered each other! The universe is now in alignment. :-)

[@SykesFW]

Teoh Yi Chie can you give info please on where to pickup that traveling pallet, thanks

[@benjisquenge]

I'm not sure where else you can get it, but they sell it on Amazon for around $30.

[@marsbeads]

Most art stores carry it, such as dickblick.com

[@superspark3257]

@@marsbeads is that really a art store or....

[@grayblosser6630]

I live in Seattle, where the DS store is, and I have to say the first time I visited DS was the best experience I've ever had in an art store. Their employees are so knowledgeable and kind and the selection is fantastic. They've remembered me every time I go and are quick to help. There's also a space to try out for free every color DS offers which is so much fun and great way to plan out a palette! I love how well DS rewets but also that they're completely dry in a palette. One note I have to offer, and I don't know if anyone else mentioned it, is that potter's pink is one of the hardest to rewet from DS if not the hardest, like it is with other brands. When I've used it in the store an employee always mentions to let water sit on it for a bit before using if you've let it dry.

[@MDCampbell]

How can I not be a little envious of your proximity to the DS store! lol! It must be wonderful! I did notice the Potter's Pink (and the Cerulean Blue, too) is tough to activate. I'll look for that when I use them again, soon. Thank you for taking the time to watch and for that valuable feedback! :)

[@nitikaaleart]

Potter's pink and also i found DS ultramarine violet takes a bit longer to rewet. I spray a bit of water in my palette before painting, makes rewetting quicker :)

[@jafetisraelmendezcastro5648]

Wow, I'm envy in the good way 😂 I have to buy ds being very expensive from other country so I can use it here in Mexico

[@SuperCutealien]

I need a Seattle weekend with my hubby. It’s a bit of a road trip. But I’d love to go to their store.

[@sarahguy-levar7955]

My FAVORITE DS combo is Quin Gold, Quin Burnt Orange, and Indigo. The three make STUNNING landscapes.

[@lauradains2734]

I love how you boost up other artists. I've seen you do this before and I really have enjoyed the artists you've introduced me to. I had already been enjoying Teoh's work because another You Tube artist also gave him a shout out. I really appreciate the community within this community, if that made any sense. I would love to see it spread. I know there is a bit of competition for the valuable likes and subscribes - but I really like the artists who support their fellow artists.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, Laura! I really appreciate that feedback. It's nice when someone recognizes the little things in the videos that are somewhat backstage to the main topic. Teoh is terrific and I've admired his work, both in art and in video editing, for a long time. He's so incredibly thorough with his reviews, that I defer to him on specific topics. And yes, that glut for subscribers and likes is ever-present with the bigger names, some of us are merely here because we love what we do and just have an honest interest to share it. If I can build a channel based on that, then I'm happy! And fortunately for me, I have been blessed to be associated with many likeminded, kindhearted, and sincere artists whom I've admired, too, for a long time. Thank you again and I hope you are well! :)

[@vanessachishti1503]

I completely agree! Its so nice see a clutch of creators behind art channels talking about each others work, and writing warm, engaged comments on each others videos. ☺

[@LED816]

What’s amazing are the granulating colors. You need things like moonglow, rose of ultramarine, cascade green, imperial purple, sleeping beauty turquoise, etc. The way some of those colors pull apart is what makes everyone go crazy. You NEED to try those! You’ll fall in love with those colors. If you don’t like granulating colors, Daniel Smith probably isn’t for you. Many of their colors are also made from minerals and gemstones. You’ll actually see bits of sparkle from the gem stones in the colors. You should try their 238 dot card. They provide enough paint to do several small pieces with. I started with that and now have over 50 of their colors. But I like whimsical and fantasy watercolor so things like their interference colors and the granulating colors work wonderfully for me. (Yes I have a slight obsession with them lol)

[@AimeeFleck]

I freaking adore moonglow

[@marjoriejohnson6535]

Rewatching ...covid shutdown. Good review..agreed....

[@yurinaka99]

This comment is really old so I'm probably just annoying you - BUT (:D) if u like those moody granulation colors, try mixing any color (preferably bright and translucent) with pbk11 (lunar black/Mars black). The results are awesome and give those great moody heavily granulating and separating effect. :)

[@mydogeatspuke]

@@yurinaka99 or mix any of the other granulating pigments with each other. Cobalt greens with earthy browns, oh look now you've duplicated all of the green/brown shifting paints. Cobalt blues with any of the pinkish violet pigments or a saturated red, throw in a bit of viridian (the real one, not the Phthalo fake) and now you've made Moonglow. Magic. And it won't fade in sunlight like actual Moonglow does. Try Potter's Pink with that same green, saved yourself $20 on a tube someone else mixed for you. Some of the "super special" DS paints are just PBk11 and another pigment though, yes, usually a quin or phthalo. Which is shocking tbh. Even Royal Talens managed that, and in their student line at $2 for 10ml. Some of the cheapest pigments known to man thrown together in a tube, slap a label on it and suddenly it's worth a small fortune. Ridiculous.

[@masja1790]

Couldn't agree more 😊

[@lechat8736]

I`m so glad when I see artists showing respect for each other's work :) "Bravo" to you and Teoh!

[@ColoredMud]

I like how you tested them on lower grade paper (at least for watercolor paper) because that's what I use when out sketching; something that could take water if need be, but that's also suitable for pencil or ink sketching. I really want to try these watercolors now, thanks for this! :)

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, MyArtJourney! I held off on Daniel Smith because of the price tag. But, it irked me and I _had_ to know!!! lol! I just checked the receipt and the total came to $193 with my teacher discount. To me, that's a great deal for what I got, and that's what I consider an investment. It's not for everyone, but like I said, if money is an issue (which it's always been for me), then starting off slow and simple is the best way to approach. As for the paper, I used a higher end paper to do the swatch cards for the sets and to do the line test, so at least I got to see how they look on good paper. Thanks again for checking it out! Grateful for your thoughts! Cheers! :)

[@MojoDi]

I bought my first Daniel smith set a week ago and I am absolutely in love with them 😍

[@bubbanme4]

I like your videos because your intro is brief, you stick to the subject matter of your video, and your information is well organized. Thank you for creating and sharing your content.

[@onthehill3381]

I love ‘em all! I put together a DS palette comprised of colors that Paul Signac (1863-1935) used. He traveled around France to a lot of ports doing paintings of the coastal landscape and ports. I thought it would be a fun way to try out the DS line.

[@notvangogh]

Best review yet! You are so talented! I haven’t seen anyone paint the way you do! Am totally going to try it!

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, notvangogh, I appreciate that.

[@juststartingover2735]

Thank you for reinforcing how most of us paint “in the real world”. 👏👏👏👏

[@Amywazwaz06]

I also hear such good things about Daniel smith. Nice to hear s good explanation above it the differences. Your line test was Really telling. Great way to show differences.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much, Amy! I appreciate your time watching and especially your feedback! :)

[@KimberlyFalvoTorres]

Great info! I like how honest your opinion is. Love you videos..keep doing what you do!.

[@josephcollins6033]

Yes! Very informative. I will subscribe. And, I love the applause!!!! Hysterical!

[@rubyduby2656]

I liked your suggestion of buying primaries and making own set of convenience colors. I always thought about mixing on pallet, but never thought about making up a half pans worth to keep. Smart idea

[@c8Lorraine1]

Thank you. I also wondered “what is the fuss over Daniel Smith watercolours “ Very good review. I appreciate you taking the time to explain it to us.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much, lorrane! And I appreciate your generous time watching and leaving your feedback. It means more than you know! I'm thrilled you enjoyed this one! Stay well! ~ Mark

[@jasonjones362]

I have just recently discovered your channel and I love it. As an artist myself, I enjoy watching videos of other artists. My theory is that one is never too experienced or too old to learn something new. I am now a new subscriber. Keep up the good work!

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, Jason Jones! I'm sincerely grateful for your support and your generous words. Thank you so much! :)

[@simpleartideas]

Wow!! that's a mini but cute n beautiful landscape you made. Love that. Have a great weekend :)

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, Kids and Moms! I hope you are well and appreciate your time and feedback! Have a great weekend, too!

[@rynjeff1073]

I've used Daniel Smith for many years. Love them.

[@MrsTiffanyGrey]

Teoh is a joy! I love DS and especially their Primateks! Enjoy!

[@JunkyardSam]

Great overview of Daniel Smith. I like that you didn't oversell the brand, just a good honest review of some great paint. Seeing it in action as a travel set was unique and useful content. Thanks for posting this!

[@ollie54able]

Nice presentation. Look forward to a full blown painting on quality paper and to hear your reaction. I have my choices of these paints & do love the richness of their colors.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, Liam! I appreciate your time and thoughts. I, too, am really looking forward to sitting down and getting to know these paints on a higher end paper. Stay well! :)

[@bonniemiller1819]

Thanks Mark. Great comparison. I use DS but not the others. Will have to try them. Great job.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, Bonnie! As i say in cooking, "one cannot live on chocolate chip cookies, alone." Actually, that may be wrong. I think I could in that case! lol!

[@wolfsid00196]

Man this is a really nice review and very practical. Thanks!

[@MDCampbell]

Really happy you enjoyed this one, MaeJuno! Thank you!!

[@pattiwest2939]

Thanks for the information!!! You do a beautiful tutorial!!!

[@MDCampbell]

I really appreciate your feedback, Patti West! Thank you and thank you, also, for watching! Cheers! :)

[@chuchuu1312]

Im glad you're using that kind of thin paper to test because im also using the same kind of paper, it's not made for watercolor but I love how the watercolor painting turned out when it dries

[@MDCampbell]

I feel the same way, Chu Chuu!

[@CreateSomethingNewEveryDay]

Very useful video! Thank you so much for uploading it!

[@MDCampbell]

Thanks so much for checking this out! Cheers! :)

[@thegremlyn343]

This just popped up in my feed as I'm playing with the Daniel Smith dot card. So far I'm loving the colours and you're right about how easy they are to activate and the brush is just loaded with pigment. I'm looking at moving up to a professional grade of paint that I can afford. With a bit more time in hoping to pick out my starter colours and build from there. Thanks for the great and honest review.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much for checking this out, Lucy A, and also for the thoughtful feedback! I remember years ago, when I was getting into watercolor, the only one available was Windsor & Newton (never heard of Daniel Smith back then). I would put aside a few dollars every week, and once a month I'd go to our local art store (no Amazon back then) and buy one tube. They were expensive, too, at about $7-10 per tube. But it was so worth it! It took me a while to build up a good set, which I exhausted years ago. Nowadays, I just love the availability of supplies online, having access to SO many products I never knew existed! It's amazing! Good luck with your creative journey and I have a feeling you're going to have a GREAT time exploring! Best wishes ~ Mark

[@juststartingover2735]

Teoh absolutely does great reviews!,

[@katf3836]

I love Teoh's channel!! BTW, thanks for the review. I won a little travel set that she used Daniel Smith's paints in. I absolutely love it. Thanks again!

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, Kat F! Glad you enjoyed this one! Cheers!

[@taylorbegg1135]

I'm definitely a Daniel Smith fanatic. I always try to stick to basics and primaries, but they make such cool iridescent, shimmers, and other interesting colors

[@itsatiepoproductions7338]

Thank you so much! I really needed this to start my day and I will be sharing this with so many friends! There are so many things I am wanting to do from starting an art education youtube to creating comics and book illustrations! I am sure I will get there some day.

[@MDCampbell]

Thanks Its a Tiepo Productions, and yes, I agree - you will definitely get there some day, if you want it. :)

[@Yvonne_Reeder]

Terrific review - thank you! 👏🏻❣️

[@JaredCullum]

I love Daniel Smith and use them for all my illustration and painting work :)

[@vlawton100]

I really enjoy your reviews thank you so much .

[@MDCampbell]

That's very kind of you, virginia lawton. Thank you for the thoughtful words! :)

[@rosieleat6868]

Nice! Great review :). Cracked me up, the laughter and appaulase in the 'coffee' break lol!!

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much, Rosie Leat! I really appreciate your time and generous words! Stay well! :)

[@adriannemartin1515]

Nice review and excellent production values in your video. Thanks.

[@MDCampbell]

Hi Adrianne! Thank you so much for your lovely comment! It really means a lot! I hope you're well! Best wishes! :)

[@karabiroy3533]

Bravo..what a great impressive creation ..I'm inspire & enchanted ..

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you Karabi Roy! I'm grateful for your feedback and the time with this one! Hoping you are well! ~ Mark

[@MeowMeowKapow]

Oh my gosh! This is your first foray into Daniel Smith?!? Congratulations! I’m so proud! =^.^= seriously, I love them so much. And congrats on your portable painter! Cool! Very interested in your thoughts on that. Really love the way you did your side-by-side strips that you cropped and cleaned up, that’s a super unique comparison and really helped to see the differences in a clean way. You’re totally right that pretty much any of those paints are good, and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I SUPER appreciate that my Daniel smith paints have almost no color shift, but they’re also really textured and vibrant and flow super well. They’re a paint that has a lot of personality, and that’s what I really like about them. Great review! I’m so glad you made it! =^.^=

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much, Meow Meow Kapow! It's funny to admit it, but I'd always put off buying into Daniel Smith specifically because of the price. At the end of 2017, I told myself that for the new year, I was going to invest in either Daniel Smith or Faber Castell Polychromos pencils (a large set). Funny, but when I got to the Blick store, they were out of the Polychromos, so that made my decision a lot easier to make! lol! Thank you so much for all your inspiring work and your support. It makes me happy knowing I'm in such good company and feel respected by those whom I respected so much! Cheers and again, thank you!!!

[@MeowMeowKapow]

M.D. Campbell fate has a funny way of forcing our hand sometimes, and I’m all about going with whatever the flow ends up being. Who knows-maybe it turns out you wouldn’t have liked those pencils, or they’re going to be on super kookie sale some time later and you’ll coincidentally be ready then! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ I adore you, and continue to be so glad we stumbled across each other in this weird and wild internet, and can help influence and encourage one another on the regular.

[@manpotrait]

Thank you so much for sharing your video bro... The best

[@traveldreamer4616]

Thank you. Great video. Like the comparison.

[@MDCampbell]

I'm really happy you liked this, R Fatimah Jafri! And I'm grateful for your time to watch and especially to share your thoughts. Stay well and thank you! :)

[@kathleenwildey2757]

Love these paints!

[@marysu4]

One thing you really missed are the FUN colors!! Cascade Green, Undersea Green, Moonglow, Rose of Ultramarine, just to name a few, are why so many people (including me!) love Daniel Smith!! It's the granulation where a second color just falls out on the page and makes it sing! I admit I am addicted to watercolor so I have a lot of different brands. I love the Schminckes and I find they activate really easily and they are vibrant rich beauties. The MGrahams I have are a nice selection of Quinacridones, the Rose is so yummy! But the Daniel Smith paints are really my go-tos. At the very least get a tube of Cascade Green!! You'll never regret it!

[@MDCampbell]

Hi Marysu! I am with you on the FUN colors! It was hard for me not to indulge in the Primatek set that was right there on the shelf! I looked it over and just said, "no! must stick to basics first!" lol! I will definitely look into that Cascade Green! Looking online, it's fabulous! Thank you so much! :)

[@artycraftyalchemy]

The primateks are swoon worthy. I have the small starter set and just got a stick of serpentine genuine which I haven't opened yet :O Amethyst with it's shimmer is just beautiful :) They mix so well with the regular colours aswell, I like to add some of the granulating ones when I want some texture :)

[@marsbeads]

The granulation from cascade green is gorgeous

[@HandmadeByLinanne]

Don’t forget to try my most favorite color Moonglow! I’m totally in love with this color, although I’ve other loved colors from the Daniel Smith line!

[@KimberlyCrick]

I was just saying the same thing in my comment lol. Cascade Green has to be one of the most magical colors to work with ever, no matter how little space I have in a travel palette I always make sure Cascade Green is one of them. I loved Moonglow too, but I hang artwork on walls and it turned out not to be lightfast and faded over the course of a year, so I took that one out. Almost all of their other granulating colors are perfect though :)

[@ladyshadow79]

Rad video as always! Great review of these watercolors. I think I will always be an M.Graham girl, but I do own Daniel Smith, Winsor and Newton, Holbein, and Schmincke as well. I tend to have favorites from each brand, but tend to reach for my M. Grahams every time. Thanks for sharing.. I look forward to the next one. Blessings, Stacy

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you for watching, Stacy, and your thoughts. I can't argue with M. Graham. They are just really nice to work with. At some point, I think we all realize that we could probably just own a really nice set of one brand and call it a day. But that desire to try them all is just too strong! lol! I hope you're well! :)

[@redgeminiarts3674]

Great branding. Designer paint. I’ll admit, I love them and I love the crayon sticks too. Quality can’t be matched. I love Teoh.

[@helenalam2998]

Thanks so much, it’s really useful to me to customise my own colour palette

[@InLiquidColor]

Whoa! This really took off didn't it?! Congrats Mark!

[@azzuparis]

Hi Mark, nice review. I have a few DS tube and I do like them but here in France are very expensive. I got some unusual and granulating colors. You've got some great colors to start with and that portable palette is great! Thanks for the video 😊

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you Azzu Paris! I understand the expensiveness of paints from other countries. It was until I found a good reseller of Schmincke paints in the US that I started with their products, which are still quite expense, also. Stay well! :)

[@EveBolt]

Yay! Congrats on the new set! They are gorgeous paints! And once you step into the Daniel Smith world, good job getting out! Next thing you'll know is that you need a bigger palette ;)

[@Rosemarie04921]

Eve Bolt - Bolt's Vault I agree. I started with very few DS but since I am most successful paint alla prima,...I had to add more and more colors as taking time to mix colors I could buy, sometimes cramps my working preference.

[@carolynderricks3226]

Why ??? I like M Graham!

[@jazzymoe]

Truuuuue. Lol

[@RavicaArt]

For others who want to try out these paints before investing a lot of money I really love their dot charts :)

[@MDCampbell]

Yes! I just pinned a message above about this. I wish I'd called it out in the video. Thank you for the reminder and for checking out the video! Cheers! :)

[@alicealinnette]

Awesome video, Thank you Mark, I been wondering about them too. I watched Teoh videos as well. Seems like a good investment. 😊

[@fdej51289]

Just what I needed.. thanks

[@kimmieRH05]

I came across one of your videos and haven't left your channel yet.... I'm thoroughly enjoying your channel!!!👍🏼👍🏼 I love the DS watercolors. The majority of my palette is DS with some Windsor & Newton, M. Graham, and Sennelier thrown in. I also have lots of different student grade palettes. I enjoy them all.... for me it had more to do with what is available in my area. I do think you will really enjoy them. Congrats on Teoh's giveaway. I also follow him, and you are so very right, he is very talented!! I want to start Urban sketching and he is a plethora of information. I subbed to your channel and am looking forward to following you!! Happy painting..... 😁

[@lisaswank-artfulinspiratio1865]

Great review Mark! Watercolor is one of my most favorite mediums (and my weakness because I want to try all brands...lol😜 ) I’ve been trying to teach myself to watercolor for a few years now...I am currently or gradually building up my of Daniel Smith watercolors- I’m especially curious about the Prima Tek right now ... 😃 Tfs

[@dianebishopdesigns]

Thank you for the review Mark. I have also heard so many people talk about how good the Daniel Smith watercolours are. I still have my dot card that I purchased last month to try out and do some swatches of. At the moment I have the Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolours and they have been fine for learning with but I know there are better paints out there. When they are running out I want to try another brand but I haven't decided which one yet so it's nice to hear about the other brands out there and see some comparisons like you did with your swatches of the 4 different brands :)

[@Ruchie_K]

I love Teoh's channel and that's also why I'm considering DS paints. :D Their colors look beautiful. Thank you for the review, comparing with other brands and testing in "real life" conditions. I think I will try them, although I can't afford full set yet, but I'm slowly finishing some half pans from my first watercolor set (Van Gogh student's grade paints) and I want to replace them with some higher quality paints. (Although I really like Van Gogh, they are great for beginners, I think)

[@owingsart]

Hi Mark - Great video my friend. It was good to see your comparisons of DS, Schmincke, M Graham and Sukura Koi. One note I would add is that companies will add, "brighteners" to their paints to boost color. It's easy to mistake the pigment for vibrancy that is achieved using the brighteners. Took me a while to figure that our, as the info isn't easy to come by as you might imagine. Happy Monday Mr. Mark. Keep up the great work. ~Marty

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, Marty! I'm aware of the brighteners, agents, and even dyes that some brands use in their paints, but not the depth of what they are, where they come from, etc. That might be an interesting subject to explore to understand better. I have several sets of the Prima Marketing Watercolor Confections paints, which I fell in love with. However, they provide no pigment or lightfast info, or what kind of fillers/additives they use. So, after using them for a while, I left a couple of sample swatches out in the sun to see what would happen. I was surprised to see how much they shifted and faded, leaving behind more of a "stained" look than paint. I still use them, but now having the more prominent sets, I prefer to stick with those for a while and use the others sparingly. Thank you, again, Marty and happy days for you, as well! (I feel like a Fonzie quote would be appropriate here! ;) )

[@MeowMeowKapow]

Woah, I’d love to see some artistic investigative journalism into this!! Heck, I’d love to DO some investigative watercolor journalism on this, I just have no idea what or how to do it!

[@TheSgyro]

I was just about to comment that you sounded like Mr Marty😁

[@owingsart]

Patricia Langer I've spent a long time digging for the information on many watercolor paints. It's not easy to come by because these companies generally want to keep their recipes a secret. Many will actually patent their recipes and the unique chemical/material compositions. In general, you can look up the ATSM ratings to see if a Paint or material is considered safe. What you won't find out is the individual chemical make up. However, some companies are more transparent about their paints. A lot of people confuse, "chemical" sensitivity with sensitivity to the primary ingredient in a paint, such as cadmium, cobalt or iron oxide. Many more people will be sensitive to those then the more inert ingredients in a paint. I highly recommend the use of non-latex gloves and a painting mask, like the kind you get at the hardware store. This is usually more than enough to avoid any sensitivity issues. Another thing I do when painting with oil paints in my studio, is to use a small fan that blows the odor directionally away from me. If you want a great resource for finding out more about the composition of paints, please check out my friends at handprint.com/HP/WCL/pigmt3.html I hope this helps you out. All the best! ~Marty

[@kanabapuka]

Thanks, just the info I needed.

[@MDCampbell]

That's great to hear, Leon Wilken! Thank you for letting me know. Stay well!

[@howdytherestranger2139]

I have the primary set and the gemstone primatek set and I’ve basically stuck to those (though a couple are mixed with W&N paints of the same pigment lol my first pro set of paints and it came in a gift box!) so I never really looked at the full array of DS paint colors. I never even knew that some of these existed like potters pink and moonglow! They’re so beautiful!

[@gooddollie]

Excellent review! I've thought the same thing. I did get the DS Primatek set and I have to say it has been fun exploring. I just broke down and ordered a few extra colors like phthalo blue, phthalo turquoise, quin magenta and the coveted green gold (which I'm most excited about). Greens are my favorites.

[@MDCampbell]

Hi gooddollie and thank you so much for your kind thoughts and sharing your interest! I have not explored the Primatek paints, myself, but they do look great! Like you, I love green. And blue. And orange... aw, who am I kidding, I love all the colors! lol! I'm glad you enjoyed this one! Cheers! :)

[@JacquiWil]

I'm so glad you made this comparison video Mark. I've also been wondering what the fascination was with Daniel Smiths and, upon researching where to get them, realised that a) they're really expensive and b) not available in Africa ... so I'll stick with my 'cheap and nasties' and maybe one day I'll get my grubby paws on a set of DS's.

[@kelthulu]

One thing I really enjoy about DS watercolors is their amazing granulation. If you're a watercolorist and you love texture, that aspect of DS is worth exploring.

[@MDCampbell]

Thanks for checking this out, Kelly! I really do love the granulation aspect, however, where my work gets published in print, sometimes that granulation can scan poorly. I haven't ever had anyone complain, but I definitely notice it. It's also the reason I don't use metallic paints, as they do not look good reproduced. On paper, they look amazing - like the granulation - but scanned and reprinted... uhboy! ;)

[@Jacob_Does]

hey! no idea if you'll ever see this, but as a long time viewer now and a long time user of daniel smith, the big fuss is they offer so much veratality! they also work with local shops to get product everywhere. i originally found out about daniel smith and M.Grahm from a local owned art shop. they carry a good selection of both products. including the portable pallet you used! Daniel smith recently made gouche. they work exactly like the water colors they make. i've switched to daniel smith as my main set just from how good they feel, how well pigmented the paints are, and knowing that i can get them and support my local shop. i recently went to a art fest where they were a sponser, and talked to a couple of artists that use daniel smith paints, as well as artists that work for daniel smith. daniel smith has also started selling sets that those artists made, meaning for someone who might be trying to get into a professonal setting its easier for them get a good set. i love the video, and watching it back after 5 years its still really refreshing!

[@MDCampbell]

Hi @Jacob_Does! Thank you for checking back in on this one. I agree that there's a lot of versatility and variety in their products. As I've said before, my personal take is that Schmincke is like painting with your heart, M.Graham is like painting with your soul, and Daniel Smith is like painting with your brain. Of course, those labels are interchangeable. LOL! But, seriously, I've been a fan for years now, so I continue to be use DS as a primary set, among others. In fact, literally just five minutes ago, I just finished building a new set with 24 granulating Primatek pans and 16 granulating regular pans to make a 40 pan set of all Daniel Smith granulating paints. It's a beautiful set and I can't wait to use it! I was going to make a video on building the granulating set, but it was a very complex build, so I didn't want to make any mistakes and I was afraid that if I tried to record it, I would have definitely made mistakes. But, maybe I'll feature the set in an upcoming video, anyway? Who knows. Anyhow, thank you for you kind words and thoughtful feedback. I'm glad to know I'm not alone in my affection for Daniel Smith paints! Stay well! ~ Mark

[@Jacob_Does]

@@MDCampbell I'm glad to hear! It's also an honor to me to have you reply. You've been a big inspiration in my art journey, and you've helped me learn alot!

[@MDCampbell]

@@Jacob_Does well, I consider the honor mine! I'm just grateful to be part of a community of creative people that enjoys sharing ideas and thoughts to help one another improve, learn, and stay motivated. I wish I had this when I was young. We had Bob Ross. lol!

[@nokiot9]

The selection and quality is just unmatched. I’d used sennelier, schminke, and M graham for years and just recently bit the bullet and bought some. They’re the BEST. The pigment load is so heavy and with more than 200 choices, you have the world at your feet. I also love that they adjust the price for the pigment that’s in the tube. They don’t just avg a price point. So you know you’re getting exactly what you pay for. Oh and that’s cool. Teoh gave another big channel one of his prizes. 😐

[@journalartpages922]

Granulation and a unique pigments are the best part of Daniel Smith watercolors. They are pricey, but you will quickly find your favorites. Great tip about the sample swatch color card as well! I am sure you are enjoying your newly picked up Daniel Smith tubes. Great video, keep exploring!

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, Journal Art Pages. I totally agree and I'm enjoying these paints to the fullest! Stay well! :)

[@journalartpages922]

Thanks so much for your reply. I am glad to hear your investment is paying off! I love honest reviews and really appreciate when artists show the art they are actually doing with their paints. I only forgot to mention that I do a lot of wet-into-wet painting and that's where I absolutely enjoy the granulation. Also also agree about the koi watercolors you mentioned here, they are fantastic for illustrations and the use of color within smaller area, since they are pretty concentrated and slightly more opaque. While Daniel Smith colors, I feel, need to spread their wings on larger size papers (just my opinion). Thanks again! Armella

[@barbrajoan2554]

Like you the WN was my favorite for many years. Then I started replacing and ordering DS. I really like them , I think they're fabulous. P.s. also a longtime fan of Teoh.

[@MDCampbell]

Right? WN was king in my world in both watercolor and gouache, but mostly because I didn't really know of the other paints (life before the internet!). Now, with accessibility to get other sets from all over the world, it's just a sheer joy to be able to try these new and wonderful products! And yeah, Teoh is terrific! Thank you so much for taking your time to watch and leave a comment! :)

[@margomargo2]

i also wanted to try Daniel Smith watercolors. I just got three 1/2 pans of the primary colors i thought i could get the most use of. Haven't fully explored them yet, though - but, will do!

[@AnastasiaR]

I have really wondered about these. Watercolor is down on my list of favorite mediums, mainly because I often find them to be dull. I have Winsor and Newton ones. Maybe I just need these lol

[@MDCampbell]

Thanks for checking this out, Anastasia! I appreciate your time. I used Windsor & Newton for many years, thinking they were the end-all to watercolors. That's because in the 80's, the stores I shopped at only carried W&N. Once I learned about other brands, especially from other countries, it was like the world burst into color. One of my students came in last week with a set of student grade W&N paints and considered them to be "the highest end paints" she'd ever used. I wanted to tell her that there are far better paints out there and she'd get so much more from them, but I realized she'd saved up for months to buy these student grade paints and was SO happy to have them. So, I just reveled in her joy for the paints she bought. :)

[@AnastasiaR]

M.D. Campbell oh man that is SO true! When it comes to learning it’s really fine to use student grade as long as they aren’t terrible. Then there comes a point where our skill surpasses the materials and we know that our work could look better. I never noticed they were dull until recently but now it’s all I see haha

[@debl3063]

I have a basic travel set of W&N paints that I bought my senior year of college. That was over 20 years ago, so I also remember not seeing many alternatives in the art store. I was just amazed they came in pans. I had only ever seen cheep kids paints in pans before. I bought my set and used it all the time for the next ten years. Loved them. I've bought other brands over the years and hold onto that original set with some nostalgia.

[@Rosemarie04921]

My Winsor&Newton paints are way on the back burner at this point. I've switched to a DS transparent-only colors only palette and am setting up a smaller M.Graham palette, again only the transparent S. I'm happy making that decision.

[@charliebaker1427]

Cotman are not bad but professional is pretty good

[@scottpitner4298]

The coffee break got the subscription ✌️

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

Wow you’re the first artist I have watched that has used the Sakura Koi watercolors as well as the others mentioned. That brand was my very first set of watercolors to get me inspired and interested in painting. I have upgraded to the Winsor & Newton set of paints but I also wondered what the hype was with Daniel Smith watercolors as well. Thanks for comparison of the paints.

[@MDCampbell]

Yes, Colleen McChesney, I do still love the Sakura Koi and was literally just recommending them to a beginner artist just yesterday. There's a lot of those kinds of sets on the market, especially on Amazon, so it's hard to know which ones are good and which aren't. I bought into the the Prima Marketing paints and really enjoyed those, too; however, they weren't lightfast and had no information about how they were made. As for Daniel Smith, it's like buying Nike shoes versus buying at Payless. Sure, they both do the same thing, but one is a higher end product with strict manufacturing guidelines and top quality materials, while the other produces on the cheaper side. It all depends with comfort level and budget, I suppose. Anyhow, thank you for lending your thoughts and taking the time to check this out. Stay well (and stay cool!). Best wishes, Mark!

[@IlSinistero]

great review! i personally like old holland paints best and not only when it comes to waterclours, also their acrylic paints are my favourites.

[@summerbee80]

Nice review Campbell, my teacher in Japan said if you buy tube paints and you re fill the pans, do them in 4 stages. This way each layer gets time to activate and harden then apply another layer till you reach 4 layers and by that time the pan will have a beautiful flat shine and if cracked this is no biggy cos you apply water anyway.

[@MDCampbell]

Hi dimension w! I think that's a practical way to set the pans. I do it in two stages with half pans and three with full pans, just because there's so much more space. With M. Graham and Sennelier, though, the paints contain honey so they are very very slow to dry. DS and WN dry much faster. Thank you for your thoughts and checking this out! :)

[@leighton2737]

I've been thinking of getting myself a set of these, and got to try a few colors from the dot cards. Your selection in this video helped me choose which colors to get. I have been using W&N Cotman, M. Graham, and Schmincke Horadam (my current favourite) for two years now, so it would only be a matter of time before I get me some Daniel Smith paints. :)

[@MDCampbell]

Hi Leigh Runn! Thank you for watching and your comment. It sounds like we're in the same boat with paints and glad to know you're looking toward the DS brand, as well! I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do! Cheers! :)

[@gracedoernerart2138]

Thank you so much.

[@suitelady1749]

I wish you had included windsor-newton in your comparison. It is less expensive and more available for me. Good video!

[@nataliedubious5241]

@Awenda you're looking at over $80 for the most basic cotman half pan set in Australia, i skipped straight over them

[@christinamoxon]

@Awenda interesting, because their cotman range are not nearly as good as their professional range. And here in the UK they're nice and affordable. Daniel Smith are harder to find and expensive. And M Graham impossibly so. I would recommend WN professional paints but their cotman range are not very good.

[@Angeliqueceramique]

Agreed,i bought a bigger cotman set because when I started I loved the 12 set so much. Bud it is awful..especially for 40 euros,it is chalky.some colors are OK bud i will sell it again

[@weiqiuyou9402]

@@christinamoxon In US I saw that Daniel Smith 24 half-pan set is even a bit cheaper than Winsor Newton professional 24 hal-pan set. So probably just buy whatever professional watercolor cheapest in your region is the best choice.

[@M123Xoxo]

@@phillipstroll7385 Sorry this is a lie. Winsor and Newton paints are all made in France. Daniel Smith paints are made in the United States in Seattle. Neither have ever made anything in China.

[@stereodreamer23]

Totally with you on this brand. I discovered M. Graham and Daniel Smith when I was in grad school, and that's all I use with regards to tube watercolors. (I recently discovered Finetec's metallic pan watercolors, and those have changed my world with regard to metallics. I used to be a Schmincke fanboy when it came to metallics, but Finetecs are, IMO, much better, and less than half the price!) Love my Daniel Smiths, for all the reasons you express, and as my budget allows, I will keep buying them and M.Graham, exclusively...

[@AlaneLane]

Thank you for sharing your review.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you for checking this one out, Alane Lane, and yes, I also love M. Graham, too! For totally different reasons. Stay well! ~ Mark

[@eileenschuller5309]

Thank you I was looking for a watercolor paint comparison. Very through!

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much, Eileen, for watching and letting me know. I appreciate it very much! :)

[@KateTheSleepyTeacher]

I recently found out that they mix their pigments dry which means that they can have paints with lots of pigments in them (moon glow is an example - it has three) and they don’t get muddy when mixed with other colors. Since it is mixed dry the multiple pigments act as one. Isn’t that cool ?!

[@MDCampbell]

It's super cool, Kate! One thing I love about those multiple mixes, like Moonglow, is that when they dry you can see, very subtly in the wash, the varations of colors going on. I was thrilled the other day when I was using the convenience colors that I mixed in this video to see they had a similar effect where I could distinguish a subtle hint of yellow in the greens. Thank you for checking this out and already waiting for Math Monday! hehe!!! :)

[@KateTheSleepyTeacher]

M.D. Campbell that is so cool. Moonglow is such an amazing color.

[@KateTheSleepyTeacher]

M.D. Campbell ooou I still have to film :) but Monday is just around the corner and I’m excited for this one

[@sharonbayger5387]

TheSleepy Teacher thats great information. I love moonglow and some others that behave this way

[@KateTheSleepyTeacher]

sharon bayger I’m a huge Daniel smith fan. They are amazing :)

[@wakeupuk3860]

Started WC painting about three years and after watching loads of videos like yours, loving the granulation of Daniel Smiths went out and spent over all about $150 (£110) on their tubes. Initially very happy with them and would agree with every thing you said. BUT after three years found paint I put in my palette that I don't use much, become pretty much rock hard and in regard to reactivating them with just a watery brush, no way, even squirting some water over them, find may have to leave them for a couple of days to get the consistency I am looking for. Yes, I expect I am being too fussy and the professional artist would say I am expecting too much, and that you only take what you need from a fresh tube. Maybe for them, but I found I was wasting a lot of paint by squeezing too much out and dirtying the top of the tubes (for the next use) by applying a brush directly to the tube. At the time of buying my Daniel Smiths bought a small starter set of M.Grahams and found they do not go hard and reactivate very quickly with just an even light touch of a watered brush. The only thing that was a problem was liking and following Geoff Kersey's KZbin videos, he sells a plastic palette (very thin and extremely expensive for what it is) but it comes with a sponge cover that once covered with a plastic lid is meant to keep paint squeezed out into a palette wet for a long time, as long s you keep wetting the sponge. I did this for my M.Grahams and left on the shelf, spraying the sponge twice over two months, but on opening found a horrible green mould and spots all over the paint, most likely due to the honey in it. I don't use it now, I simply take my dried up M.Grahams and spray with water and they become very moist. Yes they don't have the number of and amount of graduation colours, but I found that after a while too much graduated areas looks forced and not natural. As such M.Grahams do have graduated paints and by mixing can pretty much get a good range of hues if you need to be graduated. Plus found M.Graham's support to be fast, good knowledge and the personal touch is much better than Daniel Smiths.

[@FareeegYT]

This guys channel is to good to exist

[@21stCenturyMaggid]

💙Thank you!

[@MDCampbell]

Awesome!

[@ajlomas7185]

Hi again Mark, sorry for the late reply, Thankyou so much for giving me that info in your last message, its real exciting stuff, which is one of the great things about art, there's always something new and exciting being developed by art supply manufacturers..although not so good for my credit card bill!! Thanks again Mark, I'll let you know what I think of these paints as soon as I've bought and tried them out, the colours are so vibrant and exciting. Take care buddy.

[@cindylabare960]

Thank you, I just preordered a set of Daniel Smith through art snacks and was wondering how they would be. I am excited to get them! I have the koi set now and wanted to upgrade to a better set.

[@MDCampbell]

Cindy LaBere, I love my Koi set to take with me for traveling. It's perfect! But, for my professional work and my personal art, I go with the big three: Daniel Smith, M. Graham, and Schmincke, just because their quality is extremely good. I really hope you enjoy them as much as I do! Cheers! :)

[@weiqiuyou9402]

I also have koi and want to upgrade to Daniel Smith as I've been painting more recently. I'm looking at the 24 half pan set.

[@Ruthie888]

Thank you!

[@irenebrowning]

Thanks for the review.

[@kathykwierant6936]

I've been using Daniel Smith watercolors for many years and I'm very happy with them. I usually wait til there is a sale going on to purchase the pain and different suppliers carry Daniel Smith paint so they are easy to find. Many color choices are also a plus for the product. Kathy K

[@KellieChasse]

Awesome demo Mark! I too have always used Winsor Newton and have heard many artists talk about Daniel Smith. Thanks so much for the info.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you for your time and generous comments, Kellie! I still use my W&N, but the more I dig into these DS, the more I understand the difference. Cheers! :)

[@drawingarchitecture]

I've been using Daniel Smith paint for 3 years now. What I find great with them are the exotic pigments like Moonglow and granular ones.

[@MDCampbell]

I totally agree, janeil arlegui! I skipped over the Primatek series, as the work I do doesn't do well with the shimmery glitter of some of those paints... but, I went and bought some last year. Oh boy... now I want them all! lol! Thank you for checking this one out and leaving your thoughts! :

[@dandylion7627]

M.D. Campbell you should absolutely give some of the Primatek colors a try. Green Apatite and Serpentine Green are gorgeous for landscape painting. The way they naturally separate and granulate gives amazing texture. I don't even have sap green in my palette because Green Apatite is so beautiful.

[@sorixvideoz9787]

Your videos are always nice & really interesting topics... LIKE

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much, SORIX! I really appreciate your thoughts! Cheers! :)

[@annettefournier9655]

On my save my pennies list for near future. That and a QOR six paint vibrant set.

[@CeitDeVitto]

Welcome to the world of Daniel Smith. Yes they are expensive but I really love them. I go between them and Schminke

[@LillenArt2]

I currently use a Sakura Koi set but I really want to try Daniel Smith too. They have some really nice color sets.

[@calonstanni]

I love Teoh!!!

[@SamiSami-bz4cc]

Woow Very helpful video. Thank you 🙏

[@AnnRicci]

Excellent video .... I am just starting to hear about Daniel Smith Watercolors...and I am happy to see that there are other watercolors that do the trick to .... because DS is way out of my budget !!!!

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much, Ann! It's literally taken me 30 years to make the jump into DS paints! I could never justify that kind of expense, but recent work and holiday gifts made it possible. I appreciate your thoughts and for checking this out. Cheers! :)

[@artycraftyalchemy]

Shop around some places right now have sales on with ds paints that are clearing them out. The sticks can be great value too I think the sticks can fill a half pan 5-6 times when you slice it up. The dot card is amazing to get a feel for the colours. I live in Australia where all of these brands are mega expensive so I often buy my WN from the UK and DS from the US. But the Mission gold is a great budget way to go. I recently bought The 36 with the palette (wishing I had gone pure pigment set instead mostly because I need to learn more about colour mixing) which gives a lot of highly pigmented colours in 7ml tubes I think for around $60 US

[@pauladonnelly3367]

I really like how you explain things. New subscriber here!

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much, Paula Donnelly! I'm grateful for your time watching, and especially that you shared your thoughts. I hope you're well! :)

[@J.Dibble]

At the beginning of the video you mentioned using Winsor & Newton. I was disappointed that was the last you spoke of them. It seems like you don’t use them any longer? I’d like to know why. Thank you! And thanks for the video! You’re the first I’ve seen to actually address the DS buzz.