New Kuretake Paint Sets! Sumi Ink and Granulating Gansai Tambi Watercolors Review

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

I think these are supposed to be mixed in a lot of water before applying them to the paper, but I haven't tried them myself - that's only what I've heard. That's a bit of a tedious step, though, and I'd be more inclined to use them exactly like you did, so this is good information to have! Another fun and interesting video. Thanks, Becky!

[@BeckyTregear]

@@MirandaWatsonArt I'd say this is the general consensus in the comments so when I return I'll have to try them again with a lot more water. Sigh, why must products be so difficult to use?! 😂

[@attorneycarissa]

Loved your review, as always! You are so talented! I appreciate your honesty as well. Have a wonderful week!

[@BeckyTregear]

@@attorneycarissa Thank you, and you too! 😊

[@jrigg3495]

"But now it's time to see some even worse paintings!" You had me laughing so hard at that! I love your candor, and honesty. You feel like you had a bad painting day, but you still posted and had fun doing it. You are very inspiring :) And the Japanese mountains with the trees are beautiful.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@jrigg3495 Haha thank you! I filmed this one just before leaving for my road trip so I was tired and grouchy, and any painting skill was eluding me. 🤣

[@debsmith7050]

I would say that you are the wizard! Thoughtful review. Great experimentation

[@BeckyTregear]

@@debsmith7050 Thank you 😊

[@FourInchCats]

Another great video! Thank You 😊🌸

[@CreativePhenomenonArt]

I purchased those sumi paints but have yet to play with them. They look like fun. Thanks for sharing Becky 💕

[@DwarfDragonwulf]

Years ago I picked up a little set of graphite pencils at K-mart that came in a little tin, I have put my Gansai Tambi Starry Colours in the tin, along with a little travel brush, there's a bit of room to spare, but not enough for another pan of that size... I don't like the cardboard packaging, myself, although it is better than plastic.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@DwarfDragonwulf Great idea! I am also not a fan of the cardboard boxes, but they work better after I cut the tabs off one end, and the paints can slide out more easily.

[@veystone2580]

Truly, beauty is in the eye of the beholder! I really like the mountains!

[@BeckyTregear]

@@veystone2580 Aww thank you! ❤️

[@akschauer]

Thank you for your review, Becky! I have the granulating set and enjoy using it - I was able to get much strong separations. Clark Fine Art recently released a review on them and she tested them in multiple ways to create different effects (granulation and color separation). I assume they aren't lightfast though, but they are fun for sketchbooks. I agree with you though, I would choose the sumi set over the granulating set if I had to choose just one.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@akschauer I'm glad you're getting some good results! I filmed this video just before leaving on my trip so I will revisit them when I get home and see if I can improve on my techniques for these. 🙂

[@CazkiwiNZ]

Everyone I’ve seen use these… and from the manufacturer at that art show in America, says they’re supposed to be mixed on a separate platter with water and left to separate before using, like ink. I have FOMO and like buying the latest and greatest… but I’m also not a purple person so the colours don’t grab me …. But… I’ll still always watch you do anything! And I LOVE all your paintings, they ARE very good! Maybe I’ll just stick with my Graphitints… it’s not like I use my art supplies anyways, I’m really just a “collector” 😂😂😂

[@BeckyTregear]

@@CazkiwiNZ Haha I am also guilty of being an art supply collector. I will have to revisit these and try more techniques following everyone's advice. I was tired and grumpy when I filmed this, so hopefully after having this holiday I'll be a bit more amendable to using the paints again. 😂

[@TsukabuNosoratori2]

Thing is with a lot of the colors in the splitting colors set we can mix on our own if we have the right tones- I love mixing Cobalt Turquoise Light with a Manganese Blue Hue or Cerulean for example. Makes an excellent color split for magic themed paintings. I love Kuretake, but I don't think I'll be getting those Supergranulation paints.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@TsukabuNosoratori2 Yes, quite a lot of heavy pigments will split out beautifully...I need to do more experimentation in a future video I think!

[@rayne6737]

Okay, I like the wizard painting. The circles fit to me because they look like the magic little circles that scatter around when a spell is cast.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@rayne6737 Thank you, that's what I was going for but I wasn't sure if I quite got it to look how I wanted it to be in my head.

[@ChantelleArts]

such a good review, fascinating 😊😊

[@joymiller9668]

I actually really like the green and pink one. The wizard is actually really pretty.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@joymiller9668 Thank you! These paints need more testing and experimentation 😊

[@Soapartisan875]

I have the granulating set and they benefit from lots of water. The effect is beautiful. I also have a set like the sumi set but from another brand I believe the paint contains graphite and they are also beautiful when used as a one and done color look.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@Soapartisan875 Kuretake also have the graphite set, and then just randomly released the sumi colours too, so I'll have to compare them all with each other. Thank you for the advice; I'll revisit the granulating paints and try adding more water. 😊

[@jessbutterfly1934]

Don’t know about the quality of the granulating pains, and I really think that there’s been a miss step in translation because it’s more separating pigments than heavy granulation. Also, if you’ve watched other reviews with this particular says you need to put a lot of water on top of them and let them sit for a bit almost like a bit of soup on top, and then take out what you want to use but you have to really soak them and give them a good mix around first. I also found when I use them if I go back in after I’ve put some down and swipe a dry ISH brush to lift a little bit of it. You will see a massive amount of separation and changing colour. I loved your painting.

[@windywednesday4166]

​@jessbutterfly9801 Oh, that's a great tip with the lifting. And yes, Diane Anton did a good video where she read the directions and used dishes to get the colors to separate. These seem to be a little tricky and fussy, but fun when you get the hang of them.

[@PatriciaPageMosaicArtsCrafts]

Great video I agree with you about the granulating paints, i was not impressed but my goodness your wizard was absolutely fabulous.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@PatriciaPageMosaicArtsCrafts Thank you so much! 😊

[@vhacker71]

I like your paintings more than you did. There is a learning curve when you try something new but still the fish are fun. 🎉

[@BeckyTregear]

@@vhacker71 A biiig learning curve with these! 🤣

[@nikkirosindale7854]

Thankyou for sharing,your honest opinion.Very informative, Love your end picture ❤

[@AlexEndorian]

Love your wizard! To me, the Aurora Orange paint is interesting, in that it looks kind of like oxidizing copper.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@AlexEndorian Thank you, and yes it looks a lot like copper. 🙂

[@lesleypickard9732]

Same here. I’m not usually an orange person. But I found this one the most interesting and different from the others.

[@Julie-vy3oz]

I like your paintings!! I always appreciate when I can see reviews before I purchase. Sometimes I have a terrible “want monster” then see the product in action and change my mind. I’ll pass on these although I can see the fun in them.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@Julie-vy3oz The Want Monster is responsible for a lot of impulse buys! 😂

[@juliegodden6927]

Yes, I just bought these Aurora paints and I used them on rough cotton watercolour paper and the are really pretty 👌🏻🙂

[@BeckyTregear]

@@juliegodden6927 Adding to the list of techniques to try, thank you! 🙂

[@kayleighshaw21]

That wizard is so cool, the white gold was such a nice addition 😊 I regret not getting these when they were in stock (in the UK), they're so pretty. I just couldn't justify the price for so few colours at the time, especially to only have 5 in the 'granulating' set.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@kayleighshaw21 I think the Starry set with the golds is better value than the granulating set, because they last for ages and are lovely and shiny. Lightwish also sells a set of eight golds and that's a good one too!

[@helenag.9386]

I loved your little koi! Don't beat yourself up Becky you are a great artist!

[@BeckyTregear]

Thank you, I appreciate that! I have moments of doubt, lol. I'm sure it happens to everyone really.

[@BlueDragonfly8]

Great video, super helpful. Love the wizard painting! Glad I found your channel 😊

[@BeckyTregear]

@@BlueDragonfly8 Thank you 😊

[@nicoletheknightowl7560]

Can you weigh the empty gansai pan and then a full pan from these sets so we can see if we really do get more paint than a normal half pan ( half pan is about 5ml)

[@BeckyTregear]

@@nicoletheknightowl7560 I'll try and remember to do this when I get back to the studio. Remind me in September! 😊

[@sheilacook1395]

I love your left front koi, looks like it's swimming like it's business❤

[@paulah317]

I'd love to have those empty pans to use for my regular watercolors. They are bigger than full pans and that's what I like.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@paulah317 It would be great to get a whole load of empty pens for filling up and getting the big brushes into. 😊

[@Petra0612]

Thank you for this review! Great paintings!

[@BeckyTregear]

@@Petra0612 Thank you 😊

[@shanividal8885]

Granulating watercolors are meant to be worked wet on wet. The separation occurs when the pigments travel in the water along the surface. So, of course you won't see the effect much when wet on dry. Aurora orange is my favorite, I wish I could buy a tube of it. When used right it looks like a rusty bronze. That is kinda rare to see layered granulating watercolors with that kind of color mixing of orange and green. I haven't seen any other brand do that mix. What I did with the empty palette of the aurora set is add a granulating color I LOVE of Schmincke- Tundra violet. It complete the set nicely because most of the colors in that set are red or purple based and tundra violet is blue based. I love the flowers!

[@makeroomtogrow]

❤ love your work, as always Becky. 😊

[@BeckyTregear]

@@makeroomtogrow thank you! 🙂

[@jennw6809]

I wish they'd sell empty pans, but not just one in a set! I love those huge pans. They seem to be separating rather than granulating. I assume the violet is PV3 which is commonly used in Asian paints, but is a fluorescent dye, unfortunately.

[@BeckyTregear]

I'd love a bunch of those empty pans too! I'll check my swatch when I get home...I left it in the window. 😊

[@ggh546-kz6re]

I love 👏 "the circles"!!! 😊

[@BeckyTregear]

@@ggh546-kz6re Thank you!

[@EllaPesonenArt]

The sumi inks look like have a nice amount of pigment. I have never heard of granulating paints before, how interesting!

[@BeckyTregear]

@@EllaPesonenArt Hi Ella, it's great to see you back on YT! I'm travelling but hope to get some time soon to watch your new vlog. 😊 Schmincke do a lot of granulating paint sets and I've also collected those...of course, haha! 😂

[@EllaPesonenArt]

@@BeckyTregear Thanks Becky! 🤗 Looks like your channel is doing great - congrats!!

[@Azkademon]

I had total FOMO when I've watched others use the granulating colours and desperately wanted them as I love granulating paints, but now I don't!! They certainly are not granulating so thank you for that! I trust you 100% and would have been so upset by these, I loved ALL your artworks too!! Them fishy's were cute AF!!! That rice paper is great!! Now I have FOMO for that too hahaha :D

[@BeckyTregear]

@@Azkademon I also had FOMO for them followed soon after by Buyer's Remorse! 😂 I mean it's just my own opinion but I feel like they really don't stand up to other sets of paints which have proper granulating pigments. I will have to try more rice paper paintings and hopefully get more confident. Thank you 😊

[@andante_ace]

I've seen like three different videos about the Granulating set and it's really convinced me that I do not want them. I didn't know they released a Sumi set though!

[@eljay1980]

Yes I'm the same, I have heard you need to use a lot of water with the granulating set but I've yet to see anyone who is truly happy with them which is a shame. The Sumi set do look interesting!

[@BeckyTregear]

@@andante_ace I think Sumi just randomly came out a few weeks after the granulation set, lol.

[@windywednesday4166]

Diane Anton has a good video on these paints. ❤ She actually read the directions out. You really do need to use that extra pan. 😮

[@bethmegansmith4642]

Hope your having fun and relax time on your holiday . it was very cheap of them giving 4 colors and not 5 ....Greed ! love your painting the Wizard Rocks havinng fun makes you a great artist. brillo .. I had a feeling you would test the lightfast ,hahahahah Happy holdays xxxxx

[@BeckyTregear]

@@bethmegansmith4642 Thank you, we're having a lovely time away! I have a little swatch sitting in my window so I'll check it when I get home. 😆

[@bethmegansmith4642]

@@BeckyTregear nice xxxx 🥰

[@noodlelicious.]

I've always loved Sumi paints.

[@karenirving7088]

Washedoutwyvern does a fabulous review on these granulating paints. Perhaps first impressions are misleading it takes time to use them effectively.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@karenirving7088 Thank you, I'll check it out. I need more time with these paints for sure!

[@lozantoninocreations]

The lack of a 6th colour is so weird. It seems like they couldn't figure out an extra colour in time for release 😛 Maybe it's on camera and not in real life but the brown and violet from the first set seem to be almost the same. I have a set of Liquitex muted colours and while they seem so pretty, I have no idea how to use them. Your first set reminds me of those colours or even the Derwent graphitint set seems very similar.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@lozantoninocreations That empty pan bugs me so much! 🤣 I've been tempted by that set of Liquitex muted colours as well.

[@windywednesday4166]

Very interesting! ❤ I'm really curious about the pigment information. I waited to buy kuretake until I found out they do have the pigment information on their website... but I couldn't find these paints on it.

[@BeckyTregear]

They don't seem to have updated their site yet with pigment information for these ones. I hope they do!

[@orianamilagros]

Beautiful

[@Maria-lleriuqs]

Thank you for such a great review. Love your artwork! Maybe you don’t think it up to standard but it for sure surpasses mine. Those paints aren’t really granulating. My all time favourite granulating paints are Schmincke. Although I love Kuretake paints in general. Cheers😊

[@BeckyTregear]

@@Maria-lleriuqs Thank you! I love Kuretake's range except for the granulators because they didn't feel up to the same standard.

[@BlackFox999]

Gonna go out on a limb and say that what the meant was separating, but a lot of paints (Moonglow, shadow violet etc.) separate but probably have a granulating paint in their that allows for the split. The gansai tambi already doesn't have granulating colors so they've probably had to add something to cause that affect in the first place since there's no pigment information. And they are best in single layers and light washed I believe washedupwyvern has a video where she painted with them. So far I've only made my swatches and I can see the split in lighter applications

[@BeckyTregear]

@@BlackFox999 I think separating would be the perfect word! I was a bit tired and grouchy when I reviewed these but I just didn't seem to have much luck. I'll look for that video, thank you 😄

[@rampant.hare.illustrations]

Thank you, Becky. I wanted to have that Aurora set so badly, but I think I’ll pass. It leaves you asking yourself, "Is that it?" I enjoyed your paintings, though. You really did your best to give those colors a chance.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@rampant.hare.illustrations Thank you, and I really wanted them to be great but I just couldn't get much out of them! 😭

[@funkadelichika]

Iv never seen the kuretake sumi inks but I have the granulating ones. LOVE kuretake paint.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@funkadelichika Kuretake has some really awesome colours! 😊

[@suzykeene9298]

Using them like normal watercolours does not get the best out of the Aurora colours. They need to be activated in water before you use them to get the dramatic deep tones and colour separations, hence the need for the spare tray.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@suzykeene9298 Yes that seems to be where I went wrong, haha! I'll have another go with them and hopefully get some better results.

[@sunnycharacter]

I don’t have the granulating set…yet. Why? lol because I 200% agree with you, total cop out, and as much as I want them, I’ll wait for a sale because it’s like being stood up for a date, ordered a steak and got a hamburger or bought a designer bag and got a counterfeit. But hey, I love the inky set which I do have. So I say come on Kuretake, you need to come clean about your 5 color granulation set.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@sunnycharacter Haha all of this! 😂

[@tuberdawn]

The granulating set has the extra empty pan so you can mix your choice of color with extra water. Works best with lots of water.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@tuberdawn I just wish it was another pan of colour purely because of the price for the whole set. Then use a separate dish 😁

[@allison4164]

Which granulating paints do you prefer?

[@BeckyTregear]

I'd say I'd prefer naturally granulating pigments like cobalts and earthy ones - Roman Szmal has some gorgeous granulating colours, as does Schmincke. A lot of Daniel Smith Primateks are awesome too - bloodstone has to be one of my all time favourites! ❤

[@diannella]

That sad moment when you buy something that says "granulation" and it doesn't granulate like you expected haha. Your cat-printed plate is adorable.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@diannella Cue the disappointment and buyer's remorse! 😵 The cat plate was in DAISO I think.

[@heathersherlock]

You thought what I thought, the "granulating" colours are a heavy grained pigment mixed with dye. I don't think they're meant to have a dark value (?) and I found they worked much better when I made a very wet mix of each colour on a ceramic plate and dropped a very little paint onto very wet paper. Even better if you leave the mix to stand for a good while. They do seem to work well on your painting with the sumi's, though. I have a question about the sumi colours, how do they compare with the graphite set? I have watched your video on the graphites, but wonder how they compare side by side? PS your wizard man looks like my ex-husband 🤣 Nevertheless I love your painting. Greetings from the soggy west. PS2. I LOVE The Art Shop, great range, fast and efficient service.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@heathersherlock I burst out laughing at your wizard comment! I want to do a full comparison between the sumi and graphite. They're quite similar but graphite has more separation (of the graphite) and sumi dries a bit smoother? We are in Busselton/Margaret River right now and it has been raining endlessly today. We still got out and about though - I've bought so many delicious treats to take home. Love this area! ❤️

[@Amanda-uc5jq]

I’ve been eyeing off the sumo set so thank you 😁 if you put the granulating paint on really thick but with a lot of water you can get some really rich dark colours with them and they still seperate, I wish I could show you, do you have an email address?, they are by far my favourites 😁

[@BeckyTregear]

My email is in the description down the bottom of the page if you expand it. I'd be interested to see your results! 😄

[@Amanda-uc5jq]

@@BeckyTregear found it thank you 😁 I’ll send you some pics (don’t expect great artwork though 😂)

[@Amanda-uc5jq]

@@BeckyTregearjust sent you off an email, will be interested to see what you think 🤔 😁

[@wynngwynn]

collecting art supplies is a different hobby than creating art. I feel like if you spend too much time just collecting stuff you won't be doing as much artwork.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@wynngwynn That's so true! I go through phases with both...sometimes I'm buying and others I'll do a bunch of art all at once. It's cyclical 😂

[@HugDopey]

Here’s a video of someone who also painted with the granulating colours. Maybe you didn’t use enough water? kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYOye5eAmbiEbs0si=gg1S5hkmei8VnuKS Can’t wait for your next video 😊

[@BeckyTregear]

@@HugDopey I'll be revisiting the set when I get home, adding in more water as this seems to be the way to go! 😂

[@awatercolourist]

First! Yaay!😊

[@vilvile]

These are not granulating but just separating colors… Shame on kuretake

[@BeckyTregear]

@@vilvile I wish they'd spent more time to get these right and put out an amazing set. It feels like they rushed them?

[@vilvile]

@@BeckyTregear looking at the new granulating colors from holbein, it seems like Japanese companies think granulating and separating are the same thing, plus jumping to the granulating wagon as a marketing strategy (as most brands have been pushing out products that granulate in the last couple of years).

[@jackielubeck]

Nice work and an informative video. Not buy them....! I like to watch you paint, however.

[@BeckyTregear]

@@jackielubeck Thank you! 😊

[@sushanart]

I just bought the granulating ones and was going to use them for backgrounds so your video showed me that they will work nicely for this purpose. Wouldn't call them granulating though, more of chameleon or duochrome. I liked the purple wizard. 😇🩷🙏🙌

[@BeckyTregear]

@@sushanart Chameleon would have been a better description! They're definitely best for backgrounds. 😊

[@tropicanada4946]

What does « sumi » mean ? 😮

[@BeckyTregear]

Japanese ink that's put into solid sticks and you use water to dilute it out.

[@tropicanada4946]

@@BeckyTregear Ooooh I see ! Thank you for your answer 🤎 And I love your handwritting by the way 😊