Paul Rubens 48 Glitter Metallic Watercolor Set Review vs. 24 Set Colors + Are Mica Paints Lightfast?

Swatch and paint with Paul Rubens pearlescent glitter metallic watercolor paints. Which colors are in the 24 pan set vs 48? Talk about lightfast vs fugitive mica and pigment mixtures. ↓ SHOW MORE for art supply links and other info! ↓
Paul Rubens 48 "glitter metallic" (as per their description of sparkly pearlescent mica based paints) watercolor set: amzn.to/33Zoj8Y
24 mica color set: amzn.to/3m85o2e
Standard 24 and 48 pan (NON pearlescent metallic) watercolor sets: amzn.to/3mfuNap
Black watercolor paper - amzn.to/2KRQro3
Lightfast testing and reviews section of my website: www.kimcrick.c...
Review page for Paul Rubens professional line including other set videos, fugitive color results and swatch card photos: www.kimcrick.c...
OTHER PAPER I USE:
Lower cost cotton paper option, great for swatching - Bee Cold Press: amzn.to/3mauCOv
Better durable paper for serious artwork - Arches Cold Press. Jackson's: www.jacksonsar... Arches on Blick - often has good prices for US: shrsl.com/2d1lx Winsor & Newton's cold press paper is durable, takes layers and lifting well. It has a rougher texture, worse for drawing detail, but works magic with granulating paints: amzn.to/35kvKt2
You can also find W&N on Blick for a good price USA - shrsl.com/2igwr
MIXING PALETTE:
Plain rectangle ceramic dish amzn.to/3cc13Yi My favorite ceramic palettes with divider segments amzn.to/3jIpboi and amzn.to/34ucGq0
PENS: Black waterproof Tombow Mono - amzn.to/3ai7w2i
BRUSHES:
Neptune to hold a lot of water amzn.to/2Af92Fg
Heritage to hold a good point amzn.to/32hBUbz
LIFT / ERASE brushes - you can use any flat brush that has spring (holds its shape).
Synthetic is best. I use this www.kimcrick.c...
Cheaper brushes I like for watercolor painting, that have a nice point and a decent balance between water capacity and spring (firmness to snap back into shape) include:
Dynamic Distraction - amzn.to/3maws1R
Dugato - amzn.to/33j0Le8 I use affiliate links.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you :)
End of video swatch card preview is Daniel Smith's Cascade Green which you can find here: amzn.to/38WzjEI or here: www.jacksonsar...
Rubber stamps, ink, art and craft supplies, lightfast testing, pigment database, swatch cards, color wheel palettes, digital download printable art and more: www.KimCrick.com
/ kimberlycrickart
/ kimberlycrickart
Recorded with my IPhone. Editing = VSDC. Music Blue Dream by Cheel from the KZbin free music library. #PaulRubens #WatercolorReview #artsupplies

[@sarahquilt6687]

I can't believe how shiny these paints are, and how well your camera actually picked up the shine so we could see it.

[@KimberlyCrick]

I also work under nice desk lamps that help show the reflection. These paints look really pretty outside too, the sparkle would be so nice if viewed in sunlight :)

[@beaast4249]

They‘re beautiful but incredible expensive here in Germany. Via Amazon they cost 99€ (~120 USD). 8 Full Pans from Kremer in a metall tin cost 43,50€ (~53 USD). 12 Coliro/Finetec cost around 30€ (~36 USD). And these would be lightfast colors and available open stock so that I could easily enlarge my collection. Paul Rubens may be cheap in the US or in Asia but not in Europe. But thanks for your effort and the detailed review!

[@KimberlyCrick]

That's a bummer about importing certain brands.I was excited about the price drop that happened now that we don't have to import these anymore to the USA. Coming from China they cost $120, but the sale right now on Amazon put them at $75 to the USA, breaking down to only $1.56 per half pan. (It would break down to $2.50/half pan if at $120/set.) Paul Rubens store does offer individual pans and tubes, and technically it's possible to just order the lightfast ones, though I hate importing things this year with all the shipping issues. It's important to keep in mind for price comparing that I always mean a per-color cost (the only fair way to compare sets of different sizes). Our cost to get Kremer's 14 full pan set is $130 and is equivalent to only 28 half pans of paint ($4.65 per half pan). Coliro/Finetec are also about $5 per color through Jacksons. However, I agree there are times when that higher price is worth it for a nice lightfast set to use for art to sell. I own both for different uses. I hate to use up the expensive coliro and kremer on greeting cards or special event items that are temporary :)

[@thefrugalcrafter]

These are my favorite metallics! I have the 48 set coming but thec24 set is my most used metallic set unless i need a large pan. Great info and beautiful painting!

[@MelanCholy2001]

I just saw your review of the 24 set! I was going to ask if you use them? I think a little here and there in watercolor could make some fish scales and bird wings pop, without being too "primatek" mica-like. #BitingNails

[@serenityjewel]

They make my little magpie heart so happy.

[@carlosmorgan1790]

O also love how you switched with black and white paper thanks

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Wow, these are so pretty. I wouldn't have thought to put blue on top of brown (in your butterfly), but it was great! Your bookmark is my favorite.

[@FayeWulf]

These are my 2nd go to metallic palette - I still prefer finetec because the metallic looks much more smoother like a velvet finish where as these have some of the particles showing in some of them. Some of these duochrome colours looking ones are absolutely beautiful. I noticed in the swatches during the painting process, you had mixed a turquoise colour with a purple on the other side. That's so pretty!

[@jamtjamt12]

Amazing review! Thank you so much! I ordered my 24 set when I watched your first review. I just got the 48 set which I had promised myself I was not gonna buy 😂 These watercolors are gorgeous! Thanks again for such a detailed review. Hugs and blessings from Miami.

[@joshuatrevino4743]

Stunning work! I am impressed with the vibrancy of the shine and color shift in these. Thank you for showing how they all looked on the white vs black paper next to each other, the difference seems to be quite strong for some of them!

[@milaronyartgallery4667]

very romantic painting , i like the color combination you used that create a peaceful illusion in this artwork. Keep it up, well done , carry on.

[@stellastrange4441]

My 24 palette is arriving any day now, I’m so excited! Oh, and your voice is very soothing:)

[@taylorjudi]

A great review. I actually saved up and bought the Finetec, but now I want these too!

[@MamaTomasu]

Thank you so much for the review and close up swatches. i just bought this set since there was a really good sale on Amazon US ($68). I had been on the fence about it since there seemed to be too many reds for me, but since it was a really good price I went for it. I love your painting. I plan to use them more like accents or for fancy lettering. maybe to add some shine to some paintings too. Metallics are so sparkly...I'm hoping I'll have fun playing around with them.

[@alylyu3659]

Cool butterflies and a beautiful goddess! I have two Sonnet metallics (bronze/copper and dark silver), one White Nights metallic (antique gold), one Tair metallic (light silver), three school sets of coloured metallics. I use them both for details and full paintings. Amongst the kiddy sets I find the one by Luch from Yaroslavl to work the best. I use that glitter for shiny surfaces like water and snow. I also have metallic pencils, fibre tip pens, gel pens, paint markers, acrylics. I even used to have silver spray paint at some point. I loved it. I love using my metallic media for winter scenes, especially Christmas and New Year eve scenes, of course. But also stars, rain and the like. Sometimes I add metallics to dramatic skies and then if you wobble or rotate the drawing, there is an effect of lightning bolts in the sky. Also, steam from chimneys, etc. And I generally love drawing my chracters with metallic media on tinted paper. These effects do cheer me up.

[@KimberlyCrick]

What a cool idea about lightning and rain!!! I have to try these on tinted paper, that would be lovely :)

[@alylyu3659]

It's fun! And I'm sure it will work great on tinted paper!

[@shellyt2906]

I just found you and really liked this video. However, I loveddddddd❤ your bookmark❤. It came out so pretty 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@carlosmorgan1790]

You gave the vent review o have ever watched and listened to here on KZbin. So impressed! Can't wait to check out your website!

[@tasham3732]

Your reviews are always perfect. Thank you!

[@m.c.5124]

Down and dirty with the info. Thanks lady that’s just the way I like it!!! And I get a picture painted in a reasonable amount of time! 😁. So glad I found your channel. Kindred spirits and a fan for life!!!

[@heidicausey9842]

Some how I found your channel. I already have these paints but I've been binge watching your review. They are so helpful.

[@Vanitasmortedigital]

Thank you for posting this really informative and insightful review of these paints,I love metallic and was not sure about these,but You show how beautifully thay layer up and add accents. I lie the fact that some of the colours have a colour shift in the light.They look amazing on black paper and on white paper too. Atfer watching you great video I am definitly going to get this 48 pan set.I like how you explain the make up of the pigments and how theyt affect the colours when used.I look forward to using these when they arrive.Adding the blue over the brown in the butterfly really transormed it and it worled so well.

[@KimberlyCrick]

I'm glad it was helpful and I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. Thank you for your thoughtful and considerate comment! Happy painting :)

[@MelanCholy2001]

There are a few fish and birds (and even some rock strata) where I tried a few things to get the natural effect you see in real life. Oh: and frogs! The only micas I have are Primateks, but they didn't do what I'd hoped. Best I could do (it was a hummingbird) was diluted phthalo green ys and quin gold with some of the qor blindingly bright analogous colors interspersed, like detail striping work (but it wasn't fun; colors couldn't bleed together or it would be a mess). Turned out okay, but I'm tempted to try the 12 set of this.

[@carmennunez715]

Your book maker looks beautiful. Beautiful colors.

[@jillwiswall5386]

Thanks for taking a look at these and comparing the two sets!

[@miscellaneouscell]

:3 I recognized your art from the amazon photos. These are so pretty. They look like my Clionadh eye shadows.

[@annedavis3340]

Ok her eyes were a super neat effect. Might be worth ONLY doing eyes, it really gave the impression she was moving them, it was almost unnerving. Totally gonna have to try that.....

[@lunakat5763]

I see what you mean about the eyes that sparkle looks so cool.

[@bethbloomer5951]

Hey Kimb! I know this is only slightly relevant to this video, but would you please consider making us a video on how you personally use the Fine•Tek metallic magical watercolors/paint for many types of calligraphy? I feel like I am using too much pigment for gilding-esque outlines and I cannot find a good brush that can get super thin exact lines within an outline, and my Sroggy's Loose Goose dagger-type brush just eats up those brilliant golden particles like no other brush. I've noticed Fine•Tek paints (?) stick to animal hair much more than synthetic brush hairs (sorry, i know and admire your passion for our natural souls, as do I). Anyway since you have Stan Lee studio levels of line work, i figured you might be able to help us better use this unique paint properly, since I've only ever afforded singles and wouldn't know which discount sites offer legitimate product. Your research is tremendously helpful and gives us the gift of time saving. Happy Holidays to you and yours, and thanks for reading! Christmas alwats makes me wanna play in studio (my oversized closest :D). Warmest winter blessings ❤🔮🧿💖 sorry for the novel 🙃

[@KimberlyCrick]

Have you tried using a dip pen instead of a brush to apply your finetec/other mica sparkly paints? The pigment doesn't stick to the metal nib like it does brush hairs and might help with this issue. I like a standard "g nib" which fits into most stick-like pen holders (try amazon). I use a small synthetic brush, like princeton snap, to wet the paint enough to be liquid and apply a dot to the pen nib. The cool part is you can use the pen nib to scrape your brush clean, so much less waste. Hope that helps :) Here's a good video demonstrating what I do kzbin.info/www/bejne/boCrn6uEo9yWmrs

[@bethbloomer5951]

@@KimberlyCrick thank you! Great advice. I haven't used my pen sets in a long time. Using the Princeton snap brush to apply instead of bury the nib in the pan is such a great idea. And excellent timing, as im working on holiday cards. You are awesome, thanks again!

[@thecraftguy21]

How is the lightfastness on this paints ?

[@heidicook2395]

I think I would use these for floral cards.

[@LynnGalvanHippie-Chick]

I loved your book mark. Did you draw that? I’m not that artsy. I like things I can stamp and watercolor or things that just need watercolor These are absolutely stunning watercolor. I plan on purchasing them very soon. Thanks for the video very informative

[@homeschooledaroundtheworld4660]

Beautiful, thank you for sharing!

[@margaretbarry4689]

Hi thanks for the great video. Even after watching this twice I couldn't ascertain whether the 24 and 48 set had totally different colors or some double ups....xould you clarify that for me please as I loved all of them xx....lol 3rd watching cleared that up! Thanks

[@KimberlyCrick]

If you bought both sets there would be duplicates, all of the colors in the 24 set are present in the 48.

[@apelart6952]

wow amazing painting !!

[@Lauraisabelgonzalezart]

Thank You so much! Santa just made up his mind!

[@森下典樹]

So lovely!

[@JacksonFamily]

Beautiful

[@lesleypickard9732]

I had a look on Amazon Australia and USA but wasn’t able to find the 48 metallic glitter set. :(

[@KimberlyCrick]

Looks like my link in the video description is still working, you can follow it to Amazon USA. You can also get it through Ali Express, hope that helps!

[@CATAZTR0PHE]

Thank you.

[@kamalitarajagopalan2671]

I’m thinking of ordering this in the future. Some of those colors are so tempting. The thing is I’m wondering if the price tag is worth it though? I’m also considering artsy 24 metallic watercolor. The frugalcrafter reviewed it on her channel and compared it to the Paul Rubens metallic watercolor set. Again I’m not sure because I have the regular artsy watercolor and at first it was okay but I noticed a lot of problems after a couple months lol. Maybe they might have a sale later in the year? Anyways is it worth it? Also that butterfly is gorgeous...that blue just pops:)

[@KimberlyCrick]

I have the Superior (Artsy/Tinge) as well, I'll do a comparison video in the future regarding the 48 sets. If you're deciding between 24 pan sets though I haven't been disappointed with Paul Rubens quality. When deciding if the 48 rubens glitter set is worth it, make sure you ask yourself how much you'll use a whole row of metallic reds. There's a lot of similar colors in this 48 set, so I would only think it's worth it IF you really love the colors that you just can't get in the 24 set. Pause it at 4:51 and the next freeze frame to see all the colors marked with which ones come in each set, it may help you decide if you really need the big set. One last thing too, if Coliro/Finetec are on your possible purchase list, then I would wait and just get the colors you like of those because they are the best.

[@kamalitarajagopalan2671]

@@KimberlyCrick Ooh a comparison video would be cool. Yeah paul rubens does seem like it is high quality, with coliro/finetec right above it. I have a small set of coliro and I am meh about it, I feel like I might have gotten a bad batch, because it does not look anything like the youtube videos I have watched. Anyways, I'm definitely going to wait until I order anymore watercolor paint (and specifically glitter ones) until I finish what I already have. At this point I have a lifetime supply lol. Also, I have a question about the turner watercolors- I saw your blog post on them and was wondering which colors you tried that were not so good?

[@TheSeductiveDaisy]

I am just looking for a set of metallics for me and I see that there is a set produced by Superior, which looks almost the same as Paul Rubens! Have you used Superior metallics? I wonder if quality is the same as Paul's or this is just a poor dupe... The price is really good for 48 pans set!

[@TheSeductiveDaisy]

@Kamalita Rajagopalan Wow, thank you so much for your extensive answer! I've just saved money thanks to you :) I've already have Finetec gold set (and I love them, but as you said they are sooo pricey) and Gansai Tambi opal colors, (just for featherlight accents) but now I need something more colorful and well pigmented for flowers and animals ☺ I will check Van Gogh though, I've forgotten that they have metallics too! 😅

[@KimberlyCrick]

I recently got the superior one, but I have not yet done a side by side comparison to Paul Rubens. I have had some disappointing results with past superior brand products, but Lindsay the Frugal Crafter seemed to like their metallic set. If I compare both side by side I'll make a video about it. I expect both to have a lot of fugitive colors, just in case lightfastness is important to you. Keep in mind you can make any color pearlescent with a white shimmer by using any white mica or pearl watercolor like those from DSmith or Coliro/Finetec mixed with your existing watercolors, but it looks better on white/over regular watercolors rather than black paper. If you're shopping Amazon USA there's also some really cheap sets like Emooqi or the large gansai style pans from Komorebi or SeamiArt on AliExpress for a smaller selection of colors for cheaper to test out how much use you'd get from rainbow metallics.

[@TheSeductiveDaisy]

@@KimberlyCrick Thank you guys for your support! I took your advices and after all bought shockingly cheap SeamiArt on Aliexpress. I want to find if colorful metallics are really my thing, and if no.... Well my children loove everything sparkling and shining!

[@nombnomb5648]

Wow! I thought the colors in these weren’t very exciting when I saw them on amazon, but seeing them like this just shows how pretty they really are when used! Thanks so much for this. Also I’ve been watching a bunch of your tests on Paul Ruben watercolors and I wanted to ask if you see them as student grade or professional grade? I’ve done a lot of research myself and they have a lot of professional qualities, but I hear people say they’re student grade. I wanted to get your opinion on that since you’ve done so much research.

[@KimberlyCrick]

They have both student and pro grade options. Caroline, Pretty Excellent and the new 24 full pan set are the student grade ones. The half pan sets and other tubes are professional grade. There are many pigments they carry in their pro line that are the more expensive pigments you only find in professional grade paints (ie py150 nickel azo yellow, pg18 viridian, pg50 cobalt teal, pr108 cadmium red etc.). Those colors are just as good as ones from other pro lines like Rembrandt or Sennelier and are miles above the quality found in lower-end "pro" watercolors like Lukas and Turner. These mica sets are up for debate about truly being a pro-grade paint due to the issue with no pigment information and marginal lightfastntess, but the pigment load and quality is there for pro grade. Because "pro" is a label that only means the company itself believes it's the highest quality paint they could make, it's a bit of a blurry area when artists decide it means "lightfast" or "comes with pigment ingredients listed" as another requirement. Keep these things in mind when someone gives reasons why they think something is student vs pro. Hope that helps :)

[@nombnomb5648]

@@KimberlyCrick thank you so much! This was super informative! And yeah I don’t usually trust glittery paints to be lightfast, but I don’t usually use glittery paints for anything other than my sketchbook :)

[@aDricalua]

Can I ask your opinion?! I have the vibrant set from Van Goh but I miss some "basic" color like magenta, ochre, browns, I want to buy from aliexpress because in Brasil art material is expensive, I'm in doubt between cotman, white nights, sonnet, lukas and paul rubens , from the brand that you try which one you recommed the most? great december

[@KimberlyCrick]

If you can get White Nights or Paul Rubens, those are better than cotman/sonnet/lukas. If you want vibrant colors in full pans, and lightfastness doesn't matter to you then White Nights is great! If you want more lightfast colors for art you might sell or hang on a wall, Paul Rubens may be more reliable. If you happen to be able to get the 48 Paul Rubens that also includes really nice pigments like Cobalt Teal, Cadmiums, Nickel Azo Yellow and some granulating colors that are not usually available in student grade paints. Hope that helps :)

[@lesleypickard9732]

How did you find these paints in comparison to the Royal Talens Van Gogh Metallic and Interference Watercolour Pocket Box set of 12?

[@KimberlyCrick]

They do not have the same color selection, but they both have good reflective shine. I think the colors in the Van Gogh box are more useful for use with other watercolors (standard silver, gold, bronze, copper and interference transparent overlay colors). The Paul Rubens works better on it's own for painting with a lot of colorful choices, particularly on black.

[@lesleypickard9732]

@@KimberlyCrick Thank you so much. I have been debating between the two sets. :)

[@ShadowoftheDude]

I thought coloured micas were made by coating mica in metals? PR101 plus mica would just be red with a white shimmer, no?

[@KimberlyCrick]

Some of the more expensive reflective micas have a titanium coating sometimes using specialty coatings, but they are not commonly found in sets like these. Almost all popular gold, bronze, copper mica are made by coating mica with red iron oxide (pr101) and black/silver is coated with lamp black (PBk7). The way these are manufactured makes them more of a homogeneous mixture than if you separately mixed two different watercolors afterwards.

[@mettainacan7813]

Do you know the Seami-art gansai type metallic 24 set? They are on sale on aliexpress, and I've just got them, there is a video they must have got from youtube where the artist does some lovely art with the. They only cost 17 euros if you get them now.

[@KimberlyCrick]

I have the seami-art as well as the superior/tinge, kuretake and mozart komobebi gansai-style pan metallics. I'm currently lightfast testing them all before I do a comparison video, but they are nice for the price. As you'd expect for the price, not quite as nice as Coliro/Finetec or Rubens. The bigger problem is this year has been so hard for us in the USA to order things from AliExpress. Our postal system got really backed up with certain import items, so it took me over 2 months to receive the Seami-art set and a lot of my other stuff I ordered from other sellers throughout the year were lost or cancelled. Hopefully after the holidays and less global shut downs ordering world wide will get easier :)

[@mettainacan7813]

@@KimberlyCrick I will look forward to seeing that video, I don't know why I bought them myself seeing I have rubens and coliro/finetec and I don't even use that much metallics... I think its was the gansai type of pans that made me go for it, because I love gansai paint. We had a lot of problems with things coming from China too, I still have some things that haven't arrived yet!

[@Horsewoman-pt2ku]

So if I purchased the 48 set does that have all the colors of the 24? Or does one need to buy both?. Tfs

[@KimberlyCrick]

The 48 set contains all colors they make, including all the ones in the 24 set :)

[@Horsewoman-pt2ku]

Thanks for sharing. I purchased the 48 shortly after your video. Love the colors. Will be adding to wc paintings as highlights and effects.

[@ramleyarts9793]

lovely art. amazing . be friend, joined you

[@neyalek5024]

First :)

[@ValeriaGalan]

totally in love with your art!!! you are such an inspiration!