Product Review 41: Nevskaya Palitra White Nights Watercolour full pans

This video is a review of the Nevskaya Palitra "White Nights" watercolour full pans. You can read more about them and buy them over at my website:
www.the-spin-do...

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Its good to hear your voice again friend!

[@TheSpinDoctor]

+thefrugalcrafter Lindsay Weirich It’s good to be back, Mrs W! Got some amaaaazing paints I’ve just been filming new content on today and I hope to have that up tomorrow and then into art journaling stuff!

[@IrynaBoehland]

Thank you for the review! Only last year I purchased White Nights paints. They are wonderful. I wish they had a better choice of this watercolors in tubes. These watercolors are very loaded and not as dry in the pans. Another plus and advantage - the pans are full size! Yes, the factory name is NEvskaya Palitra (accent/stress on "e"). VorOnezhskaya - the accent/stress is on the second "0". Hope this helps. ))))

[@pikkuoo]

I love the White Nights paints! Their rose is gorgeous and so is blue lake, and anyone who is worried about lightfastness can always choose quin. rose and ultramarine. I agree with you 100%, the hysteria about lightfastness is acctually quite unnecessary. Wonderful review, thank you! The tip about adding black for shadows and such is brilliant.

[@TheSpinDoctor]

+dryad You’re very welcome - these are so economical AND high quality that I will be recommending them to beginners from now on as they are cheaper than Cotman and are pro-quality. Sure, some folk won’t want to buy a Russian product for whatever reason but most people are happy to get cheap paint ;)

[@pikkuoo]

The Spin Doctor I know, it's funny how people are suspicious of Russian products! :D I'm Finnish and as you propably know, we have a lot of (not so happy) history with Russia and yet we don't hold it against them. Not buying Russian products would be a joke here. Nevskaya Palitra makes beautiful watercolours and great brushes too for an uncomparable price! :)

[@TheSpinDoctor]

+Ian Macbeth It is - and even with the fugitivity of the pigment it should last 15-50 years under normal display conditions.

[@alylyu3659]

I also think lightfastness is not an issue to be obsessed about too much. But I don't think that this is professional versus amateur issue. We never know where our works might end up. They might end up in a museum or gallery, why not? Van Gogh never got much recognition when he was alive. Now his paintings are known world-wide. But then again, I am not sure Van Gogh was worrying too much about lightfastness of his paints. I think art was his life and he just painted on. And that's why people finally understood how powerful his art really is. One can't hide such intense emotions. So it's more about a person who creates art than about materials they use. Of course, it's great to have variety of paints available now. It's great to use media that helps you along instead of making you put more effort into your work. But this can become an obsession, yes. And as you noticed people can become a bit snobby about cheaper art supplies. Sometimes people think that the most expensive paint, or the most expensive anything, is also the best. Which is not always true. Fussing about materials too much makes it more about vanity than art. People also forget that expensive materials is not something everyone can afford. It does not mean they can't create something beautiful with what they have. White Nights are truly of a great value and their price to quality ratio is very good. Real cobalts and cadmiums at such a price is a deal. They also offer a nice assortnent of colours so I'm sure one can find something that fits their needs within White Nights range. These artists' paints are cheaper than student paints of other brands, like Van Gogh and Cotman, at least in Russia. It does not mean student paints are bad. But, yeah, if for the same or even lower price you are going to get paints that are more intense and use less hues, then why not give it a try?

[@aleksandergumos8508]

I use them and love them too😉 Thanks for sharing CMK palette, I got some great ideas how to apply these hues now...and yes...the black! I will experimentize with this color soon

[@TheSpinDoctor]

+Aleksander Gumos They’re great quality and if you follow the link in the video description, you can see just how economical they are!

[@milenabdesign]

I love to see good reviews of White Nights. I love those paints and I think they don't get as much love as they should here on YT. Also, I couldn't agree more about the lightfastness factor.

[@TheSpinDoctor]

+Milena Brandão Yes I agree - many snobbish reviews of them. I do think that in the current climate, Russian products are probably sadly struggling to sell in the west so I think they deserve help as it ain’t their fault really!

[@DarrenBushnall68]

I taught watercolour painting for 15 years and a lot of my students over that time used White Nights and for the money they are fantastic. If I were to take teaching up again it would be a toss up between these and Jacksons own brand paint...these beginners have never had it so good :)

[@patm.7322]

Wonderful review! I love your view on lightfastness and I totally agree! Since my work will not be in the Louvre or the Met anytime soon...lol..., I use colors I enjoy. It makes me happy and what more could I ask for. Again, thank you : )

[@TheSpinDoctor]

+Pat M. Damn right - use what you enjoy, not what the snobs say you “should” use.

[@kimleon-guerrero9980]

Great review, l love the brilliance of the colors. Thanks for the video.

[@TheSpinDoctor]

+Kim Leon-Guerrero You’re welcome!

[@Drumaier]

thanks for the video, i will give them a try soon, tired of spending 12 dollars (at least) per tube since i like to do abstract paintings with fresh paint and it runs out quicly. About lightfastness i agree with you, and avoiding pr83 is maybe the only thing that really makes sense. Now, contrasting about what i just said, do you think that py3 es trustable enough? Handprint (source that i really appreciate) washed my brain a little about trying to get a replacement for py3, but there are just not options in light value, lemmon yellows (unless cadmium that is opque af). Right?

[@TheSpinDoctor]

Tbh a lot of Handprint’s lightfastness tests are done attached to a window and anyone who hangs artwork that way is a moron. Yes, PY3 is fugitive but you’re looking at 2-10 years under typical hanging conditions in watercolour and realistically, does it matter? Are you selling your work in galleries? If not, probably not. There are a few transparent cool yellows but not many - only the Hansa ones. There are many options for opaque, much more LF cool yellows but Hansa PY3 is your best option if you want transparency - I use it, thousands of others use it. If you want economical paints btw, Jackson’s own-brand are also very economical and very high quality - I have a review on my channel :)

[@alicem1111]

It's great to hear your thoughts on the White Nights paints. They were my first set and I still love them. I think that the disclaimer from Jacksons might refer to a few colors in particular that are very weak - the cerulean (they even used the genuine pigment) and most of the earth tones are much weaker than the rest of the line for some reason. But I still think they're great!

[@TheSpinDoctor]

+alice m You get that in all lines though really - Qor Cobalt Teal is very weak, W&N Terre Verte is very weak etc etc.

[@reneaclark7689]

Hey I know this was published in 2017 so you may not see this but... I think the white nights flows better with a little less pigment on the brush, I almost feel like it was too heavy on your brush. But perhaps not. Anyway thanks for your review. The rose and blue lake are so gorgeous. I have been doing lightfastness testing and so far those colors are fine, hanging in direct sun. I love white nights :)

[@TheSpinDoctor]

I find lightfastness testing absurd tbh - who in their right mind hangs paintings in bright sunlight? I trust the manufacturers’ ratings which are done by independent, certified labs and are based on realistic conditions.

[@reneaclark7689]

@@TheSpinDoctor I am doing them to see if under the harshest conditions those pigments fade at all. So far only one or two have. I know the others are not going to fade with normal use at all. I do see your point, that no painting is going to be hung in direct light like that. It is still an interesting experiment to do and see the changes over time.

[@lisathaviu1154]

I have been using these paints, a small set, for 2 years now and I am very happy with them. They have a number of unusual colors that are unique to this brand. One color that nobody else has is a very dark, rich green that I think they call "Russian Green." That rose is really nice, though. Maybe I'll get it.

[@TheSpinDoctor]

+Lisa Thaviu That paint uses PG8, Nitroso Green, which Utrecht use in their Hooker’s Green Watercolour and a lot of companies use as an oil paint pigment.

[@shallremainnameless1998]

I love 'em - bought mine open stock in Spain. I went for pigments I don't have in other brands except for Indian Yellow which is PY150 and I have in at least two other brands. Did you get the original bendy plastic pans or the new rigid white pans? The new ones seem to be filled more consistently filled and the packaging is much better so the paint doesn't stick to the foil so much.

[@TheSpinDoctor]

+Shall remain nameless Mine are the newer rigid ones. The consistency issue (I checked with the person who said it) was between batch numbers of the same colour, but I’ve not been able to test it.

[@randicommand2453]

I bought a palette of White Nights/Yarka paints long ago.. maybe 15-20 years ago. I wonder if they are the same as now? Have you tried the Yarkas?

[@TheSpinDoctor]

Nevskaya Palitra ("The Neva Palette") in St Petersburg is the company that manufactures these paints and they've been in business for 100+ years. Prior to 1992, they sold paints pro-watercolours under the "Leningrad" line, which became the "St Petersburg" line when the USSR fell and the city was returned to the pre-communism name, so the paints had to change names too. Later still, "White Nights" was introduced as an alternative brand name for the exact same "St Petersburg" brand of watercolours, with different packaging but an IDENTICAL product - the difference was only if aimed at their domestic (St Petersburg) or the international (White Nights) market. Yarka ("Bright") as a brand has been used to sell both the Nevskaya Palitra White Nights paints and cheaper paints made by Gamma in Moscow, and they are much lower in quality (and sold in a very small plastic case), where as the White Nights paints sold under the Yarka name are sold only in larger sets, not as individual paints, and are really marketed towards students - but they are the same White Nights paints. Sonnet are the cheaper student line by Nevksaya Palitra.

[@TerrieJohnson731]

I just bought the 36 set to use exclusively so as a beginner I can learn their behavior. What is the best set up for using an Ox Gall pan for certain colors and not others, or is a very slight difference?

[@TheSpinDoctor]

+TerrieJ DimestoreDivaTV You would need it with all colours if you want them to flow. Either add liquid ox gall to your painting water (as I would) or if painting en plein air, buy a Schmincke ox gall half pan and add to your palette (remove a pointless colour like white to make space if need be). To use the latter, wet your brush, then swipe over that half pan then over your paint - it doesn’t last that long and is very costly compared to a bottle of ox gall liquid of which 1 tsp in 250mL water is ample so it will last an age. Vegetarian substitutes only come in liquid form and have too high flow for me - so use v v little at a time.

[@crystalinedreams6039]

i have a set of 28 white nights that i have collected and love them so much i just ordered more colors. there is a guy on ebay i buy from that sells them for $1.99 usd per pan. not sure how that works out for you but is one fantastic deal here. if you would like i could put his ebay link in here so others can buy from him, he is a very honest seller. thanks for giving these paints the review they deserve. looking forward to your next video.

[@TheSpinDoctor]

+Crystaline Dreams They are slightly cheaper for me at the moment as they are on sale - plus even at $2 the postage and customs fees from the USA soon make it futile.

[@crystalinedreams6039]

oops i guess i forgot to add he was in russia. idk bout to the uk but to here shipping is $4.20 (which i am sure increases with a huge order) with no customs fees. anyway just thought i would offer for you and others (maybe from the usa) cuz for here i have found no cheaper price. cool that you are getting them even cheaper, now i am jealous. lol you probably don't have the wait i have here either. :) have a great day!

[@TheSpinDoctor]

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs charge for things entering the UK for goods over a certain price - Amazon USA makes it easy as you pay them the fee and they pay HMRC for you, but for normal companies and vendors you get a letter and have to pay the fee and often a fine for not paying it in advance and/or a customs release fee if they query anything in the package - soon adds up. Jackson's - linked in the video description - well, my website is and that page links to them - have really good deals on international shipping and that may help you too.

[@kookatsoonjan]

I would love the link in Russia Crystaline...if it is not too late to ask here...6 months later

[@adikaray]

This video was super helpful! I really like these and want to buy them but I can find any information as to whether they have ox gall in their formulation. I'm vegetarian so don't really mind the honey but can't figure out if they have ox gall or not. Would you have any idea about this?

[@TheSpinDoctor]

Yes they do.

[@adikaray]

@@TheSpinDoctor Thank you so much for letting me know! Just out of curiosity, where is this info located? Their website is so unhelpful!

[@TheSpinDoctor]

On their packaging. Their Russian-language website is much more useful btw and not hard to translate from.

[@adikaray]

@@TheSpinDoctor Oh right! I did check out their Russian language website but didn't have any luck with finding out this information. Thanks so much anyway for letting me know!

[@kimmieRH05]

I have the Sonnet set which is their student grade version of these paints and they are really vibrant and rewet super easy for a student grade. I got my student grade set of 24 full pans for $20. I have been wanting to try the artist grade, I think in the states you can get a set of 24 full pans for around $50-60 which is an amazing price for an artist grade watercolor set. I concur with you on the whole lightfast rating thing, unless you are selling your art or creating an heirloom that you want to last for generations, it really doesn't matter. TFS..... I always enjoy watching your videos!! (((((HUGS)))) Kimmie 😘

[@TheSpinDoctor]

Check out the link in the description - it goes to my website and if you scroll down it has a link to Jackson's in the UK - they have great deals on international shipping - inc. free shipping on brush orders > £25 (US$34) I noticed earlier, anywhere in the world. You may be able to buy from Jackson's a lot cheaper than US shops tbh.

[@kimmieRH05]

I have heard that about Jackson’s Art supply. I very recently saw a review of someone who did a first impressions review of their new Schminke half pan palette set and they got it from Jackson’s. They said it was around $180-190 with shipping. The same set in the states is around $300. I’m saving for a set of Schminke and will buy them from Jackson’s. I use mostly Daniel Smith, but I so want to try the Schminke watercolor. When you put up the links are they an affiliate link?? Because I would be more than happy to use the links you provide if it helps you out!!!

[@TheSpinDoctor]

I got the 12-pan one from Schmincke from Jackson's for about £60, which is about US$80 or around that. They ALWAYS have great offers on. Have you watched my Schmincke video? Which set are you thinking of getting? I have about 60 of their pants as loose pans and tubes they sent to me and I can give you opinions on which paints you may want to swap out or even just buy open stock or whatever. Yes - all my links are affiliate links - I don't take any personal profit, I use all income to buy new stuff for my channel. White Nights feel a lot like Schmincke but Schmincke have different flow and every single paint has it's own optimised vehicle rather than just one for all of the pigments like most brands. You really can tell!

[@kimmieRH05]

I want to get the set of 24. I have about 55 of the Daniel Smith colors, with a few W&N and M.Graham, but I like having different brands to choose from when I art journal or paint a canvas. (Just like with my acrylic paint) With 24 colors it’s a nice variety and allows for plenty of choices for mixing other colors. And yes, I have most definitely seen your video review.... 😁 I have seen them all!!! Whenever I am trying to decide on purchasing a color to optimize my palette I refer to your videos (and a bit of google research) to help me. I actually keep a book in my TN journal of notes I take when I watch your videos. (I titled it “Professor Spin) I am a mixed media “artist”, but watercolor is one of my absolute favorite mediums, so I have spent the past few months really learning about and understanding the medium from an educational perspective. I find you to be one of the most informative people I watch on KZbin!!! I read your blog as well. 😁

[@TheSpinDoctor]

Wow I'm glad you find it useful! I have good news - I have 150 Schmincke colours coming up - like my Daniel Smith series (which will complete next week) - every colour and my views on the pigments and he paint. It will start in about 2 weeks.

[@humanexperience1585]

White Nights are my favourite brand by far, and I have tried most of them. Western brands are over-hyped and far too expensive. The quality you get from White Nights in combination with the price is just mind-boggling compared to ANY Western brand. I am totally in love with White Nights.😍

[@LanasCooking]

I had forgotten that the White Nights are mostly single pigments. Since I do primarily botanical painting on hot press paper, the low dispersion will be quite useful. I'm sorry now that I've let my set of White Nights sit on the shelf for so long. I have every intention of getting them out and making use of them soon!

[@TheSpinDoctor]

+Lana Stuart - NevrEnoughThyme I’m glad it has made you consider getting your old paints back out and into use! They’re lovely to work with. If you are in a hard water area, a water softening jug filter to clean your water up before painting can help keep Granulation low and keep things soft and flowy which is key to botanical work often. As is mixing gum Arabic into your water before doing wet into wet so that the paint is retarded further - I have used the latter with White Nights and it worked really really well - give it a shot!

[@roden70]

Good review. I have a 46 set and love them. They do not flow as much because of their pigmentload. Adding a little water on a palette and thin them down a bit (not working straight from the pan) and then the flow improves.

[@TheSpinDoctor]

+roden70 It is their low ox gall concentration that causes it - just adding a bit helps. Tbh this is a bonus not a negative - paint should have control.

[@carolinesmyth127]

Stunning colours ❤

[@apelsinuke]

about lightfastness, it's just like my friend says - if she ever becomes famous and her art highly valued, then if anything happens to her art - they'll just restore it (like they do with some really old works, especially those where oil paints have started cracking). i tend to use spray matte uv sealer.

[@jenniferbowler7730]

Well now this makes me think I should get the White Nights set! I cannot decide.

[@TheSpinDoctor]

WN are very economical and have a wide range of pigments you don’t normally see - like the really fugitive PV1 Rhodamine Violet (Violet) and PV2 Purple (Violet Rose) which are glorious vibrant violets. Fugitive yes but fine in sketchbooks or just for fun and are SO fire-filled - think Opera Rose. Also, the fairly good lightfastness PG8 Nitroso Green - I think Russian Green is their name for it - which is a lovely warm green that has the vibrancy and tinting strength etc of the Phthalo Greens but is earthy and thus very useful as you don’t need to add red or neutrals to it to calm it down and turn it into a shade viable for landscapes as one does with the phthalocyanine greens, so you don’t lose the vibrancy or life. It is more opaque than those, but just as vibrant. Near impossible to find otherwise. Oh and PB1 Victoria Blue (Blue Lake I think), which is a lovely warm blue - does darken in bright light but under UV-safe glass it is minimal. I feel the big benefits of WN are 1) these lovely dazzling pigments one cannot find elsewhere, if you want to use those kinds of things, which I do; 2) economy - Jackson’s have a sale on RIGHT NOW and they are like £1.50 (roughly) for a full-size pan; 3) the quality is absolutely on par with more costly brands. I would honestly say, why not take advantage of that sale, buy yourself some Jackson’s pans and WN pans, try them out then expand to a full suite? That way you save money, get to try both and whichever you like the least, use for sketching and then no waste. You can buy an empty palette separately of course. I would personally buy warm and cool RYB plus yellow ochre plus burnt sienna. That is all one needs really, plus maybe a green, Orange and violet if you do a lot of landscapes or florals. I will recommend you some WN options here and then on your other comment, some Jackson’s ones. Warm Blue: Ultramarine (PB29) Cool Blue: Bright Blue (PB15:3) Warm Red: Cadmium Red Light (PR108) Cool Red: Quinacridone Rose (PR122) Warm Yellow: Cadmium Yellow Medium (PY35) Cool Yellow: Lemon (PY3) Earth Red: Burnt Sienna (PBr7) Earth Yellow: Yellow Ochre (PY43+PY1 - don’t worry about the Hansa Yellow being mixed into this, just livens it up a bit and I really like it). Optional add-ons if you like to have them: Optional Cool Violet: Quinacridone Violet (PV55) Optional Warm Green: Olive Green (PG17+PY1+PBk7) Optional Cool Green: Green Original (PY35+PG7) Optional Warm Orange: Titan Red (PO36) Optional Cool Orange: Orange Lake (PO17) That would be a nice palette just with the 8 main colours - and in the main RYB, all your warms are opaque and cools transparent: this makes it really easy to do distance etc because your cooler colours (distant ones) are easier to mute. The optional extras I would only get if you know you use a lot of them, for example. For myself I would have the greens for landscape and the violets for woodland florals but I never use much orange in watercolour. Obviously if you do make a procurement, please consider using the links to Jackson’s from my video descriptions or my website as they pay me a small commission on sales I drive, without you paying a penny more, of course.

[@jenniferbowler7730]

The Spin Doctor Thank you so much for this! Getting a few of each to test out is a great idea. I will absolutely use your affiliate links to get them, too. Thanks again for the recommendations. I’ll go check my other comment for the Jackson’s recommendations. 😄

[@TheSpinDoctor]

If you like interesting pigments for art journaling or sketch books etc, do check out those two violets. They are a good replacement for Schnincke’s “Brilliant” colours which used the same pigments but were reformulated 2-3 years ago and are now just deep purples tbh with no “fire”.

[@jenniferbowler7730]

The Spin Doctor as it happens, brilliant violets are my absolute favorite colors! So those will be on my list without a doubt. In fact, I’m getting ready to hop onto Jackson’s website, crossing my fingers that all of your recommendations are still in stock.

[@jenniferbowler7730]

The Spin Doctor Do you have an affiliate code for Jackson’s? Something happened while I was trying to check out, and I had to start over. Even when I click your links now, the affiliate discount is gone.

[@mariapop779]

Love White Night watercolors

[@RattaBagatta]

I have the 24 set of WN and I love them.

[@bobcat1097]

название Воронежская чёрная происходит в честь города Воронеж (чернозёмный регион России (humus, black earth ). Воронежская чёрная названа в честь воронежского чернозёма (humus, black earth) .

[@TheSpinDoctor]

Спасибо. я знал, что Воронежская была родиной Воронежа и что она находится в Центрально-Черноземной области, но я не установил эту связь! извиняюсь, если мой русский очень плохой - я использую Google Translate, так как могу говорить только по-русски.

[@Tarakanova_knjazhna]

This pigment is made from burnt grapewood and is similar to the color of the earth in Voronezh ))