RELAXING BOTANICAL SWATCHING 🌿 Comparing 13 brands of Payne's Grey Watercolour

It's time to make a cup of tea (or beverage of your choice), grab a little snack and a project you're currently working on, and I'll keep you company while you work. In this video I'll be comparing 13 brands of watercolour paint and seeing how they vary in colour and texture. I hope that it will be useful if you're thinking of adding a Payne's Grey to your own watercolor palette - perhaps you'll find the perfect one here?
To test the Paynes Greys, I'll be swatching in a very simple botanical style. This is a great exercise if you're a beginner who would like to practice brush control and get used to the feel of watercolours without worrying about a complex composition or colour palette, or if you just want to warm up before you start working on your latest watercolour painting. It's also good for creative block - if you need to paint something/anything to get back into your art, paint these! It's relaxing and mindful, and you can have fun with watercolour without any pressure.
My Patreon: / natashanewtonart
✷✷✷
ART SUPPLIES
I buy most of my materials from Jackson’s Art Supplies. If you click on the link below to go to their shop, I'll receive a small commission on any order you place at no extra cost to you. New customers also automatically receive 10% off their first order! This affiliate link helps to support my KZbin channel, so a big thank you in advance if you choose to use it.
Jackson's Art Supplies: www.jacksonsar...
✷✷✷
LINKS
✷ PATREON: / natashanewtonart
✷ INSTAGRAM: / natashanewtonart
✷ SHOP: www.natashanew...
✷ MAILING LIST: Sign up for priority access to new work: www.natashanew...
✷ WEBSITE: www.natashanew...

[@mollyrobbins1515]

This is my dream video & I have not even watched it yet. I love to swatch greys & blues to tame my anxiety & spur inspiration.

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

I know what you mean, Molly! Thank you. :)

[@jessbutterfly1934]

Could we please do a series of long videos where you go through all your paint pallets and paint if you don’t have it out in a pallet yet and swatch them out, telling us where they come from and what you like about them. You have such a unique colour, palette and collection, and I’m just falling in love with muted colours and I can’t get enough of your collection.

[@notesinthemargin]

I do love your botanical swatches and it’s interesting to see the differences in the various Payne’s Greys, I’m glad you remembered the Daniel Smith one, it’s one of my favourites along with the A Gallo and the Sennelier L’Aquarelle. Another excellent video! 🎨❤😘 xxx

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

I think that the Sennelier is one of my new faves! Thank you, Dominic! ♡😘 xxx

[@anneolaug]

So satisfying! What beautiful swatches. I enjoyed it!

[@InnerMagpie]

Love these videos. I have a lot of different brands of Indigo. It makes me feel like a color nerd.

[@ntaylo6299]

Grey, sepia and Indigo. The basics then 1000 more all favorites. This was great.

[@damamichi]

I love how creative and beautiful are your swatches, not just the typical square 🥚 🌱🌿 Also, your voice and the pace when you speak is soooo relaxing! I love your videos! ❤

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Thank you so much! I'm really pleased that you enjoy the videos. :)

[@neuroticnation144]

Payne’s Grey is a staple on my palette, and I’m so pleased to see this comparison. Winsor Newton is still my favorite! Now I feel a bit more confident in that choice. Thank you!

[@pagewhite61]

Lovely video. I am going to try this way of swatching for sure.

[@willemijnkamerling4011]

Videos like this always ease my mind that I'm not the only one to see very slight variations in colours. And that however slight it is, some are more appealing then others. 💙

[@missdeesaccount]

Your art is so graceful Natasha ❤i love it 😊its Michele D. I thought that i would watch some here as I'm up. Too much coffee. I've always loved your style. Take care dear.❤😊

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

I'm so glad that you've been enjoying catching up on the videos, Michele! ❤

[@SimsElo98]

I've got the Winsor and Newton and love it. 💙 The Daniel Smith and the A Gallo look very similar and seem a good alternative. I love seeing a bluish tone in a Payne's Gray colour so I would say those 3 are my favourite. But I would definitely give a try to the Michael Harding because of this beautiful granulation. 😍

[@cleverpaws9035]

I too have a bit of a selection of Payne's Grey. So much so that I have a small pallet with only them. It's amazing the variation between the different brands.

[@DeborahHillman-gr8uo]

Great video! I’ve always loved Winsor and newton for paynes grey, but that Sennelier is stunning! Thanks for sharing!

[@jillweisensee7839]

Always love your videos, Natasha. ❤ I’m going to try the botanical swatches. Sometimes I just want to paint something simple to enjoy my paints, and this would be a nice way to do it. I think the only other brand I would’ve been interested to see is Roman Szmal - I assume they have a Payne’s gray in their selection. I enjoy their price point. 😉 Have a lovely weekend!

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Thanks Jill! This is the perfect way to just enjoy watercolour without any added pressure. Ah yes, Roman Szmal! They do have a Payne's Grey, I think. x

[@catherinebrown9119]

I really likes seeing the comparisons. I am actually using Roman Szmal Payne’s Grey as I watch this video. It is much lighter. It is quite like the Schminke sample. A. Gallo and Roman Szmal are my go to brands for sure. Thanks!😊

[@Vanitasmortedigital]

A fascinating gift of a video,Payne's Grey is such a versatile colour,and I love how it can be warm in tone or cooler depending on the pigments and pigment ratio, and how some lean towards blue,some more towards violet ot even towards black. But seeing you swatch all of these in this lovely botanical form really shows how differnt they all are. This video is also great inspiration for me creating my own palette of darker mixed colours. But I can see why it's a colour that you love so much and how it features so beautifully in your amazing work. I love the A Gallo Payne's grey, but I think it's intriguing that the Micheal Harding version includes a yellow pigment. I often use paynes grey to tone down brighter colours. I like that this was a more off the cuff video too,but as always a really insightful one. (matt)

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Thanks Matt! Mmmm...love the sound of your darker palette of colours. :)

[@LuciaDeGiovanni]

Here I am, counting the wells, thinking each one is going to have their own Payne's Grey and my ocd got out of control when that didn't happen. But your calming voice and beautiful swatching brought me back, LOL

[@nancyloomis3046]

Hi Natalie....it's great to review just one color but different brands! ❤

[@nixda5077]

gorgous video again, thank you! Love a good Paynes' Grey, beautiful botanicals too. The Schmincke Paynes' Grey blue and the Caput Mortuum were my very first professional watercolours, fell in love with them when I saw someone swatching them. They go nicely together, and such nice I'd call it wintery colours

[@Christine__D]

It was driving me crazy so I looked it up!! PB15:1 and PB15:6 are reddish shades and PB15:3 is the greenish version of phthalo blue. A video from Sandi Hester yesterday and Natasha Newton today? What a great way to start the weekend!

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Ah, thank you!

[@deborahmeyers551]

I love them all but the royal talens darkest stands out for me love paynes grey thanks for these beautiful botanical swatches Natasha 🫠

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Thanks Deborah! x

[@amypanddirtytoo1926]

OOOOHHH!! I was waiting for this! Payne's Grey is one o my absolute favorite colors! 😆😆

[@amypanddirtytoo1926]

OMG last comment I swear....but when you looked at your footage, did you notice how multi dimensional and absolutely GORGEOUS the Shin Han one looked when that ray of light from the window was hitting it?!?! I have the Shin Han one, it came in a set of 36 tubes I bought. All of them are amazing. Theyre a really really great paint actually! Their pastels are ten times better than the Schmincke ones too!

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

I'll have to go back and watch that! Interesting about the Shinhan pastels too. :)

[@tanya_not_tania]

Natasha, love it, love it, love it. Another wonderful relaxing video! I still can not decide which composition of the swatches I like the most: botanicals or your pebbles? I suppose both:) Thank you for including A Gallo, my absolute favourite! Wishing you a good weekend and lots of peace and health! 🥰

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Thank you! I enjoy doing both so I may switch back to pebbles sometimes. ;) I hope that you're having a lovely weekend too! x

[@daisiesandsunflowers5587]

Very interesting to see these all together and comparatively. Thank you for putting this video together for us!

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Thank you for watching! :)

[@magpiegirl3783]

What a wonderful idea for colour swatching … practice as well! I’m going to start doing this in my colour book from now on. I’m loving the look of that brush - maybe it’s just the mastery of your control! Lovely.

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

That's great to hear!

[@Jlalode]

Such a fun way to swatch! I also have quite a few Payne's Gray. And after watching this I want to get the Shinhan because of the unusual choice of pigments. 🖌😍

[@stephanie.kilgast]

You actually motivated me to pick up the Sennelier Payne's Grey out of curiosity and I have to say it's a color I like a lot. I recently purchased the one from Isaro, along with their Indigo mixture and their Powdered Rose, but haven't gotten to try it much yet.

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

I love their Powdery Pink colour! I have 6 Isaro paints - Nordmann Green and Isaro Light Grey are both lovely colours too. :)

[@MsMoniqueWilson]

This was wonderful. I love Paynes Grey!

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Thanks Monique!

[@kathygus]

This was fascinating! Thank you!

[@brigitteitg]

I love swatching that way, it’s so relaxing (to do and to watch 😊)! My favourite Payne’s Greys are from Daniel Smith and Sennelier, as I like them rather neutral and less bluish. They also have this lovely consistency. I’m not a fan of the Schmincke Payne’s Grey Bluish - which I got two of from different palettes... The mix with Perylene Green is interesting, I might try to recreate it 😎 Thanks for the inspiration!

[@amypanddirtytoo1926]

Oh, the thing about having the same pigment listed twice: the same pigment can look wildly different if heated, ground smaller or larger, etc. So they could use the same pigment, just in different processes. Oddly enough, I learned that in the course of earning my science degree and not in my art endeavors.🤣😁

[@hannahthufvesson]

Hi again! ☺️ That's awesome! Do you mind if I ask what science degree? It sounds so interesting!

[@amypanddirtytoo1926]

@Hannah Thufvesson actually Mortuary Science!

[@amypanddirtytoo1926]

@Hannah Thufvesson one of the most important things I need to have a grasp on, aside from biological science and anatomy is chemistry. It was something that came up in one of my chemistry classes! Just as a tangent we got off on.

[@hannahthufvesson]

@@amypanddirtytoo1926 Haha, I did so not expect Mortuary Science! Cool! Ah, I can imagine that. Were you already into painting when pigments came up? It must have been a nice bonus in that case! ☺️ (Or maybe I'm just a nerd.) Chemistry is one of those subjects I'm curious about. We just had some organic chemistry in my degree (Dietician, which I never finished since I got sick like a millimeter away from graduating) and I always wanted to learn more, but it wasn't an option, unfortunately.

[@amypanddirtytoo1926]

@Hannah Thufvesson I've been into art my whole life. As a matter of fact I was accepted to SCAD out of high school, but decided against going to school for art. I went off to live life first and only recently decided on school. Graduated in 2018. I already knew about pigments, but not all the science behind them, so it was a cool bonus!

[@reneaclark7689]

Love Sennelier, white nights and Michael harding.

[@bazutaartstudio]

This was fun :) Payne's Grey is one of my absolute favourites too and I have it in many different mediums. Winsor & Newton was the first one I tried and remains one of my faves. Daniel Smith also has two different ones, Payne's Grey and Payne's Blue Grey. I've only tried the former and it's nice but darker and less blue than Winsor & Newton. Even though I just watched you swatch all of these, I have the urge to buy a whole bunch and swatch them myself hehe :)

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Oh, I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! From one Payne's Grey enthusiast to another. :)

[@margaretgeorge3903]

Fantastic video. Absolutely fascinated by this, I have the Shinhan but will try the Rembrandt and poss Daler Rowney. Thank you ❤

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Thanks Margaret! x

[@deeannafreshwaters3282]

Beautiful swatching!

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Thank you!

[@spacepebble]

Paynes Grey is one of my all time favorite watercolors. I will always have it on my palette. A Gallo is my favorite but I want to try out the shin ham version.

[@charliefoxtrot6017]

Love how you swatch paints with themes rather than the standard boring block. I’m avoiding any paints from China and russia until their regimes change for the better. Likely a LONG wait. I’ve found paint from Poland (Roman Szmal) and Ukraine (Rósa Gallery) to be excellent quality and cost a fraction of price you’d pay for Daniel Smith or W&N. Concentrated pigments that go a long way, excellent light fastness and a huge range of colours to choose from.

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Thank you so much!

[@Maria.G.95]

Oh, this is quite lovely

[@sarah_hedges_creates]

Not even 3 minutes in and I have been influenced to buy a small palette from the Etsy seller lol, it is such a lovely design. I will come back at the end and make another comment. X

[@sarah_hedges_creates]

I think I have commented before saying I am Payne’s grey all the way, I just love it, so this was right up my street and I have some of these along with other Payne’s greys. The swatches are very lovely and a great way to get inspired. Lovely video x

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Thanks Sarah! I love my little palette. It's so cute and fun! x

[@E4Alabbasy]

I'm loving the blue leaning greys 🥰

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

They're beautiful, aren't they! :)

[@awatercolourist]

🥇 😄

[@dorryfrost3915]

Who’d of thought a page of greys could be so beautiful. Love the sennelier and the Micheal Harding . Do use super granulated paints? I only know of the Schmincke brand as a newbie to water colours.

[@Barbara-fy8cs]

Oh and I got the two Betty Hayway brushes 5&7 and they are amazing ! The point is fantastic .

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

That's great, Barbara! I'm so glad you like them.

[@gwenritch]

Looking for the brush! Beautiful thanks

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Without watching the video again, I'm pretty sure it was the Betty Hayways No.7 watercolour brush!

[@sonyaoart]

My favourite Payne’s Grey from my collection is actually still the Cotman because it granulates. But thanks to your swatches I’ve a few granulating versions to try out now. Thank you ❤

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Thanks Sonya! x

[@awatercolourist]

I missed this! Must be a rip in the space-time continuum 😂

[@awatercolourist]

Or my tablet‘s battery died 😂

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

A glitch in the matrix! ;)

[@awatercolourist]

@@NatashaNewtonArt Thank you! That’s it 😂. A glitch in the matrix that made my battery die. 😂

[@tracyvis2101]

I prefer the AGallo! They’re all lovely though. 🖤

[@lindyashford7744]

Sennelier is my favourite. I actually have this and love it. The Shinhan also draws my eye, but I know they could differ in real life. Your paint out of so many made me wonder about custom mixing Payne’s greyas I go. What pigments would I choose to get my favourite. I know it is a convenience colour but would I prefer the results of my own mix!

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

An interesting thought - you should find out! :)

[@lindyashford7744]

@@NatashaNewtonArt the added bonus of being able to vary it as much as I want. 😉

[@awatercolourist]

Thanks for another great swatching movie. Dis you ever swatch the paints in the large palette? I do not recall seeing them before. I do not recpgnise any of the brands except Deep Deep light and A Gallo.

[@leaott296]

I recently got a tube of M Graham Paynes Gray and I LOVE it. You should add it to your page. It is on the blue side.

[@K.ART_vlog]

so nice ❤️

[@CynthiaWMixon]

what pencil do you use for labeling? So nice and crisp!

[@veystone2580]

Hi. Quick question, since you know so much about paynes gray, do you by any chance know which gouache brand has a paynes gray that is almost black in its mass tone, but actually blue when diluted or when adding white?

[@tlembro]

Beautiful display! TEHY all have their place…..but love one clear and one granulating . Thank you for the video ….very informative!

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

I'm so glad that you found it informative, thank you! x

[@ericakauffman5786]

Sennelier ❣

[@peterihnat108]

Hello. May I ask about Betty Hayways brushes. How have they performed over time? Do they hold their tip well after being used for a while? Many thanks

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

They last a very long time if treated well! I've been pleased with how they've held up over time.

[@Barbara-fy8cs]

Loved the video despite your qualms...love the number of PG and pigments. My husband doesn't understand why one would need more than one...🙃

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Ha ha, well I totally understand! ;)

[@kreativeReise]

I really love your botanical swatches don't get me wrong...but I find it really hard to compare the colors with this tiny differences in shade like this. Maybe the pebbles would have been the better choice... I would be interessted if the colors have different characteristics f.e. reaction with salt, paint spreading in a really wet surface ...or the other way round... water reaction in a wet painted area. Maaaaybe you can do one more video about payne's grey's covering some more details? I would find it really helpful. Only if you like to...of course. Do you know Oto Kanos videos where she compares two apparently same Daniel Smith watercolors... it's so interessting to see how different colors behave although they look pretty much the same.

[@DawnRoberts-e4s]

Another paynes grey girl..woo hoo..

[@hannahthufvesson]

I think PB66 is Indigo, and that it isn't very lightfast? So that might be a difference between the price tags? Love Payne's Gray! Thanks for showing us! ☺️

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Oh yes, so it is! I thought I must know what it is but just couldn't think. Oh well, I won't be using that one outside the sketchbook then! ;)

[@hannahthufvesson]

@@NatashaNewtonArt Haha, but maybe find lots and lots of excuses to use it in that sketchbook, because its slightly yellow leaning hue is stunning! 🥰

[@tbea272]

Love this video. I think you missed Wallace Seymour Payne’s Grey😊.

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

I totally did! I have two different Payne's Greys from Wallace Seymour and I can't believe I forgot to include them! If it helps, I'm planning on filming a video where I'll be sharing my entire Wallace Seymour watercolour collection... :)

[@jennis4018]

Can you mix blue with black to make a diy Payne’s grey?

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

You can!

[@nickademonart4009]

I would find a reason to keep all of them. Daniel smith has a paynes blue grey also

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

I actually have that! I can't believe that I forgot to include it. (I also REALLY like it).

[@Sevvin89]

Hello fellow paynes grey fan. 😊

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Hello! :)

[@fiolaart8298]

😍

[@joanpringle-canning2834]

💜💜

[@Vanitasmortedigital]

Natasha what about sending some different Payne's Greys to the members of your Swatch club and ask them to create a tonal artwork with them.(Matt)

[@thewanderess]

Have you tried Payne's Grey from Nicpro? I came across it accidentally in a class I'm teaching. It granulates so beautifully. I'm not sure of the pigment number. Ever since then, I've been trying to find a Payne's Grey similar to it and I tried all sorts of colour mixes, but no luck. Now watching all Payne's Grey videos to find something similar. :-( please help.

[@jessbutterfly1934]

It’s funny, I love all of Roman Szmals watercolours except for his Paynes grey it’s just not blue really at all. I find it very black leaning. I wish there was a way to ask him to create a bluer version.

[@jessbutterfly1934]

I love watching your swatches when you do them, but when you during one colour, I often can’t see the difference because there isn’t enough of a shade transition on the screen. It all looks like one colour and they all look extremely similar if not the same maybe if you go in closer with the camera or you do a bigger swatch with more variation and pulling out of colour and lifting

[@ChantelleArts]

Payne's Grey is such an underrated shade, it's beautiful and one of my favourites! Though I've only used the Winsor and Newton Cotmans, I have a 20+ year old tube which is almost finished so I bought a new cotman tube and it does not compare unfortunately 🥺

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Oh, that's interesting! I'm curious to know in which way it has it changed?

[@evangelinepoe8952]

The early cotmans were made in London and were very beautiful. Then I think they moved processing to France. Still ok but not as nice as the originals. Now they are made in China and are sooooo not the same. 😕

[@ChrissieNicely]

Lovely swatches - as usual! PBk 11 is actually Mars Black - a granulating pigment.

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

Thanks Chrissie! I thought that I should know it but couldn't quite recall!

[@robinsamuelson3626]

Love the palette but shipping to the US is half of the price of the palette 😢

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

US shipping from the UK is so expensive now!

[@aubrey44444]

Qor paynes grey is permanently in my pallet

[@NatashaNewtonArt]

It's a good one!

[@lunajoy4624]

holbein :)