Review: Winsor Newton Watercolor Sticks

The Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolor Sticks aren't as vibrant as I thought they would be.
Text review:
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[@Kraaftshaak]

terrific review. I am always grateful to see someone step up and show us before we spend. I really appreciate it.

[@teohyc]

Thanks. \ (•◡•) / This is one of three weird products from WN. The other two are the watercolor and pigment markers. -_-

[@MauroMelloF]

@@teohyc , would you use the sticks as filling paint for pans? I ask because filling up 'business card' size palettes' pans is challenging with tube paints, so I'm thinking about using watercolor sticks. If you think it's a good idea, I believe you would prefer Daniel Smith's sticks, right?

[@teohyc]

@@MauroMelloF Watercolour tubes work better because you can spread them out. The tube paint is also sticky which will stick to the surface. Sticks can crumble and they are not as sticky. They are also difficult to cut if you want to cut them into thin slices.

[@PositivelyNice]

Looks like a chore to paint with these sticks

[@riamaas]

great review, i can stop blaming myself for the bad results, now i understand what i can (and better can't)do with those sticks. It is VERY helpful, thank you

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I am so glad I picked up some Daniel smith sticks instead of these.

[@ThingOfSome]

The vibrancy really depends on the paper used: on certain papers they have a faded look, especially after drying, while on others the vibrancy is really great.

[@terencemolloy1827]

I bought a set of these and thought they were a bit on the hard side. I broke mine into bits and put them into empty plastic pans. They seem to work fine as normal wc paints. I think they are a waste of money really.

[@miklosnemeth8566]

With full honestly, these should be used exactly like watercolor pencils. And you nicely demonstrated how disappointed a buyer can be, if she/he doesnt learn to use them properly.

[@richardgrzela1381]

Another fantastic review! I'm very impressed.

[@teohyc]

+Richard Grzela Thanks 😁

[@EveBolt]

Whoa, initially, these are not very bright! So washed out! The splatters are great though, and they work so much better when you use them like pans. They are kinda weird though, I don't really know what they had in mind when they made these sticks.

[@magicalmomo9402]

The Caran D'Ache Neocolour 2's are a bit similar. Using sticks is definitely a different experience, but I'm iffy on these. I'd rather get more Neocolour 2's or Daniel Smith.

[@teohyc]

Neocolor 2 is good. Daniel Smith sticks are a bit too soft for drawing. It's like drawing with plasticine but it's extremely vibrant.

[@bi-bibabyblue9649]

Thanks for making this video! I was gonna buy some for my friend for Christmas and I didn’t know if they were gonna work well or not.

[@zvonimirtosic6171]

These W&N sticks do something differently. It is good to have paints that dry quickly and look pale on paper. Sometimes that is better than delivering full saturated, garish intensity that cannot be corrected anymore. Also, with oversaturated paints, one must use plenty of water to paint pale; then drying time, paper quality & overall workability becomes an issue. But with paler paints the sketch can be finished later - if necessary and where needed - with intense colours from the w/c tubes, with gouache, etc.

[@prismatic4793]

Yeah they don't really look that great. But if I got them as a gift, I'd still use them. :P

[@bevroberts8440]

Quite a difference between W & N vs. Daniel Smith. Good review and while they give you texture, I think I'll me saving my $$ for a better product.

[@RajashreeGhoshdiya]

always love seeing your reviews. Was wondering if you have any review on Sennelier watercolors

[@teohyc]

I have reviewed them on my blog, but there's no video review yet. www.parkablogs.com/picture/review-sennelier-12-half-pan-watercolour-set

[@yochoMNE]

I'm not sure because I don't have them but I think that you should try to grind them on a piece of stone or wood just like you would do with chinese ink.

[@madisonxyz9887]

yo cho Interesting idea

[@stacykrasnikova7744]

Actually I thought this is what this things are. Ink sticks like Chinese, but made by Europeans😅

[@joshuaavelino9816]

the case makes the product look larger but in reality, its so small😑😑

[@ttimrcyphers5284]

Hi,again. Thanks ,again. An other very helpful vid.!

[@Jennifer-wr9si]

I wouldn't think to "paint" with watercolour sticks. DS is definitely brighter but the WN crayons look better suited to "drawing" and then painting over with pans/tubes for a certain effect.

[@LeaGalTan]

Thanks! You saved me from buying the WN watercolor sticks, but now I want to try the Daniel Smith watercolor sticks. Have you done a video on them? I really like the splatter effect.

[@teohyc]

Daniel Smith is softer and very difficult to use as a crayon for drawing. The quality is excellent though. Colours are intense and the pigment is easy to dissolve. Well worth the money. I've not reviewed them yet.

[@indigovenice]

Thank you for a very comprehensive review! I like that you showed the different aspects of these sticks because (for me) there is a real advantage to be able to make less intense color (for example when making quick landscape sketches). Then I have the added advantage of making certain areas more intense by using a wet brush to pick up more color later. I have two questions though: 1) Do the sticks give a waxy appearance in the finished result? 2) What happens if you apply multiple layers after drying? Do they become muddy? Thanks :)

[@teohyc]

1. The sticks look waxy but the finished look does not. 2. It gets slightly muddy. More like having a pale version of one colour over another.

[@tabortooth11]

great review, thanks!!

[@teohyc]

+tabortooth11 Thanks 😀

[@GlendaVGarcia]

I have a nice collection of Daniel Smith sticks and love them but have always wondered about the W&N and if they were worth a try. This review is saving me a lot of money! Thank you! Great review, as always!

[@teohyc]

Thanks ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪

[@jia01510]

I got ad this morning saying they’re on sale on DickBlick. So glad I watched your review before placing an order! Do you think the quality of their sticks is more similar to the cotman watercolor rather than their artist grade paints? I feel Daniel Smith is a much better option in both price and performance, especially for me, as I only plan to cut the sticks and insert them into half pans 😆 Thank you for making this review!

[@tomomyuu]

thanks for reviewing! i wonder if these glaze well at all. like I would probably use them like pans and build up color to see if they become more vibrant. before i wanted to try these out but I highly doubt I'll ever order them!

[@teohyc]

Get the Daniel Smith ones instead. They are way more intense.

[@danrazART]

Crappy products from winsor newton is a very big sin! Really shocked actually. I have used no name Chinese products that cost zero compared to WN and those worked like a dream! Thanks Teoh! We love you

[@johnnysmith379]

I don't know what's worse. The fact they chose to shit out products like this, or that they discontinued their oil sticks?? (I have even yet to see their studio products around anymore).

[@mariajosegarciabarroso1006]

😮

[@mariajosegarciabarroso1006]

Pues. Yo estoy a punto de cojer. Un tubo de acuarela el verde agua. Como no veo los pingmentos. No lo puedo comparar. De otra marca la. Verdad lo e puesto y borrado. Dos veces de la cesta. Me da miedo. Porque coji algunos peques. Hace tres ańos. Y no lo vi. Nada bueno. Utz. Ds

[@mariajosegarciabarroso1006]

Alguien que me aconseje un color similar. Eternamente agradecida. Un saludo

[@user-xo4jd4ot8s]

I think a better way of using them is to draw on wet surface.

[@capbin146]

Here in uk Daniel smith are twice the price. Thanks

[@Leelz247]

This is a great review. I thought sticks were just a gimmick, but I might pick up the Daniel Smith.

[@ClaudiaSketches]

I think what baffles me is how pigmented they appear but dry so pale. I was wondering if the grain of the paper was making it appear paler because some of the tooth still showed even after wetting it. When you used a dry on wet technique the pigments appear stronger because they have the opportunity to reach the valleys of the tooth (but I guess it's also possible that you also get more product on the paper that way too). Just a thought! Oh, and a question- are they creamy or dry feeling? I've never had experience with watercolour sticks but have had a go at neocolor IIs and other watersoluble wax pastels- I was wondering if the watercolour sticks felt as waxy or oily as these products :)

[@teohyc]

+Claudia Sketches Even if the WN sticks reach the valleys of the tooth, I doubt the colour will be anymore intense. I already tried to press as hard to get as much pigment on the paper and that's the result you see in the video. Caran d ache Neocolor 2 is even more vibrant. The WN sticks feel waxy, hard, not dry or gluey.

[@ioanaanghel5756]

This... thing... with the paper being the issue... Please drop the modern bullshit they put out and try to think the problem as logical as you can. If I take out my White nights now they will rock wich ever paper you choose to use. Know what I'm saying? These products are supposed to be watercolor in a different form, for whatever artistic reason, and it is so not. Paper has nothing to do with it.

[@teohyc]

Sometimes paper do matter but not in this case. I've tried paper from three different brands and they still behave the same way as they do in the video.

[@ioanaanghel5756]

I know. This is something that happens with most w&n products (the weird ones, I mean). They even make and sell paper just for that product. I don't know alt these sticks, if they come with special paper or not, but they seem like a waste or time, paper and money.

[@ClaudiaSketches]

Teoh Yi Chie Thanks for the response, Teoh! :)

[@marissaswinghammer3149]

I just got a free sample of the french ultramarine stick but I am not expecting to want to buy any!

[@PaulaBean]

Thank you for reviewing thes watercolor sticks. I can see they're not something I would use ;-) You saved my money.

[@PumpkinPails]

Have you made any reviews on the Daniel Smith sticks? I've heard people say it's a better deal to get the sticks instead of the tubes and use them like pan watercolor.

[@teohyc]

+GummyTumor DS sticks are more gluey and soft so it is difficult to use them to dry like you would with pastels or crayon. As for getting them to use as pan colours, you can do so as they are as intense as their tube colours. You can probably cut the stick into 5 portions to fit into half pans. Each 15ml tube can refill 7 times as half pan capacity is 2ml.

[@PumpkinPails]

Teoh Yi Chie Thank you! That's exactly what I needed to know.

[@einwildesfetz427]

Oh.. hm..maybe are these Stichs better if you work in Layer. Thanks for the Review! :)

[@user-xo4jd4ot8s]

the pro is that the sticks are more steady than DS's ones, the con is the color intensity lower out of additives making them steady.

[@johnnysmith379]

C'mon, even CRAYOLA got it right with their portfolio oil pastels. I kid you not. What excuse does DS and WN have really? If anything you're being far too nice.

[@HanNguyen-cr3rr]

May I ask if they still dry in our tropical climate ? I have two of Daniel Smith and their come to moist a lot, need to keep seperate and hard to bring for plein air. Hope to hear your ideal, thank you !

[@teohyc]

It depends on the colours. Some are just soft to begin with. So if it's soft, the I don't think they are going to dry hard enough.

[@anh.duowng]

Rip English - -

[@BellaPlays]

Those sticks are so nice to look at, but I rather *stick* to the standard watercolor pans haha.

[@thesameritan9844]

Hmmm, Id rather get the Inktense blocks. These arent that vibrant :/ But I have a question regarding lighfastness. Is it rlly that important? (For sketchbooks) bcs light obviously does not reach the pages. Ive been wondering about this for a long time xD... Thank you Teoh!

[@teohyc]

For sketchbooks, lightfastness is not much of a problem since the paint is not exposed to light. The colours only fade with light. You can read more about it on Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightfastness

[@mrirurfkjsdo]

Quite doubtfully about that shit ! ; p Thx for info.

[@PolarBear-rc4ks]

These would be quite useful for gestural drawings, and then wetting the lines to colour in the image!

[@madisonxyz9887]

Polar Bear water color pencils are pretty good for that too.

[@zvonimirtosic6171]

@@madisonxyz9887 Watercolour pencils break easily. These sticks work very much like charcoal, which is the preferred medium for gestural drawings. However, the size of the artwork must be adjusted for this medium. Another option is use of water-soluble crayons, like Neocolor from Caran d''Ache, but they are not made the same way like watercolour sticks.

[@marisolcatts3013]

Oh! I not impressed with these sticks. Thank u for the demo. I think I will pass them up!

[@teohyc]

+Marisol Catts I hope it saved you some money. 😂

[@marisolcatts3013]

Yes you did...thanks

[@svmoondancekaren7670]

Teoh Yi Chie

[@ioanaanghel5756]

Same feeling as the time I finally got the w&n watercolor markers and didn't live up to my expectations... Tough many raved about them enough to set a small fire inside of me. Not impressed with w&n overall.

[@teohyc]

+Ioana Anghel I have those markers as well. Not very impressed. It's just a weird product.

[@ioanaanghel5756]

Looked to me as if my god, I gotta get me some of those, but my red is blah, my blue rocks, the rest of them, meh, ok... But whats the deal with the special paper and all?? And the price? These sticks you reviewed seem to have the same issues... Plus, the Cotman mania. What is up with that?? So many other products of way better quality and price!

[@aishadaballer7425]

Wow

[@nainfalak]

Hi Teoh, i would like u to make a sketch of a tree using water colors. But a wild tree not those artificial like trees u have all over in Singapore. Thanks

[@teohyc]

Perhaps in the future.

[@elle325]

I bought two colours to try out. So expensive and so disappointing!

[@yukidogzombie4708]

I really thought those would be better then my old watercolor pencils

[@Litduck008]

These little sticks are on sale today at a local store. So I decide to try. I should have listened to you! They are terrible, I used them on my planner, they bleed through like markers! They are oil based. They are not watercolor :(

[@suzalasuzala1135]

wowa disappointment city. great review though

[@teohyc]

I wished I had bought it when it was discounted a further $10. LOL. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@johnnysmith379]

Hell these won't even work that well with proper Expressionism, as unless you want a muddy, disappointing mess. Honestly, who were these products even made for?

[@jacearcher1604]

Just a thought, the pad protects the sticks from breaking. Love your info on each color. 03012022 date ,... Hiram Ohio

[@robertweinblatt2018]

No comparison to my SENNELIERS which is like painting with lipstick🎉