What's In My M Graham Watercolor Palette?

Here are the colors in my palette, I will tell you what I use a lot and what I rarely use as it might be helpful to folks trying to choose colors from M Graham. I love this USA-made paint brand, they are my favorite watercolors but that may be partially due to the fact they were my first full palette of professional watercolors. who knows. They are fabulous tho! Blick has a good selection and price: shrsl.com/418d1
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[@mjpete27]

Hey Lindsay, Well I came back to get the names! (Maimeri Blu)-Hookers Green, Permanent Green Lt./M.Graham: Yello Ochre, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Raw Umber, Van Dyke Brown, Sepia, Mauve-Quin. Violet, Rose Madder, Cadmium Orange, Cad. Red Deep, Cad. Red Light, Naphthol Red, Quinacridone Red, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Quin. Violet, Dioxazine Violet, Mineral Violet(PAN), Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Prussian Blue, Phthalo Blue, Phthalo Blue Red Shade(PAN), Phthalo Green, Viridian, SAP Green, Hookers Green, Permanent Green Light, Cad. Yellow Light, Cad. Yellow, Gamboge. OK That is 34 colors. Please let me know if I miffed any? Thanks for this sweet video! Are there any M.Graham paints you are looking to try? Any on your wish list? Just curious. Thanks again! Have yourself a lovely day!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Thanks for listing it! I think I'm good with these. Honestly I am feeling like less is more these days.

[@tradingpostfarms]

In my opinion M.graham is the absolute best watercolor. In the U.S. it is priced fairly, in my my compirisons it outbeats every brand in pigmentation. It has character, but its not to dramatic. It has movement but not so much that you cant acheive some control and the rewetting process cant be beat either. When i first purchased a set i didnt think this, but now i believe it is superior to the some 12 or more professional brands i have.

[@mjpete27]

Hullo, I feel the same about DaVinci Paints of California! They are beautiful paints, their customer service is better than anyone else’s and the prices are so reasonable! I love that some colors move well others are granulating while I can still get flat fields when I need to! Just the very Best watercolors and they sell a full lines of Acrylics, Oil’s, & Gouache!

[@LCLand]

@@mjpete27I was just going to say Davinci too! I favor even over a gallo

[@katpaints]

I loved this! I started watercolors in 1995 and bought what now appears to be the Speedball palette. It has cracked a bit but my white Duck tape has been a palette saver! I tripped and fell after a class one night and the palette cracked a bit. It was the school's fault and had I realized it, they would have bought me a new one. Sigh. It only has 24 spaces and I think I chose that because the teacher's list had 24 colors on it. I do love having large wells. I love about 20 minutes from M. Graham's business. We do not live in a humid area 99% of the year. Only when we have a lot of summer rain does the next couple of days feel humid. I have only had W&N's Rose Madder Genuine and I adore it. I put it up years ago, though. I know that mine actually smells like roses and the Dan Smith's permanent version does not. It also doesn't have that yellow cast to it, either. It was wonderful for painting roses. I bought M. Graham's viridian when I realized that the honey kept it from being a chunky mess and recommend it! I do like that it will lift and that I really need that at times. I do have another large palette - the Quiller - and have filled it with the colors he has recommended. They are what I consider my modern palette. I prefer my old palette with the more traditional colors when painting en plein air though. The colors do seem to fit the landscape more. I do start waxing poetic when I think back to my early watercolor days. Sigh. I started painting 20 years earlier but it was watercolors that took my heart! Thanks for pulling me back!

[@jewelsauls3103]

I'm no expert on Viridian but I've always thought MG's the only one worth having! Not only easier to rewet, but also more color pay off. Really enjoyed your palette tour!

[@annettefournier9655]

Thanks Lindsay. My M Graham Quin rose is very strong. It's so dark that just a touch needs a lot of water to lighten. For that reason I like the Van Gogh quin rose better especially if I'm going fast for a sky.💜 I have 14 M Graham colors. I'm not thrilled with the sap green and always end up mixing greens.

[@danielleyuill3172]

Lovely colors. I have added a few mixing colors to my M. Graham palette that enhance my choice of greens: Nickle Azo Yellow - PY 150 for mixing clear transparent yellows and greens; then Azo Green (green gold) - PY 129, it mixes some of the nicest, natural greens, especially when mixed with Cerulean Blue and it's quite nice on its own. And my favorite has to be Anthraquinone Blue - PB 60. This is my go to deep dark blue for mixing and creating depth to my landscapes.

[@cynthiazick3125]

“ at that time I didn’t have another palette” ~~~ so funny and hard to imagine and here too! I started in about 2014 and for three long years my only pallet was my Windsor and newton Cottman field set. But once I started buying professional paints I was hooked and I super enjoy my collection so much!!!

[@mjpete27]

Hullo Lindsay, I enjoyed watching you deep dive this palette! I am just so glad that I am not the only artist that gets sidetracked or follow a rabbit down a hole to adventure! I am still on the fence about what colors to get to “fill out” my M.Graham paint palette. I had 3 colors from way back when I was trying to get back into traditional techniques, (away from digital) but I was just not wowed! Now I am trying them again because I guess I am just another lemming and I just gotta know what I am missing! Thank you for sharing your M. Graham paints with everyone. I will need to re-watch and pause to get your colors as I did not take notes and they are not listed in the description. Please take care, be safe and enjoy your day!

[@paulaschuessler7282]

I scored on finding one of those John Pike palettes at a great price in almost brand-new condition at a consignment shop this week, so was happy to hear it was one you recommend. It was fun watching you compare the greens and mixing your own. I have learned so much in color theory and pigment info from you Lindsay. Thank you!

[@paulah317]

I love finding art related scores at re-sale shops. Congrats!!!!

[@ApAcVideoWatcher]

Thank you for the trip down memory lane. I have a friend who laughs either time I pull out one of the first two palettes you showed. You made me remember how I used to look through the backs of the different magazines hoping to find some goodies because getting to a shop that sold art supplies was a multi-hour drive and would cost an arm and a leg. I'm tempted to go start comparing tubes, but that's a rabbit hole that too easily will take up the rest of my evening. Or, my entire weekend! This was enjoyable to watch. 🦋

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Time well spent if you ask me!

[@suearcher8708]

I hope when I grow up I know as much about color as you! It was all green to me. When I was sorting my markers for the marker class I learned that I do not see the subtle differences in colors. Once I figured that out I used the numbers to determine where the marker should go. I was very glad to discover it is my eye sight more than my inability to grasp color theory,

[@ChiseledDiamond]

Have you checked yourself for color blindness?

[@olderendirt]

Cataracts or leakage from retinal pits can cause a filmy look to the centers of things if that's what your vision is like. They were both easy surgeries for me. Not that that's why you're seeing color differences, but just what have caused it for me.

[@jessieg4901]

Lindsay, have you ever thought of doing a whole video of things you DONT reccomend?? I would totally watch that, especially because I’m wanting to teach watercolor classes soon!

[@susansacco7583]

The colors are bright and beautiful! I can’t have MG because of humidity but the quin red is so perfect that I use from tube. Thanks Lindsay💕 Fun💕

[@CastleMc]

That was a treat, Lindsay! M. Graham is my favorite as well and I enjoyed seeing the different formulations. And I agree about the Cotman Mauve!

[@ZeeCeeCreations]

Awesome, Lindsay! I have 16 M Graham paints. It was awesome to learn about so many others! Whenever I have a commission, I always use M Graham, because I know I can trust the paint. This was a super helpful video! Thanks!

[@KevieG]

Love ❤️ all your videos!

[@jennw6809]

I recently bought a large Meeden porcelain palette similar to this -- the one I got and the faux-Quiller style one now have lids, and they are really sturdy! Much thicker plastic than these. I'm excited they responded to the customer feedback and actually did one up on Quiller's quality. I remember being newly-returned to watercolor and hearing you, and Steve, and others (even in comments) wax poetic about M. Graham. I remember reading a viewer comment that compared M. Graham paints to a wonderful old lover they keep wondering why they ever leave, haha. I didn't understand and was grossed out by the sticky texture when I first used them, but I came to adore them too! There's something so wonderful about they honey paints. I'm in love with DaVinci's raw sienna!

[@partialartsblackbelt8384]

I loved the impromptu experiment

[@AmazinGraceXOXO1]

The middle sap green looks brighter and more luminous. I love M graham. My favorite shade is Terra Rosa. 😍

[@starshinesoldier]

So fun and interesting to see how the paint formulation changes!

[@olderendirt]

So interesting and informative. I sure wish I'd hung onto a water color pallet I had years ago. There were about 50 half pans in it and I donated it because I wasn't using it at the time. No idea what kind they were, but I probably got it as a gift in the late 60s and used it for junior high school art projects. These colors remind me of them.

[@bobbiegraham7729]

I have that palette in porcelain- and yes M. Graham. For travel I have the Speedball wheel palette - also M. Graham. Used the glue gun trick on the Speedball. I really miss Aaron Bros.

[@berolinastrassmann]

Love to see well loved palettes stand the test of time and use. Well done! I have a small desk, so I use small desk palettes where I can change the half or full pans around. Like you, I get decision anxiety (at least you said so in uour last Sar Chat😮) so the thiught of filling up a well for-e-ver kind of stops me. So i have movable pans that I stick with poster putty/blue tack to porcelain dishes or palettes that have mixing wells. Schmincke has a lovely flat porcelain mixing palette with slanted mixing wells (around €30/$30). Meeden has small rectangular porcelain palettes similar to your MG one (around $15) so Inuse those for mixing and I pick up colours from whatever mix and match half pan combo I need for the day. Loved seeing your colour choices and the thiught process behind it. Thabks, Lindsay!

[@Joe_Maysky]

Great vid Lindsay! Over the past 6 years--and having to replace some colors having lost all my Daniel Smith paints in my house fire (which, given their recent biz practices, I'm frankly not as sad about), I use more M. Graham than any other brand now. A squeeze, thanks to the honey/as you know from experience, just lasts so long. That said, I'm glad you showed here doing the green comparisons what I've found in experience: not just from MG, but any brand, I find pre-mixed multi-pigment greens to just be too dull, and whether I'm using Phthalo Green or various blues, I like to instead mix greens by combining a yellow with something else rather than trusting a company to formulate. I also wonder if MG has revamped their earths over time because particularly your Burnt Sienna & Umber look warmer/redder which I prefer than the two from MG I have now; both are duller (bought within the past 3-4 years) & I've fiddled with other brands as a result, namely Da Vinci & Holbein.

[@ChrissieNicely]

Thanks for the detailed introduction to your palette. M. Graham is also Steve Mitchell's favourite brand. They are not well known here in Europe but readily available nowadays. I have a selection of the honey-based Sennelier paints. Would you say that they are similar? (I did watch your complete palette review but can't remember if you mentioned them. 😉)

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Not really. M ghrans are more pigmented and vibrant. Sennelier are softer in color.

[@corvus3513]

Thanks for taking us down memory lane. It's nice to see what early Lindsay started off with and how your workspace had evolved into the great teacher I know. I will say that I hold M. Graham as the best of the best. The type of paint you buy once you leave your apprentice title behind and turn into a master. Perhaps it's because all my professors and professionals I admired used them. But I'm pretty sure is also the great quality of paint, oil and watercolor, that they still uphold. Unlike other legacy brands that just hold on to their names (looking at you Winsor and Newton).

[@thefrugalcrafter]

W&N side-eye 😆

[@ntaylo6299]

Oddly my first watercolors were Maimeri Blu. I still have them and they hold up. Today I love Roman Szmal because they are not precious. The price point is amazing and I can paint for hours with my basic pallet.

[@cathysnyder9478]

This is really informative. I really like the M. Graham paints. I am definitely now adding Quin Red and Pthalo Green to my collection. My three favorite brands are M. Graham, Daniel Smith and Qor. I don't have huge collections of any of them but I enjoy all of them. Thanks for posting this. I love it when you use this palette.

[@Sides3Sides]

I, too, love M. Graham. It’s what my local store carries, and I’m glad that I tried it! ❤️

[@thefrugalcrafter]

It's so good!

[@ArtBrain]

Your palette is gorgeous and comfortably charming, like a well-worn journal. I got curious about "pro-grade" gouache and bought a few tubes from various manufacturers. I bought the M Graham Naphthol Red and Sap Green gouaches (thinking you were a fan of the green mix, but who knows which era of mix my gouache is). Even though also honey-based, they dry all the way down in my palette, but rewet better than most of the others. Sugar (and honey) are natural antibacterials (it's why we preserve jam with sugar). I think if people's M Graham paints mold, it's probably something to do with their environment, rather than directly the paint. But potential contamination is my argument for pouring my paints in small batches and for not trying to keep my gouache wet when it's out of the tube. Yeah, I think WorldPigmentDay needs to peruse some of the other manufacturers before deciding that Daniel Smith is the only one who sneaks in pigments -- that Veridian looks pretty bright! Love this video. The first of Lindsay's palette deep dive series! --ha!

[@sonyaoart]

Thanks for the tour!

[@kysq384]

M Graham Indian yellow is PY110 if you want that color again. Apparently they played musical chairs with the names :)

[@sallygreenfield6991]

YAAAAAY!!! I love M Graham!!!

[@elizabethjehnzen]

Really enjoyed this pallette tour. I don't know about coast line, but Michigan has nearly twice the amount of lighthouses as Maine.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Intersting!

[@spiritsjoy]

Thank you Lindsay. The only m graham i have is white gouache. Gonna pick up the viridian and maybe a mixing set. Im not a big fan of cotman but yes i do keep a tube of mauve, turquoise and indian red which are really nice.

[@CeruleanCzarina]

Thank you Lindsay! I thoroughly enjoy hearing you talk about art supplies, old and new. If you have a stash of DaVinci paints that you regularly use, I’d love to see a similar review. Thanks again!

[@marymccaslin1690]

Awesome- so much helpful info!

[@derwood206]

thank you! this was fun to watch. i also love the easy wetting and vibrant M Graham watercolor! Cobalt violet also has same uncharacteristic intensity and vibrancy like viriidian. I love their reds, pinks, and violets. I agree on the yellow ochre but also because it smells so metallic to me. When i first was filling my palette (sooooo messy) I kept smelling metal and thought I had "cut myself" on something but then i realized it was an iron smell and it clicked! I reached out to the company to see if they ever heard this from others. They told me that some people yes, have reported being bothered by the smell of some of the earth colors, many who have gotten used to it. Now i kind of enjoy that its instantly recogizable when i open the tin ha I dont have this issue with any other brand. Has anyone else experienced this?

[@jessieg4901]

I bought a jones pallette second hand years ago! It also is a mixed match of God knows what 😂 some of the paints feel really inky, and some I’m almost certain are Winsor and newton! This is before my current watercolor collection overload, 😂 I still love the pallette, but you know, over load lol

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I love a used palette. It's fun to paint with others favorites.

[@joyfulldj]

You can do a seperate screen of the pallette in de corner, Ive seen some artists do that. That way you dont lose on the demo space and you can still use the favorite palette. I have the jacksons porcelain palette; if you are like me and the staining drives you nuts; porcelain is way to go; I love it. I dont recommend it for a wonky table; as this is indeed a heavy pallet make sure you can store it flat and see if you can replace the floppy lid. Seriously; I have a storing place but its nuts :P

[@lisamurphy5007]

Thank you for sharing ❤

[@paulah317]

My current project is swatching out all my current pigments and grouping them by transparent, semi-transparent, semi-opaque and opaque and listing all the pigments numbers. After watching your video I realize it might be an exercise in futility due to pigment changes and formulations. Anyway.....how many PG 7's do I need? Certainly not one from each brand.......I need to pick a favorite and go with it. I've excluded one viridian from a brand so far. I'm definitely in the rabbit hole.

[@LCLand]

When I have a paint I don’t love I use it up in my practice palette. My palette of rejects. Lol. I use it when I’m practicing painting something I’m not yet mastering. It’s filled with things I don’t plan on buying again and I want to move it on out! I have a ghastly green mixture in one of the mixing areas. I made some hilarious green ballerinas with it. Even though it’s the rejects I still sometimes create things I love. Fun! 😄

[@thefrugalcrafter]

That's great!

[@kayclark4406]

Different brands of gambouge are so different. I have Daniel Smith gambouge and it is a very distinct gold golden golden orange color, quite bright.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

That's a nice one!

[@StnFlwr]

Love you and all your tubes❤

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Aww:)

[@Makachopping]

Fun fact! The Jones palette is STILL produced in Dallas! I just looked it up and it's pretty close to where I am now!!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Nice!

[@susanbaker3078]

My tube of M. Graham Sap Green purchased maybe 2 years ago has PG 7 and PY 110. 😏 It's okay, but I don't love it. It seems kinda dull to me, but maybe I'm comparing it to another brand. Will definitely experiment with mixes! Thanks for another interesting palette tour!!

[@128titanicsokwonkim]

Thank you for your video.

[@rebeccasharp7924]

Thanks for doing this! It is awesome

[@thefrugalcrafter]

You're welcome!

[@chaddesrosiers1107]

Funny to hear you say you prefer Winsor Newton over MG for Yellow ochre. On my almost 100% MG palette I use WN Yellow ochre. The only WN colors I prefer vs MG and DS is their Yellow Ochre and PB35 Cerulean.

[@jenniferbeeson2678]

Viridian is the only color in my m grahams that has dried hard. I feel like if it is cut with pg7 it's not much, at least in the tube I got. It's nearly unrewettable like I've seen in other brands too. The one viridian I'm most curious about is DaVinci - it lists only pg18(? The genuine pigment) but it hasn't dried in over 2 years and my house is super dry. But it doesn't quite feel like it's phthalo green either even though it's hue is so close

[@jenniferbeeson2678]

Also even if they are the same price as Daniel Smith the pigment payout is crazy! They're a little intense to work with if you're not expecting it but the pigment load makes them better bang for my buck.

[@maddy00]

I think Da Vinci beats M Graham in terms of price now, especially since they do sales often. I think Daniel Smith is more pricey (and gimmicky tbh) but they’re fine as well. I have Daniel Smith and M Graham, and there’s just something about the M Graham paints that is enticing and trustworthy.

[@amyx231]

Is that a trick question? M Graham paints of course! 😂

[@sharonsunshine2532]

Amazing... I hope one day to know the pigment numbers as you. 😂 oh my stars, you're good. 👍

[@thefrugalcrafter]

It's like learning a language. You have to be immersed in it.

[@sharonsunshine2532]

@@thefrugalcrafter that explains it.. my grammar stinks as well. Lol 😁💛

[@SuperExadidas]

One of my favorite brands, except for their Mineral Violet (PV 16), which has inexplicably hardened like a stone, while the rest of the tubes remain fresh and usable.

[@grannysmithart]

i have several tubes of m graham from a few years ago-so wet, never really dried down; the set i bought last year (steve mitchell's collection) are much drier. do you see any difference between new versus old? people complain they can't travel with m graham, but these new ones stay put.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

A lot of art supply formulations changed during the pandemic so I wouldn't be surprised if formulations were tweaked slightly.

[@naturesbestart-vickiachard8067]

Thank you Lindsay. Question: when you put your paint in your pallet, is it necessary to add a touch water and stir with a toothpick before using, or is that not necessary?

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Nope, you can just squeeze them in UT you can also spread them around if you with withal toothpick. If the paint looks separated you will want to stir it. If you are using student grade paint you might want to stir in some honey or glycerin to prevent cracking.

[@naturesbestart-vickiachard8067]

@@thefrugalcrafter Thank you so much for your answer Lindsay, I will try this and not mix the water in.

[@lizdaly3410]

You have some memory!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

For art stuff I do 😆

[@veryberry39]

I have cobalt blue in my palette, which I created back in like 2006 after watching a bunch of your videos. For the life if me, I don't know why I have it. 😅 I never use it...and in fact, oftentimes I have trouble telling which is which! (Just recently had to refill some wells, which is the only reason I'm somewhat more certain now.) Is that the cool blue? Should I just switch to cerulean? I think it's prettier. 😛 (For what it's worth, these are all Cotman. I'm trying to switch over to other brands now. You said WN's burnt sienna is really orange, right? I dont like it as much!)

[@veryberry39]

Commenting as I watch, because that's how I do. 😂 Omg, your advice to not just put dabs in the wells. I DID THAT. My beginner brain was like "This feels like such a waste!" and so just little blobs at a time, literally until just a few weeks ago when I finally squeezed a bunch in. I only switched because it looks SO satisfying when you swirled your brush around in all that juicy pigment...and it iiiiiis really satisfying. 😂 Full wells forever!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Full wells saves brushes!

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I think true cobalt is like a mellow ultramarine. More neutral to purple leaning but one companies make a hue that this pthalo in it so it's cooler (more green) cerulean is a bit cool (green leaning) all 3 granulate.

[@jjsmakeupobsession323]

Since m graham is your favorite could you do a watercolor ranking video for watercolor, then do one for gouache paints too?

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Here is watercolorranking: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGilh4WHbNl_g8Usi=SDoQKf5AKtotK0pj I'm still testing gouache:)

[@carolgehman6036]

I think you had the numbers switched. You said hookers green was py 110, you said the sap had py 101. No wonder they looked so different.

[@AngeliyahsMommy]

I feel like I remember hearing you say who/where you learned all the pigment info you know from…?? If that was indeed you, can you point me in the right direction to learn more about pigments?

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Two websires: handprint and art is creation pigment databases.

[@jcliveshere2]

QUESTION: this does not pertains to video but hoping you'll advise me. I bought Mission gold pure pigment the 15 ml ,three of the tubes when I put in my pallet mostly binder came out is there anything I can do. I'd really appreciate some advice. It was the Vandyke brown, Viridian, Colbalt blue #2. Thanks for any help you can give me. Thank you

[@AmazinGraceXOXO1]

When that happens to me I use a long toothpick or a craft pick tool ( which is basically like a long metal toothpick type of tool) and I try to mix as much as I can in the tube. You can also try to work it with your fingers a little bit just make sure the tube is closed tight lol . I find that once I squeeze some out and mix the binder and the pigment on my pan or palette, it ends up working out in the end.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Stir it with a toothpick and it will be fine

[@jcliveshere2]

@@thefrugalcrafter thanks for the info. 🙂

[@jcliveshere2]

@@AmazinGraceXOXO1 thanks for the info. 🙂

[@bonniezaddach6857]

Any Ant problems due to the honey?

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Nope, but I've heard it happening to others.

[@debidrybala4102]

I’m first!!!!

[@billwesterman4583]

They also provide for a sticky, runny mess

[@thefrugalcrafter]

Gotta keep that palette flat!

[@vikibanaszak4881]

I don't know how a paint made with honey can get moldy because honey doesn't go bad. It just doesn't make sense.

[@thefrugalcrafter]

I don't know. Probably something funky in their water.