Which Watercolor Brand Is The Best For You?

[@sailorfan86]

For Europeans, in case y’all don’t know the shop aquarelle et pinceaux in France. It sells watercolor stuff as the name suggests. It always has sales running, throughout the year. Maimeriblu, Schmincke, Daniel Smith, Isaro, W&N, Sennelier, Rembrandt, Lukas, Lutea, Blockx, Qor, Van Gogh & Daler-Rodney. Obviously Peter’s Art Berlin is a must as well. Haven’t shopped at Artemiranda yet but it also has nice stuff.

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing!

[@magentaindigoart]

Thanks for the suggestions, really appreciate it. I wasn't aware of the shop in France, it looks interesting ^_^

[@sailorfan86]

@@magentaindigoart glad you find it interesting 😀👍🏽 You also get points that can be turned into money for the next purchase.

[@sailorfan86]

@@phillipstroll7385 ok... good for you.

[@schuhujin5019]

France? That's a nice information for my next visit 👍

[@ari_9354]

I live in indonesia, and i love holbein and they are so affordable series 1 only cost around $4 for 15ml tube and they started to sell the big 60ml tube one, beside holbein i love winsor newton and schmincke, and started to love sennelier and mgraham despite being more expensive

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing!

[@jennw6809]

I just wanted to remind folks that Jane Blundell's blog is a great resource for comparing swatches and also Oto Kano's channel has a great series comparing the same colors from different brands. I noticed recently Jane Blundell speaks very highly of DaVinci paints and recommends them for her students. It seems like nobody talks about that brand, but I want to try it now!

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks Jenn! Yes, I have mentioned Jane Blundell's website many times, such a wonderful resource. I have heard good things about Da Vinci as well, but they are US based and very difficult to find outside of the US.

[@waymire01]

Roman Szmal now offers a mixing palette by Jane Blundell. That is ideal for a starting set.

[@dryingshift]

Also! For people in the US, Lukas is available at Jerry's Artarama in half pans + 24 ml tubes for around 4-6 dollars per half pan and 9-13 dollars per tube right now (which is slightly on sale) General palette-building notes: - something about Qor's binder also makes it bead up less when mixing on plastic, although the degree may vary with different colors - I've seen someone use Qor's synthetic ox gall by adding it to the water to reduce the beading of all their paints before the palette is broken in - Lukas (at least the half pans I've tried) are also pretty good with not beading up on the palette - I usually add a bit of glycerin to paints that I've heard will be hard to rewet (In Liquid Color has a great video testing glycerin and honey), and you can mix it in with a variety of things but I use a stretched out paper clip Some color recs from my palette: - just because they're pretty: quinacridone coral (usually red, but pigment 209 or 207), cobalt violet (PV14) + cobalt teal (PG50 or PB28 or in a rare case PB36 from Da Vinci - look at both pigment and hue) (as recommended by Irit :D), quinacridone violet (PV19), and delft/indanthrene blue (PB60) - gamboge hue from Maimeri clings to the palette really well and tends to always pool rather than bead up while mixing for some reason (this wasn't true for other paints from this brand that I tried, so I'm not sure if it's a perk of my tube or if it's specific to their formulation of this color) - spinel gray from Rembrandt is unique only to that brand as far as I'm aware and is a rare transparent black that doesn't granulate - it's also a cool, mid-gray/black (not at all like the violet brown the swatch on the website shows)

[@iritlandgraf]

Great tips!

[@jennw6809]

I just go at my palettes with a Mr. Clean magic eraser, it fixes the beading problem on every palette I've tried yet! At home, I just use porcelain.

[@betty-annbryce5963]

I appreciate the video and love your insights. I do think that while all the paints are good a number of them flow and behave differently. Based on the look that you want which could send you towards one versus the other. Denise from in liquid color did a great video on this point which really helped me explore when I would use mission gold vs m graham. In addition which one I would eliminate because I never seem to appreciate that look.

[@xoxrockxisxlovexox]

I’m in California, and I’m switching to M Graham for pretty much all of my watercolors and gouache. Its super accessible because they sell it at my local art store, and it’s 40% off (plus I get a 10% student discount). It works out for me because I love how vibrant and rewettable the colors are.

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Scottlp2]

I use mostly Daniel smith and m Graham because they both rewet easily. There is at least one m graham color which never sets up (? Teal) and if you put it in travel set and tilt your palette it will run over everything.

[@Scottlp2]

Cobalt teal m Graham I think is one that never sets.

[@lunakat7020]

@@Scottlp2 I use M. Graham and Daniel Smith, MG gets so soft in the summer but at least it doesn't drip. DS gets so hard in cold weather the paints actually pop out of the palettes. I love the teal from MG it sets fine in cooler weather they stay moist to the touch in warm weather.

[@kathleencaffrey1716]

You’re in DaVinchi territory to.

[@nancyloomis3046]

Hi Irit! I’m sure Daniel Smith and other American made brands are higher outside the U.S., but I consider them high priced here in the U.S. too, and quite on par with other non U.S. made premium brands such as Sennelier, Schmincke and Holbein. DS Ultimate Mixing Set of 15 half pans is a really good choice & value for beginners wishing to step-up to artist grade. And Sennelier has an Aqua-Mini set of 8 half pans that runs in the neighborhood of $20+- on Amazon & other online retailers…it’s actually one of the cheapest artist grade sets available out there….and it is really artist grade but small at only 8 colors. It should not be confused with their La Petite Aquarelle line of more affordable student grade wcs. 👍😀

[@katalintimeaborsos5806]

I love your yarn collection in the background! Books-yarns-watercolors, that's my room exactly! Only messier :D

[@iritlandgraf]

Lol I promise you EVERYWHERE else in my room is messy😬😂

[@katalintimeaborsos5806]

@@iritlandgraf I know the feeling. When I have to teach online, I somehow take care of the little part of my room that is visible. The blessing of technology... 😅

[@pantalonious3984]

Heads up, BLICK raised the price of the Qor 24 tube set up to $90 from the $70 mentioned in this video. . . The 12 half pan set is now $70 which is crazy to me!!!

[@lunakat7020]

I noticed the price goes up and down you have to check back. I looked on Jerry's last night for Arches wc paper they jacked the price so much it's insane.I always paid 12 dollars for the 9x12 pad now that one goes for 17-18$. I don't understand what is going on with Jerry's and Blick.

[@pantalonious3984]

@@lunakat7020 i have noticed a LOT of prices going up and up and up for Art Supplies. It began not long after quarantines first went into effect and I figured it was due to the rise in demand with so many people choosing art as a means of expression during such a stressful time for everyone and had truly expected things to return closer to normal when the world began doing the same but so far all that’s happened is continued price increases across the board!

[@lunakat7020]

@@pantalonious3984 I hate when they take advantage like that. I know Amazon usually goes up and down,but I didn't think Blick and Jerry's did that. I check everywhere before I purchase something. One time it was actually less expensive ordering from the UK.

[@flyinghaggertys9362]

Loveeeeee your room decorations, art work, yarn combination!!

[@iritlandgraf]

Thank you😀❤️

[@gerriebell2128]

Just now discovered you, and this series is the first video (of 2) I’m watching. Thank you for gathering all this info!

[@iritlandgraf]

Hi Gerrie and welcome!

[@alexserra9605]

Lukas has half pans here in the USA. They were made specifically for jerrysartarama.

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing! Here in Austria it seems they only appear in sets🤷‍♀️

[@YoureBeautiful4Life]

I have absolutely no brand loyalty in my palette since making the switch from student to artist grade. Thankfully I don't have full set syndrome or I'd have a problem on my hands. It's been a fun journey testing out new colors from all over. Definitely some great recommendations from this channel too!

[@iritlandgraf]

Full set syndrome 😂😂

[@pantalonious3984]

@@iritlandgraf hey now it’s a serious problem, I myself suffer from this 😇😆🙃

[@jeanettegillings7202]

Hello Irit…I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas and all the best for the new year! Thank you for such a detailed video…you put in a LOT of work! (Well, you always do but this one involved a lot of data!). I was a DS devotee (and still am) however you opened my eyes to other brands…. I was not aware of Rembrandt or Van Gogh until you shared. Now I have a number of their pigments and I think they’re wonderful. Even VG, which is considered a student grade is fantastic and I would go as far to say that I can’t tell much difference between those and the artist grade. I’m enjoying Roman Szmal too…. I wish they had tubes but understand that that option may not be viable for them. Sadly, it is cheaper to purchase from Jackson’s in the UK compared to local stores here in Australia - especially DS etc. even taking into account tax and postage!

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing Jeanette and glad you enjoyed! I look forward to talking about all the other brands ;) Happy new year!

[@tutaart]

Thank you for this video. I hope you have time to answer my question. In my technique I use multiple layers and when I apply the second coat the paint underneath starts to reactivate can you recommend some brands that allow me to paint in layers

[@iritlandgraf]

Hi! Sennelier is well known to be great for glazing and you may hear that a lot but from my experience it mostly has to do with your choice of paper ( 100% cotton is best) and also pigments. Some pigments are more staining so work better for those first layers. The paper is really the biggest factor. Some papers ( mostly student grade or non cotton) allow very easy lifting and you'll struggle with those. Hope that helps!

[@franninchen]

I have to admit I have a ton of Schmincke paints but also a ton of Daniel Smith even it is expensive here in Europe. I love Daniel Smith for its intensity compared to the softness and smoothness of Schmincke. From all other brands I just have some color here and there. If I just have to pick one company I would definitely go with Daniel Smith hands down. My most favorite colors are just from their range...

[@Psychodynamic431]

Thanks Irit:) beautiful start for the christmas season😁

[@iritlandgraf]

You're welcome 😊

[@Psychodynamic431]

Happy new year Irit..hope you are doing well..missing your presence on youtube..

[@kombiniertanzbekki]

One of the Cheapest Options for Cobalt Turquoise (or Teal) as someone in Germany is the Lukas Brandt. In my opinion its a very goog option for this pigment.

[@iritlandgraf]

Agreed! I’ve mentioned that exact color several times on my channel :)

[@mariab4142]

I really enjoy your videos, and learn so much. You pack a lot of information into each one!

[@iritlandgraf]

Glad to hear!

[@jennw6809]

Roman Szmal Aquarius is on sale right now at Jacksons!!

[@ms.rocketscience4924]

Thanks for another great video with your direct and honest opinions. I am in the US and buy a lot of my supplies from Jackson’s because their prices are often better than Amazon or stores like Blick. Even with shipping, especially if you are making a larger purchase. Another thing I discovered, which may only apply to the US, is that many sellers on Amazon in Japan (and a few other countries) will ship to the US and have much cheaper prices on Holbein paints. The various unique palette designs are also a great deal even with additional shipping. Looking forward to your next video😘

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks so much for sharing! Glad you enjoyed 😀❤️

[@lorijones9579]

II enjoy colors from many brands. I have tubes or half pans from Sennelier, Daniel Smith, M. Graham, Winsor & Newton, Old Holland, Schmincke, Da Vinci, QOR, Roman Szmal, Holbein, and one half pan from A. Gallo (Copper Blue). My least favorite by far is Schmincke. I most love the brands made with honey, but there are a few specific Winsor & Newton colors that are the most beautiful of their kind. Nobody makes a more beautiful French Ultramarine than Sennelier, which makes sense. I've developed an eclectic collection of favorites over the years.

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing Lori!

[@sonaadottigunisova6039]

Many thanks Irit !!! I have just ordered some Holbein and Aquarius paints through your german address 😃 finaly I will have the pastel set from Holbein and their bright rose 😅 cool 👍

[@iritlandgraf]

Oh yay! Have fun playing!!

[@sonaadottigunisova6039]

@@iritlandgraf i can’t thank you enough for the whole community of watercolor lovers 😍

[@iritlandgraf]

My pleasure!

[@valasafantastic1055]

Where I live Daniel Smith is the cheaper professional option. (Canada). M.graham and DS are the reasonable prices and easy to find ‘in stock’. The Van Gogh is student grade and imported but I can find it for a low price and I love them so I personally get and include them in my pallets. I also got an excellent price in a Senellier starter set and love them but getting Senellier open stock tubes is too expensive here. I’d love a few specific Schminke, Senellier, etc. Windsor and Newton is easy to find but overpriced in Canada so unless there is an amazing sale I generally avoid them. I prefer tubes so I am get more, and also premix special colours into empty half pans. I have been adding pure honey into gouache and hard to reset tube colours and it has entirely fixed the issue. This adds a slight bit of gloss however. I advise adding a touch of honey where helpful if you want.

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing! It makes such a difference where you are in the world🎨

[@Artsy_cosplay18_FanChannel]

where is M.graham found in Canada I live in Canada and haven't seen it? I would like to try it

[@iritlandgraf]

No idea, maybe Amazon? or try the brand's website, maybe they have a list of stockists.

[@Artsy_cosplay18_FanChannel]

@@iritlandgraf I did see it there I did look but it was most then I would like for it but I will check the website and try other places thank you

[@annepercival7814]

Didn’t catch the name of the place which sells Holbein cheaply

[@iritlandgraf]

Check the info section 😉

[@dryingshift]

Thank you for the video! I think I don't really have a go to brand, since for most of the colors in my palette I've done a lot of looking at swatches online to pick my favorite version, or I've picked up whatever was on sale. My main palette (plastic with 20 wells) has Holbein, Qor, Daniel Smith, MaimeriBlu, Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Winsor and Newton, Schmincke, ShinHan, and a bit of Roman Szmal that I've scooped out from the full pan with a palette knife lol. Looking at this list now, it does seem a bit ridiculous, but I'm pretty happy with the color selection.

[@iritlandgraf]

Love that you collect all the superstars in one palette, i do the same. Thanks for sharing!

[@Sevvin89]

Alllll the watercolors!!! :D

[@iritlandgraf]

Alllllllll🥴🥴🥴

[@lora9664]

I found your channel through Jenna Rainey as she gave your channel a shout out in her last video. She also provided a link. Can’t wait to see your stuff.

[@iritlandgraf]

Welcome! Great to have you here Lora!

[@corriemcginnis4400]

I bought one of those cheap kids art sets that come in a wooden box for my RS pans. Believe it or not, it was cheaper to by the art set than just the empty box. It's big. But you can fit alot of whole pans in it. And the pans are easily moved around and sorted on the box

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing!

[@flyinghaggertys9362]

My absolute favorite brand is Holbein. I love the color selection, the rewet, the reliability, price is OK in the US. My favorite Holbein color is Marine Blue, pb16, its more green leaning than any other pb16. my favorite brands to buy and use are Holbein and Daniel Smith. Sennelier is close behind. One of my favorites to USE but not to buy is Schmincke 😂😂 I’m in the US and if Schmincke wasn’t such a pleasure to use, I would absolutely regret buying my large set of Schmincke tubes because of their price 😵😬 Roman Szmal is lovely, but I just don’t love using pans! M Graham is super nice, (I prefer to Sennelier just slightly) but they don’t dry down as good or have as good a range as Sennelier for me. Rembrandt and Da Vinci are both nice , I use some from them, but both give me some amount of binder-shine in certain colors and the dried pans feel sort of weird to me?? Especially Rembrandt, it feels plasticy …. And then Mai Meri Blu oh god I just don’t like! They bubble so much when rewet. pre-made tins are gorgeous, and color selection is great, but Those bubbles are terrible. I 100% bought Mai Meri blu set simply for the cool tin! Amd that was worth it hahaha … Qor is beautiful and vibrant I love it very very much for high impact colors , Quinn’s and pthalos, their quin magenta is a superior color after dried than any other brand, but other than that, I don’t bother with Qor. I need to try Lukas still. That will be next on my testing brands. Great video I really enjoyed watching!! 🥰🥰🥰

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing!

[@jennw6809]

I treasure my Schmincke too, it's simply the best when you're using hot press paper!

[@spruceandsquirrel]

Qor has one unique pigment that isn't available in other brands according to Dr Oto Kano. Ardoise Grey, PBk19

[@justacatwhocantype]

Oooh, watercolor brands. Never get tired talking about that. I have quite a few brands that I love, all for different reasons, but my overall favorites are Schmincke, Winsor and Newton and QOR. I also really like Lukas watercolors, exactly for how boring and basic they are. I also enjoy other brands like Sennelier, Daniel Smith, Paul Rubens, White Nights, Rembrandt... There are just so many good watercolors out there. And also a lot of good student grade paints. A lot of people do not get this, but I really love working with Cotman. And Van Gogh watercolors are also great. So many choices.... But overall, If I had to decide on just one, it would be Schmincke. I have always been very satisfied with any of their products that I have tried (except for their super gooey ammonia-free masking fluid - I do not recommend! ) and living in Germany I can easily purchase them in pretty much any store that sells watercolors.

[@iritlandgraf]

This is a judgement free zone! I really don’t like Cotman but glad it works for others!

[@samy3784]

Super video!😇

[@fuzzydragons]

I want to try the Qor paints so bad but maybe only if I went back to Canada and had space in luggage for them

[@iritlandgraf]

Hope you manage to do that! Their introductory sets only have a few small tubes, that doesn't take too much space 😉

[@HaruKazePIU]

What an interesting video, thank you! I believe QOR has at least one unique color which is Ardoise Gray (PBk19). At the very least it's a rare pigment.

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing!

[@LoriF25403]

I have some Lukas from Jerry's Artarama (US) very inexpensive under $5 a tube

[@iritlandgraf]

Yup great deal!

[@sonaadottigunisova6039]

Hi Irit ! Happy new year first 🥳 of course i would like to know what are the specialty colours one should get and pay taxes for 🤪 your recommendations were always very helpful and smart 👍 funny as my first set of Aquarius was the one of pasqualino fracasso, i also liked his selection of colours, i would like to have your opinion on what coulours should i add to this first aquarius collection if i want to expand my range😘 and also for other more famous brands, like colours to have absolutely… happy painting 😍

[@iritlandgraf]

Glad you enjoyed Sona! As for Aquarius I would try some of their cobalts, ultramarine pink is a nice color not all brands offer. I do love the paqualino set as it has some great colors I would pick up if I didn't have the set, like mineral violet and shadow violet. Hope that helps!

[@anniemuller1445]

I use schminke horadam. These are quite affordable in Germany eg. 1 half pan for 3€ (about 4$)

[@iritlandgraf]

Yup I'm sure Germany is the best place to buy schmincke 😉

[@jennw6809]

For me, the Daniel Smith Primateks are duds. Finding out that they lied about what's in them -- and then acted all SHOCKED and denied it when a scientist called them out -- really spoils it for me. It's also a dud that they permanently closed their Seattle store (I live nearby) even though they kept saying they would reopen it. I mean I know it's a pandemic and all, but everybody else reopened in 2020, but in 2021 they were still saying "it's not safe enough yet." Now they're gone!

[@iritlandgraf]

Sorry to hear Jenn!

[@gnostie]

Just looked up Lukas on Jackson's UK and yeah, visually not tempting at all, but on the other hand might be good for non-stellar basics, at £8.60 per 24ml tube.

[@iritlandgraf]

Absolutely. If you find colors you like, it's a fantastic deal

[@Artsy_cosplay18_FanChannel]

My go to are the white nights though Im from Canada and the paints I see are W&N, Daniel Smith, Van Gogh, Daler-rodney, sennelier, Holbien, mungyo and shinhan watercolours are brands I've seen around I've not tired them all yet I like to try different brands but those are the ones I have found

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Artsy_cosplay18_FanChannel]

@@iritlandgraf your welcome

[@MsU2bviewer]

Which brand(s) of paper do you recommend to use with Japanese watercolor paint?

[@iritlandgraf]

Holbein is Japanese but formulated like traditional European paint so which ever paper you use for those works. I don't have experience with traditional Japanese paints.

[@jennw6809]

I watch a Japanese watercolorist (Shibasaki, he's great!) and I believe he uses Holbein paper as well as paints and brushes. Hahnemuhle makes a Sumi paper that might work well!

[@MsU2bviewer]

@@jennw6809 Thank you! I appreciate your sharing the information.

[@natlisan]

Being in Canada Daniel Smith, Windsor & Newton and M. Graham are widely available so I've amassed a decent collection of them even though I have also splurged on some beautiful A.Gallo paints from Italy, which cost me a small fortune!!!😄 My go to though are my Daniel Smith & M. Graham. The one saving grace about being a watercolourist is that a little paint goes a long way so I get my moneys worth out of each tube! What cost me more is the paper!!!!!!!!!!!😉

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing Nathan!

[@happymv5350]

Hello Iriti, thank you for this video. From a price point perspective, is it safe to assume you are talking about the standard half/full pan quantity and not speaking in terms of tube quantity?

[@iritlandgraf]

I wrote on screen which size I meant but if I missed a specific one then give me a time stamp and I will gladly give you the info

[@NanaBeth1]

Me again. Tintoretto now has 3 sizes of mottlers in synthetic goat hair!!! Jackson's doesn't have them yet.

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing Beth!

[@aDricalua]

In Brasil we pay 5 x to $1 and to 6 to 6,5x to 1euro, van gogh is the student brand less expensive here.

[@jcsart5055]

Iam generally unimpressed with Daniel Smith paints. The price is ridiculous even in the US. I haven't tried qor yet but I would love to. I love Roman szmal and Windsor and Newton for quality and price comparison and if I want to spend a fortune on paint I prefer schmincke.

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing!

[@catsontherise4300]

Where do you shop? DS is comparable in price to many other brands if you live in the US. If you price it out, ml for ml, they are cheaper than many depending on the pigment. As for Roman Szmal, ml to ml, they are just as expensive as everyone else considering a full pan only holds 3-4ml. I'd love to try them, but w/ shipping costs from overseas, it's just too much.

[@alejandromorales9516]

My preferred brands are mostly due to access. In the US, I can easily get Daniel Smith, Van Gogh, DaVinci, and Sennelier which are the most used paints in my palette ... save for Roman Szmal which I get from Jackson's and I love them as they seem to be the love child of Daniel Smith and Sennelier.

[@iritlandgraf]

Absolutely, i believe all these brands are good and you shouldn’t waste your money covering import shipping and customs charges…

[@colorecstasy6673]

I live in the states. Your review was broad that it encompassed prices for both US and Europe, but it really confused me, because all your favorite paints and recommendations were the opposite for me. All of the European brands are twice the price for me here. I can’t even think about spending that much for paint.

[@iritlandgraf]

I'm sorry you feel this way! I said repeatedly that I think these brands are all good and so one should pick as a go to what is local available and affordable to them. I would gladly use Daniel Smith more if it weren't so expensive in Europe. Hope that helps! And I am in Europe so it makes sense for me to buy European brands when possible. I only buy other brands if the colors are unique

[@colorecstasy6673]

@@iritlandgraf no, I loved the review. But I think it would clear things up for your US viewers if you were to make a review specific to US viewers based on price and performance. Just because I wasn’t then sure which US brands are a better value because you say they are all good. That is vague, I can’t afford to purchase every Us brand. But you did great on the European review, when I visit Europe I know which brands to purchase and stock up on. thank you!!

[@iritlandgraf]

I have only tried Daniel Smith and Qor (and M. Grahan which will be mentioned in the next parts), so those are the ones I reviewed. Since I am in Europe I don't have access nor the budget to try more US brands. There are so many other KZbinrs based in the US who have access, so best to look out for them. I hope to one day visit again the US, and I will do my best to pick up some other brands (I would LOVE to try Da-Vinci, as I have heard good things about it) and give them a go. The point of this series is to share my experience and hopefully help people figure out which brand works for them. For those who live in the US, I would hate for you to spend extra $$ on European brands that are just as good as US brands. Yes, I said they are all good for the most part, but every brand has different color range, price range (which I cannot include in a video since there are many shops across the globe with different prices and ranges), formula, tubes/pans, sets... I was not vague, I just think every brand has its strengths and weaknesses and it is up to each artist to decide what they want to try and/or what works for them. I think I was pretty clear on what I think about Daniel Smith and Qor. Yes they are both good but Daniel smith has so many more colors, formats and probably more affordable. Qor is expensive, has a unique formula, nothing special in the colors. All things I talk about in the video. I would hate for people to think they were missing out on a paint because it is unavailable to them where they are in the world, or out of their budget. I hope this helps clear things out a bit.

[@colorecstasy6673]

@@iritlandgraf you have tried way more than me. I only have budget brands, but invested in a 5mg 6 starter of Daniel smith. That one is the only reasonably priced one. I do see a lot of reviews on budget brands. Frugal crafter us a great US based KZbin that reviews them. I just liked your comparison format of the artist quality paints similar to what frugal crafter does with the budget brands. Def do not expect you to spend on expensive foreign paints. I just enjoyed your style format of video. Will continue to watch your content and BOLO for your trip abroad to pick up paints in the future. And if or when I go to Europe I will def pick up your recommendations. This hobby is expensive enough. We need to save our coins, because painting isn’t going to pay my bills 🤣😂🥲maybe one day tho😁

[@iritlandgraf]

Absolutely! Too much paint not enough money and time 😉

[@yasminazevedodossantos5198]

Pestilento watercolors is growing in Brazil.

[@ColoursByEllen]

I love Pestilento Watercolors but they're really overpriced. I know that they are a small business but a half pan can cost you something around 5~8 dolars, and they're smaller than conventional half pans. A lot of colors are made with cheap pigments, most are mixtures ou have white on it. In Brazil I think that White Nights is a good choice. A full pan costs around 5 dollars.

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing! Never heard of them

[@parthsavyasachi9348]

Personally i am not a single brand guy. I have been buying any color in any brand that i am curious about. I try them and slowly slowly converging to a set that i would like to use. So all and any brand. Ps: for darker tones i mostly prefer lukas after using others before it. It has removed the problem where painting look dull once dried. Lukas colors keep their impact.

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing!

[@parthsavyasachi9348]

@@iritlandgraf irit merry Christmas to you.

[@LKBearfly]

I completely agree re Lucas - nothing super exciting, but overall excellent! And I don’t know why, but I like white nights better than Aquarius, and they are cheaper and available in tubes as well.

[@iritlandgraf]

White nights will have to wait their turn at the end of the alphabet 😉

[@parthsavyasachi9348]

I dunno i am more and more lukas guy after using most of the prominent brands around. The main reason i use lukas over others is that lukas look impactful while others look dull compared to lukas.

[@mydogeatspuke]

@@parthsavyasachi9348 I've experienced the opposite, Lukas paints looking dull, less pigmented etc when compared to other brands. They almost look like they could flake off the page once dried, that chalk-like finish. The best for pigmentation I've used are either Roman Szmal (Aquarius) or Schmincke. Both are very vibrant and clear. As a bonus, the RS perylenes have very little drying shift, which is quite abnormal for those pigments. I suppose the paper you use could make a difference, but I've tried most from 100% cellulose to 100% cotton and haven't seen notable differences with the paints themselves.

[@parthsavyasachi9348]

@@mydogeatspuke Hi thank you for very interesting comment. I regularly use schminke as its easily available here in Germany and my experience is indeed oppose of what you got. RS that you mentioned i really want to try because what you said i heard from others too. About lukas this is how it happened with me. When i started i bought a lukas color set. I painted one or two paintings with it and a card for wifey grandma. Then shifted to mainly schimke and holbein. In next two years whenever i visited her place. Noticed that her card looks more vibrant then the paintjng i have in house. So went back to lukas for some darker colors. I don't use lukas for everything my main lukas colors in use are mainly blues and lukas red. So i guess its down to the specific colors we use. (I use colors from other brands in same painting pretty much always)

[@alejandromorales9516]

@@mydogeatspuke I have the perelyne violet and maroon from Roman Szmal and they are by far my faves of any brand. The Maroon is so high chroma and very red and doesn't dry as brown as other brands. it's almost indistinguishable from their PR264 Pyrrole Rubine

[@impish22]

Yay... my Thursday is more fun with Irit..!!

[@iritlandgraf]

Yay!

[@hearterin294]

Love you!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@iritlandgraf]

Right back at ya😀❤️

[@intuitiveinspiredart4366]

Rembrandt is terribly underappreciated. I have a large half-pan set and each time I use it, it wins me over.

[@iritlandgraf]

Agreed! I made a whole video on underrated supplies and Rembrandt was the star!

[@pedrocarrilho6481]

I use D. Smith, Schminke, Sennelier, W6N (some colors, Mission Gold and White Nights. I like them ALL... for different purposes... Today i bouth a new set from Rembrandt (36 half pans) and i am loving this set! Just EUR99,00 for a 36 half pans artist watercolor... They are as good as the other brands

[@iritlandgraf]

I agree! I did a video on underrated supplies and Rembrandt is featured there

[@joannaplichta9677]

A small update on Roman Szmal - they recently released 15 new colours. Two of them are Intense Ultramarine and Quinapthalone Yellow from Gosik palette that now are sold separately, a couple new earth colours and new quinacridone colours (including new version of quinacridone gold). They've also released two new sets - Mona Ormani and Jane Blundell.

[@iritlandgraf]

Thanks for sharing!

[@petiteflower5259]

Your kids and my kids sound very similar :)

[@iritlandgraf]

Haha loud? 😉

[@colorecstasy6673]

I wish Daniel smith had better prices on their sets. I find the sets to be expensive even on Amazon and blick living in the states. If you live in the states I think Qor seems to be really good price for what you get on the 24 set 77$ I think is really good price for 24 paints

[@iritlandgraf]

Yes i agree they are very expensive. Yes the Qor sets are well priced, the problem is after the paint runs out ;)

[@colorecstasy6673]

@@iritlandgraf yes, but 13 mg is twice as much as a half Pam set and $77 is cheaper than a high end 24 set half pan. So if you think about it that’s really good

[@iritlandgraf]

I think that set has 5ml tubes

[@colorecstasy6673]

@@iritlandgraf ahah I guess that explains why I thought it was such a good deal 🤣

[@iritlandgraf]

It's OK, it's still a good deal but not an insanely amazing one 😉

[@curiouscolour8336]

I think only professional botanical painters, vegans who don't buy honey products or people who live in very hot, humid climates need to stick to specific brands. I used to buy Daniel Smith but I am in Europe and now I like Roman Szmal (except for a few colours that I like more in other brands, like W&N Indigo and Dan Barette's Ruby).

[@NanaBeth1]

Just contacted Peter's to see if they ship to the USA. I want the Shigure set!!

[@iritlandgraf]

Good luck!!

[@NanaBeth1]

@@iritlandgraf They kindly replied to me today-wow on a holiday weekend. They do ship to The USA-but no Holbein or Carandache. Bah humbug!

[@iritlandgraf]

sorry! I guess those brands have exclusive agreements with distributors in the US...

[@susanavenir]

I'm in love with Roman Szmal, but I cheat on him with that sexy devil, Qor. We have the occasional menage a trois. Sometimes I think about inviting M. Graham to join us, but my guys mutter about him being "sticky."

[@iritlandgraf]

Lol! Cheater😂

[@britbrat4559]

Qor has truely been a dissapointment. I bought the 24 set about 2 years ago and it feels like qor has given up on their own paint. No new colors for years and no speciality colors ... Dissapointment.

[@iritlandgraf]

Yeah you make a good point, it does seem to just stagnate...

[@mydogeatspuke]

Well that's disappointing. I commented about QoR, Roman Szmal, Schmincke and Holbein and it was deleted. I replied to someone about Rembrandt and it was deleted. Nothing rude, aggressive or combative in any of them, but they've been removed. If we can't discuss our experiences with paints honestly then what's the point in having comments open?

[@iritlandgraf]

I didn't remove anything

[@mydogeatspuke]

@@iritlandgraf well they've all gone. The replies could have been someone deleting their original comment and then reposting it, although I'm not sure why they'd do that, but when combined with my own post also being removed but nobody else's, it'd be a very strange bug to only target me lol. Some others were being rude to me, which is also disappointing, but I didn't engage with that. I just wanted to talk about paint, sigh.

[@iritlandgraf]

Sorry, didn't see any of it. Sometimes KZbin automatically removes comments with certain words, maybe that's what happened, or yes, the original comments were deleted by the authors 🤷‍♀️

[@mydogeatspuke]

@@iritlandgraf I've seen the AI delete things for specific words, it happens before they're even published for others to see them. Some of the words it doesn't like are bizarre and completely innocent, but it's always instant. It remains at 0 seconds since posted until you refresh the page, at which point it has already disappeared. The AI doesn't delete comments/replies after they're published and can be seen by others. The replies were replied to, which is why I thought maybe the OP deleted their comment and reposted it because I can see the comment I replied to but clicking the replies from my notifications doesn't lead to the comment (also it's 2 hours shorter since posting than it was originally), but my own comment was active for well over an hour and was removed at roughly the same time as the replies.

[@iritlandgraf]

Sorry this happened. All i can do is assure you i do not delete comments unless i find them unnecessarily rude or mean. In this case i never saw the comments in question. I always encourage a good discussion !

[@nataliedubious5241]

"Buy something from your country or continent" *looks confused in Australian* Hahaha, yeah.. there's only one local brand which is art spectrum and their watercolour formula is ick. Luckily Roman Szmal, Renenas, and a lot of the asian brands are pretty affordable locally (adamstown art aussie friends!) in comparison to DS and other brands like QoR. Otherwise it's cheaper for me to buy from Jackson's and ship it here 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

[@macCALICOmac]

Yes, South African here. Haha

[@iritlandgraf]

Lol I did apologise to the southern hemisphere!

[@GotTheTravelBug]

Ha ha. (laughing in Australian too). Yeah. I must say Art Spectrum watercolours in Indigo Blue and Australian Red Gold are really lovely. The other colours I've tried aren't good.

[@wellyano6964]

Yeah, Art Spectrum is a bit hit and miss. The markup on Winsor and Newton here is brutal! I can't in good conscience pay the Australian prices when you see what they charge in the UK. We are pretty limited here. Thank goodness Adamstown stocks Roman Szmal and it's also cheap to ship from Jackson's.