Today, I found a Winsor and Newton Cotman field plus travel set at the Goodwill for $2 - never used. I was so excited to get to try them for such a good price. Look at the thrift stores, you never know what you will find.
Totally agree about upgrading your paper,I have used student grade paint and have used cheap paper for years but when I started using more cotton paper over pulp papers I noticed a huge difference. 😀
I have been watching you for a really long time and learn something new every time. One of your most important tips is to be yourself...and remind yourself “ it’s your picture..do what YOU like”...that attitude has helped the control freak in me. I am learning to enjoy painting..second tip...use good paper!👏👏👏
Just going back through previous watercolor videos you have done and realized I should have watched this sooner. My personality tendencies make it better for me to start with a student grade paint including the Art Whale 🐳 pan set. I would be nervous using expensive paints and papers at this stage. With the WN Cotman 14 set and the Art Whale 🐳 set ,(when I am ready to experiment with a larger palette ) , I will feel at ease using them. Nervous tension will probably not be a great contributor to my learning experience.
Just thought you'd want to know your hair looks especially lush and abundant in this video and deserving of a compliment. Also, excellent information so, thank youà
Your hair looks shiny and healthy - just beautiful! I also love your necklace. Now that being said, this was an extremely informative video! Even though I have been painting for many years, I still learn something every time I watch you. I have been putting off learning the pigments in my paints but you are convincing me that it's the smart thing to do. Please continue sharing your abundant knowledge with us. I so appreciate you!!
Lindsey thank you for all that information. God bless you, you are like a walking encyclopedia when it comes to watercolor, arts and crafts! I have loved watching your channel all these years, and last but not least your watercolor classes are divine! ;)
I started watercolouring because of you, and I love it. So now I am using schmincke and qor (they sent me 6 tubes for free) I have Windsor and Newton too, but they are left behind although they are all in the same box. I have 12 colours of Windsor and Newton, 30 colours of schmincke and 6 colours of qor. I have some half pans I bought, but the rest are tubes. And they all behave good when drying. What I find is that qor last a very long time, more than my schmincke. Windsor and Newton I cant say, because I hardly use them. But I find them a bit hard to reset... thank you again for all your information. Every TH-cam video you made and make, i watch over and over... you are an abs fab teacher. ❤️
I would love to see one of these videos for paper. That was my big beginner mistake. I didn't want to buy the expensive paper because I was just learning (and "wasting"), so I bought the cheapest watercolor paper they had. I got frustrated that it would buckle and peel and do none of techniques I saw others do. I thought it was me, not realizing it was the paper. It took a long time to learn that.
I bought the pretty excelent watercolors pretyt much because of you. I got interested in watercolor after taking a class of "freehad" drawing for architecture students (i'm not an architect) because i needed the credits to graduate, so I bought the cheapest watercolor set I could find that wasnt a kids set, and just fell in love with watercoloring. With time, i got a budget set of tube watercolors, and they are fine, but then I wanted to treat myself for my birthday, and as a broke masters degree student, i was just browsing around, and when you did your review (i love love love your channel) i decided i'd look into those, which were a little bit expensive because of the coin conversion (i'm from colombia), but so worthy! I doubt i'll ever get professional grade, because i dont think i will ever become a professional artist, but the tip of getting the student set and then, if i really love it, buy the color i run out of is a brilliant idea i hadnt actually thought of! Thank you for all your reviews and all the effort you put for your videos, i enjoy them (and hearing you speak) so much!
Lindsay, that Peony painting behind you is beautiful. I want to thank you for this informational video. And all the other's you have done. They really help. You have for sure saved my pocketbook by educating me. Thanks sooooo much for sharing your knowledge & talents.
Thank you so much for this informative video. I am diving deeper into the world of watercolors and you've been a wonderful teacher. I appreciate all of your insight and especially your bright personality. You're awesome
Lindsey, you look very beautiful today💐. Thank you for your valuable information on water colors. I appreciate all your knowledge. Have a great day 😀😊 🎉!
I am sitting here in my PJs watching the glamor queen talk about paint. I got to feeling frumpy looking at you. lol. You made the material a lot more understandable. Thanks. and You look fantastic.
Lol, if it's any consolation I usually have a paint stained sweatshirt and leggings, lwhwarmers and a wool hat with earflaps in when I am crafting down here this time of year so don't feel frumpy at all:)
I had an aha moment, followed by a DUH. Many times when you are listing the pigment numbers I'm mystified by why it's important to a hobby painter. I always looked at them as good information for "later" and knowing what they mean is always good. Today you mentioned if the paint color you want has the pigment numbers and you have those paints you could mix it yourself...well damn. DUH. Yet again you have brought out valuable information that common sense would say I should know but never thought of myself. Thanks again!
One tube of paint is turquoise, leaning green. The pigments are ultramarine and phthalo blue - not sure how they did that. I assume it’s the processing that made it so green.
I started with a student/budget set and 4 months later went to schmincke 48 set and I'm never going back to non artist grade. The difference was so huge. I am glad I did start with some cheaper brands though because it gave me a lot better appreciation for my artist quality paints.
@@thefrugalcrafter what all colors of schmincke do you have? I have purchased quite a few of the tubes now as well and would not mind sending over some colors. They paint and re-activate like a dream!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank You! I Really appreciate you taking time out of your day to do the reviews of not only the paints but mentioning the quality of paper and brushes. You've helped me both to not buy paint I don't need and upgrade to cotton paper and see the Wonderful difference it makes! If I could give you a Huge Hug I would in a heartbeat! Thanks again and keep the great videos coming! 🤗🤗🤗👏👏👏 (BTW: my thumbnail pic is the lily I painted from your tutorial! )
I think it's so important that you talk about the effects outsourcing of production can have (On not just watercolors) We can't know for sure, but it seems very plausible to me- I wonder what Winsor and Newton thinks of this and if they're aware? I have seen several products that look identical, but under different brands.... it makes you wonder... Then there is also companies that sell basically the same product, but cheaper, under a different brand- to reach another type of customer. Lidl, a grocery store, has contracts with different companies to sell their products under different names for cheaper prices. A lot of people suspect Sennelier sell their paints under the Jacksonsart-brand. All speculations, but sometimes it's a bit fun to put on the tinfoil-hat haha.
@Melissa Sullivan Yes, I also avoid China and similar countries (Also because I can never be sure if the workers are paid enough etc) Where I can, I want to buy products made in Europe or America. I knew Lidl wasn't alone in doing that! We buy from them a lot too!
Creative Mark Mimiks are fantastic. I've bought a load of brushes since I started watercolours a couple of years ago. All kinds of synthetic, the odd kominsky sable, red sable, and a couple of sable blends etc. Then I bought a set of Mimiks. Brilliant. I wish these had been the first set of brushes that I bought, I would have saved myself so much frustration and money, and would have avoided animal products. Highly recommended. *****
This was such perfect timing! I’ve been wanting to try tube watercolor paints and was trying to figure out if I should get student quality and now I’m going to jump in and get them!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! 🙏🏻💜💕💜
I love when you do these videos that provide us so much information. As a long time viewer of your channel, I have learned so much from watching your content. I cannot thank you enough! Keep up the excellent work!!!
Beautifully put, Mrs Weirich - and your hair looks great, especially with that eye-shadow - autumn colours really suit you. So well put re: pro brands not being carte blanche on lasting forever, and good general demistification. I honestly now recommend White Nights or Jackson’s own-brand pro paints now rather than student brands as they cost the same or less, and the quality is so much higher.
@The Spin Doctor... I was trying to think of a good nickname for Lindsay's followers.. ie J.D. calls her followers "Davenpeeps". I thought you might have some awesome ideas! ??
Melissa Sullivan They’re their own paints in their own base formulation. I know they are manufactured in France but they are just made in a factory for them, rather than being a relabelling of another brand.
How about frugals... lyndsay and her frugals... I like that. I adore schmincke and qor artist watercolours. My Windsor and Newton are also in my box, I always left them aside...
The Spin Doctor I bought a tin of Jackson’s based on your review and I do like them. White nights is really fun to paint with! I also agree with you about Lindsay’s hair. It’s lovely.
Hey Lindsay. I'm watching your Lampwork glass tutorial and I must say that you look absolutely beautiful now and cute then. I had to hunt to find you today as your as crafty as I am. Is there a craft that we don't do??? Anywho was wondering if you use your glass kit much.I'm just a beginner and was wondering if you liked doing it. I have mad two attempts at beads and failed miserably, but I keep trying. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I can't believe how different you look. WOW and I'm a woman (a straight woman). Thanks for reading, Teresa
I really like your videos Lindsay. You are really knowledgeable and make beautiful paintings. Thank God for the Budget Grade watercolor brands! The differences between some of the Budget Grade and the Artist/Professional Grade watercolor brands are so small, as to make critiquing them a concern of scholarly nitpicking. I feel like we are at a point in history with modern chemistry, that the classification of the paints in the description above may change in the future, as more and more artists make beautiful artist level paintings with Budget Grade watercolor paints at 20-30x less the cost in paint. I switched from M. Graham to Reeves about 4 years ago, when I bought Reeves for my daughter and saw how nice they looked and performed. I have been curious about Arteza and Prima, and appreciate that you recommend them, and may give them a try as second favorites to my Reeves watercolors. No painting that artists care about should be displayed in direct sunlight-Not even those made with Artist/Professional Grade paint. I might try using a fixative spray by Krylon to preserve my favorite paintings, or ones that I want to hang on the wall. There are several to choose from, so I am going to have to research that a little. In my opinion, quality paper and quality brushes make the biggest difference, if you have found a good paint that you like.
I agree, there are some budget brands that rival the artist quality, i think it boils down to whether or not you trust the light fast info or have pigment info as many of these companies have popped up overnight. That said if you are willing to take a chance the gamble can pay off, I've found some gems in the budget grade. The downside being that if you use up a color you can replace one tube or pan in most cases and there is no artist grade in the line to level up to. that said there has never been a better time to be a painter!
@@thefrugalcrafter I am going to test Krylon UV Archival Varnish (Matte) on some paintings and see how they look. Krylon recommends matte finish for watercolor paintings, but I may also try gloss at some point. I watched an instructional video on the proper application of a fixative spray, and it seems like it should be easy. This should protect any hung paintings from fading, moisture, and cleaning if necessary. *Edit: For 1/3 price of 1 tube of artist paint I can preserve 20 square feet of paintings. I just picked up the Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating Matte 11 0z. for $6.67 at our local art and craft store.
Tried the Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating Matte spray today on a butterfly painting that I am going to hang on the wall. The spray was easy to use and did not harm my watercolor painting. I always write the name of the paint brand and date on the back of the pictures I make. I am going to note on the back of this picture that I also used Kyrylon UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating Matte.
Thanks Lindsay. You are a peach. This will help so many people just getting started. Wish I had come across this info when I started( a whole 14 months ago) so much more straight to it no bumbling. Well... less bumbling. Lol. Jerry's just had the mimic set 5 or 7 for just under 15 bucks. Great deal. And love those Pretty Excellent!! I'm starting to use my M Grahams more but they rewet so easy I get spoiled then impatient with other paints. What !?!? Spray them and wait ten minutes? Ugh. LOL.
I know what you mean about the M. Grahams. The only ones I’ve tried that come close to the rewetting of the M. Graham paints are the QoR watercolors (both tube and pan) by Golden.
Thank you so much Lindsay! I’ve been thinking about upgrading my Cotman set and was a little lost about where to start. I also really need to upgrade my paper because I run out of the good one I used and the ones I recently tried can’t hold layering. If you can, a video on brushes would be awesome too!
I cannot express my gratitude enough to you for all that you do in educating, advising, demonstrating and sharing your wonderful skills, ideas & recommendations with us, thank you so very much 💐🥧☕🍷I discovered you only recently in my quest to reignite my lost passion for art, and crafts, since having to give up work for health reasons, to put colour into my day and hopefully in other people's 🤞I wish I discovered you years ago, although I now have so many incredible videos to view 😀 You have a natural & extremely pleasant way about you which is so refreshing, making for easy, if addictive viewing 😉💮🏵️🌼😍🎨🖼️
I mostly have used student grade watercolors such as cotman and koi as artist quality watercolors are impossible to find where I live but I-have 2 artist grade watercolor sets which are Schminke 24 set and the Lucas 48 set i was able to get them as my sister lives in the states so she ordered them for me they are a joy to work with and a huge upgrade from koi and cotman
Hello, pretty lady! That peony painting is gorgeous, by the way! Is there a tutorial for that? This was an excellent video explaining the difference between budget, student grade and artist grade paints! I agree with what you said about paper, as well! Awesome job, Lindsay!
Thank you 😊 This was a big help for me as a beginner in watercolors. So far I've been using watercolor pencils (drawing the color from them onto a pallet) but I'm now looking into buying "real" watercolors.
I love these videos. Between the reviews and comparisons, I have a lot better idea of where I might want to work into the more expensive levels of paint when I go that way. Add in the tutorials and I've seen so much improvement in my abilities that I can't begin to put into words how much this channel has helped me. I might have gotten an off tube, but my Cotman's Cerulean Blue doesn't work well when filled from the tube. It breaks loose and goes on adventures in the pallette even in larger amounts. I had another tube do that too, but I don't recall which one because I only used the pallette once after I got the new tubes since my office job went to 13+ hours a day with no days off in the last month and a half. I am dreading Pat Catan's closing since they had the Cotman line on sale for $3 a tube on and off, so I would grab a few each time I knew to fill in and experiment with colors. I want to get a good feel for the colors I really want before I start thinking about higher grade, higher priced paints. I would hate to pay $15 for a tube I wouldn't use more than once or twice. Michaels sells the tubes for more than the regular price at Pat Catan's so I'll end up having to order online so far less experimenting since shipping will have to be considered in how many colors at a time to keep the price lower than in store.
Try consumer crafts online. They have free shipping over $49 and are owned by pat catan. The prices are low and they often have % off your order sales.
Tons of valuable info in this video! Thank you for being so generous in sharing and helping everyone! Hugs BTW....love your hair, the color is stunning!
This is a wonderful video! I am glad That I found you when I first started watercoloring, because you always explain everything so well, and I feel that I made good choices in my supplies thanks to your advice. Thank you so much.
Very informative and interesting. Love your necklace!!! Can always use up the less than ideal quality paints on cards or tags rather than actual paintings. I will often practice color mixing and a particular brush stroke over and over. Then do a wash over my practices and either use it as a background or for die cuts. I also don't always practice with logical colors. I found it very difficult to mix purple, and I was trying to paint one stroke leaves. Cue to pages of purplish leaves. An overwash of either the red or blue I was using gave me an abstract background paper. I definitely agree with the ability to upgrade individual colors vs a whole set.
It's said water color is trickiest medium but I straight away kill the white with wash of pigment usually a beige or blue. After that it's not difficult to me anyhow!
I remember when I was little I always and I mean ALWAYS wanted a Windsor and Newton little paint box and then I avoided art after a bad teacher etc. Then when I picked it up again I picked up a small Royal and Lagnickal set and immediately I went back to childhood and wanted the W&N set. Picked up the 45 set for 23e on Amazon. Now I have several palettes that I love and adore. I do have one W&N professional palette and find its too precious to use which is a pity. I just looked up the price of one tube of their pro paint in Michaels and was shocked at the price. Its so cheap here in Ireland!
It never occurred to me that no US brands of watercolor have student lines until I watched this video! But I guess that makes DaVinci all the more appealing, particularly their pan sets.
Lindsey and for anyone who has "Must Try All the Colors" syndrome like me, TaoBao has shops that sell sometimes the entire line of an artist brand in 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 ml pans (and sometimes you can pick the palette it comes in). And yes, for a really good deal! I'm talking 50 half pans for $75 in Daniel Smith paint. But if you can't deal with Google translating the Chinese characters, there's the English Aliexpress (a sister site) where they go for a little more money.
Very helpful info. Thanks! Sorry for my long winded comment, but here it is: I am just beginning to get into using more “pro level” paint since I bought a killer deal of 12 of the .5ml tube set of Holbein on Amazon for $23! I don’t think they have quite the same deal now as that was months ago, but it’s always worth checking Amazon & other online sellers for their promos. And then sometimes your local “brick & mortar” fine art supply stores, who probably also sell online can have some great deals too. And a big plus there is you can actually go into the store and check out the products more closely (not by opening any bottle or tube...that’s a big no-no...especially with paint) but you can see it and read all the info at your leisure...and then you stand a chance of getting some knowledgeable help too. My local fine art supply is Plaza Art & there’s also a Dick Blick in downtown DC, but it’s usually too complicated to drive “downtown” DC due to traffic & parking. Anyway, I think my next pro purchase may be a Daniel Smith Essential Mixing set & then I’ll go from there. I also enjoy using my Pelikan pan set of 24 transparent WC I bought many years ago and only started using them again in the last year...and when I started using them again, it was if I’d just put them away the day before. They perform beautifully and their turquoise blue is to die for. No tubes for them but individual pan colors are available but not widely available. They are not exactly in the pro range, (no pigment info) but very high quality and not “inexpensive” and I think they’re still made in Germany. I also have a couple of the Jane Davenport watercolor sets....they are also “very good to excellent” quality but not exactly “pro” quality...but so much fun fun fun to paint with for art journaling and other mixed media projects. Whew! That’s it. 🤪
👍- Great comment, and I just wanted to say I bought the opaque Pelican set, just because I wanted to try it (loved it!) and have it for "sharing" with beginner's should I have the chance. ☺
Back in 2015 I had no plans to upgrade my student watercolors to pro, but then I ran across that same killer deal on the Holbein paints at Amazon, and just couldn't resist it. What a steal! Lindsay, I have watched dozens(hundreds?) of your videos over the years, and I do believe this was one of your best. What great info! I really appreciate you taking the time to list off favorite brands, with links. Love the darker hair. You're even prettier, and younger looking!
Loving the hair sexy Mama ;-) My boyfriend gave me a set of the Prang's first set you showed - I didn't realize that you could just replace a color as you need to - great to know. TFS
Great info, Lindsay! I enjoyed your explanation and I`m not even a watercolorist...LOL. But...I have a feeling that I might give it a try again, in a very humble and small way :) Water and I aren`t the greatest of friends but that`s exclusively my fault :)) Thank you and have a nice weekend, Josi
I always learn something new from you. Thank you for this video - of course I love the artist grade paints and like the full palette with all the pretty colors in between. I have the Rembrandt palette ($98 on Amazon) in my list now. My goal to get this palette. Do you like Arteza brand for just fun paint practicing and what do you think of their markers for coloring in coloring books. With some hand arthritic pain, it's getting harder and harder to use coloring pencils in my coloring books. Thanks for all that you do.... I just absolutely Love You, Lindsay!!!
I love their real brush pen markers. Their watercolors are decent, I have the 12 tube set and 36 pan set and together they are a nice collection. I am planning on using them on Wednesday on their new paper if you want to wait a few days before shopping.
@@thefrugalcrafter Thank you for your answer!!!! I know you get swamped with people asking you things..... You are so sweet. One day, I AM going to sign up for one of your watercolor classes.
When I started painting my teachers told me exactly which colors to buy individually, because existing sets, even professional ones, have a lot of useless colors. So, I would almost never go for a full set in any case.
I don't want to minimize the AMAZING value of this video, as I am very grateful that this answers the very questions I have wondered about!! However, next will you do a video on your makeup application technique? You appear to be a "pro" at that, too! (Is there nothing Lindsay can't do?)
Disclaimer: The following is all my opinion, it is not directed at any specific individual, I am not a watercolor expert, and Lindsay the frugalcrafter is more knowledgeable in art and a better painter than me. (Lol!) In the watercolor community there is confusion for many new aspiring artists about which brand of paint is the best. One of the prevailing thoughts in life is “if it costs more; then it must be better”. But in life, things are rarely so black and white for most things including which watercolor brand to buy. So, the most respected wisdom from some of the most skilled and helpful watercolor veterans, is that the classic watercolor pigments are the best for all people, all situations, and all times in watercolor painting. They advise that is OK to use the budget-friendly and student grade watercolor paints initially, but the goal is to transition to the expensive professional paints as soon as possible; and some even advise beginners to skip the budget-friendly and student grade watercolor paints altogether, and just get 3-6 primary professional grade watercolors to start. They reluctantly admit that the professional grade watercolor paints are expensive, but it is “fun to learn color mixing” as a beginner, and you have “better color harmony” in your compositions with fewer colors. Sure. Honestly, this advice just sounds like an excuse for paint that is too expensive to me. But by all means, if you think paying a fortune for less, far less color options is more fun go ahead. Some of the experts will even imply that unless you are using the Classic Professional Grade watercolor paint, you are not an artist; but instead just a painter. Because if it is not the Classic Professional Grade watercolor paint; then it is not really Art. Hogwash! In almost every art, craft, or trade refinements have been made when children can participate. So, just because a watercolor paint is safe for children, does not mean that it is not good enough for adults. Some of the watercolor companies are not trying to just make a quick buck and run (some are). They are trying to provide a paint that is safe, sustainable, practical, affordable, and effective. These Artist Grade watercolor paints are correctly manufactured with quality ingredients that can be mass produced at a lower cost, because they are not using the rare inorganic minerals typical of the (Classic) Professional Grade watercolor paints. This is not to say that every budget-friendly watercolor paint is of acceptable Artist Grade quality-clearly some are not. A quality watercolor paint does not have to be superior to the (Classic) Professional Grade watercolor paint in every respect to make an award winning composition, it only needs to be competitive in important respects. Quality watercolor paints need to have good transparency, good vibrancy, good blending, and good lightfastness (Many of the Classic Professional Grades are excellent in these factors but at 20-30x the cost of the Artist Grades). Other advantages of the Artist Grade watercolor paints are that more people can participate in watercolor painting because their price is budget-friendly, people can afford to buy more paint, people can have a large color selection, they can practice more, they can create more artwork, they can manage resources better by being able to: buy more paper, buy better paper, or buy larger paper sizes, buy better brushes, have a greater variety of brushes, buy better palettes (both studio and travel), and buy other art materials. And they can still “have fun learning color mixing” and “working on color harmony”. Lightfastness or Permanence is not as important as it used to be since quality UV-Resistant Coatings/Varnishes are available to prevent artwork from fading. Artwork can also be preserved by transferring it to computer code, and making printings of artwork in archival inks. Not every painting need superior UV-Resistance. My Watercolor Grade Categories: Children’s Grade Watercolor Paint: Non-toxic paint safe for children. Examples: Crayola, Prang, Reeves. Standard Listed Prices: ~$5.60-10.99 8-12 colors per set Artist Grade Watercolor Paint: Examples: Crayola, Prang, Reeves, Arteza, Prima, many others. Good-excellent transparency, good-excellent vibrancy, good-excellent blending, and good lightfastness. Artist Grade Watercolor Paint is not inferior to the Student Grade in many cases, and may even be superior to the Student Grade in many cases. Standard Listed Price: Reeves Watercolor Set of 24 tubes 10 ml ~$15 Student Grade Watercolor Paint: An Artist Grade that also has a Professional version. The company/manufacturer might have a conflict of interest in making this grade too effective, because it could hurt sales of their Professional line. Example; Winsor & Newton Cotman Standard Listed Prices ~$5 per tube 8 ml. (Classic) Professional Grade Watercolor Paint: should not be used by children under the age of 11 years if toxic pigments are used. Excellent transparency, excellent vibrancy, excellent blending, and excellent lightfastness. Examples: Winsor & Newton, M. Graham, Daniel Smith. Standard Listed Prices: ~$15-30 per tube 14 or 15 ml.
Love your hair like this. My daughter is 6 now, so I tend to let her use my Watercolours’s. she’s not a “shove things in your mouth” kind of kid luckily. Am I a bad mommy? I just want her to have the best really xxx
That was so interesting, thank you! 😊 Follow on from what you said about buying one colour you use frequently from a more expensive range, I just treated myself to an albrecht durer watercolour pencil in a certain shade of green because I know I'm going to use it often to see how it compares to the same colour in my Pentel set. 😊 On the other end of the scale, I bought some acrylics from a cheap range where the watercolours are junk...and yup, the acrylics are no better - will I ever learn!? 😂
Yes! Brushes and paper! Less frustration! I was bummed I spent a load on Winsor and Newton number 7 brushes, am I doing something wrong? They really don't hold shape unless really loaded with water. They are really awful for getting details. I thought I bought the best but was really disappointed.
@@thefrugalcrafter I bought the smallest sizes because I do illumination on parchment, they absolutely didn't hold shape for tiny details, even the miniatures. I couldn't get them to keep a point... Very strange. Maybe I'm just so used to synthetics and that classic snap, and keeping a sharp point, that I'm expecting it to do what it isn't designed to do.
Considering how nice I've found Senellier and Van Gogh paints to be plus their cheap price and good lightfastness, student grade really doesn't mean much does it? Not to mention Prima paint is very vibrant and W&N Cotman is at least quite acceptable. I could spend big bucks on some artist grade, but I like trying out several interesting student grade sets for the same price overall.
Thank you so much, Lindsey. I always enjoy your videos, and this is really a great one for so many of us - whether we have been painting a long time or just beginning. I have a set of Misson Gold watercolor paint and I feel no need to move from there. Have you reviewed them? A teacher that I have a great deal of respect for nudged me into the direction of getting them and I have not been disappointed. But I would love to hear your take on them. Thanks again for all you do for us. :)
Thank you so much Lindsay for the information in this video, you set all the pros and cons of the different grades so clearly. I have a question, is there a website or book to learn about the actual pigments used in paints. What do the letters and numbers mean? Would the same letter and number combination mean the same pigment in different brands? You look great today and that necklace is gorgeous.
Lindsay information was very good. I am slowly increasing my professional paints in my stock and better brushes, and paper, It does make a big difference.. Do you still use Golden?
I took a very good watercolor class in college, with Carleton Plummer ( he was a Maine painter and he has a summer program near Bath) but he never went over the pigments. I will need to educate myself on those. He just told us to buy the artists' grade Windsor Newton, and that was that. I have never been able to replace those paints. I have been searching for some paints I could afford. People are always giving me watercolors, and I have been so disappointed in them. I will try the Nicole line, So, I think I have some dried out paint.Is there a way to cut the tube and use the paint in there? I might even have some old Windsor Newton...
Since you asked this like a year ago, I don't know if you are still looking for an aswer to your question, but if you are: YES, you can most definitely cut open those old tubes and use the dried up paints. Stick them in a pan or a palette and you're good to go. This is no different than squeezing your paints into a pan to let them dry.
I'm messing around with budget watercolors actually, I know they are budget and perhaps really bad, but i feel like i need to learn the difference instead of just buying student or professional grade and being happy with that. I also have 2 sets of the prima watercolor confections sets (tropical and pastel), they say artist-grade in the description.. (I bought them on sale a few years ago before i knew much at all about watercolors.. haha)
The primas are fun and decent but I wouldn't call them artist grade but there is nothing to stop any company from calling their paint artist grade unfortunately.
Thankyou so much for this! Just what I’ve been looking for! You wouldn’t happen to have any recommendations for children’s watercolour pencils would you?
Reeves set of 36 for $15 amzn.to/2Tp9xFk or the arteza woodless set of 24 for $18 (there is more actual pigment in these as you can use the whole stick) amzn.to/2u11T4R Go for the reeves if your child wants to do more detail work and keep a sharp pencil but choose arteza woodless if they like to work bigger with lots of color. You can save the shavings in a watercolor palette if they want to sharpen the arteza to a point though and spray a bit of water on the shavings to make a palette so you don't waste them (just get a 24 well palette so they can keep the colors for later:)
"The best paint to use, is the one you already have." -Lindsay
So true.
Today, I found a Winsor and Newton Cotman field plus travel set at the Goodwill for $2 - never used. I was so excited to get to try them for such a good price. Look at the thrift stores, you never know what you will find.
Once again you've surpassed yourself Lindsay! Thank you!
Totally agree about upgrading your paper,I have used student grade paint and have used cheap paper for years but when I started using more cotton paper over pulp papers I noticed a huge difference. 😀
I have been watching you for a really long time and learn something new every time. One of your most important tips is to be yourself...and remind yourself “ it’s your picture..do what YOU like”...that attitude has helped the control freak in me. I am learning to enjoy painting..second tip...use good paper!👏👏👏
Just going back through previous watercolor videos you have done and realized I should have watched this sooner. My personality tendencies make it better for me to start with a student grade paint including the Art Whale 🐳 pan set. I would be nervous using expensive paints and papers at this stage. With the WN Cotman 14 set and the Art Whale 🐳 set ,(when I am ready to experiment with a larger palette ) , I will feel at ease using them. Nervous tension will probably not be a great contributor to my learning experience.
Just thought you'd want to know your hair looks especially lush and abundant in this video and deserving of a compliment. Also, excellent information so, thank youà
Thanks! I think blow drying it fluffs it up a lot and I am usually to lazy to bother lol:)
I know! It's absolutely gorgeous!!
Your hair looks shiny and healthy - just beautiful! I also love your necklace. Now that being said, this was an extremely informative video! Even though I have been painting for many years, I still learn something every time I watch you. I have been putting off learning the pigments in my paints but you are convincing me that it's the smart thing to do. Please continue sharing your abundant knowledge with us. I so appreciate you!!
I cannot find a date or a "6 or 10 months ago" phrase on this video ANYWHERE, so when was Lindsey's hair this long and this color?
Lindsey thank you for all that information. God bless you, you are like a walking encyclopedia when it comes to watercolor, arts and crafts! I have loved watching your channel all these years, and last but not least your watercolor classes are divine! ;)
I started watercolouring because of you, and I love it. So now I am using schmincke and qor (they sent me 6 tubes for free)
I have Windsor and Newton too, but they are left behind although they are all in the same box. I have 12 colours of Windsor and Newton, 30 colours of schmincke and 6 colours of qor. I have some half pans I bought, but the rest are tubes. And they all behave good when drying. What I find is that qor last a very long time, more than my schmincke. Windsor and Newton I cant say, because I hardly use them. But I find them a bit hard to reset...
thank you again for all your information. Every TH-cam video you made and make, i watch over and over... you are an abs fab teacher. ❤️
I would love to see one of these videos for paper. That was my big beginner mistake. I didn't want to buy the expensive paper because I was just learning (and "wasting"), so I bought the cheapest watercolor paper they had. I got frustrated that it would buckle and peel and do none of techniques I saw others do. I thought it was me, not realizing it was the paper. It took a long time to learn that.
I bought the pretty excelent watercolors pretyt much because of you. I got interested in watercolor after taking a class of "freehad" drawing for architecture students (i'm not an architect) because i needed the credits to graduate, so I bought the cheapest watercolor set I could find that wasnt a kids set, and just fell in love with watercoloring. With time, i got a budget set of tube watercolors, and they are fine, but then I wanted to treat myself for my birthday, and as a broke masters degree student, i was just browsing around, and when you did your review (i love love love your channel) i decided i'd look into those, which were a little bit expensive because of the coin conversion (i'm from colombia), but so worthy! I doubt i'll ever get professional grade, because i dont think i will ever become a professional artist, but the tip of getting the student set and then, if i really love it, buy the color i run out of is a brilliant idea i hadnt actually thought of!
Thank you for all your reviews and all the effort you put for your videos, i enjoy them (and hearing you speak) so much!
Lindsay, that Peony painting behind you is beautiful. I want to thank you for this informational video. And all the other's you have done. They really help. You have for sure saved my pocketbook by educating me. Thanks sooooo much for sharing your knowledge & talents.
Just found out that she did a demonstration of the peony painting back in November.
Excellent. This is so informative and I feel I can buy for my grandchildren now. Thank you. 💕
Lots of great information. Thank you for sharing
Thank you so much for this informative video. I am diving deeper into the world of watercolors and you've been a wonderful teacher. I appreciate all of your insight and especially your bright personality. You're awesome
Thank you for the informative videos. I have been watching you for years! I love your new hair btw.
Lindsey, you look very beautiful today💐. Thank you for your valuable information on water colors. I appreciate all your knowledge. Have a great day 😀😊 🎉!
I am sitting here in my PJs watching the glamor queen talk about paint. I got to feeling frumpy looking at you. lol. You made the material a lot more understandable. Thanks. and You look fantastic.
Lol, if it's any consolation I usually have a paint stained sweatshirt and leggings, lwhwarmers and a wool hat with earflaps in when I am crafting down here this time of year so don't feel frumpy at all:)
@@thefrugalcrafter Thanks for the image! Lol 😊
I had an aha moment, followed by a DUH. Many times when you are listing the pigment numbers I'm mystified by why it's important to a hobby painter. I always looked at them as good information for "later" and knowing what they mean is always good. Today you mentioned if the paint color you want has the pigment numbers and you have those paints you could mix it yourself...well damn. DUH. Yet again you have brought out valuable information that common sense would say I should know but never thought of myself. Thanks again!
Lol, like your comment!
One tube of paint is turquoise, leaning green. The pigments are ultramarine and phthalo blue - not sure how they did that. I assume it’s the processing that made it so green.
I started with a student/budget set and 4 months later went to schmincke 48 set and I'm never going back to non artist grade. The difference was so huge. I am glad I did start with some cheaper brands though because it gave me a lot better appreciation for my artist quality paints.
I am lusting after that set!
@@thefrugalcrafter what all colors of schmincke do you have? I have purchased quite a few of the tubes now as well and would not mind sending over some colors. They paint and re-activate like a dream!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank You! I Really appreciate you taking time out of your day to do the reviews of not only the paints but mentioning the quality of paper and brushes. You've helped me both to not buy paint I don't need and upgrade to cotton paper and see the Wonderful difference it makes! If I could give you a Huge Hug I would in a heartbeat! Thanks again and keep the great videos coming! 🤗🤗🤗👏👏👏 (BTW: my thumbnail pic is the lily I painted from your tutorial! )
I think it's so important that you talk about the effects outsourcing of production can have (On not just watercolors) We can't know for sure, but it seems very plausible to me- I wonder what Winsor and Newton thinks of this and if they're aware?
I have seen several products that look identical, but under different brands.... it makes you wonder...
Then there is also companies that sell basically the same product, but cheaper, under a different brand- to reach another type of customer. Lidl, a grocery store, has contracts with different companies to sell their products under different names for cheaper prices. A lot of people suspect Sennelier sell their paints under the Jacksonsart-brand. All speculations, but sometimes it's a bit fun to put on the tinfoil-hat haha.
@Melissa Sullivan Yes, I also avoid China and similar countries (Also because I can never be sure if the workers are paid enough etc) Where I can, I want to buy products made in Europe or America.
I knew Lidl wasn't alone in doing that! We buy from them a lot too!
Excelent video!! Thanks a lot Lindsay! 💕
Creative Mark Mimiks are fantastic. I've bought a load of brushes since I started watercolours a couple of years ago. All kinds of synthetic, the odd kominsky sable, red sable, and a couple of sable blends etc. Then I bought a set of Mimiks. Brilliant. I wish these had been the first set of brushes that I bought, I would have saved myself so much frustration and money, and would have avoided animal products. Highly recommended. *****
Yes! And they last longer too!
Absolutely love Prang, white nights , Daniel Smith 🎨
This was such perfect timing! I’ve been wanting to try tube watercolor paints and was trying to figure out if I should get student quality and now I’m going to jump in and get them!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! 🙏🏻💜💕💜
I love when you do these videos that provide us so much information. As a long time viewer of your channel, I have learned so much from watching your content. I cannot thank you enough! Keep up the excellent work!!!
Great information! Using what you have. . Lesson learned when I gave a 75$ tin of color pencils away because I prefer watercolors.
Beautifully put, Mrs Weirich - and your hair looks great, especially with that eye-shadow - autumn colours really suit you. So well put re: pro brands not being carte blanche on lasting forever, and good general demistification. I honestly now recommend White Nights or Jackson’s own-brand pro paints now rather than student brands as they cost the same or less, and the quality is so much higher.
Great reccomendations! There are so many, I can't imagine starting out now and trying to choose one. I think white nights are a great value!
@The Spin Doctor... I was trying to think of a good nickname for Lindsay's followers.. ie J.D. calls her followers "Davenpeeps". I thought you might have some awesome ideas! ??
Melissa Sullivan They’re their own paints in their own base formulation. I know they are manufactured in France but they are just made in a factory for them, rather than being a relabelling of another brand.
How about frugals... lyndsay and her frugals... I like that. I adore schmincke and qor artist watercolours. My Windsor and Newton are also in my box, I always left them aside...
The Spin Doctor I bought a tin of Jackson’s based on your review and I do like them. White nights is really fun to paint with! I also agree with you about Lindsay’s hair. It’s lovely.
Hey Lindsay. I'm watching your Lampwork glass tutorial and I must say that you look absolutely beautiful now and cute then. I had to hunt to find you today as your as crafty as I am. Is there a craft that we don't do??? Anywho was wondering if you use your glass kit much.I'm just a beginner and was wondering if you liked doing it. I have mad two attempts at beads and failed miserably, but I keep trying. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I can't believe how different you look. WOW and I'm a woman (a straight woman). Thanks for reading, Teresa
SUPER helpful video as I begin my watercoloring journey! Thank you so much, Lindsay!!!
Your message is wonderful, consistent and very appreciated! You’re beautiful & brilliant. Thank you Lindsay!! Love the necklace!
I really like your videos Lindsay. You are really knowledgeable and make beautiful paintings. Thank God for the Budget Grade watercolor brands! The differences between some of the Budget Grade and the Artist/Professional Grade watercolor brands are so small, as to make critiquing them a concern of scholarly nitpicking. I feel like we are at a point in history with modern chemistry, that the classification of the paints in the description above may change in the future, as more and more artists make beautiful artist level paintings with Budget Grade watercolor paints at 20-30x less the cost in paint. I switched from M. Graham to Reeves about 4 years ago, when I bought Reeves for my daughter and saw how nice they looked and performed. I have been curious about Arteza and Prima, and appreciate that you recommend them, and may give them a try as second favorites to my Reeves watercolors. No painting that artists care about should be displayed in direct sunlight-Not even those made with Artist/Professional Grade paint. I might try using a fixative spray by Krylon to preserve my favorite paintings, or ones that I want to hang on the wall. There are several to choose from, so I am going to have to research that a little. In my opinion, quality paper and quality brushes make the biggest difference, if you have found a good paint that you like.
I agree, there are some budget brands that rival the artist quality, i think it boils down to whether or not you trust the light fast info or have pigment info as many of these companies have popped up overnight. That said if you are willing to take a chance the gamble can pay off, I've found some gems in the budget grade. The downside being that if you use up a color you can replace one tube or pan in most cases and there is no artist grade in the line to level up to. that said there has never been a better time to be a painter!
@@thefrugalcrafter I am going to test Krylon UV Archival Varnish (Matte) on some paintings and see how they look. Krylon recommends matte finish for watercolor paintings, but I may also try gloss at some point. I watched an instructional video on the proper application of a fixative spray, and it seems like it should be easy. This should protect any hung paintings from fading, moisture, and cleaning if necessary. *Edit: For 1/3 price of 1 tube of artist paint I can preserve 20 square feet of paintings. I just picked up the Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating Matte 11 0z. for $6.67 at our local art and craft store.
Tried the Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating Matte spray today on a butterfly painting that I am going to hang on the wall. The spray was easy to use and did not harm my watercolor painting. I always write the name of the paint brand and date on the back of the pictures I make. I am going to note on the back of this picture that I also used Kyrylon UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating Matte.
Thank you for the time and effort dear , this was really VERY informative !
The warm hair color looks beautiful on you! Thanks AGAIN for the great info!!
Thanks Lindsay. You are a peach. This will help so many people just getting started. Wish I had come across this info when I started( a whole 14 months ago) so much more straight to it no bumbling. Well... less bumbling. Lol. Jerry's just had the mimic set 5 or 7 for just under 15 bucks. Great deal. And love those Pretty Excellent!! I'm starting to use my M Grahams more but they rewet so easy I get spoiled then impatient with other paints. What !?!? Spray them and wait ten minutes? Ugh. LOL.
LOL. Like your comment!
I know what you mean about the M. Grahams. The only ones I’ve tried that come close to the rewetting of the M. Graham paints are the QoR watercolors (both tube and pan) by Golden.
I love you Lindsay Weirich! Thank you for unleashing my inspiration!
Thank you so much Lindsay! I’ve been thinking about upgrading my Cotman set and was a little lost about where to start. I also really need to upgrade my paper because I run out of the good one I used and the ones I recently tried can’t hold layering. If you can, a video on brushes would be awesome too!
I cannot express my gratitude enough to you for all that you do in educating, advising, demonstrating and sharing your wonderful skills, ideas & recommendations with us, thank you so very much 💐🥧☕🍷I discovered you only recently in my quest to reignite my lost passion for art, and crafts, since having to give up work for health reasons, to put colour into my day and hopefully in other people's 🤞I wish I discovered you years ago, although I now have so many incredible videos to view 😀 You have a natural & extremely pleasant way about you which is so refreshing, making for easy, if addictive viewing 😉💮🏵️🌼😍🎨🖼️
@Ms. H. Lindsay is really amazing and uplifting, isn't she!? It always makes me feel happier just watching her tutorials! 💜
I mostly have used student grade watercolors such as cotman and koi as artist quality watercolors are impossible to find where I live but I-have 2 artist grade watercolor sets which are Schminke 24 set and the Lucas 48 set i was able to get them as my sister lives in the states so she ordered them for me they are a joy to work with and a huge upgrade from koi and cotman
yes, those are wonderful sets too!
Thank you Lindsay, much appreciated.
Becky B
Fantastic video! This is very helpful on my journey into watercolor! Thank you for your assistance.
Hello, pretty lady! That peony painting is gorgeous, by the way! Is there a tutorial for that? This was an excellent video explaining the difference between budget, student grade and artist grade paints! I agree with what you said about paper, as well! Awesome job, Lindsay!
I did a live demo back in November demonstrating the process:)
Thank you 😊 This was a big help for me as a beginner in watercolors. So far I've been using watercolor pencils (drawing the color from them onto a pallet) but I'm now looking into buying "real" watercolors.
I love these videos. Between the reviews and comparisons, I have a lot better idea of where I might want to work into the more expensive levels of paint when I go that way. Add in the tutorials and I've seen so much improvement in my abilities that I can't begin to put into words how much this channel has helped me.
I might have gotten an off tube, but my Cotman's Cerulean Blue doesn't work well when filled from the tube. It breaks loose and goes on adventures in the pallette even in larger amounts. I had another tube do that too, but I don't recall which one because I only used the pallette once after I got the new tubes since my office job went to 13+ hours a day with no days off in the last month and a half.
I am dreading Pat Catan's closing since they had the Cotman line on sale for $3 a tube on and off, so I would grab a few each time I knew to fill in and experiment with colors. I want to get a good feel for the colors I really want before I start thinking about higher grade, higher priced paints. I would hate to pay $15 for a tube I wouldn't use more than once or twice. Michaels sells the tubes for more than the regular price at Pat Catan's so I'll end up having to order online so far less experimenting since shipping will have to be considered in how many colors at a time to keep the price lower than in store.
Try consumer crafts online. They have free shipping over $49 and are owned by pat catan. The prices are low and they often have % off your order sales.
Great as usual. BTW love the necklace!
Tons of valuable info in this video! Thank you for being so generous in sharing and helping everyone! Hugs BTW....love your hair, the color is stunning!
I just love your hair! Thanks for a great video. I love buying different paints and trying them, too.
Wonderfully helpful information, beautifully put!
This is a wonderful video! I am glad That I found you when I first started watercoloring, because you always explain everything so well, and I feel that I made good choices in my supplies thanks to your advice. Thank you so much.
i love your reviews that are so informative and i learn so much - i appreciate all the effort that you put into your videos
I recently bought the creative mark mimic squirrel pack at Jerry's and I love them.
Very informative and interesting. Love your necklace!!! Can always use up the less than ideal quality paints on cards or tags rather than actual paintings. I will often practice color mixing and a particular brush stroke over and over. Then do a wash over my practices and either use it as a background or for die cuts. I also don't always practice with logical colors. I found it very difficult to mix purple, and I was trying to paint one stroke leaves. Cue to pages of purplish leaves. An overwash of either the red or blue I was using gave me an abstract background paper. I definitely agree with the ability to upgrade individual colors vs a whole set.
It's said water color is trickiest medium but I straight away kill the white with wash of pigment usually a beige or blue.
After that it's not difficult to me anyhow!
I remember when I was little I always and I mean ALWAYS wanted a Windsor and Newton little paint box and then I avoided art after a bad teacher etc. Then when I picked it up again I picked up a small Royal and Lagnickal set and immediately I went back to childhood and wanted the W&N set. Picked up the 45 set for 23e on Amazon. Now I have several palettes that I love and adore. I do have one W&N professional palette and find its too precious to use which is a pity. I just looked up the price of one tube of their pro paint in Michaels and was shocked at the price. Its so cheap here in Ireland!
You deserve to use that paint:) it takes a lot to use them up so go for it!
It never occurred to me that no US brands of watercolor have student lines until I watched this video! But I guess that makes DaVinci all the more appealing, particularly their pan sets.
Good point!
I was looking for actual side by side comparison where you paint using the paint, including the kids version.
Thanks Lindsay! Excellent!
Lindsey and for anyone who has "Must Try All the Colors" syndrome like me, TaoBao has shops that sell sometimes the entire line of an artist brand in 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 ml pans (and sometimes you can pick the palette it comes in). And yes, for a really good deal! I'm talking 50 half pans for $75 in Daniel Smith paint. But if you can't deal with Google translating the Chinese characters, there's the English Aliexpress (a sister site) where they go for a little more money.
As always, shop wisely. Happy painting!
Very helpful info. Thanks! Sorry for my long winded comment, but here it is: I am just beginning to get into using more “pro level” paint since I bought a killer deal of 12 of the .5ml tube set of Holbein on Amazon for $23! I don’t think they have quite the same deal now as that was months ago, but it’s always worth checking Amazon & other online sellers for their promos. And then sometimes your local “brick & mortar” fine art supply stores, who probably also sell online can have some great deals too. And a big plus there is you can actually go into the store and check out the products more closely (not by opening any bottle or tube...that’s a big no-no...especially with paint) but you can see it and read all the info at your leisure...and then you stand a chance of getting some knowledgeable help too. My local fine art supply is Plaza Art & there’s also a Dick Blick in downtown DC, but it’s usually too complicated to drive “downtown” DC due to traffic & parking. Anyway, I think my next pro purchase may be a Daniel Smith Essential Mixing set & then I’ll go from there. I also enjoy using my Pelikan pan set of 24 transparent WC I bought many years ago and only started using them again in the last year...and when I started using them again, it was if I’d just put them away the day before. They perform beautifully and their turquoise blue is to die for. No tubes for them but individual pan colors are available but not widely available. They are not exactly in the pro range, (no pigment info) but very high quality and not “inexpensive” and I think they’re still made in Germany. I also have a couple of the Jane Davenport watercolor sets....they are also “very good to excellent” quality but not exactly “pro” quality...but so much fun fun fun to paint with for art journaling and other mixed media projects. Whew! That’s it. 🤪
👍- Great comment, and I just wanted to say I bought the opaque Pelican set, just because I wanted to try it (loved it!) and have it for "sharing" with beginner's should I have the chance. ☺
Back in 2015 I had no plans to upgrade my student watercolors to pro, but then I ran across that same killer deal on the Holbein paints at Amazon, and just couldn't resist it. What a steal!
Lindsay, I have watched dozens(hundreds?) of your videos over the years, and I do believe this was one of your best. What great info! I really appreciate you taking the time to list off favorite brands, with links. Love the darker hair. You're even prettier, and younger looking!
Very helpful. Thanks!
Thanks for the info Lindsay! It was very helpful.
Thank you for doing this and telling us to use what we have, I tell myself that now so i stop buying so much stuff i don't need..
Loving the hair sexy Mama ;-) My boyfriend gave me a set of the Prang's first set you showed - I didn't realize that you could just replace a color as you need to - great to know. TFS
Great info, Lindsay! I enjoyed your explanation and I`m not even a watercolorist...LOL. But...I have a feeling that I might give it a try again, in a very humble and small way :) Water and I aren`t the greatest of friends but that`s exclusively my fault :)) Thank you and have a nice weekend, Josi
Thank you for sharing.
I always learn something new from you. Thank you for this video - of course I love the artist grade paints and like the full palette with all the pretty colors in between. I have the Rembrandt palette ($98 on Amazon) in my list now. My goal to get this palette. Do you like Arteza brand for just fun paint practicing and what do you think of their markers for coloring in coloring books. With some hand arthritic pain, it's getting harder and harder to use coloring pencils in my coloring books. Thanks for all that you do.... I just absolutely Love You, Lindsay!!!
I love their real brush pen markers. Their watercolors are decent, I have the 12 tube set and 36 pan set and together they are a nice collection. I am planning on using them on Wednesday on their new paper if you want to wait a few days before shopping.
@@thefrugalcrafter Thank you for your answer!!!! I know you get swamped with people asking you things..... You are so sweet. One day, I AM going to sign up for one of your watercolor classes.
When I started painting my teachers told me exactly which colors to buy individually, because existing sets, even professional ones, have a lot of useless colors. So, I would almost never go for a full set in any case.
You learn me so many skills!
So I am thinking paint with what I have and go in with my derwent ink pencils!
Great tutorial!
Your hair color is really nice on you!!
Can I just say your hair looks amazing.
Would like to know more about good and not to expensive brushes, can you make a video about that, please
Natalie Düker Lindsay has a few videos about brushes on her channel already. 😊
Great video Lindsay, very informative :)
I love your work and may I say.....
You are so beautiful with your brown hair, waua, what a amazing change 😍😍😍😍
I am still learning but I do prefer pans rather than tubes! I have bought pans and filled them with tube paint! But for the future I am pan fan!
This video was very helpful and informative. Watercolor is still a new medium for me and I am still learning and this video helped a lot. Thanks 😃
I'm so happy! Enjoy the medium!
Great video and you look really pretty. Is the necklace one that you made? It looks so stylish with your top.
no, this one was from Burlington Coat Factory I think, one of my daughters bought it for semi finals and tired of it:)
Wow - brown hair really suits you! It’s very striking on you! U look stunning!
Thanks for this detailed video!
Thank you so much for your advice.
Would love to see a demo with Prang on a readily available budget paper :):)
I have one here: th-cam.com/video/0cCGDkEC2So/w-d-xo.html
What is the difference between cold press and hot press? Which one is suitable for a beginner? Or can we use either?
I don't want to minimize the AMAZING value of this video, as I am very grateful that this answers the very questions I have wondered about!!
However, next will you do a video on your makeup application technique? You appear to be a "pro" at that, too! (Is there nothing Lindsay can't do?)
Aww you are so sweet:)
Disclaimer: The following is all my opinion, it is not directed at any specific individual, I am not a watercolor expert, and Lindsay the frugalcrafter is more knowledgeable in art and a better painter than me. (Lol!)
In the watercolor community there is confusion for many new aspiring artists about which brand of paint is the best. One of the prevailing thoughts in life is “if it costs more; then it must be better”. But in life, things are rarely so black and white for most things including which watercolor brand to buy. So, the most respected wisdom from some of the most skilled and helpful watercolor veterans, is that the classic watercolor pigments are the best for all people, all situations, and all times in watercolor painting. They advise that is OK to use the budget-friendly and student grade watercolor paints initially, but the goal is to transition to the expensive professional paints as soon as possible; and some even advise beginners to skip the budget-friendly and student grade watercolor paints altogether, and just get 3-6 primary professional grade watercolors to start. They reluctantly admit that the professional grade watercolor paints are expensive, but it is “fun to learn color mixing” as a beginner, and you have “better color harmony” in your compositions with fewer colors. Sure. Honestly, this advice just sounds like an excuse for paint that is too expensive to me. But by all means, if you think paying a fortune for less, far less color options is more fun go ahead. Some of the experts will even imply that unless you are using the Classic Professional Grade watercolor paint, you are not an artist; but instead just a painter. Because if it is not the Classic Professional Grade watercolor paint; then it is not really Art. Hogwash!
In almost every art, craft, or trade refinements have been made when children can participate. So, just because a watercolor paint is safe for children, does not mean that it is not good enough for adults. Some of the watercolor companies are not trying to just make a quick buck and run (some are). They are trying to provide a paint that is safe, sustainable, practical, affordable, and effective. These Artist Grade watercolor paints are correctly manufactured with quality ingredients that can be mass produced at a lower cost, because they are not using the rare inorganic minerals typical of the (Classic) Professional Grade watercolor paints. This is not to say that every budget-friendly watercolor paint is of acceptable Artist Grade quality-clearly some are not. A quality watercolor paint does not have to be superior to the (Classic) Professional Grade watercolor paint in every respect to make an award winning composition, it only needs to be competitive in important respects. Quality watercolor paints need to have good transparency, good vibrancy, good blending, and good lightfastness (Many of the Classic Professional Grades are excellent in these factors but at 20-30x the cost of the Artist Grades). Other advantages of the Artist Grade watercolor paints are that more people can participate in watercolor painting because their price is budget-friendly, people can afford to buy more paint, people can have a large color selection, they can practice more, they can create more artwork, they can manage resources better by being able to: buy more paper, buy better paper, or buy larger paper sizes, buy better brushes, have a greater variety of brushes, buy better palettes (both studio and travel), and buy other art materials. And they can still “have fun learning color mixing” and “working on color harmony”. Lightfastness or Permanence is not as important as it used to be since quality UV-Resistant Coatings/Varnishes are available to prevent artwork from fading. Artwork can also be preserved by transferring it to computer code, and making printings of artwork in archival inks.
Not every painting need superior UV-Resistance.
My Watercolor Grade Categories:
Children’s Grade Watercolor Paint: Non-toxic paint safe for children. Examples: Crayola, Prang, Reeves. Standard Listed Prices: ~$5.60-10.99 8-12 colors per set
Artist Grade Watercolor Paint: Examples: Crayola, Prang, Reeves, Arteza, Prima, many others. Good-excellent transparency, good-excellent vibrancy, good-excellent blending, and good lightfastness. Artist Grade Watercolor Paint is not inferior to the Student Grade in many cases, and may even be superior to the Student Grade in many cases. Standard Listed Price: Reeves Watercolor Set of 24 tubes 10 ml ~$15
Student Grade Watercolor Paint: An Artist Grade that also has a Professional version. The company/manufacturer might have a conflict of interest in making this grade too effective, because it could hurt sales of their Professional line. Example; Winsor & Newton Cotman Standard Listed Prices ~$5 per tube 8 ml.
(Classic) Professional Grade Watercolor Paint: should not be used by children under the age of 11 years if toxic pigments are used. Excellent transparency, excellent vibrancy, excellent blending, and excellent lightfastness. Examples: Winsor & Newton, M. Graham, Daniel Smith. Standard Listed Prices: ~$15-30 per tube 14 or 15 ml.
The tubes I have put into pans ....Don't give me inspiration! Cracked!
YELS YELS she mentioned putting gliserin to prevent cracking ... or honey from a different tutorial.
@@h20tubig Thank you for your input!..appreciated!
Love your hair like this. My daughter is 6 now, so I tend to let her use my Watercolours’s. she’s not a “shove things in your mouth” kind of kid luckily. Am I a bad mommy? I just want her to have the best really xxx
you know your kid, I'm sure you are doing well:)
You look amazing in this video ❤️❤️❤️
That was so interesting, thank you! 😊
Follow on from what you said about buying one colour you use frequently from a more expensive range, I just treated myself to an albrecht durer watercolour pencil in a certain shade of green because I know I'm going to use it often to see how it compares to the same colour in my Pentel set. 😊
On the other end of the scale, I bought some acrylics from a cheap range where the watercolours are junk...and yup, the acrylics are no better - will I ever learn!? 😂
Yes! Brushes and paper! Less frustration! I was bummed I spent a load on Winsor and Newton number 7 brushes, am I doing something wrong? They really don't hold shape unless really loaded with water. They are really awful for getting details. I thought I bought the best but was really disappointed.
they are kollinsky sable and they can get waterlogged and wear down more easily when using rougher paper. They are the queens pick tho:)
@@thefrugalcrafter I bought the smallest sizes because I do illumination on parchment, they absolutely didn't hold shape for tiny details, even the miniatures. I couldn't get them to keep a point... Very strange. Maybe I'm just so used to synthetics and that classic snap, and keeping a sharp point, that I'm expecting it to do what it isn't designed to do.
Loving your hair!
Considering how nice I've found Senellier and Van Gogh paints to be plus their cheap price and good lightfastness, student grade really doesn't mean much does it? Not to mention Prima paint is very vibrant and W&N Cotman is at least quite acceptable. I could spend big bucks on some artist grade, but I like trying out several interesting student grade sets for the same price overall.
Honestly I was hard pressed to yell the difference between the sennelier student and artist grade.
Thank you so much, Lindsey. I always enjoy your videos, and this is really a great one for so many of us - whether we have been painting a long time or just beginning. I have a set of Misson Gold watercolor paint and I feel no need to move from there. Have you reviewed them? A teacher that I have a great deal of respect for nudged me into the direction of getting them and I have not been disappointed. But I would love to hear your take on them. Thanks again for all you do for us. :)
I have a review on the pure pigment set. I also have their 24 pan set and they are wonderful.
Thank you so much Lindsay for the information in this video, you set all the pros and cons of the different grades so clearly. I have a question, is there a website or book to learn about the actual pigments used in paints. What do the letters and numbers mean? Would the same letter and number combination mean the same pigment in different brands? You look great today and that necklace is gorgeous.
Yes, handprint.com
@@thefrugalcrafter Thanks Lindsay!
Those pop out squares I'd find strange.Why not just top up with a fill from a tube.
I do, its more economical than rebuying pans
Lindsay information was very good. I am slowly increasing my professional paints in my stock and better brushes, and paper, It does make a big difference.. Do you still use
Golden?
I took a very good watercolor class in college, with Carleton Plummer ( he was a Maine painter and he has a summer program near Bath) but he never went over the pigments. I will need to educate myself on those. He just told us to buy the artists' grade Windsor Newton, and that was that. I have never been able to replace those paints. I have been searching for some paints I could afford. People are always giving me watercolors, and I have been so disappointed in them. I will try the Nicole line, So, I think I have some dried out paint.Is there a way to cut the tube and use the paint in there? I might even have some old Windsor Newton...
Since you asked this like a year ago, I don't know if you are still looking for an aswer to your question, but if you are: YES, you can most definitely cut open those old tubes and use the dried up paints. Stick them in a pan or a palette and you're good to go. This is no different than squeezing your paints into a pan to let them dry.
I'm messing around with budget watercolors actually, I know they are budget and perhaps really bad, but i feel like i need to learn the difference instead of just buying student or professional grade and being happy with that. I also have 2 sets of the prima watercolor confections sets (tropical and pastel), they say artist-grade in the description.. (I bought them on sale a few years ago before i knew much at all about watercolors.. haha)
The primas are fun and decent but I wouldn't call them artist grade but there is nothing to stop any company from calling their paint artist grade unfortunately.
I find wet on wet dries very dull.But maybe it's the grade of watercolor.
Thankyou so much for this! Just what I’ve been looking for! You wouldn’t happen to have any recommendations for children’s watercolour pencils would you?
Reeves set of 36 for $15 amzn.to/2Tp9xFk or the arteza woodless set of 24 for $18 (there is more actual pigment in these as you can use the whole stick) amzn.to/2u11T4R Go for the reeves if your child wants to do more detail work and keep a sharp pencil but choose arteza woodless if they like to work bigger with lots of color. You can save the shavings in a watercolor palette if they want to sharpen the arteza to a point though and spray a bit of water on the shavings to make a palette so you don't waste them (just get a 24 well palette so they can keep the colors for later:)