Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this paint. I am currently working on a big comparison of all these DS Moonglow dupes by other brands. The problem I've discovered about these paints is that all of them are passing along a LF1/Excellent lightfast rating, when in actuality PR177 fades in tints. It is stable in masstone, so they use the old LF rating that does not account for diluting it so much like they have in these mixtures. It's sad because all of these companies are copying a product because it's popular - I understand there is a demand, so that bothers me less than the fact that they all have not done independent lightfast tests and pass these paints on as permanent to professionals who sell art or hang it in galleries. I'll be running a new LF test for all brands to see if they all fade at the same rate. It takes a few months to start showing the signs, but by the end it's on par with my LFIII paints.
You have found a new corner in the swatch and sample game here on youtube!! I’ve viewed a ton of videos of this ilk and you are the first to glaze extensively and manipulate with blooms and blots. THIS IS HUGE!!!! You actually perform a service here- these are the rigors I would put new paints through. You doing so, helps me tremendously in the decision to enhance my palette or save some money!!!!
Hullo Amanda, I liked your test and your final real world application painting looks lovely. I have always thought of the granulation craze as more of a gimmick than as a true watercolor technique, but I’ve been wrong before. I have only ever used this color in two paintings for a spooky moody dark background in Halloween themed pictures. I remember the first tube of paint I bought, I thought it was defective because after I poured it into my pan, I did a big wash and let it dry I did not have a nice flowing flat color it was all spotty and icky or granulated. Now This technique is everywhere and seems to be the end thing. I can take it or leave it, yet it’s not something I love and I can certainly live without it or work around it if I have to. Thank you for the demo and evaluation.
I could see the three colors in your painting but it's astonishingly subtle. It showed up during the moments when you were turning the painting around to get a better angle. You know how opal jewelry changes color when you change the viewing angle? As you turned the painting, the flower would briefly take on a light overall sheen of one of the three colors as well as little bits of mixed color peeking out of the darker value areas. The effect is stunning! Replay the the last part of the speed paint at a slightly slower speed and I think you will see what I mean. 😁
New to your channel, great video! I don't have Da Vinci but 4 years ago I discovered a similar color from Daniel Smith (Moonglow) and to be quite honest it changed the way I use watercolor. Now I can't imagine a palette that doesn't include moody colors with granulation and color separation. Przybysz's Grey from Roman Szmal is also similar and very beautiful. The way I like to use all of those specialty colors is in watery mixes and wet in wet, so they can start doing their thing. I don't think they look their best in a very tight painting style.
Thank you! I didn’t know that about the oxgall! That makes so much sense now! I see people mention issues with binder shine all the time, and I have never had a problem with it, even in more concentrated washes. I’m not really sure why.
It's called "bronzing" when paints get thick and shine like that. From my limited experiments it seems like paper type and water quality have a lot to do with how bad it gets.
Excellent, thanks for sharing. I must admit the second their email arrived I purchased a tube. Yikes another art supply. Oh well, more fun ahead. Very much appreciate the depth you go into.
Hi Amanda! I love your video as always you are very good on showcasing watercolors. This color is a dupe of Daniel Smiths Moonglow,. I’m not a fan of Daniel Smiths watercolor prices but i think that original mixes like this one shouldn’t be allowed to be copied by other brands, there are also dupes of this color by Roman Szmal and Paul Rubens as far as i know. Maybe even more at this point.
Thank you! I didn't know that this was a dupe. I don't follow Daniel Smith all that closely, mainly for price like you mentioned. I really only go to them when I'm looking for something specific. I agree that when a company comes up with something unique, it's really poor etiquette to copy it. If I decide to repurchase this color, I will make sure to get the original. Thank you for bringing this to my attention! I really thought it was a new, unique color, so I was excited to share it!
I'm a longtime Daniel Smith fan (and huge Moonglow fan), but I don't think you can expect other manufacturers not to try something similar at some point. I did think it weird when Da Vinci made this mix initially last year for Cheap Joe's American Journey brand and AJ also called it Moonglow :) and Cheap Joe's charges a lot more for the DS like paints than Daniel Smith does! So it's good that Da Vinci is releasing it priced a couple dollars lower. Also it's hard to duplicate colors exactly, so each version with have different characteristics. I got Van Gogh's relatively new version of Lavender, having heard it was exactly like the DS version--but it was very different, didn't have the granulation or separate out into pink the way DS Lavender did. And I'm sure it's different than the Holbein or Shinhan versions, too. Each is lovely in its own way. Watercolor paint is so much more than matching hue and pigments, every brand behaves very differently.
everart okelli it’s not the same thing! Lavender is an existing color in nature, Moonglow is a total new color mixed with 3 specific pigments. Trying to replicate a color with your knowledge and trying to come out with the closest look is one thing a total different story is to make a dupe of a non existing before color like Moonglow is.
You have a good point there :) Moonglow has been a specialty of Daniel Smith for at least 16 years (I first bought a tube at the DS store in 2004 for a class) and is one of their signature colors. That's why the American Journey/DV version bugged me (exact formula, same name), but Roman Szmal has changed up the formulas and uses different pigments so that doesn't bother me as much. But I come from the fashion industry where nothing can be copyrighted and everything gets knocked off, so I guess my tolerance for knockoffs is higher. Thanks for your response, it's fun to communicate with others who are passionate about watercolors!
I found them at T.J. Maxx in the serving section, I find a lot of my bowls and plates there for palettes. The condiment cups I find are very helpful! I don't remember the name for this kind of bowl, but the company is Madison & Co.
Other Daniel smith dual mixes that separate when wet in wet are Rose of Ultramarine, Cascade Green, Shadow violet, and undersea green. Several of their PrimaTek natural pigments come out two toned. My favorites are green apetite genuine and serpentine. Roman Szmals has a shadow violet that is supposed to be great. Not sure how similar it is to the DS version or if totally different.
The only wet-on-wet was the flow test, the rest are on dry paper and they managed to have a lot of granulation. From what I know, this color uses the same pigments, but Artemis is cooler, with more of a smokey quality than Moonglow.
Amanda Wiley I ran out of Moonglow last month so I made my own. I mixed PG 18 (Viridian), PV 19 (in my case it was Rose Madder) and PB 29 (ultramarine) and it came pretty darn close. I can make it more Violet by mixing in s touch more PV19 Or more smokey by adding PG18.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this paint. I am currently working on a big comparison of all these DS Moonglow dupes by other brands. The problem I've discovered about these paints is that all of them are passing along a LF1/Excellent lightfast rating, when in actuality PR177 fades in tints. It is stable in masstone, so they use the old LF rating that does not account for diluting it so much like they have in these mixtures. It's sad because all of these companies are copying a product because it's popular - I understand there is a demand, so that bothers me less than the fact that they all have not done independent lightfast tests and pass these paints on as permanent to professionals who sell art or hang it in galleries. I'll be running a new LF test for all brands to see if they all fade at the same rate. It takes a few months to start showing the signs, but by the end it's on par with my LFIII paints.
That’s so interesting, thank you for the information! The red is such a pretty part of this color, I would be curious to know how your tests hold up.
I like that you add extensive values/dilution and glazing in your paint testing.
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
You have found a new corner in the swatch and sample game here on youtube!! I’ve viewed a ton of videos of this ilk and you are the first to glaze extensively and manipulate with blooms and blots. THIS IS HUGE!!!! You actually perform a service here- these are the rigors I would put new paints through. You doing so, helps me tremendously in the decision to enhance my palette or save some money!!!!
Beautiful discussion! Thanks!
Hullo Amanda, I liked your test and your final real world application painting looks lovely. I have always thought of the granulation craze as more of a gimmick than as a true watercolor technique, but I’ve been wrong before.
I have only ever used this color in two paintings for a spooky moody dark background in Halloween themed pictures. I remember the first tube of paint I bought, I thought it was defective because after I poured it into my pan, I did a big wash and let it dry I did not have a nice flowing flat color it was all spotty and icky or granulated. Now This technique is everywhere and seems to be the end thing. I can take it or leave it, yet it’s not something I love and I can certainly live without it or work around it if I have to. Thank you for the demo and evaluation.
I could see the three colors in your painting but it's astonishingly subtle. It showed up during the moments when you were turning the painting around to get a better angle. You know how opal jewelry changes color when you change the viewing angle? As you turned the painting, the flower would briefly take on a light overall sheen of one of the three colors as well as little bits of mixed color peeking out of the darker value areas. The effect is stunning! Replay the the last part of the speed paint at a slightly slower speed and I think you will see what I mean. 😁
I will have to check it out!! 😊
New to your channel, great video! I don't have Da Vinci but 4 years ago I discovered a similar color from Daniel Smith (Moonglow) and to be quite honest it changed the way I use watercolor. Now I can't imagine a palette that doesn't include moody colors with granulation and color separation. Przybysz's Grey from Roman Szmal is also similar and very beautiful. The way I like to use all of those specialty colors is in watery mixes and wet in wet, so they can start doing their thing. I don't think they look their best in a very tight painting style.
Love your flowers! Da Vinci has no oxgall, hence the difficulty softening/flowing. I ALWAYS get binder shine with Da Vinci, even with single washes.
Thank you! I didn’t know that about the oxgall! That makes so much sense now! I see people mention issues with binder shine all the time, and I have never had a problem with it, even in more concentrated washes. I’m not really sure why.
It's called "bronzing" when paints get thick and shine like that. From my limited experiments it seems like paper type and water quality have a lot to do with how bad it gets.
Excellent, thanks for sharing. I must admit the second their email arrived I purchased a tube. Yikes another art supply. Oh well, more fun ahead. Very much appreciate the depth you go into.
I did the same!! I saw their email and knew I needed to have it! These things always happen the second I say I’m not going to buy anything new 🤣
Amanda Wiley Yup ☺️🤫
Have you tried Roman Szmal’s Przybszy grey ?
Not yet, I haven't tried any of their watercolors. I would like like to in the future though!
Hi Amanda! I love your video as always you are very good on showcasing watercolors. This color is a dupe of Daniel Smiths Moonglow,. I’m not a fan of Daniel Smiths watercolor prices but i think that original mixes like this one shouldn’t be allowed to be copied by other brands, there are also dupes of this color by Roman Szmal and Paul Rubens as far as i know. Maybe even more at this point.
Thank you! I didn't know that this was a dupe. I don't follow Daniel Smith all that closely, mainly for price like you mentioned. I really only go to them when I'm looking for something specific. I agree that when a company comes up with something unique, it's really poor etiquette to copy it. If I decide to repurchase this color, I will make sure to get the original. Thank you for bringing this to my attention! I really thought it was a new, unique color, so I was excited to share it!
I'm a longtime Daniel Smith fan (and huge Moonglow fan), but I don't think you can expect other manufacturers not to try something similar at some point. I did think it weird when Da Vinci made this mix initially last year for Cheap Joe's American Journey brand and AJ also called it Moonglow :) and Cheap Joe's charges a lot more for the DS like paints than Daniel Smith does! So it's good that Da Vinci is releasing it priced a couple dollars lower. Also it's hard to duplicate colors exactly, so each version with have different characteristics. I got Van Gogh's relatively new version of Lavender, having heard it was exactly like the DS version--but it was very different, didn't have the granulation or separate out into pink the way DS Lavender did. And I'm sure it's different than the Holbein or Shinhan versions, too. Each is lovely in its own way. Watercolor paint is so much more than matching hue and pigments, every brand behaves very differently.
everart okelli it’s not the same thing! Lavender is an existing color in nature, Moonglow is a total new color mixed with 3 specific pigments. Trying to replicate a color with your knowledge and trying to come out with the closest look is one thing a total different story is to make a dupe of a non existing before color like Moonglow is.
You have a good point there :) Moonglow has been a specialty of Daniel Smith for at least 16 years (I first bought a tube at the DS store in 2004 for a class) and is one of their signature colors. That's why the American Journey/DV version bugged me (exact formula, same name), but Roman Szmal has changed up the formulas and uses different pigments so that doesn't bother me as much. But I come from the fashion industry where nothing can be copyrighted and everything gets knocked off, so I guess my tolerance for knockoffs is higher. Thanks for your response, it's fun to communicate with others who are passionate about watercolors!
Thank you for the video. Can I ask where you got your porcelain bowls? Thx.
I found them at T.J. Maxx in the serving section, I find a lot of my bowls and plates there for palettes. The condiment cups I find are very helpful! I don't remember the name for this kind of bowl, but the company is Madison & Co.
Imperial purple Daniel Smith
Other Daniel smith dual mixes that separate when wet in wet are Rose of Ultramarine, Cascade Green, Shadow violet, and undersea green. Several of their PrimaTek natural pigments come out two toned. My favorites are green apetite genuine and serpentine. Roman Szmals has a shadow violet that is supposed to be great. Not sure how similar it is to the DS version or if totally different.
Big wet washes ALWAYS produce more granulation. The paper needs to be wet not just the brush. It reminds me of Moonglow.
The only wet-on-wet was the flow test, the rest are on dry paper and they managed to have a lot of granulation. From what I know, this color uses the same pigments, but Artemis is cooler, with more of a smokey quality than Moonglow.
Amanda Wiley I ran out of Moonglow last month so I made my own. I mixed PG 18 (Viridian), PV 19 (in my case it was Rose Madder) and PB 29 (ultramarine) and it came pretty darn close. I can make it more Violet by mixing in s touch more PV19 Or more smokey by adding PG18.
Wow way to much indo in monotone.