As a Paul Rubens fan/connoisseur, I can confirm that this very set is in fact about 5 years old. I bought mine on AliExpress quite a long time ago. It is not a new set at all (even though the seller might claim it is) and is in fact old stock (manufactured about 5 years ago) that they are now trying to get rid of. As is typical in China, they manufactured these sets in huge volumes years ago, and the sets stayed on the shelves for a while, which could explain why some colours didn't feel as vibrant (they basically dried up a bit from staying so long in storage without being activated; prewetting them would definitely help). TLDR: Paul Rubens make their products in huge batch, and some products now showing up on Amazon are in fact overstock many years old that didn't sell in China. It doesn't mean they're not good, I love Paul Rubens, but just know these are produced in huge batches, so chances are we're getting many years old products.
I hope people and reviewers will pay attention to your comment. I hate that these companies aren't honest with the influencers they ask to review the products because then that leads to a bunch of misinformation that becomes fact.
Thanks for the info! I noticed the pan wrappings were the old version but I didn't know a pn set of floral colors were out before! I wish they'd bring back the floral tubes. Good idea on the prewetting because I did not do that. I like to see how they do fresh out of the box.
Literally just finished Eve's review on this set and now yours! Funny how that happens sometimes 🤣 That peach light color definitely has fluro dye added since Eve pulled out a black light to test it. None of the others reacted though.
I really appreciate these deep dives reviews and that you bring in the other sets. Because of this in another Paul Ruben’s review I opted for the 36 tube set and have been quite happy with it. The wealth of information you give is great. Thank you.
I LOVE the rose painting and would LOVE to see the video. As you say, I have enough paint to last the rest of my life. But I enjoy the reviews you do. I love the Paul Rubens paints, but I have the set of full pans, the 24 and 48 sets as well as the 24 set of metallics. I also have the Pretty Excellent paints. Also a ton of Jane Davenport and Prima. I just put my Daniel Smith's and QoR into pallets too.
🌺🏵So Lovely, right up there with an Anna Bucciareli painting🌻 🌼Thanks again for your perfect timing with another in depth review. It helps so much that you are being so thorough. I've had this set in my cart several times, but just couldn't commit to buying them. I will definitely try following your tutorial for this or another flower painting. My Ultimate goal is botanical and bird paintings, but that set & a class from Anna were to be my reward when I finish your classes. I'll keep practicing with my cheap paints & Reward myself with the Pretty Excellent set instead.
I had this set and noticed the granulation too. I checked out my opera pinks, and yes, also saw granulation in them..or fluctuations? I think it is more of granulation. I liked it though. 😊
From what Art is Creation says, bronzing is pretty normal in masstone, but a lot of companies add stuff to it to prevent it. So it might just be they didn't add anything to stop the bronzing
Hi Lindsay, I got this set yesterday. I have tube set and they are amazing. I want to compare them to the tubes. I am very happy to see your review. Thanks Maria
Thank you sooo much for your honest reviews Lindsay; much appreciated. It seems like the minute all the reviews for a Paul Rubens line wrap up, bang; another set comes out. Barely enough time to make a decision on the previous product😳 Not so sure this is a good thing.
It's a lot. I understand from a business perspective but it can be overwhelming to a consumer to have so much choice. Hopefully these videos help make the difference between sets clear.
Hi Lindsey 👋 Winsor and Newton Opera Rose indeed granulates. I just got my PR Granulating and Layering colors bundle and they are really yummy watercolor junk food 😀 I didn't buy pbk11, but I did buy graphite powder for turning some old Mijello tube colors into Graphite shades. Thanks for the review. Loving fantasy flowers most, the palette looks fun but in reality, I should build one from all the colors I have. I'll note what some botanical sets contain. I have Anna Mason colors now. Thanks again 🎉
This does look like the same botanical set from a few years ago, to me. But it does have a nice array of colors. Hesitant about $40 atm, but will keep an eye out for Black Friday etc. Thanks 💙 🌺 PS: I knew it would happen once YT’ers started saying that they personally remove the flap from their palettes, saying they personally find them unnecessary and a waste, that companies were going to hear that potential cost savings loud and clear and implement it as soon as they could. Well, yup, I ordered an expensive tube set from Schminke and sure enough, no mixing flap. I’m really annoyed because I use it and have yet to hear back from the company, I did email them. Also, check if you can fit an extra half pan in the rows of a new palette. Several you no longer can. Bummer
Hullo Lindsay, I believe you hot the nail on the head with this set! I think Paul Rubens is selling sets of paints not paints. I personally purchased their first set for the palette. My wife wanted a pink palette and so I got her one and filled it with DaVinci paints as they are just better paints! I see how much just empty palettes cost and to buy one with paint costs less than an empty one, you buy the one full of paint! You are a talented enough painter to make a lovely painting with any watercolors! You make the mention of the "spark" and this is a truly elusive feeling and when it happens you must acknowledge it! As well as when it is not there, I just don't believe it is there for you in this set. That is OK your a wonderful teacher and people do trust your reviews, you do not need to love everything, like it sure, it is not offensive and it is good paint.
I love your wealth of pigment and paint information. Especially when you taught us that (was it lemon yellow?) some pigments are more light fast in the acrylic suspension. (I dunno. I'm tired.) Although I'm not interested in this set, I still learned a lot watching your video. Thank you for teaching me something new in every video! (Oh, but I do love the packaging and tin this comes in. I'm a sucker for some nice tins and boxes.)
@@thefrugalcrafter I sometimes buy jars, bottles and boxes of stuff just for their containers 🙈🤫 (and the rose you painted from this set is absolutely gorgeous!)
We always want your tutorials! 😂 But especially this one; it can be difficult to paint white or very pale flowers without it looking like you just didn’t finish a painting.
Is bronzing from the medium used in the pigment/medium blend? Like too much glycerin to prevent the panned WC’s from cracking? I don’t remember dye-based colors having the bronzing, but I really don’t know for a fact, either. Thanks for the review, Lindsay. ❤ Your white rose painting is exquisite! 🌸
I love your flower painting! So pretty! I would love to see a tutorial.😍 And yes, Google has gotten so much worse, it’s impossible to find anything useful on there. The first five or so pages of results are completely useless.
Love the rose painting! I just got a 12 pan Paul Rubens single pigment set for Amazon Prime day. Have no idea if it's any good but it was a Prime special and I felt I just had to get something for Prime sale!
yes to the rose painting! As always thanks for the review -it's a pass for me. Today is Prime Day and Paul Rubens has their classic set of 24 for 30€, quite the bargain. I would go for that if I were looking for PR sets. Your knowledge of pigments is always amazing. I didn't know PY3 is phtalo yellow! 23:04 Thanks for the review Lindsay!
8:05 - These paints look anything but transparent to me. They all look very opaque on the paper. And I mean clearly, visibly opaque (similar to most of my cheap paints that arent even student grade). And are they supposed to be granulating paints? Because I see no granulation. ôo I'm confused. However, these don't look like something I would be interested in. Don't like how they look on paper. Either way, thanks for the review, Lin.
No, they aren't supposed to be granulating perse although some colors do. I mostly wanted to point out the pink (peach light) because I think it might not be what someone wants as a botanical painter that likes to glaze, but others may like it. It's not my favorite Paul rubens set, but it's fair for the price. I wanted to show the difference between sets because there are so many now!
I find that Paul Rubens products are confusing so I don't buy them. I don't want 6 of the same thing with different names and tins. As a viewer mentioned this might be an older product(which is fine) but can end up with duplicates. It isn't the quality I question but lack of transparency in marketing. Thank you for another great review Lindsay.
When you think about it, not many flowers have brown stems. Could always mix a brown . But that pink seems a bit wonky for some reason. Coukd just be me. Thanks Lindsay 💜
I love your final painting -- but I agree this set seems weird. Particularly weird that they are first generation Rubens when they are on the 5th gen now? I'd joke that they found old stock in the back room, but your old tube set is so much better.
If the pink watercolor is flouresent it will granulate,, all their pinks and reds granulated in paul ruebens neon set. Like opera pink in Daniel smith.
I keep thinking about getting new watercolours and Paul Rubens has so many interesting ones. I searched earlier if I could find an official website to compare colors more easily, because my local Amazon often doesn't have swatches. I found one for Lightwish (although I can't say for sure if it's official). They have 24 and 48 colors Lightwish palettes that look very interesting. I really wonder how the quality compares to Paul Rubens and MeiLiang.
such a shame, i wish the metal box had some floral pattern on it for this special release. always appreciate your thorough review Lindsay, thank you! ❤
I usually love watching your watercolour reviews but I am really disappointed with this one how can you guage whether a new set is right for you - when we don't see you swatch it honestly, what is the point
@@thefrugalcrafter that's all well and good - if your familiar with Paul Rubens but if you have never painted with them you can't know what the paint is like from a piece of paper. you usually give valuable insight and information when you swatch all that insight is lost...
I would have to agree with LB, there was a huge element missing I really prefer more conventional reviews and wouldn't be inclined to watch future reviews like this one
@LB-gq4jr I did link to a list of other Paul rubens paint reviews that include swatching, and since I did that in the past, it seemed redundant to do it again. I thought it would bore people, but I guess I better leave it in next time 😆
As a Paul Rubens fan/connoisseur, I can confirm that this very set is in fact about 5 years old. I bought mine on AliExpress quite a long time ago. It is not a new set at all (even though the seller might claim it is) and is in fact old stock (manufactured about 5 years ago) that they are now trying to get rid of. As is typical in China, they manufactured these sets in huge volumes years ago, and the sets stayed on the shelves for a while, which could explain why some colours didn't feel as vibrant (they basically dried up a bit from staying so long in storage without being activated; prewetting them would definitely help).
TLDR: Paul Rubens make their products in huge batch, and some products now showing up on Amazon are in fact overstock many years old that didn't sell in China.
It doesn't mean they're not good, I love Paul Rubens, but just know these are produced in huge batches, so chances are we're getting many years old products.
Yes i bought one also years ago on aliexpress, i still love mine 😊
I hope people and reviewers will pay attention to your comment. I hate that these companies aren't honest with the influencers they ask to review the products because then that leads to a bunch of misinformation that becomes fact.
Thanks for the info! I noticed the pan wrappings were the old version but I didn't know a pn set of floral colors were out before! I wish they'd bring back the floral tubes. Good idea on the prewetting because I did not do that. I like to see how they do fresh out of the box.
The white rose painting is gorgeous! The review is thorough, which is as always is appreciated! Thank you Lindsay .
My pleasure
Literally just finished Eve's review on this set and now yours! Funny how that happens sometimes 🤣 That peach light color definitely has fluro dye added since Eve pulled out a black light to test it. None of the others reacted though.
I'll check her review out!
You do such thorough reviews and they are much appreciated! Thanks for the work you put into reviewing product. And I love the rose!!
Thanks! I'll post a tutorial Wednesday!
Yes, please on the flower tutorial! Thanks for a great review :)
Coming soon!
That rose is just drop dead beautiful! Really nice!
Thank you, Linda! Also, thank you for the lovely birthday gift. You didn't need to do that, but I appreciate it!
I love that flower painting! I would definitely love to see the tutorial of it! Thanks for such a great honest review!
You got it!
I really appreciate these deep dives reviews and that you bring in the other sets. Because of this in another Paul Ruben’s review I opted for the 36 tube set and have been quite happy with it. The wealth of information you give is great. Thank you.
Thanks!
Oh my, your rose painting is stunning Lindsay!! Also always love your thorough reviews.
Oh thank you!
I LOVE the rose painting and would LOVE to see the video. As you say, I have enough paint to last the rest of my life. But I enjoy the reviews you do. I love the Paul Rubens paints, but I have the set of full pans, the 24 and 48 sets as well as the 24 set of metallics. I also have the Pretty Excellent paints. Also a ton of Jane Davenport and Prima. I just put my Daniel Smith's and QoR into pallets too.
Wonderful!
🌺🏵So Lovely, right up there with an Anna Bucciareli painting🌻 🌼Thanks again for your perfect timing with another in depth review. It helps so much that you are being so thorough. I've had this set in my cart several times, but just couldn't commit to buying them. I will definitely try following your tutorial for this or another flower painting. My Ultimate goal is botanical and bird paintings, but that set & a class from Anna were to be my reward when I finish your classes. I'll keep practicing with my cheap paints & Reward myself with the Pretty Excellent set instead.
Enjoy!
Your rose painting is beautiful! Thank you for the excellent review.
Thank you so much!
I had this set and noticed the granulation too. I checked out my opera pinks, and yes, also saw granulation in them..or fluctuations? I think it is more of granulation. I liked it though. 😊
Thanks for sharing!!
Yes please the rose tutorial!!! It's gorgeous!!!
From what Art is Creation says, bronzing is pretty normal in masstone, but a lot of companies add stuff to it to prevent it. So it might just be they didn't add anything to stop the bronzing
Interesting, I'll look for their info about this!
Thank you for the review and YES to the white rose! The minute I saw it I wanted to know how to paint it! ❤❤
I will post it Wednesday!
Your review just saved me some money...thank you Lindsay!
You are so welcome!
They aren't available now so I'm glad you made the me doubt if I should get them. I love the rose painting!
Oh wow! I'm surprised they sold out. A lot of youtubers had reviews of this up recently.
Yes I’d like the tutorial please. Love the rose! Thanks for the review and for confirming that I don’t need these 😂
Coming up tomorrow!
Your flower painting is so beautiful 🤩 I would love to see the tutorial 💯
Coming soon!
Hi, Lindsay. Thank you for your video. Best wishes to you! ❤
Thank you! You too!
The blue is sheening like some fountain pen inks. I'm not sure how I would feel about that in paint but it is fun to write with ink that does that.
It's only shiny in a thick application tho.
Hi Lindsay, I got this set yesterday. I have tube set and they are amazing. I want to compare them to the tubes. I am very happy to see your review. Thanks Maria
Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you sooo much for your honest reviews Lindsay; much appreciated. It seems like the minute all the reviews for a Paul Rubens line wrap up, bang; another set comes out. Barely enough time to make a decision on the previous product😳 Not so sure this is a good thing.
It's a lot. I understand from a business perspective but it can be overwhelming to a consumer to have so much choice. Hopefully these videos help make the difference between sets clear.
Hi Lindsey 👋 Winsor and Newton Opera Rose indeed granulates. I just got my PR Granulating and Layering colors bundle and they are really yummy watercolor junk food 😀 I didn't buy pbk11, but I did buy graphite powder for turning some old Mijello tube colors into Graphite shades. Thanks for the review. Loving fantasy flowers most, the palette looks fun but in reality, I should build one from all the colors I have. I'll note what some botanical sets contain. I have Anna Mason colors now. Thanks again 🎉
Beautiful Rose!
Thank you! Cheers!
This does look like the same botanical set from a few years ago, to me. But it does have a nice array of colors. Hesitant about $40 atm, but will keep an eye out for Black Friday etc. Thanks 💙 🌺
PS: I knew it would happen once YT’ers started saying that they personally remove the flap from their palettes, saying they personally find them unnecessary and a waste, that companies were going to hear that potential cost savings loud and clear and implement it as soon as they could. Well, yup, I ordered an expensive tube set from Schminke and sure enough, no mixing flap. I’m really annoyed because I use it and have yet to hear back from the company, I did email them. Also, check if you can fit an extra half pan in the rows of a new palette. Several you no longer can. Bummer
I'll have e to check but I could in my original PR palette and I think this is identical. I like having the extra mixing area myself.
YES PLEASE post this flower video, or put it in Critique Club.
It will be right here on TH-cam! I am working g on something else for critique-club right now!
your flower is simply gorgeous!
Thanks 😊
This is my main complaint about Paul Reubens, they keep changing things. There is something to be said for consistency.
As long as they keep changing for the better.
Good review. Thanks, Lindsay!
You're welcome 😊
Hullo Lindsay, I believe you hot the nail on the head with this set! I think Paul Rubens is selling sets of paints not paints. I personally purchased their first set for the palette. My wife wanted a pink palette and so I got her one and filled it with DaVinci paints as they are just better paints! I see how much just empty palettes cost and to buy one with paint costs less than an empty one, you buy the one full of paint! You are a talented enough painter to make a lovely painting with any watercolors! You make the mention of the "spark" and this is a truly elusive feeling and when it happens you must acknowledge it! As well as when it is not there, I just don't believe it is there for you in this set. That is OK your a wonderful teacher and people do trust your reviews, you do not need to love everything, like it sure, it is not offensive and it is good paint.
Well said!
Love to see a tutorial on that rose it is gorgeous
Coming soon!
I love your wealth of pigment and paint information. Especially when you taught us that (was it lemon yellow?) some pigments are more light fast in the acrylic suspension. (I dunno. I'm tired.) Although I'm not interested in this set, I still learned a lot watching your video. Thank you for teaching me something new in every video! (Oh, but I do love the packaging and tin this comes in. I'm a sucker for some nice tins and boxes.)
Me too 😆
@@thefrugalcrafter I sometimes buy jars, bottles and boxes of stuff just for their containers 🙈🤫 (and the rose you painted from this set is absolutely gorgeous!)
We always want your tutorials! 😂 But especially this one; it can be difficult to paint white or very pale flowers without it looking like you just didn’t finish a painting.
Coming Wednesday!
Is bronzing from the medium used in the pigment/medium blend? Like too much glycerin to prevent the panned WC’s from cracking? I don’t remember dye-based colors having the bronzing, but I really don’t know for a fact, either. Thanks for the review, Lindsay. ❤ Your white rose painting is exquisite! 🌸
Too much binder can cause a glossy appearance but not the metallic sheen like an oil slick.
I love your flower painting! So pretty! I would love to see a tutorial.😍
And yes, Google has gotten so much worse, it’s impossible to find anything useful on there. The first five or so pages of results are completely useless.
Glad it's not just me noticing this!
Love the rose painting! I just got a 12 pan Paul Rubens single pigment set for Amazon Prime day. Have no idea if it's any good but it was a Prime special and I felt I just had to get something for Prime sale!
That should be good! Was it the halfpan set?
@@thefrugalcrafter Yes, the 12 halfpan.
yes to the rose painting! As always thanks for the review -it's a pass for me. Today is Prime Day and Paul Rubens has their classic set of 24 for 30€, quite the bargain. I would go for that if I were looking for PR sets. Your knowledge of pigments is always amazing. I didn't know PY3 is phtalo yellow! 23:04 Thanks for the review Lindsay!
I misspoke then, py3 is Hansa yellow:)
@@thefrugalcrafter Thanks. I was happy to have a chance to explore a new colour. Hansa Yellow is beautiful as well. 💛
8:05 - These paints look anything but transparent to me. They all look very opaque on the paper. And I mean clearly, visibly opaque (similar to most of my cheap paints that arent even student grade). And are they supposed to be granulating paints? Because I see no granulation. ôo I'm confused. However, these don't look like something I would be interested in. Don't like how they look on paper.
Either way, thanks for the review, Lin.
No, they aren't supposed to be granulating perse although some colors do. I mostly wanted to point out the pink (peach light) because I think it might not be what someone wants as a botanical painter that likes to glaze, but others may like it. It's not my favorite Paul rubens set, but it's fair for the price. I wanted to show the difference between sets because there are so many now!
I find that Paul Rubens products are confusing so I don't buy them. I don't want 6 of the same thing with different names and tins. As a viewer mentioned this might be an older product(which is fine) but can end up with duplicates. It isn't the quality I question but lack of transparency in marketing.
Thank you for another great review Lindsay.
Thanks 😊
When you think about it, not many flowers have brown stems. Could always mix a brown . But that pink seems a bit wonky for some reason. Coukd just be me. Thanks Lindsay 💜
I like the granulation on my cotton paper. I didn't like the look of it on cellulose.
Another thought - which would you pick up first, this or Shinhan PWC tube set? Thank you.
Personally, I'd go for the PWC/SWC tubes but quality wise i think they are pretty equivalent.
@@thefrugalcrafter thank you for both comments.
Hi Lindsay! Maybe I missed it, but what sketchbook did you use for the white rose/paintings you did with these paints? Your work is always amazing!
I made that sketchbook with Hahnemulhe Cezanne watercolor paper.
I don’t even paint, but yet…I’m drawn to watercolor markers. 😂 Thank you for sharing this product.
You are so welcome!
I love your final painting -- but I agree this set seems weird. Particularly weird that they are first generation Rubens when they are on the 5th gen now? I'd joke that they found old stock in the back room, but your old tube set is so much better.
Lol, could be. Another viewer said they bought this set on aliexpress 5 years ago
If the pink watercolor is flouresent it will granulate,, all their pinks and reds granulated in paul ruebens neon set. Like opera pink in Daniel smith.
Cool, I didn't know that. I wonder why the nonsense granulated. Do you know?
Can you tell me what the little cloth with the logo on it is used for?
I think it's for polishing the tin but I wipe my brushes on it.
I just watched Emma L post a swatching of these! Lol. She wasn’t impressed with the browns. 😅
Yeah, I don't know what was up with those browns.
Quick fix to rust proof the pans that have little scratches in the paint, cover it with clear finger nail polish and let it completely dry.
Thanks for the tip!
I keep thinking about getting new watercolours and Paul Rubens has so many interesting ones.
I searched earlier if I could find an official website to compare colors more easily, because my local Amazon often doesn't have swatches. I found one for Lightwish (although I can't say for sure if it's official). They have 24 and 48 colors Lightwish palettes that look very interesting. I really wonder how the quality compares to Paul Rubens and MeiLiang.
Lightwish is an authorized distributor, you can trust buying from them. They sell other brands too so make sure you are buying Paul rubens.
@@thefrugalcrafter Thank you ❤️
such a shame, i wish the metal box had some floral pattern on it for this special release. always appreciate your thorough review Lindsay, thank you! ❤
That would be nice!
Yes google search has gotten stupid.
Agreed 👍
You are so appreciated! Lord Christ bless you copiously. Amen.
Thanks 😊
I usually love watching your watercolour reviews but I am really disappointed with this one
how can you guage whether a new set is right for you - when we don't see you swatch it
honestly, what is the point
I don't always swatch on camera. I compared all my Paul rubens set swatches I the video. I think it is a pretty thorough comparison.
@@thefrugalcrafter that's all well and good - if your familiar with Paul Rubens but if you have never painted with them you can't know what the paint is like from a piece of paper. you usually give valuable insight and information when you swatch all that insight is lost...
I would have to agree with LB, there was a huge element missing I really prefer more conventional reviews and wouldn't be inclined to watch future reviews like this one
@LB-gq4jr I did link to a list of other Paul rubens paint reviews that include swatching, and since I did that in the past, it seemed redundant to do it again. I thought it would bore people, but I guess I better leave it in next time 😆