Nova really holds up on exterior murals as well. Im from the Midwest so my pieces really take a beating from the crazy weather all year round. Surprisingly every mural dating back to 2018 still looks like new.
Thanks for this video, Andrea! The wet wipe test was eye-opening, for sure. I have used Nova Color Paint almost exclusively for at least 2-3 years because it is good quality, affordable, and some of my favorite artists on TH-cam use it (Betty Franks, for instance). I have a few Golden Fluid Acrylics (Green Gold, Indian Yellow, Titan Buff) that I love for their color and mixing as you demonstrated. I live in Minnesota and shipping costs for California-based Nova aren't prohibitive. I haven't used Liquitex paint very much but do use their mediums because they seem to work pretty well and are usually less expensive then Golden. I've never tried Nova's mediums because I can't tell from their description how they might compare to other brands. Maybe a comparison of Golden, Liquitex, and Nova mediums in another video??
Hey Cheryl! Thanks for the comment. So many artists love Nova Color, and I can see why! A comparison of the mediums would be great. I use Nova Color for most of my mediums, but Liquitex and Golden make a few that Nova doesn't. I will put that video on my list-thanks for the suggestion!
I actually love Holbein acrylic. It is a Japanese brand. Colors are vivid and they mix easily. They are midway between hard and soft body. When I show fellow artists work done with Holbein people always ask what medium I’m using because they glow. The only downside is I can’t go to Michael’s to pick up a tube, and it is a little pricey. Thanks for the video.
And one more thing.. if you liked this class you might want to consider my FREE online challenge from September 3-6, 2024. Here's the link if you want to join:) santafepaintingworkshops.com/abstract-floral-challenge-yt
I love Golden. They are coherent through all their different “Brands”, the color options, the viscosity options … fabulous!! But here in Austria they are even more expensive than in the US. I have some big Lascaux Acrylics from a shopping I did some years ago. It used to be the highest valued brand here in Europe and they are really good,and a little bit cheaper if you buy them in really big bottles. I also have some Amsterdam Expert Acrylics from Talens and some of the Boesner Acrylics (German Art Supply Chain). They are ok. Also love the SoFlat from Golden. Have not found anything similar in other brands yet.
Yes, Golden is truly amazing. Does Nova Color ship there? Their colors are flat by nature (I forgot to mention that in my video). I also like Amsterdam, but I use the scholastic quality for my in-person classes and they are a great value!
@@andreacermanskipainting I would need to pay 30% customs + shipping and at that point I prefer to invest the money into some Golden tubes to take with me when I am in the US. Thank you for your suggestion. 😀
When it comes to your wiping test, probably your paper towel is abrading the surface, a bit like wet sandpaper? I've used all of these brands, Liquitex for decades. But lately I like Golden Fluid Acrylics, but they are getting very pricey. The Nova Color paints I've been using now are similar to those, but I wish they came in a squeeze bottle. I saw that Mark Bradford was using their products, so that convinced me to try them. I will be ordering in larger containers next time.
Ooh, I did not know Mark Bradford uses Nova Color! Even more of a reason to use them. I hear you, but I don't think the professional paint would wipe off after a day. The paper towel was wet and shouldn't have been too abrasive. But they are all good brands in the end:)
Nova doesn't list the pigments used to formulate their colors like Golden, Liquitex, or other top brands do. That's a major drawback to me because I like having control over the color and leads me to believe they're using cheap dyes instead of pigments.
That's interesting. I hadn't noticed that, but just checked, and that's totally true! I think this is something to research a bit more. For example, here's how Nova describes their burnt sienna, "Nova Color’s burnt sienna acrylic color is formed by burning the yellow-brown limonite clay called Raw Sienna." So it doesn't sound like they use a cheap dye in this case, but they are reachable via phone so I bet we could ask the question! Thanks for bringing this up!
Yes, I noticed that. I think it’s extremely odd for any professional paint manufacturer not to list their pigments. Colour names mean nothing if you don’t know what pigments were used.
If I didn't invest so much money in liquitex and golden, I would've loved to order the nova bundle, as I see a lot of the professional artists use nova paints.
I don’t mind the Liquitex ones which are available in Australia but I find them a little bit stiffer to use and I know the Golden ones are great, but in Australia. they’re very expensive the other brand that I use which I found are quite amazing are the Windsor and Newton professional acrylic paints what I like about them is they are soft,buttery,high pigment quality and of all the different brands I’ve used they have very little colour shift went dry ! I find with cheaper paints, e.g. Global paints even though it looks like they have high pigmentation the problem is that when you buy them in tubs if they’re not used straight away they seem to go mouldy and that’s because they have a higher water content. None of my other professional paints have done that so cheaper paints must use more water I don’t know?
I have found the cheap paints to go moldy too, but I think that happens if you put unused paint back in the tub. Do you do that? I haven't tried Windsor and Newton for whatever reason, but I bet they are fantastic!
I’m slowly replacing my Liquitex and some cheaper paints with Golden. I have several Nova colors and love them but shipping to East coast is pricey (although I bet it evens out when you consider the higher paint price of Golden).
I have nova colors and I was impressed with their price , I travel a lot and stopped at the original color factory in L,A. And everytime I go there I stock on nova colors also I use golden I love the open golden colors the fact is they tend to stay wet a little longer , they are good to use in a plein air session adding wetting aid to water is a plus in hot weather , I also use Utrecht hevy body acrylics they are rich in color. Overall nova color are In between liquid and heavy body and excelent covering mostly opaque and not glossy I usually paint on 300# WC paper and canvas after 2 coats of gesso works good for me.
Yes, shipping probably does add up, esp. to the East Coast. Do you ever shop at Michael's? They sometimes give the 50% coupon on any item, so that's a good time to grab the next Golden color you need:)
I love Golden's open acrylics too. They also sell an open medium that you can add to any paint. I also like Utrecht, especially for the price. Great value!
I first heard of Novacolor sometime last year. As much as I'd love to try their paints, Novacolor doesn't list their pigments on their website or jars which for me is an immediate deal breaker. Any company not willing to share the pigment info isn't worth it for experienced artists in my opinion. Also your "wipe off" test is a bit confusing to me. Obviously there will be some difference between pigments, but there's no circumstance I can think of where an over application of paint would be accompanied by heavy scrubbing. As far as tinting goes that has a lot to do with which pigment is used not so much the quality of the paint
The wipe off test is for this reason: if you apply a new layer of paint and you want to remove it while wet, the underlying dry layer of paint does wipe off a bit in the less expensive paints. In my 30 years of experience, there are some brands that wipe off even when dry--Liquitex basics, Artist's Loft, and surprisingly, that Liquitex Professional quin magenta color I tried in the test. So perhaps in your work you don't wipe away wet paint ever, but I do all the time. Tinting has a lot to do with the quality of the paint. If you compare the tinting power of Golden vs. Artist's loft, you will find you need a lot less red in golden, for example, to make pink. I discuss these less expensive paints because some of my students need to use them due to finances. I hear you about Nova--you're not the only one who has mentioned that.
I am also slowly replacing my older paints with these other brands. I have heard from others that Ultrect(spelling?) that is sold through Blick is a good choice. I have mixed feelings on Golden. I love its fluidity. And the color... But I find that it takes more paint to build texture so is very expensive to use. I think Nova color and house paint might be a better option. Many professionals use good quality latex house paint in combination with Nova color and get great results. It seems to work well with large canvases. There are house paints also with low VOC's. So I am thinking of trying this. 🤔
True about house paint, but they aren't archival, so if that is important to you keep that in mind. Maybe try the Golden heavy body paint. Or mix the golden paint with a painting medium (like a heavy body.) I have a resource on using mediums if you don't know use them. Let me know if you want it.
Jackson Pollack used house paints... Now he may have used an oil based type at that time as it was more common... But for the scale of the work he had to use that to get the coverage he needed he needed large volumes of paint. Yes for archival purposes a higher quality paint is required. But hey... Let's be real... 90% per cent of us are just not going to have the quality of work that people will be wanting to preserve or have sit in a museum. That is a very selective market. So I say use a good quality paint and if you want to preserve it use a really good quality protective varnish on it. That will help protect it from yellowing and UV rays even extending the life of works done with a more basic paint. 😉 Or mix your own paints... I have a friend that does that. But then he is an actually talented artist. I just think that most of us are not in that selective market. 😔 People a hundred years from now will already have recycled our art or sent it to an estate sale... I don't like to think about that, but oh well... So if you are truly talented and creating unique pieces that are in demand from well known galleries or museums then for sure use the best out there... Otherwise. Use what fits your budget and still looks nice to the untrained eye. 👍 Oh, I was adding a signature to one of my practice pieces in Basic Liquitex and I kept messing it up. I wetted it repeatedly and rubbed it off. The paint underneath was just fine and did not rub off. Golden is thinner and dries more quickly. Give Liquitext a little longer to dry and it is pretty darn durable. 😉 I will try the Golden Heavy body when I get to an elevated level in my work that I think it is worth it... 👍 Although my experienced successful friends think I am close to there now. But I don't think so... I need more experience... For me... 45+ plus years of puttering with art off and on.
@@andreacermanskipainting Yes. It is depressing to think of where your art may end up. I am comforted in thinking my personal art I give to our Son may get passed down generation to generation. I will still use an isolation coat and a couple coats of varnish with UV protection. So it will last for a while... The rest. As long as they make people happy for a while... Then that will suffice. 😊
Hey Andrea, I love that you did this test. I just subjectively preferred Nova Color to Liquitex without any fact to support it. I just feel that Liquitex is a bit behind on Color Brightness, but I use the 3 brands. I still don’t understand how Nova Color can offered this quality of paint for the price compared to Golden but I love it and use it. Anyway, your test support my own subject opinion about those brands and I’m happy about it. Thank you.
I am so happy to hear that! You know, I was really surprised by the results, and I'm glad I did it! I am definitely going to recommend Nova Color to my students, and I'm with you--how do they do it? I actually think they keep the price down because they sell on their own (not to stores), so they don't have to raise their prices to make the profit. The actual store is in Culvert City, CA, and I hope to get there one day!
@@andreacermanskipainting I might do a lightfast test. If I do I’ll share with you. It bugs me a little that they do not list their pigment info but I did not reach out to see if they have it posted somewhere else. And I love that they have many transparent colors. I live in Michigan so not seeing myself going there anytime soon, but I bet it would be a fun trip. If you go, I would love to see a post about it!
Don't forget to like, subscribe & comment! Much love, my creative friends! 💖✨🖌
Nova really holds up on exterior murals as well. Im from the Midwest so my pieces really take a beating from the crazy weather all year round. Surprisingly every mural dating back to 2018 still looks like new.
That's amazing! Do you put any kind of exterior varnish, or it it just the paint?
Thanks for this video, Andrea! The wet wipe test was eye-opening, for sure. I have used Nova Color Paint almost exclusively for at least 2-3 years because it is good quality, affordable, and some of my favorite artists on TH-cam use it (Betty Franks, for instance). I have a few Golden Fluid Acrylics (Green Gold, Indian Yellow, Titan Buff) that I love for their color and mixing as you demonstrated. I live in Minnesota and shipping costs for California-based Nova aren't prohibitive. I haven't used Liquitex paint very much but do use their mediums because they seem to work pretty well and are usually less expensive then Golden. I've never tried Nova's mediums because I can't tell from their description how they might compare to other brands. Maybe a comparison of Golden, Liquitex, and Nova mediums in another video??
Hey Cheryl! Thanks for the comment. So many artists love Nova Color, and I can see why! A comparison of the mediums would be great. I use Nova Color for most of my mediums, but Liquitex and Golden make a few that Nova doesn't. I will put that video on my list-thanks for the suggestion!
I actually love Holbein acrylic. It is a Japanese brand. Colors are vivid and they mix easily. They are midway between hard and soft body. When I show fellow artists work done with Holbein people always ask what medium I’m using because they glow. The only downside is I can’t go to Michael’s to pick up a tube, and it is a little pricey. Thanks for the video.
Good to know! I have some of their gouache paints. Will give them a try:)
Thank you for this video. I normally use golden and a little liquitex. I have been thinking of trying Nova for larger projects. I may consider it.
Let me know what you think!
I love using Golden, Liquitex Basics and Nova Color.
Thanks -
Linda H
Awesome! Did you ever find that liquitex basics paint wipes off after it's dry?
I enjoyed watching this tutorial and I learned a great deal as a beginner
Glad it was helpful!
And one more thing.. if you liked this class you might want to consider my FREE online challenge from September 3-6, 2024. Here's the link if you want to join:) santafepaintingworkshops.com/abstract-floral-challenge-yt
I love Golden. They are coherent through all their different “Brands”, the color options, the viscosity options … fabulous!! But here in Austria they are even more expensive than in the US. I have some big Lascaux Acrylics from a shopping I did some years ago. It used to be the highest valued brand here in Europe and they are really good,and a little bit cheaper if you buy them in really big bottles. I also have some Amsterdam Expert Acrylics from Talens and some of the Boesner Acrylics (German Art Supply Chain). They are ok. Also love the SoFlat from Golden. Have not found anything similar in other brands yet.
Yes, Golden is truly amazing. Does Nova Color ship there? Their colors are flat by nature (I forgot to mention that in my video). I also like Amsterdam, but I use the scholastic quality for my in-person classes and they are a great value!
@@andreacermanskipainting I would need to pay 30% customs + shipping and at that point I prefer to invest the money into some Golden tubes to take with me when I am in the US. Thank you for your suggestion. 😀
Eek! Got it:)
I use all three but my favorite is Nova Color. Great demo test.
Good to know! You're not the only one:)
Been using Nova for years now. The only negative is shipping from California. Love Nova.
Yes, it does get expensive!
Golden Artist Acrylics are my personal favorite. Their heavy body and Open acrylics are unmatched in my opinion. Thanks for the video!
I hear you. You are welcome!
When it comes to your wiping test, probably your paper towel is abrading the surface, a bit like wet sandpaper? I've used all of these brands, Liquitex for decades. But lately I like Golden Fluid Acrylics, but they are getting very pricey. The Nova Color paints I've been using now are similar to those, but I wish they came in a squeeze bottle. I saw that Mark Bradford was using their products, so that convinced me to try them. I will be ordering in larger containers next time.
Ooh, I did not know Mark Bradford uses Nova Color! Even more of a reason to use them. I hear you, but I don't think the professional paint would wipe off after a day. The paper towel was wet and shouldn't have been too abrasive. But they are all good brands in the end:)
Nova doesn't list the pigments used to formulate their colors like Golden, Liquitex, or other top brands do. That's a major drawback to me because I like having control over the color and leads me to believe they're using cheap dyes instead of pigments.
That's interesting. I hadn't noticed that, but just checked, and that's totally true! I think this is something to research a bit more. For example, here's how Nova describes their burnt sienna, "Nova Color’s burnt sienna acrylic color is formed by burning the yellow-brown limonite clay called Raw Sienna." So it doesn't sound like they use a cheap dye in this case, but they are reachable via phone so I bet we could ask the question! Thanks for bringing this up!
Yes, I noticed that. I think it’s extremely odd for any professional paint manufacturer not to list their pigments. Colour names mean nothing if you don’t know what pigments were used.
It's a great point! One of these days I will call them and ask, and will report back!
@@andreacermanskipainting what’d they say?
If I didn't invest so much money in liquitex and golden, I would've loved to order the nova bundle, as I see a lot of the professional artists use nova paints.
Well now you know what to try after you have used them up:)
I use Golden and Liquitex, depending on what's on sale. I also use Arteza metallics.
I have seen Arteza...how is the quality in terms of the staying power? Do they wipe off?
They seem to stay as long as they're good and dry.
That's good to know! Thanks :)
I don’t mind the Liquitex ones which are available in Australia but I find them a little bit stiffer to use and I know the Golden ones are great, but in Australia. they’re very expensive the other brand that I use which I found are quite amazing are the Windsor and Newton professional acrylic paints what I like about them is they are soft,buttery,high pigment quality and of all the different brands I’ve used they have very little colour shift went dry !
I find with cheaper paints, e.g. Global paints even though it looks like they have high pigmentation the problem is that when you buy them in tubs if they’re not used straight away they seem to go mouldy and that’s because they have a higher water content. None of my other professional paints have done that so cheaper paints must use more water I don’t know?
I have found the cheap paints to go moldy too, but I think that happens if you put unused paint back in the tub. Do you do that? I haven't tried Windsor and Newton for whatever reason, but I bet they are fantastic!
@@andreacermanskipainting thanks for the reply…no I didn’t put unused paint back in ..
darn, so cheap paint then! Sorry that happened!
I love Windsor Newton acrylic paints too, although I have a mix of all of the brands and just received some Nova today to try!
I need to try the Windsor Newton acrylics! Let me know what you think about Nova.
I’m slowly replacing my Liquitex and some cheaper paints with Golden. I have several Nova colors and love them but shipping to East coast is pricey (although I bet it evens out when you consider the higher paint price of Golden).
I have nova colors and I was impressed with their price , I travel a lot and stopped at the original color factory in L,A. And everytime I go there I stock on nova colors also I use golden I love the open golden colors the fact is they tend to stay wet a little longer , they are good to use in a plein air session adding wetting aid to water is a plus in hot weather , I also use Utrecht hevy body acrylics they are rich in color. Overall nova color are In between liquid and heavy body and excelent covering mostly opaque and not glossy I usually paint on 300# WC paper and canvas after 2 coats of gesso works good for me.
Yes, shipping probably does add up, esp. to the East Coast. Do you ever shop at Michael's? They sometimes give the 50% coupon on any item, so that's a good time to grab the next Golden color you need:)
I love Golden's open acrylics too. They also sell an open medium that you can add to any paint. I also like Utrecht, especially for the price. Great value!
@@andreacermanskipainting Oh good idea! I do, but I need to see why I'm not getting their emails anymore. Thanks for the tip.
Blick bought them! That's probably why:)
I first heard of Novacolor sometime last year. As much as I'd love to try their paints, Novacolor doesn't list their pigments on their website or jars which for me is an immediate deal breaker. Any company not willing to share the pigment info isn't worth it for experienced artists in my opinion. Also your "wipe off" test is a bit confusing to me. Obviously there will be some difference between pigments, but there's no circumstance I can think of where an over application of paint would be accompanied by heavy scrubbing. As far as tinting goes that has a lot to do with which pigment is used not so much the quality of the paint
The wipe off test is for this reason: if you apply a new layer of paint and you want to remove it while wet, the underlying dry layer of paint does wipe off a bit in the less expensive paints. In my 30 years of experience, there are some brands that wipe off even when dry--Liquitex basics, Artist's Loft, and surprisingly, that Liquitex Professional quin magenta color I tried in the test. So perhaps in your work you don't wipe away wet paint ever, but I do all the time. Tinting has a lot to do with the quality of the paint. If you compare the tinting power of Golden vs. Artist's loft, you will find you need a lot less red in golden, for example, to make pink. I discuss these less expensive paints because some of my students need to use them due to finances. I hear you about Nova--you're not the only one who has mentioned that.
I am also slowly replacing my older paints with these other brands. I have heard from others that Ultrect(spelling?) that is sold through Blick is a good choice. I have mixed feelings on Golden. I love its fluidity. And the color... But I find that it takes more paint to build texture so is very expensive to use. I think Nova color and house paint might be a better option. Many professionals use good quality latex house paint in combination with Nova color and get great results. It seems to work well with large canvases. There are house paints also with low VOC's. So I am thinking of trying this. 🤔
True about house paint, but they aren't archival, so if that is important to you keep that in mind. Maybe try the Golden heavy body paint. Or mix the golden paint with a painting medium (like a heavy body.) I have a resource on using mediums if you don't know use them. Let me know if you want it.
Jackson Pollack used house paints... Now he may have used an oil based type at that time as it was more common... But for the scale of the work he had to use that to get the coverage he needed he needed large volumes of paint. Yes for archival purposes a higher quality paint is required. But hey... Let's be real... 90% per cent of us are just not going to have the quality of work that people will be wanting to preserve or have sit in a museum. That is a very selective market. So I say use a good quality paint and if you want to preserve it use a really good quality protective varnish on it. That will help protect it from yellowing and UV rays even extending the life of works done with a more basic paint. 😉 Or mix your own paints... I have a friend that does that. But then he is an actually talented artist. I just think that most of us are not in that selective market. 😔 People a hundred years from now will already have recycled our art or sent it to an estate sale... I don't like to think about that, but oh well... So if you are truly talented and creating unique pieces that are in demand from well known galleries or museums then for sure use the best out there... Otherwise. Use what fits your budget and still looks nice to the untrained eye. 👍 Oh, I was adding a signature to one of my practice pieces in Basic Liquitex and I kept messing it up. I wetted it repeatedly and rubbed it off. The paint underneath was just fine and did not rub off. Golden is thinner and dries more quickly. Give Liquitext a little longer to dry and it is pretty darn durable. 😉 I will try the Golden Heavy body when I get to an elevated level in my work that I think it is worth it... 👍 Although my experienced successful friends think I am close to there now. But I don't think so... I need more experience... For me... 45+ plus years of puttering with art off and on.
Yes, this is very true! "Archival" only matters to a small selection of artists :)
@@andreacermanskipainting Yes. It is depressing to think of where your art may end up. I am comforted in thinking my personal art I give to our Son may get passed down generation to generation. I will still use an isolation coat and a couple coats of varnish with UV protection. So it will last for a while... The rest. As long as they make people happy for a while... Then that will suffice. 😊
I totally agree!
Nova looks better for me cheaper bonus
Totally! Give it a try!
Why not compare the same colors side by side? This is a poor comparison. Jumps around and is confusing.
Because I wasn't comparing the colors. I was comparing quality.
Hey Andrea, I love that you did this test. I just subjectively preferred Nova Color to Liquitex without any fact to support it. I just feel that Liquitex is a bit behind on Color Brightness, but I use the 3 brands. I still don’t understand how Nova Color can offered this quality of paint for the price compared to Golden but I love it and use it. Anyway, your test support my own subject opinion about those brands and I’m happy about it. Thank you.
I am so happy to hear that! You know, I was really surprised by the results, and I'm glad I did it! I am definitely going to recommend Nova Color to my students, and I'm with you--how do they do it? I actually think they keep the price down because they sell on their own (not to stores), so they don't have to raise their prices to make the profit. The actual store is in Culvert City, CA, and I hope to get there one day!
@@andreacermanskipainting I might do a lightfast test. If I do I’ll share with you. It bugs me a little that they do not list their pigment info but I did not reach out to see if they have it posted somewhere else. And I love that they have many transparent colors. I live in Michigan so not seeing myself going there anytime soon, but I bet it would be a fun trip. If you go, I would love to see a post about it!
Sounds good! Would love to hear the results :)