Thank you all for your patience as I put this together! You can find reviews, swatch with me videos, and product links in the description. If you'd like to learn more about constructing custom watercolor palettes, check out my Skillshare class as well, and come back next week to kick off the new Brand by Brand series with us. This video took every ounce and hour this week that I could sanely spare (and perhaps a few extra I couldn't haha) but I'm so proud of this one, and hope you love it too!
You’re such a talented artist, but also as a teacher and reviewer. Definitely a hard worker to be as skilled as you are. Even though I have too much paint, I am constantly falling in love with things you show me! You hypnotize me.
I will be diving into more of the DaVinci paints that arrived just this morning! I look forward to your indepth reviewing process and see what you make of them!
Hello!! So I found something I thought you would be interested in. I know you're a fan of PO49, I know you said you wouldn't be making your own paints but I thought you would be interested in it any way? This is literally the only place I could find it besides a couple 100$ tubes of DS. www.guerrapaint.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=305
In Liquid Color I've come across ur channel for the 1st time., Extremely beautiful portraits 🎨😍😍😍😍and lots of helpful information. Thanks alot👍👍👍 I want to know ,hv u tried Fiber castle water color pallettes? And can u share info abt watercolor paper and those two brushes that u were using in this video? I've checked ur description box below but for some reason I'm unable to figure out. 😅🙈 And can u guide us about ur favorite top 10 affordable yet professional watercolor papers and water color brushes starting from affordable to expensive promising brands??? And can u share
Can we all take a moment to appreaciate the quality of the art made for each sample! Ten pieces for a single video!! Thanks for this quality content Denise🙌🏼 btw I can't believe that Winsor&Newton made it to your top😱
This is actually the most helpful and informative video I've ever seen about watercolors. Every single one of your demos was gorgeous. This was so in-depth and well thought-out and I absolutely adore it. Sorry for gushing but ahhhh this was great.
I agree. I just stumbled onto this video half asleep, but the animal portraits certainly woke me up and claimed my full attention. (Not a fan of snakes or other bald animals, but even he is beautifully done.) I hit the notification channel and hope to get a lot more of your videos as you are the only animal portraitist I've ever come across and as I enter the world of painting, botanical illustration and animal portraiture are strong interests of mine. Thanks so much for your video. It's a sweet treat. 😊 💐 🦒 🐈 🐕 🐘 🐓 🐦⬛ 🦜 🦚
Wow! A sample painting per brand! 🤩 That’s incredible for a mini review of 10 different brands. Every moment of this video is quality. How do you manage to wrap all that up in under an hour let alone in just less than 22 minutes!
Love that you included a dedicated demo painting with each brand *and* the swatches. Very well thought-out selection! Especially loved the Schmincke demonstration - what is the softer green hue that you used for the body?
Fun and interesting to hear your thoughts. I echo the comments of how hard it is to rank them when you get to the top 5-6. So true! I’m still befuddled by the M. Graham running issue. I talk to so many people about it on both sides of the issue mostly with no problem and have wondered if it’s a batch issue. I live in a relatively humid climate and never had even the first pan move once they set properly. I have 3 palettes poured, one a plein air palette that is stored vertically 24/7 with no movement. I’ve talked to Tonya at length about her issues with running upon moving to NC (M. Graham used to be her favorite until then) and I’m more confused now than when I started asking questions about it. Which has me leaning to batch problems but I don’t know. In the end I totally agree. If you need to be sure of your travel palette security best to avoid it. Which is a shame because easy rewettability is a key factor when painting on location. Thankfully we have other great choices for that. Great info as usual Denise.
(Following your suggestion, Steve) about 18 months ago, I started collecting M Graham tubes as my first artist-grade watercolors. I bought them over a period of 12 months from a dozen different stores across three states, and online, and created 3 different-sized pallets from them. Whether I've been in California, Oregon, Seattle or Sydney, every single one of them is as sticky and gooey as the day I bought them. So now they stay put in my studio. ;)
Thanks Steve! I can now store my MG palette vertically during the drier months of the year without issue. The main problem for me is that if you want to swap colors in fullish pans, or god forbid scrape it out of a porcelain palette well, you'll be there forever haha. I guess they just want you to be committed ;)
Here in Northwestern Ireland, about 1 hour from the ocean, I've found that some M. Graham paints set up just fine (Burnt Sienna and most earth colors, Perylene Maroon, Transparent Red Oxide, Hooker's Green, and surprisingly Phthalo Green, and a few others)... Other paints are tacky but still safe to cart around without kid gloves (almost every blue I have from them, though Anthraquinone Blue and Ultramarine set up a bit better, Nickel Azo Yellow, Quinacridone Rust, and most of the reds)... And then there are a small group that are dangerously tacky (Terra Rosa, Cobalt Teal) and some actually separate from the binder even if I mix it with a toothpick (Cobalt Green, Cobalt Violet, Cobalt Blue). I've done some research into this, and from what I've found most people have had their nightmare experiences with the more dense pigments such as the Cobalt and Cadmium pigments. Because the pigments are so dense, they seem to separate in open-pans, and sink to the bottom while separating from the binder almost entirely. Since the binder is so humuctant heavy, it never really dries... Which prevents the pan from setting up, altogether. My personal nightmare experience happened just a couple of months ago, after using M. Graham since late 2016. I had just put Cobalt Green into a new palette. I made sure to shake the tube and kind of squish it around to mix any separated binder that occurs from sitting too long in a shop. I also only filled the pan 3/4 of the way, and then stirred the poured paint with a toothpick just to double-insure the binder was well-mixed in. I let it set in a dry room-temperature place, out of the sun, for several days. It didn't really set, but that happens with some MG paints from my experience... So I decided to glue it into my palette and let it finish setting up there, hopefully to at least a tacky state, just as I have several times before. A few days later I noticed a very thick transparent-yellow goo sitting on top of the paint... the binder! I tried to mix it back up with a toothpick, but it just got stuck to the toothpick and caused a huge mess. So I thought, just let it lie and when you paint with it, you can sort it out with a crappy brush that is wet and won't pick up too much pigment. One week later I re-opened the palette... and the cobalt green had exploded everywhere and coated several other pans of paint. It was like a horrible sticky green bomb went off. This palette was sitting undisturbed or moved in a room no warmer than 50 degrees (F) at any given time, completely flat and out of sunlight, and the pan had been setting up for a couple weeks! Maybe I got a bad tube of Cobalt Green. That's totally possible. However, both Cobalt Blue and Violet have had separation issues in the last couple of years I've bought M. Graham. They haven't exploded like Cobalt Green, but now I'm pretty gun shy. I can put up with semi-tacky paint, as long as it's safe to cart around. But exploding paint is another issue! I love love love M. Graham. I was hoping to carry them around as my main plein-air palette this summer in Montenegro and Croatia... but I'm just so gunshy that in more extreme heat/humidity they will have repeated bad reactions! Someone suggested carrying little sachets of silica gel to soak up excess moisture. I'm going to give it a try. But I've also got a contingency store of Da Vinci paints I just purchased and an extra palette, just to be safe.
@@AlphaGeekgirl Yep, they'll always be sticky/gooey. Thats fine with me. My main concern is whether they run or move in a travel palette. They never have for me but there are reports of it. I've been trying for 4 years to track down the reasons by talking to various people. I'm not convinced humidity has anything to do with it.
I really enjoyed this video. I know it may sound patronizing, I do not mean to be, but I can really tell how much you’ve grown as an artist and content creator since your last “Favorites” video. I hope you know important your voice is in this community and how you influence how people think about this wonderful medium we share a love for. Thank you.
What a lovely, wonderful, and informative video! THIS kind of dedication is precisely why I recently chose to support Denise on Patreon. I've never seen someone so free and giving of time, energy, thought, and research. And the talent! I have so much to learn from Denise. I know I'll be referring to this video again and again. Early in my watercolor journey, I bought brands willy-nilly with no idea what I was doing. Now I feel more informed. Thank you!
Absolutely love how you’ve not only detailed ur reasons for why each brand has been allocated that position, but also demonstrated each brands capabilities with a watercolor painting with each brand! Thank you so much for your efforts!
For a beginner watercolour artist, I found this video to be one of the best in describing the various paints from a variety all the time not biased, only giving me what Denise likes to use herself. I learned a great deal. Thank you!
I adore your facts mixed in with your tried-and-true experiences. This is an incredible mix of knowledge for any of us who watch. I truly appreciate all the effort and insights you give. I'm getting back into art as a therapeutic mechanism of life-ing and re-learning all the ins and outs of each medium. Thank you!
I just bought the 36 set of white nights to upgrade from my koi and cotman sets and I LOVE the paints! So vibrant and flowy! I bought the set as a birthday gift to myself after receiving $75 worth of Amazon. I've been feeling the urge to paint even more!
What an incredible video! It's obvious the huge amount of work went into this! LOVE!!! I can't wait to see the Daniel Smith "Brand By Brand" video. My favorite watercolor brands are Daniel Smith, Holbein, W&N, Schmincke, and White Nights. I have a lot of M Graham and Sennelier, but I live in Wisconsin and it takes FOREVER for them to set up the tiniest little bit so it's hard for me to control the amount of pigment I pick up, just like you said. Thanks for this, Denise!
Pouring Sennelier into pans - I got some Sennelier to share with my Mum, it was indeed quite hard to get them to dry. I ended up putting the poured palettes in a sealed box with several large sachets of silica gel, and left them for a week or two. That got them nice and dry. Of course, once you start using them they get and stay damp on the surface again, but the box has survived being thrown in a backpack and taking on cycling trips halfway across town with no problems, no special care over which way is up. Where I live (Cambridge, UK) is a cool maritime climate (but about as dry as the UK gets), so if you live somewhere much warmer, cooler, dryer or damper your experiences might vary.
What a great tip! I'm going to try using the silica I used to dry flowers & leaves to harden my M Graham watercolors. I live in a similar marine climate, but only the MG Cerulean and MG Nickel Azo Yellow don't make a mess on the palette :)
Excellent tip, Peter! I'll give this a go with some of the misbehaving M. Graham paints that I love, and see how it fairs. Right now I'm in the Northwestern part of the Republic of Ireland, about 1 hour from the ocean. But this summer I'll be in Montenegro and Croatia--which is where the real test will begin as I practice plein air painting daily! I don't even mind spraying my paints before using, or carting some ox-gall around, if the paints get a little dry... I just REALLY want my super-pigmented M. Graham paints, if I have the choice! Brilliant idea, mate! Should have thought of this before, as I use silica "sand" to dry-preserve flowers.
New sub here. Love the list and my all time favorite is QOR and you hit it right on the head with your descriptions. And wherever I go I make sure I take a QOR pan with me juuuuust in case and continually find myself looking for a reason to bust them bad boys out!! Lol thanks for the video.. great job
Thank you denise because of all your hard work and informative videos i have been able to find my favorite brands. I love my mission gold, white nights, davinci and mgraham paints. They spark joy!😊
This is the best description of paints ..thank you for a great comparisons. I have played/ swatched and used all of these paints. ( I also own) . Your paintings have also improved much over your years on TH-cam. I am jealous. So again THANK YOU.
Yep, Daniel Smith is definitely my go to for watercolors. Love the granulation and they all just flow together so nicely. I say if you can only pick one brand, pick Daniel Smith. Don't waste time or money on anything else. If you're a beginner in the US grab that Essentials Set of split primaries for 25$, a pack of Aquabee paper and Silver Brush Black Velvet brushes. Learn color theory and making color charts and play, a lot. Watch tons of Denise's videos. Then when you fall in love with the flow of watercolors you can try other brands.
I think I’ve said it before, but I just want to tell you, again, what a fabulous and compelling writer & speaker you are! Your fluid and flawless script throughout this video is fantastic. I come back and rewatch this video again, and again, to decide which brands to use, and for what reason. Every time I do, I’m blown away by the quality of this production; from the top to the bottom, you can tell you give every detail your full effort.
This was a phenomenal video, Denise! I love your stance of helping artists find their paints based on properties, rather than outright suggesting your favorite brand! It's always been a pet-peeve of mine to see almost blind recommendations given (in any medium). The one thing you seem to like least about Mission Gold is one of my favorites! I mainly paint more realistic paintings, and their reliability to stay in place, combined with their vibrancy, and super easy rewetability, make them irreplaceable in my collection (although their price tag makes me want to cry open stock). I also love M.Graham, and in my climate (in Northern Vermont) they dry extremely well and are very much able to travel with zero concerns-yay! Daniel Smith I don't like as much, they dry so rock hard across their line (for me), that they all come loose and rattle in any palette. They also flake off in mixing areas, contaminating the entire palette. However, I do appreciate them a bit more in use; I just don't reach for them.
ive always been a fan of mgraham paints because well my names matt graham so its like they were ment for me. that being said my studio pallet has fully evolved into a combination of winsor and newton, mission gold, m graham, sennelier, and daniel smith because of the ways certain colors behave in each line and i highly appreciate that you highlighted the exact reasons why you prefer certain colors or brands for certain techniques. Sennelier is my layering brand i use with lifting techniques, mission gold is my color pop brand, dan smith for earth tones and mixes, winsor and newton fills in the gaps and is a solid middle ground when grouped with the others.
@@InLiquidColor my current studio main pallet is, Sennelier: Primary Yellow , French Vermillion, Cinerous Blue, French Ultramarine, Pthalo Green Light, Sap Green , Burnt Umber, Paynes Grey M. Graham: Viridian, Dioxazine Purple, Burnt Sienna, Yelllow Ochre, Neutral tint, Quinaeridone Rust, Indian yellow, Mineral Violet, Turquoise Daniel Smith: Hansa Yellow Deep, Mayan Orange, Cobalt Blue, Deep Scarlet, Pyrrol Red , Burnt Sienna Light Mission Gold: Sepia, Opera, Lemon Yellow, Van Dyke Green
Super helpful in distinguishing between brand strengths! Love your specific tips regarding stuff like preference for intense color, flow, traveling with paints etc. you covered so many important points!
This has got to be my favourite watercolour demonstration video ever and I have learned so much from it, so it's a big thank you from me. I've been wondering about the Mission Gold for a while now and after seeing this I have made up my mind, they are not for me, so thanks for that too. Your paintings are all wonderful and I truly appreciate the effort you have put into this video which surely benefits all watercolourists out there. Tfs
I had the same issue with Winsor and Newton, but the Indigo color. Sadly it was the first and last tube I ever bought from them. I put it in a pan with all my other brands of watercolor, and the next time I went to paint I found just that color with what appeared like a white powder residue throughout it. It does not dissolve easily, leaving white specks all over the wash, so I ended up wasting a pan. Glad to hear that is not a problem with most of the other colors!
And with the completion of this magnificent video, we all agree Ms. Soden has earned an all expenses paid vacation to somewhere tropical so she can relax on the beach with a fruity drink! Bravo, indeed!!!!!
Me too, I love Daniel Smith! So happy you recognized White Nights as a choice to those wanting an economical step into professional watercolors. Although I’ve added just about all the brands you’ve included in your top 10 over the years, Daniel Smith remains my favorite of all! Thanks for doing this, your paintings are amazing!!!♥️
Agree with your criterion for choosing brands. Living in the UK, painting in layers and prefering tubes to pans make Winsor and Newton, Sennelier and Schmincke my top 3. DaVinci and M Graham don't offer qualities that outweigh their expense in the UK in my opioion. Daniel Smith on the other hand offer some beautiful colours that I wouldn't be without despite the expense: Sap Green, Pyrrol Red, Rhodonite, Green Apatite and Serpentine Genuine included. Love your paintings !
Denise, What a great video! I love your style and "ease" while painting your passion! This is exactly what I was looking forward to and CAN NOT wait until your new mini series Brand Spotlights to come! I am subscribed to Skill Share and have watched all of your classes (some more than once) and plan on going to Patron next! Keep up the great work, looking forward to more to come!
I can certainly appreciate your ratings and the reasons. For me, Schmincke does come first because I grew up with them and they are readily available here in Germany. However, I do love the granulation and flow of Daniel Smith and also some of their Primatek paints. I think Schmincke is listening to artists who have said the same and have come out with more granulating paints like the French Ultramarine. So in my view, the international competition and the worldwide availability of all these brands is a wonderful thing. Thank you for all your work, Denise! I look forward to the new series! Last but not least, I am loving the paint paintings! 😍🧡❤💜💙
I can't express my gratitude enough to you Denise! You are so dedicated, thoughtful and talented. The effort, information and dedication you put into your videos is just amazing. You give so much for all of us to learn from, benefit from, gain inspiration from. Thank you so much for this video, and every other video you have shared for us, they are always so joyous to watch, you are so inspiring! Thank you!
I so miss the Daniel Smith catalogs filled with tips and advice and gorgeous art supplies. I saved them for many years. If traffic to their Seattle store and back wasn't such an absolute pain, I would be up there for classes, shopping a lot, like back in the 80's and 90's. A great store, well-informed employees and a wonderous array of art supplies. Thank you for such a diligently done review of all the top brands. Your work is top notch!
I've recently got back into watercolor and at least 3 brands you've mention, I already have. So, yeah....everything you've mentioned, I agree with you 1000%. lol. Absolutely love your in depth critique!
This is the most comprehensive review of watercolors I've ever seen. Indeed, I have a few of these, and, as it so happens, I find Daniel Smith and Sennelier to be my favorites to work with. Now I need to learn how to use each one for it's specific qualities. I'm a very new "artist" (I have to use that word lightly still), and seeing your gorgeous art creations as you describe each brand is very inspiring. Thank you for this share!
I am in total agreement with everything you said. And I even mentioned exactly what you said about the high price crappy plastic palette by ds. Why not a metal palette if you're charging a fortune?!! But I am and will always be a ds fan.
Thank you so much for such a lovely video, so much information and yet so much fun to watch you painting and swatching! I just bought my first Daniel Smith tubes and I selected my colors based on your videos (and Teoh’s as well). I became really in LOVE with granulation in painting over the past year and I’m switching from Holbein to DS :)!
It’s always nice to hear somebody else’s take on all the different brands. I have a few going on right now I seem to gravitate towards those eastern bloc countries I have the white nights because I am a beginner and I put together my own palette as suggested it’s still far too large a pallette for a beginner in my opinion but I don’t know how to eliminate colors I love. I also have Daniel Smith and Schmincke, As well as some M Graham and Renesans galore. Holy crap have I managed to collect a bunch of paint when I barely have enough energy to put paint to paper on most days but I do ❤️ my collection 😉. I love your giggles throughout the video it keeps everything really down to earth!
Daniel Smith going back to the 1990's was a grand company to do all art our business with from paper to brushes. It is great that the paint lines that were developed are continuing. I bought 10 sheets of INOMACHI (translates as "the pearl") paper from Daniel Smith when they imported the most beautiful and expensive papers from Japan. It is no longer made, and is just one of the many "treasures" that Daniel Smith offered when in business as an art supply retailer. Thank goodness the full watercolor line is happening now! And thanks for your well considered review here.
This video was a HUGE HELP. I’m relatively new to watercolor (1 1/2 years), though not to painting as a whole. I invested in 24 Cotman tubes and some mid grade paper to start out. I did not really enjoy the experience and almost immediately purchased 5 Daniel Smith tubes to make sure it was the paint that was frustrating me. Then I purchased some 100% cotton paper. It was like night and day. I now know that paint really makes the difference. I wanted an in depth comparison before I bought a comprehensive palette, you know? This was all the information I needed and more. Thank you so much.
I keep coming back and needing timestamps & short reminders... 01:43 #10 Holbein: expensive in US, vibrant, smooth 03:49 #9 White Nights: low end artist quality, affordable, avoid pre-made sets. 05:23 #8 Mission Gold: less granulation/movement, good for beginners/control 07:00 #7 Winsor & Neuton: a few unique colors 08:58 #6 Sennelier: saturated spectral colors, renowned for glazing *10:26** #5 Qor: lots of movement, most vibrant colors* 12:02 #4 Schmincke: soft, delicate, smooth, velvety 14:00 #3 M. Graham: vibrant, high pigment load, tricky to lift, lacks pinks 15:45 #2 Da Vinci: affordable, (has "Denise's Earth Friendly Palette" $99) 17:16 #1 Daniel Smith: best earth tones
I can't wait to see how you build palettes from these brands. I really enjoyed this video and watched it twice. As a beginner it was so nice to see all these brands I've heard so much about compared, and their unique properties described. Thank you!
We all have this evolution of liking something and/or loving something and this changes from time to time, with our first loves in our back pocket always, so it's great to hear where you are now. I have to agree with your list because I appreciate where you are with your earth color favorites. I really like that you disclaim that we all have conditions that press on us what our own preferences are with paint. I also think you have a huge following that wants to paint like you, so knowing what you use is essential. I couldn't agree more with not being able to decide on a favorite. I couldn't answer that for the same reason either, just those that I'm into right now.
Thanks for the kind words! It always rubs me the wrong way when video come out saying "this is THE best" or "use THIS not that." The reason there are so many options is because there is a market for them. All I can do is share what and why I like something and let others form their own opinions based on that. I would never want a viewer to come to me and say "You told me to buy this and I hate it"
Beautiful, Denise!!!! I use all kind of mixed brands, but for some reason I think White Nights would be my brand of choice if I had to pick one, with some Windsor and Newton colors like Opera Rose, Green Gold and Cobalt Turquoise Light.
When I started watercolour a few years ago I started with Cotman because that’s the only brand of pre-set palettes that Michael’s had. Then I purchased the Winsor & Newton Indigo and Turquoise. Which are nice but since I’ve switched to Qor and I love them! They’re so vibrant and I love the way they disperse in water. I enjoyed seeing your list and have a few other brands I’d now like to try!
I’ve been loving your channel for a long time, for the education, clean videos, and all the effort you put in to each painting and video. But on top of all that, this video is a perfect example of what a beautiful writer you are! The script you wrote for this is incredibly fluid and compelling! Amazing job on all counts, all around!
This was an absolutely gorgeous video and you should be super proud of it!!🥰👏🏻👏🏻 I don’t comment very often but I see how many animal portraits you produced in this one video and it is just so amazing!!!😱💓 It would be so cool if you could eventually do a zine of animal portraits like this and have swatches of the colors you used in each portrait next to it. It would really be amazing to see the thought process behind color mixing those bright hues into such soft dreamy colors. 😉👍🏻🎨
So many of your videos are in my own playlist lovingly called "watercolor wisdom" 😂 I really get so much out of your videos and I love that you always refer back to steve as well (I watch him too) between the two of you I feel like I've already learned a lot
Thank you for your video. I am still new to watercolor, I have been at it for about a year. I have many different brands, some I purchased before I knew anything about paint qualities. The two that I gravitate the most are Daniel Smith and Windsor Newton, most recently I added Schmincke in a metal box. I found some supplies at a local thrift shop. Lucky find.
I loved this! Very info dense while still emphasizing personal preference and opinion. I currently only use White Nights and Daniel Smith as I'm new to professional paints, I've been very curious about M Graham and Qor though and I hope I get to try them out soon. Thanks for your consistently helpful and entertaining content!
Hi Denise, I have watched this video multiple times as I started learning about watercolors. At first I had gotten Schminke and Sonnelier sets and when I learned of your new set in Da Vinci I had to try it. Man o man! I absolutely LOVE Da Vinci colors and brand!! I noticed that I was leaning 1st towards Da Vinci everytime I painted and my second choice was Sennelier. I wanted to say that I loved your paintings, as I know they take up alot of time, but so enjoyed watching them. And I am grateful for your recommendations. Thanks! 🌟 🤩
Yes! I'm over from the interview with Steve and Marti a long time ago! I'm just starting out with watercolor, being more of a crafter than artist, I guess! I'm beginning with Daniel Smith, (aside from a random pan pallet ) and am excited to go from here to your vid about them! Thanks so much! I'm looking forward to a bit of binge-watching on your channel! Peggy
My personal favorites are QoR watercolors. I love the binder they use, because the poured pans dry very evenly and are a pleasure to rewet, and the flow is really awesome. Also the colors are indeed so vibrant and beautiful. My second favorite is Daniel Smith, they're less expensive than QoR and I like some of their colors better than the QoR equivalents. I had the same experience with DS Viridian though, it's a hard and cracked blob in my palette. My recommendation for best possible price to performance ratio in Europe(!) would be Royal Talens Rembrandt, they have a great pigment selection but are a lot more affordable than QoR and DS paints. As a German it's funny to see you be so hyped about Schmincke watercolors, I always tended to overlook them because it's a familiar and ubiquitous brand for me and German watercolorists always seem to recommend brands from other countries. It's funny how we always want what we don't have easily available :D
I’m just beginning my journey. I’ve purchased a set of Meeden watercolour paint, and a set of Paul Ruben basics. I did a swatch test and quickly realised I have a lot to learn. Thank you for your videos. It was a joy to watch you paint the various birds and animals.
I'm so glad QoR made it higher in the list! I have the same issue with my Schmincke paints, they feel so sacred that I'm scared to use them. But I love their perylene violet and their ultramarine/burnt umber mix is my all time favorite gray/black.
Schmincke Perylene Violet + Perylene Green is a favorite neutral mix for me :D And speaking from personal experience - buying 15ml tubes fixes the "untouchable" feeling of Schmincke, once you have enough paint at your disposal you enjoy them more. Jackson's have them in more or less acceptable price, some U.S. online shops have ridiculous pricing :(
Ana Marko yes they are crazy expensive here in the us, the pans I have I got during a sale from Jackson’s. I’ll have to try their perylene green when I find another sale!
@@creativesea.design I live in a country where the only halfway-decent brand available is White Nights, which is restocked once in 4 months so... I feel this pain :D
Take the dry hard watercolor, and detube it. It can be sanded onto wet watercolor paper and used to add a textural look to walls, foliage, etc. Karlyn Holman suggested this.
Such a great video that you seriously poured your heart and some hard work into! I think you did a great job with ranking them, yay Daniel Smith as #1 lol. Although what is up with their release of new colors this year... it’s like all grays!!
Well They already have every color you can basically think of, over 240 in total. I guess it's not that easy to find new pigments and/or colors when you already have such a wide range available (it's twice as much as any other brand lol!). I suppose that kinda limits the options of coming up with new groundbreaking additions every single year :)
Thank you Denise! This is really informative and helpful for learning the differences between brands. Personally, I don't confine my palette to just one brand, and prefer to watch your swatching videos, and Oto's color showdowns to pick out the best versions of colors I'm interested in. I'm so excited for the Brand by Brand series! By the way, I love that each brand got its own wildlife painting as an example! It's so nice to see the paints in action and be able to compare, and it's always nice to watch you paint :) I live in a humid place, and I just thought I would mention that Sennelier paints set up just fine for me. They basically feel like soft plastic when I touch them, and they do not stick to my fingers. In comparison, M. Graham's paints stay in the consistency of melted marshmallow or taffy, pulling away in long strings that stretch across my palette and get all over everything. Those paints are so highly pigmented that you only need a small amount, but due to the stickiness, I get so much paint in my brush that I end up having to mix way more paint than is necessary...it's just such a waste. I wanted to love M. Graham as much as you do, but I just can't :( I did want to ask though, do you think Sennelier is really superior in glazing to other brands? I would love to see a video where this is tested out. People say it all the time, but I have no way of knowing if it's just some often repeated hype, or if it has any basis.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment! I do think Sennelier has something special when it comes to glazing but that's a good video idea! I also found W&N transparent colors are also very good at this.
OMGosh. Your video of comparing and rating various watercolors in pans and tubes is best I've viewed. You are a truly gifted artist and your watercolor animals are stunning! I have learned so much to make a decision in choosing what brand(s) works me. Thank you.
Excellent List!! My Choice would be 1.Daniel Smith 2.M.Graham 3.Schmincke 4.Davinci 5.Rembrandt 6.Qor 7.Sennelier 8.White nights 9.Mission Gold 10.Winsor and Newton
Excellent video, beautiful paintings (gorgeous Daniel Smith painting) and simply wonderful and useful information, Denise! Thanks for your hard work. Again, beautiful paintings!!! Love them!!! I like the "harshness" actually - I have great respect for anyone stating the facts, especially when comparing all these brands of watercolor.
Thanks Cassie! It was really important to me to make sure I added that grain of salt to the DS section so that you all know I don't blindly follow them. I see their downfalls, and still find reasons to love them too :)
I’m glad you mentioned the weird speckling problem on the arches paper for mission gold’s cerulean, i bought the paper a whiled ago and decided you use it recently. It not only speckled with the cerulean but also with ds pthalo blue (rs) and wn winsor violet. I found that stretching or atleast presoaking the paper reduced this but it was very disappointing.
i read somewhere that this was a problem in some batches of arches when using finely ground synthetic pigments. i had the same problem with wn perylene green and winsor (pyrrol) red. ive switched to using canson heritage paper and havent had a problem since @@InLiquidColor
THAT. Was an awesome video!! The animal paintings you did with each brand are absolutely beautiful. Really. I can't wait for your new series, and I'm off to join Skillshare to take your class on palettes. Thank you!!
In my country daniel smith is more expensive than holbein, winsor and newton and schmincke but I also love them and I have a decision to buy the essential set
Wow! Fantastic resource 😁--looking forward to hearing more about Schminke cuz Ive never used them. Holbein is reasonable through Vermont Art Supply since Holbein North America is based put of Burlungton, VT
Wonderful, wonderful video. Thank you for taking the time to put this together. I am still pretty new to watercolor. I have a huge set of W&N Pro that I rarely see any of the top YT tutorial painters using or commenting on which made me think these expensive paints maybe weren't as good as others. I would love to see more on W&N, M Graham, Davinci and Holbein since these are the paints I own as of now. All of your paintings in this video are gorgeous. I would really like to see full tutorials on some of them. The gorgeous bird you did with DaVinci makes me want to buy their paints. I would really like to see something similar painted in either M Graham or W&N. I am a Skillshare member so it makes me happy to know I can find you there. Thanks again Denise.
thanks for your in-depth, informative videos, denise! you've helped guide me in the world of watercolor so i can make educated decisions when spending my hard earned cash on paints i absolutely love! thank you for your dedication to watercolor! just snatched some stickers from your shop to decorate my palettes with too :)
Wonderful group of paintings, I love the leopard, peacock and giraffe the most! I'm really looking forward to the new series and enjoyed the Top 10 update--glad to see my favorites are all at the top of your list. I think the three west coast companies (DS, DV & MG) make the best paint because they are all still small companies who have consciously stayed small to maintain quality. That doesn't mean there aren't large companies who maintain excellent standards and make lovely paint, just that it's harder when there are corporate pressures :). The huge interest in handmade paints shows that artists are looking for quality and depth in their watercolor paints.
I know my first professional paints were some W&N, but I went to Daniel Smith and Qor since then. Both have their pros, though I found this video after you Earth Friendly palette video, and I know what I want for my birthday, since I love trying out other brands as well.
Really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the new Brand series! It was fun seeing everyone guess brands on your Instagram- even though I am terrible at guessing brands/colors!
Thank you so much for the tutorial of the ten brands you spot lighted. Love the animals you painted as well. I made my choice a while ago and dove in with Senneliers 48 half pan set for 165/00 dollars on Amazon. It was a birthday buy from my Hubbie. I still have not played with them yet. Love Terri Simmers.
This may be because I started with Daniel Smith too, but I feel like no other watercolours that I've tried come close to DS paint. I don't know what it is, but when I paint with Daniel Smith, it feels almost magical. Not in a literal sense, but like the experience and process of using them is simply wonderful and incomparable. They're reliable and what I expect from a pigment is exactly what you get, with the exception of lapis lazuli 😒
Excellent video! I'm a watercolor lover and have tried lots of brands too. I have recently, in the past few months, finally tried Daniel Smith and HOLY CANOLIES BATMAN!!!! They are absolutely, hands down, COMPLETELY worth the cost of them. I currently only have 11 colors but I have 5 more on the way and couldn't be more stoked to receive them. Thanks for the video comparing the different brands!
Wow, this is hands down the most informative and well made watercolors video I've seen... and I've looked through quite a few the past few days, trying to decide what I should buy. Thank you, this was more helpful than anything else! I love your paintings and pretty swatches you made for every brand, it was a pleasure to watch!!!
This was so informative! As a beginner, I've taken so many notes as to which palette, paints, brushes, paper, etc! I don't want to waste money on bad purchases. I think my favorite one to try will be QoR only because I absolutely love loose watercolor painting. Thank you for such an awesome video.
Your right when you say that experience with different paints and what you paint can influence which paints you like best. After a year or so using all kinds of different brands of paints, M Graham dropped to like #7 on my list. Schmincke stays #1 for me and Da Vinci #2, Mission Gold #9, Daniel Smith #8, Turner #10, Sennelier #3, Holbein #4. I love all the painting demo's with each brand of paint. Beautifully done.
Thank you all for your patience as I put this together! You can find reviews, swatch with me videos, and product links in the description. If you'd like to learn more about constructing custom watercolor palettes, check out my Skillshare class as well, and come back next week to kick off the new Brand by Brand series with us.
This video took every ounce and hour this week that I could sanely spare (and perhaps a few extra I couldn't haha) but I'm so proud of this one, and hope you love it too!
You’re such a talented artist, but also as a teacher and reviewer. Definitely a hard worker to be as skilled as you are. Even though I have too much paint, I am constantly falling in love with things you show me! You hypnotize me.
What do you think of van Gogh's watercolors?
I will be diving into more of the DaVinci paints that arrived just this morning! I look forward to your indepth reviewing process and see what you make of them!
Hello!! So I found something I thought you would be interested in. I know you're a fan of PO49, I know you said you wouldn't be making your own paints but I thought you would be interested in it any way? This is literally the only place I could find it besides a couple 100$ tubes of DS. www.guerrapaint.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=305
In Liquid Color I've come across ur channel for the 1st time., Extremely beautiful portraits 🎨😍😍😍😍and lots of helpful information. Thanks alot👍👍👍 I want to know ,hv u tried Fiber castle water color pallettes?
And can u share info abt watercolor paper and those two brushes that u were using in this video? I've checked ur description box below but for some reason I'm unable to figure out. 😅🙈
And can u guide us about ur favorite top 10 affordable yet professional watercolor papers and water color brushes starting from affordable to expensive promising brands???
And can u share
Can we all take a moment to appreaciate the quality of the art made for each sample! Ten pieces for a single video!! Thanks for this quality content Denise🙌🏼 btw I can't believe that Winsor&Newton made it to your top😱
Thank you Daniel!! I gotta keep you on your toes haha :)
Wtf, Luis? XD
Cajita Del Dibujo qué pequeño es el mundo🤯
DaGarabatos si 😂 no pensé encontrar a un conocido en un video mientras buscaba marcas de acuarela
Timestamps
1:42 #10 Holbein
3:48 #9 White Nights
5:20 #8 Mission Gold
7:00 #7 Winsor and Newton
8:59 #6 Sennelier
10:25 #5 Qor
12:00 #4 Schmincke
13:59 #3 M.Graham
15:44 #2 Da Vinci
17:13 #1 Daniel Smith
Thank u
Thank you=)
Thank you
She has the time stamps in the discription
This is actually the most helpful and informative video I've ever seen about watercolors. Every single one of your demos was gorgeous. This was so in-depth and well thought-out and I absolutely adore it. Sorry for gushing but ahhhh this was great.
😭😭😭💜💜💜 thank you so much!
I agree. I just stumbled onto this video half asleep, but the animal portraits certainly woke me up and claimed my full attention. (Not a fan of snakes or other bald animals, but even he is beautifully done.) I hit the notification channel and hope to get a lot more of your videos as you are the only animal portraitist I've ever come across and as I enter the world of painting, botanical illustration and animal portraiture are strong interests of mine. Thanks so much for your video. It's a sweet treat. 😊 💐 🦒 🐈 🐕 🐘 🐓 🐦⬛ 🦜 🦚
i love that you painted a different animal for each brand and also added swatches beside the painting
Wow! A sample painting per brand! 🤩 That’s incredible for a mini review of 10 different brands. Every moment of this video is quality. How do you manage to wrap all that up in under an hour let alone in just less than 22 minutes!
Thanks! It was a behemoth to take on!
Love that you included a dedicated demo painting with each brand *and* the swatches. Very well thought-out selection! Especially loved the Schmincke demonstration - what is the softer green hue that you used for the body?
Thank you! The green was a mixture.
Fun and interesting to hear your thoughts. I echo the comments of how hard it is to rank them when you get to the top 5-6. So true! I’m still befuddled by the M. Graham running issue. I talk to so many people about it on both sides of the issue mostly with no problem and have wondered if it’s a batch issue. I live in a relatively humid climate and never had even the first pan move once they set properly. I have 3 palettes poured, one a plein air palette that is stored vertically 24/7 with no movement. I’ve talked to Tonya at length about her issues with running upon moving to NC (M. Graham used to be her favorite until then) and I’m more confused now than when I started asking questions about it. Which has me leaning to batch problems but I don’t know. In the end I totally agree. If you need to be sure of your travel palette security best to avoid it. Which is a shame because easy rewettability is a key factor when painting on location. Thankfully we have other great choices for that. Great info as usual Denise.
(Following your suggestion, Steve) about 18 months ago, I started collecting M Graham tubes as my first artist-grade watercolors. I bought them over a period of 12 months from a dozen different stores across three states, and online, and created 3 different-sized pallets from them. Whether I've been in California, Oregon, Seattle or Sydney, every single one of them is as sticky and gooey as the day I bought them. So now they stay put in my studio. ;)
Thanks Steve! I can now store my MG palette vertically during the drier months of the year without issue. The main problem for me is that if you want to swap colors in fullish pans, or god forbid scrape it out of a porcelain palette well, you'll be there forever haha. I guess they just want you to be committed ;)
@@InLiquidColor LOL! yep!
Here in Northwestern Ireland, about 1 hour from the ocean, I've found that some M. Graham paints set up just fine (Burnt Sienna and most earth colors, Perylene Maroon, Transparent Red Oxide, Hooker's Green, and surprisingly Phthalo Green, and a few others)... Other paints are tacky but still safe to cart around without kid gloves (almost every blue I have from them, though Anthraquinone Blue and Ultramarine set up a bit better, Nickel Azo Yellow, Quinacridone Rust, and most of the reds)... And then there are a small group that are dangerously tacky (Terra Rosa, Cobalt Teal) and some actually separate from the binder even if I mix it with a toothpick (Cobalt Green, Cobalt Violet, Cobalt Blue).
I've done some research into this, and from what I've found most people have had their nightmare experiences with the more dense pigments such as the Cobalt and Cadmium pigments. Because the pigments are so dense, they seem to separate in open-pans, and sink to the bottom while separating from the binder almost entirely. Since the binder is so humuctant heavy, it never really dries... Which prevents the pan from setting up, altogether.
My personal nightmare experience happened just a couple of months ago, after using M. Graham since late 2016. I had just put Cobalt Green into a new palette. I made sure to shake the tube and kind of squish it around to mix any separated binder that occurs from sitting too long in a shop. I also only filled the pan 3/4 of the way, and then stirred the poured paint with a toothpick just to double-insure the binder was well-mixed in. I let it set in a dry room-temperature place, out of the sun, for several days. It didn't really set, but that happens with some MG paints from my experience... So I decided to glue it into my palette and let it finish setting up there, hopefully to at least a tacky state, just as I have several times before.
A few days later I noticed a very thick transparent-yellow goo sitting on top of the paint... the binder! I tried to mix it back up with a toothpick, but it just got stuck to the toothpick and caused a huge mess. So I thought, just let it lie and when you paint with it, you can sort it out with a crappy brush that is wet and won't pick up too much pigment.
One week later I re-opened the palette... and the cobalt green had exploded everywhere and coated several other pans of paint. It was like a horrible sticky green bomb went off. This palette was sitting undisturbed or moved in a room no warmer than 50 degrees (F) at any given time, completely flat and out of sunlight, and the pan had been setting up for a couple weeks!
Maybe I got a bad tube of Cobalt Green. That's totally possible. However, both Cobalt Blue and Violet have had separation issues in the last couple of years I've bought M. Graham. They haven't exploded like Cobalt Green, but now I'm pretty gun shy.
I can put up with semi-tacky paint, as long as it's safe to cart around. But exploding paint is another issue!
I love love love M. Graham. I was hoping to carry them around as my main plein-air palette this summer in Montenegro and Croatia... but I'm just so gunshy that in more extreme heat/humidity they will have repeated bad reactions! Someone suggested carrying little sachets of silica gel to soak up excess moisture. I'm going to give it a try. But I've also got a contingency store of Da Vinci paints I just purchased and an extra palette, just to be safe.
@@AlphaGeekgirl Yep, they'll always be sticky/gooey. Thats fine with me. My main concern is whether they run or move in a travel palette. They never have for me but there are reports of it. I've been trying for 4 years to track down the reasons by talking to various people. I'm not convinced humidity has anything to do with it.
I really enjoyed this video. I know it may sound patronizing, I do not mean to be, but I can really tell how much you’ve grown as an artist and content creator since your last “Favorites” video. I hope you know important your voice is in this community and how you influence how people think about this wonderful medium we share a love for. Thank you.
Daniel Smith is my all time favorite because of the granulation. In college we got to tour their manufacturing area and it was the coolest thing ever!
Ahhh! I hope to tour their facility someday!
I just love their cobalt violet. It is transparent and granulates enough to look great!
What a lovely, wonderful, and informative video! THIS kind of dedication is precisely why I recently chose to support Denise on Patreon. I've never seen someone so free and giving of time, energy, thought, and research. And the talent! I have so much to learn from Denise. I know I'll be referring to this video again and again. Early in my watercolor journey, I bought brands willy-nilly with no idea what I was doing. Now I feel more informed. Thank you!
Absolutely love how you’ve not only detailed ur reasons for why each brand has been allocated that position, but also demonstrated each brands capabilities with a watercolor painting with each brand!
Thank you so much for your efforts!
For a beginner watercolour artist, I found this video to be one of the best in describing the various paints from a variety all the time not biased, only giving me what Denise likes to use herself. I learned a great deal. Thank you!
I adore your facts mixed in with your tried-and-true experiences. This is an incredible mix of knowledge for any of us who watch. I truly appreciate all the effort and insights you give. I'm getting back into art as a therapeutic mechanism of life-ing and re-learning all the ins and outs of each medium. Thank you!
I just bought the 36 set of white nights to upgrade from my koi and cotman sets and I LOVE the paints! So vibrant and flowy! I bought the set as a birthday gift to myself after receiving $75 worth of Amazon. I've been feeling the urge to paint even more!
That is *LITERALLY* what I did!!!
I’m not a big “re-watcher” of TH-cam videos but this one I keep coming back to. Thanks for all of your work on it!
What an incredible video! It's obvious the huge amount of work went into this! LOVE!!! I can't wait to see the Daniel Smith "Brand By Brand" video. My favorite watercolor brands are Daniel Smith, Holbein, W&N, Schmincke, and White Nights. I have a lot of M Graham and Sennelier, but I live in Wisconsin and it takes FOREVER for them to set up the tiniest little bit so it's hard for me to control the amount of pigment I pick up, just like you said. Thanks for this, Denise!
Thank you so much Heidi!
Yea, i had the same problem with m gram. I just gave up on the mess getting all over everything after setting for months.
Lilbird :
Pouring Sennelier into pans - I got some Sennelier to share with my Mum, it was indeed quite hard to get them to dry. I ended up putting the poured palettes in a sealed box with several large sachets of silica gel, and left them for a week or two. That got them nice and dry. Of course, once you start using them they get and stay damp on the surface again, but the box has survived being thrown in a backpack and taking on cycling trips halfway across town with no problems, no special care over which way is up. Where I live (Cambridge, UK) is a cool maritime climate (but about as dry as the UK gets), so if you live somewhere much warmer, cooler, dryer or damper your experiences might vary.
What a great tip! I'm going to try using the silica I used to dry flowers & leaves to harden my M Graham watercolors. I live in a similar marine climate, but only the MG Cerulean and MG Nickel Azo Yellow don't make a mess on the palette :)
Excellent tip, Peter! I'll give this a go with some of the misbehaving M. Graham paints that I love, and see how it fairs. Right now I'm in the Northwestern part of the Republic of Ireland, about 1 hour from the ocean. But this summer I'll be in Montenegro and Croatia--which is where the real test will begin as I practice plein air painting daily! I don't even mind spraying my paints before using, or carting some ox-gall around, if the paints get a little dry... I just REALLY want my super-pigmented M. Graham paints, if I have the choice! Brilliant idea, mate! Should have thought of this before, as I use silica "sand" to dry-preserve flowers.
New sub here. Love the list and my all time favorite is QOR and you hit it right on the head with your descriptions. And wherever I go I make sure I take a QOR pan with me juuuuust in case and continually find myself looking for a reason to bust them bad boys out!! Lol thanks for the video.. great job
Thank you denise because of all your hard work and informative videos i have been able to find my favorite brands. I love my mission gold, white nights, davinci and mgraham paints. They spark joy!😊
This is the best description of paints ..thank you for a great comparisons. I have played/ swatched and used all of these paints. ( I also own) . Your paintings have also improved much over your years on TH-cam. I am jealous. So again THANK YOU.
Yep, Daniel Smith is definitely my go to for watercolors. Love the granulation and they all just flow together so nicely. I say if you can only pick one brand, pick Daniel Smith. Don't waste time or money on anything else. If you're a beginner in the US grab that Essentials Set of split primaries for 25$, a pack of Aquabee paper and Silver Brush Black Velvet brushes. Learn color theory and making color charts and play, a lot. Watch tons of Denise's videos. Then when you fall in love with the flow of watercolors you can try other brands.
I think I’ve said it before, but I just want to tell you, again, what a fabulous and compelling writer & speaker you are! Your fluid and flawless script throughout this video is fantastic.
I come back and rewatch this video again, and again, to decide which brands to use, and for what reason. Every time I do, I’m blown away by the quality of this production; from the top to the bottom, you can tell you give every detail your full effort.
This was a phenomenal video, Denise! I love your stance of helping artists find their paints based on properties, rather than outright suggesting your favorite brand! It's always been a pet-peeve of mine to see almost blind recommendations given (in any medium). The one thing you seem to like least about Mission Gold is one of my favorites! I mainly paint more realistic paintings, and their reliability to stay in place, combined with their vibrancy, and super easy rewetability, make them irreplaceable in my collection (although their price tag makes me want to cry open stock). I also love M.Graham, and in my climate (in Northern Vermont) they dry extremely well and are very much able to travel with zero concerns-yay! Daniel Smith I don't like as much, they dry so rock hard across their line (for me), that they all come loose and rattle in any palette. They also flake off in mixing areas, contaminating the entire palette. However, I do appreciate them a bit more in use; I just don't reach for them.
ive always been a fan of mgraham paints because well my names matt graham so its like they were ment for me. that being said my studio pallet has fully evolved into a combination of winsor and newton, mission gold, m graham, sennelier, and daniel smith because of the ways certain colors behave in each line and i highly appreciate that you highlighted the exact reasons why you prefer certain colors or brands for certain techniques. Sennelier is my layering brand i use with lifting techniques, mission gold is my color pop brand, dan smith for earth tones and mixes, winsor and newton fills in the gaps and is a solid middle ground when grouped with the others.
I have to admit, I do like that my initials are the same as Daniel Smith as well ;) I'm glad the video was helpful!
@@InLiquidColor my current studio main pallet is,
Sennelier:
Primary Yellow
, French Vermillion,
Cinerous Blue,
French Ultramarine,
Pthalo Green Light,
Sap Green
, Burnt Umber,
Paynes Grey
M. Graham:
Viridian,
Dioxazine Purple,
Burnt Sienna,
Yelllow Ochre,
Neutral tint,
Quinaeridone Rust,
Indian yellow,
Mineral Violet,
Turquoise
Daniel Smith:
Hansa Yellow Deep,
Mayan Orange,
Cobalt Blue,
Deep Scarlet,
Pyrrol Red
, Burnt Sienna Light
Mission Gold:
Sepia,
Opera,
Lemon Yellow,
Van Dyke Green
Super helpful in distinguishing between brand strengths! Love your specific tips regarding stuff like preference for intense color, flow, traveling with paints etc. you covered so many important points!
This has got to be my favourite watercolour demonstration video ever and I have learned so much from it, so it's a big thank you from me. I've been wondering about the Mission Gold for a while now and after seeing this I have made up my mind, they are not for me, so thanks for that too. Your paintings are all wonderful and I truly appreciate the effort you have put into this video which surely benefits all watercolourists out there. Tfs
I had the same issue with Winsor and Newton, but the Indigo color. Sadly it was the first and last tube I ever bought from them. I put it in a pan with all my other brands of watercolor, and the next time I went to paint I found just that color with what appeared like a white powder residue throughout it. It does not dissolve easily, leaving white specks all over the wash, so I ended up wasting a pan. Glad to hear that is not a problem with most of the other colors!
And with the completion of this magnificent video, we all agree Ms. Soden has earned an all expenses paid vacation to somewhere tropical so she can relax on the beach with a fruity drink! Bravo, indeed!!!!!
I'm on board for that! I hear Southwest goes to Hawaii now 😁
Me too, I love Daniel Smith! So happy you recognized White Nights as a choice to those wanting an economical step into professional watercolors. Although I’ve added just about all the brands you’ve included in your top 10 over the years, Daniel Smith remains my favorite of all! Thanks for doing this, your paintings are amazing!!!♥️
Agree with your criterion for choosing brands. Living in the UK, painting in layers and prefering tubes to pans make Winsor and Newton, Sennelier and Schmincke my top 3.
DaVinci and M Graham don't offer qualities that outweigh their expense in the UK in my opioion. Daniel Smith on the other hand offer some beautiful colours that I wouldn't be without despite the expense: Sap Green, Pyrrol Red, Rhodonite, Green Apatite and Serpentine Genuine included. Love your paintings !
Denise, What a great video! I love your style and "ease" while painting your passion! This is exactly what I was looking forward to and CAN NOT wait until your new mini series Brand Spotlights to come! I am subscribed to Skill Share and have watched all of your classes (some more than once) and plan on going to Patron next! Keep up the great work, looking forward to more to come!
Thank you so much for all of your support!
I will say that I am constantly impressed by how much artist give to those who support them on Patreon!
I appreciate the enormous effort you went to to make this video, Denise!
Great video! Wonder where you would place Roman Szmal, Shinhan and A Gallo.
Your painting and swatches are AMAZING. LOVE 💗 LOVE 💗 LOVE 💗 your channel,
I can certainly appreciate your ratings and the reasons. For me, Schmincke does come first because I grew up with them and they are readily available here in Germany. However, I do love the granulation and flow of Daniel Smith and also some of their Primatek paints. I think Schmincke is listening to artists who have said the same and have come out with more granulating paints like the French Ultramarine. So in my view, the international competition and the worldwide availability of all these brands is a wonderful thing. Thank you for all your work, Denise! I look forward to the new series! Last but not least, I am loving the paint paintings! 😍🧡❤💜💙
Thanks you Chrissie! So glad you enjoyed it.
I can't express my gratitude enough to you Denise! You are so dedicated, thoughtful and talented. The effort, information and dedication you put into your videos is just amazing. You give so much for all of us to learn from, benefit from, gain inspiration from. Thank you so much for this video, and every other video you have shared for us, they are always so joyous to watch, you are so inspiring! Thank you!
💜💜💜
I so miss the Daniel Smith catalogs filled with tips and advice and gorgeous art supplies. I saved them for many years.
If traffic to their Seattle store and back wasn't such an absolute pain, I would be up there for classes, shopping a lot, like back in the 80's and 90's. A great store, well-informed employees and a wonderous array of art supplies. Thank you for such a diligently done review of all the top brands. Your work is top notch!
I've recently got back into watercolor and at least 3 brands you've mention, I already have. So, yeah....everything you've mentioned, I agree with you 1000%. lol. Absolutely love your in depth critique!
This is the most comprehensive review of watercolors I've ever seen. Indeed, I have a few of these, and, as it so happens, I find Daniel Smith and Sennelier to be my favorites to work with. Now I need to learn how to use each one for it's specific qualities. I'm a very new "artist" (I have to use that word lightly still), and seeing your gorgeous art creations as you describe each brand is very inspiring. Thank you for this share!
Thank you so much for the kind words! It means a lot to me.
I am in total agreement with everything you said. And I even mentioned exactly what you said about the high price crappy plastic palette by ds. Why not a metal palette if you're charging a fortune?!! But I am and will always be a ds fan.
Wow! What a comprehensive and beautiful to look at video! I wish i could put 1000 thumbs up!
Thank you so much for such a lovely video, so much information and yet so much fun to watch you painting and swatching! I just bought my first Daniel Smith tubes and I selected my colors based on your videos (and Teoh’s as well). I became really in LOVE with granulation in painting over the past year and I’m switching from Holbein to DS :)!
It’s always nice to hear somebody else’s take on all the different brands. I have a few going on right now I seem to gravitate towards those eastern bloc countries I have the white nights because I am a beginner and I put together my own palette as suggested it’s still far too large a pallette for a beginner in my opinion but I don’t know how to eliminate colors I love. I also have Daniel Smith and Schmincke, As well as some M Graham and Renesans galore. Holy crap have I managed to collect a bunch of paint when I barely have enough energy to put paint to paper on most days but I do ❤️ my collection 😉. I love your giggles throughout the video it keeps everything really down to earth!
Mikey Finger you’re so right about Denise’s humour is just the best.
Daniel Smith going back to the 1990's was a grand company to do all art our business with from paper to brushes. It is great that the paint lines that were developed are continuing. I bought 10 sheets of INOMACHI (translates as "the pearl") paper from Daniel Smith when they imported the most beautiful and expensive papers from Japan. It is no longer made, and is just one of the many "treasures" that Daniel Smith offered when in business as an art supply retailer. Thank goodness the full watercolor line is happening now! And thanks for your well considered review here.
Oh neat! Thanks for sharing!
This video was a HUGE HELP. I’m relatively new to watercolor (1 1/2 years), though not to painting as a whole. I invested in 24 Cotman tubes and some mid grade paper to start out. I did not really enjoy the experience and almost immediately purchased 5 Daniel Smith tubes to make sure it was the paint that was frustrating me. Then I purchased some 100% cotton paper. It was like night and day. I now know that paint really makes the difference. I wanted an in depth comparison before I bought a comprehensive palette, you know? This was all the information I needed and more. Thank you so much.
I'm so glad it was helpful! I too went from Reeves straight to DS! There was no turning back :D
I keep coming back and needing timestamps & short reminders...
01:43 #10 Holbein: expensive in US, vibrant, smooth
03:49 #9 White Nights: low end artist quality, affordable, avoid pre-made sets.
05:23 #8 Mission Gold: less granulation/movement, good for beginners/control
07:00 #7 Winsor & Neuton: a few unique colors
08:58 #6 Sennelier: saturated spectral colors, renowned for glazing
*10:26** #5 Qor: lots of movement, most vibrant colors*
12:02 #4 Schmincke: soft, delicate, smooth, velvety
14:00 #3 M. Graham: vibrant, high pigment load, tricky to lift, lacks pinks
15:45 #2 Da Vinci: affordable, (has "Denise's Earth Friendly Palette" $99)
17:16 #1 Daniel Smith: best earth tones
Thank you!!! The time stamps are provided but it's helpful knowing short descriptions!
I can't wait to see how you build palettes from these brands. I really enjoyed this video and watched it twice. As a beginner it was so nice to see all these brands I've heard so much about compared, and their unique properties described. Thank you!
We all have this evolution of liking something and/or loving something and this changes from time to time, with our first loves in our back pocket always, so it's great to hear where you are now. I have to agree with your list because I appreciate where you are with your earth color favorites. I really like that you disclaim that we all have conditions that press on us what our own preferences are with paint. I also think you have a huge following that wants to paint like you, so knowing what you use is essential. I couldn't agree more with not being able to decide on a favorite. I couldn't answer that for the same reason either, just those that I'm into right now.
Thanks for the kind words! It always rubs me the wrong way when video come out saying "this is THE best" or "use THIS not that." The reason there are so many options is because there is a market for them. All I can do is share what and why I like something and let others form their own opinions based on that. I would never want a viewer to come to me and say "You told me to buy this and I hate it"
Beautiful, Denise!!!! I use all kind of mixed brands, but for some reason I think White Nights would be my brand of choice if I had to pick one, with some Windsor and Newton colors like Opera Rose, Green Gold and Cobalt Turquoise Light.
Your paintings are just so beautiful with all of these palettes.
I have all the paints on your list but I love the background and critique you offer. Always something to learn.
Very helpful information! Thanks for all the work you put into this and all your videos - I always enjoy and look forward to them 💛
Your rant about Daniel Smith's pan set was extremely cathartic
Hahaha 💜
This video was so enjoyable! I love that you did a painting for each paint brand and included so much info too- thanks Denise 😊💙
When I started watercolour a few years ago I started with Cotman because that’s the only brand of pre-set palettes that Michael’s had. Then I purchased the Winsor & Newton Indigo and Turquoise. Which are nice but since I’ve switched to Qor and I love them! They’re so vibrant and I love the way they disperse in water. I enjoyed seeing your list and have a few other brands I’d now like to try!
Nobody beats Daniel Smith for granulation. I LOVE their granulating colors!!
I’ve been loving your channel for a long time, for the education, clean videos, and all the effort you put in to each painting and video. But on top of all that, this video is a perfect example of what a beautiful writer you are! The script you wrote for this is incredibly fluid and compelling! Amazing job on all counts, all around!
This was an absolutely gorgeous video and you should be super proud of it!!🥰👏🏻👏🏻 I don’t comment very often but I see how many animal portraits you produced in this one video and it is just so amazing!!!😱💓
It would be so cool if you could eventually do a zine of animal portraits like this and have swatches of the colors you used in each portrait next to it. It would really be amazing to see the thought process behind color mixing those bright hues into such soft dreamy colors. 😉👍🏻🎨
So many of your videos are in my own playlist lovingly called "watercolor wisdom" 😂 I really get so much out of your videos and I love that you always refer back to steve as well (I watch him too) between the two of you I feel like I've already learned a lot
Thank you for your video.
I am still new to watercolor, I have been at it for about a year.
I have many different brands, some I purchased before I knew anything about paint qualities. The two that I gravitate the most are Daniel Smith and Windsor Newton, most recently I added Schmincke in a metal box. I found some supplies at a local thrift shop. Lucky find.
Thanks a million. This is the most efficient, helpful and to the point video I've ever seen about watercolor brands.
I'm really loving all of your art at the moment!💙
Thank you 😁
I loved this! Very info dense while still emphasizing personal preference and opinion. I currently only use White Nights and Daniel Smith as I'm new to professional paints, I've been very curious about M Graham and Qor though and I hope I get to try them out soon. Thanks for your consistently helpful and entertaining content!
Yessss !!!😍😍 thank you for you work this video is great !😄 and I’m so hyped for your future videos ( I loved the little teaser in the end 😂👍) !!😍
Wow that was a great review, we can really see how the paint react. Thank you, this is really a must see !
Thanks for this lovely video, Denise! All the demos are gorgeous!
Hi Denise, I have watched this video multiple times as I started learning about watercolors. At first I had gotten Schminke and Sonnelier sets and when I learned of your new set in Da Vinci I had to try it. Man o man! I absolutely LOVE Da Vinci colors and brand!! I noticed that I was leaning 1st towards Da Vinci everytime I painted and my second choice was Sennelier. I wanted to say that I loved your paintings, as I know they take up alot of time, but so enjoyed watching them. And I am grateful for your recommendations. Thanks! 🌟 🤩
Yes! I'm over from the interview with Steve and Marti a long time ago! I'm just starting out with watercolor, being more of a crafter than artist, I guess! I'm beginning with Daniel Smith, (aside from a random pan pallet ) and am excited to go from here to your vid about them! Thanks so much! I'm looking forward to a bit of binge-watching on your channel! Peggy
My personal favorites are QoR watercolors. I love the binder they use, because the poured pans dry very evenly and are a pleasure to rewet, and the flow is really awesome. Also the colors are indeed so vibrant and beautiful. My second favorite is Daniel Smith, they're less expensive than QoR and I like some of their colors better than the QoR equivalents. I had the same experience with DS Viridian though, it's a hard and cracked blob in my palette. My recommendation for best possible price to performance ratio in Europe(!) would be Royal Talens Rembrandt, they have a great pigment selection but are a lot more affordable than QoR and DS paints. As a German it's funny to see you be so hyped about Schmincke watercolors, I always tended to overlook them because it's a familiar and ubiquitous brand for me and German watercolorists always seem to recommend brands from other countries. It's funny how we always want what we don't have easily available :D
You're paintings are so beautiful! Lots of great info. Thank you for sharing.
I’m just beginning my journey. I’ve purchased a set of Meeden watercolour paint, and a set of Paul Ruben basics. I did a swatch test and quickly realised I have a lot to learn. Thank you for your videos. It was a joy to watch you paint the various birds and animals.
Wow the qor demo and colors really just blast the rest in terms of vibrancy.
Keep in mind I chose the subjects accordingly to try to make each brand shine, but yes! They are so bright!
I'm so glad QoR made it higher in the list! I have the same issue with my Schmincke paints, they feel so sacred that I'm scared to use them. But I love their perylene violet and their ultramarine/burnt umber mix is my all time favorite gray/black.
Schmincke Perylene Violet + Perylene Green is a favorite neutral mix for me :D And speaking from personal experience - buying 15ml tubes fixes the "untouchable" feeling of Schmincke, once you have enough paint at your disposal you enjoy them more. Jackson's have them in more or less acceptable price, some U.S. online shops have ridiculous pricing :(
Ana Marko yes they are crazy expensive here in the us, the pans I have I got during a sale from Jackson’s. I’ll have to try their perylene green when I find another sale!
Well, for example Daniel Smith is very expensive in the US, imagine ordering it from halfway across the globe :(
@@creativesea.design I live in a country where the only halfway-decent brand available is White Nights, which is restocked once in 4 months so... I feel this pain :D
There perlyene green is stunning, I love adding it or Moonglow from DS for shadows and deeper tones
Take the dry hard watercolor, and detube it. It can be sanded onto wet watercolor paper and used to add a textural look to walls, foliage, etc. Karlyn Holman suggested this.
Such a great video that you seriously poured your heart and some hard work into! I think you did a great job with ranking them, yay Daniel Smith as #1 lol. Although what is up with their release of new colors this year... it’s like all grays!!
Well They already have every color you can basically think of, over 240 in total. I guess it's not that easy to find new pigments and/or colors when you already have such a wide range available (it's twice as much as any other brand lol!). I suppose that kinda limits the options of coming up with new groundbreaking additions every single year :)
Thanks Barbara! Like Palmira said, they have so many colors... But for real, where's my PB16?! Hahah
Haha that’s right Denise! Maybe next year haha..
Thank you Denise! This is really informative and helpful for learning the differences between brands. Personally, I don't confine my palette to just one brand, and prefer to watch your swatching videos, and Oto's color showdowns to pick out the best versions of colors I'm interested in. I'm so excited for the Brand by Brand series! By the way, I love that each brand got its own wildlife painting as an example! It's so nice to see the paints in action and be able to compare, and it's always nice to watch you paint :)
I live in a humid place, and I just thought I would mention that Sennelier paints set up just fine for me. They basically feel like soft plastic when I touch them, and they do not stick to my fingers. In comparison, M. Graham's paints stay in the consistency of melted marshmallow or taffy, pulling away in long strings that stretch across my palette and get all over everything. Those paints are so highly pigmented that you only need a small amount, but due to the stickiness, I get so much paint in my brush that I end up having to mix way more paint than is necessary...it's just such a waste. I wanted to love M. Graham as much as you do, but I just can't :(
I did want to ask though, do you think Sennelier is really superior in glazing to other brands? I would love to see a video where this is tested out. People say it all the time, but I have no way of knowing if it's just some often repeated hype, or if it has any basis.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment! I do think Sennelier has something special when it comes to glazing but that's a good video idea! I also found W&N transparent colors are also very good at this.
@@InLiquidColor That's good to know, thank you for your insight! I would love to see that video if you do find time to make it :)
TY for all your time and effort in doing this video...I learned a lot, as usual, from u. I still refer to your color spotlight videos, which I love.
OMGosh. Your video of comparing and rating various watercolors in pans and tubes is best I've viewed. You are a truly gifted artist and your watercolor animals are stunning! I have learned so much to make a decision in choosing what brand(s) works me. Thank you.
Excellent List!! My Choice would be
1.Daniel Smith
2.M.Graham
3.Schmincke
4.Davinci
5.Rembrandt
6.Qor
7.Sennelier
8.White nights
9.Mission Gold
10.Winsor and Newton
Excellent video, beautiful paintings (gorgeous Daniel Smith painting) and simply wonderful and useful information, Denise! Thanks for your hard work. Again, beautiful paintings!!! Love them!!! I like the "harshness" actually - I have great respect for anyone stating the facts, especially when comparing all these brands of watercolor.
Thanks Cassie! It was really important to me to make sure I added that grain of salt to the DS section so that you all know I don't blindly follow them. I see their downfalls, and still find reasons to love them too :)
I’m glad you mentioned the weird speckling problem on the arches paper for mission gold’s cerulean, i bought the paper a whiled ago and decided you use it recently.
It not only speckled with the cerulean but also with ds pthalo blue (rs) and wn winsor violet.
I found that stretching or atleast presoaking the paper reduced this but it was very disappointing.
Yes if you look at the final scans for LG and W&N the speckling was a problem for both brands to some degree but much worse for MG
i read somewhere that this was a problem in some batches of arches when using finely ground synthetic pigments. i had the same problem with wn perylene green and winsor (pyrrol) red. ive switched to using canson heritage paper and havent had a problem since @@InLiquidColor
Thank you so much for this video and all of the information especially around the characteristics of the brands. Your work is beautiful.
THAT. Was an awesome video!! The animal paintings you did with each brand are absolutely beautiful. Really. I can't wait for your new series, and I'm off to join Skillshare to take your class on palettes. Thank you!!
Thank you Rori! I hope you enjoy the class!
In my country daniel smith is more expensive than holbein, winsor and newton and schmincke but I also love them and I have a decision to buy the essential set
I bought it for €30 and i loved it so mutch! Still paint with them half a year later and theres still enough left in the tubes! 10/10 would recommend!
Faith Bartelse oh it is much cheaper in my country so are you lucky
This was ASMR for my eyes. The way you color the animals,... Fascinating!
Wow! Fantastic resource 😁--looking forward to hearing more about Schminke cuz Ive never used them. Holbein is reasonable through Vermont Art Supply since Holbein North America is based put of Burlungton, VT
Wonderful, wonderful video. Thank you for taking the time to put this together. I am still pretty new to watercolor. I have a huge set of W&N Pro that I rarely see any of the top YT tutorial painters using or commenting on which made me think these expensive paints maybe weren't as good as others. I would love to see more on W&N, M Graham, Davinci and Holbein since these are the paints I own as of now.
All of your paintings in this video are gorgeous. I would really like to see full tutorials on some of them. The gorgeous bird you did with DaVinci makes me want to buy their paints. I would really like to see something similar painted in either M Graham or W&N.
I am a Skillshare member so it makes me happy to know I can find you there. Thanks again Denise.
thanks for your in-depth, informative videos, denise! you've helped guide me in the world of watercolor so i can make educated decisions when spending my hard earned cash on paints i absolutely love! thank you for your dedication to watercolor! just snatched some stickers from your shop to decorate my palettes with too :)
I have been sticking those cute stickers on my sketchbooks too!
Colors don't matter, talent matters! Loved all the paintings.🤩
Loved this update so much! You save the rest of us from some serious hoarding and mistakes. I appreciate your channel SO much!!!
Wonderful group of paintings, I love the leopard, peacock and giraffe the most! I'm really looking forward to the new series and enjoyed the Top 10 update--glad to see my favorites are all at the top of your list. I think the three west coast companies (DS, DV & MG) make the best paint because they are all still small companies who have consciously stayed small to maintain quality. That doesn't mean there aren't large companies who maintain excellent standards and make lovely paint, just that it's harder when there are corporate pressures :). The huge interest in handmade paints shows that artists are looking for quality and depth in their watercolor paints.
I know my first professional paints were some W&N, but I went to Daniel Smith and Qor since then. Both have their pros, though I found this video after you Earth Friendly palette video, and I know what I want for my birthday, since I love trying out other brands as well.
Really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the new Brand series! It was fun seeing everyone guess brands on your Instagram- even though I am terrible at guessing brands/colors!
Thank you so much for the tutorial of the ten brands you spot lighted. Love the animals you painted as well. I made my choice a while ago and dove in with Senneliers 48 half pan set for 165/00 dollars on Amazon. It was a birthday buy from my Hubbie. I still have not played with them yet. Love Terri Simmers.
This may be because I started with Daniel Smith too, but I feel like no other watercolours that I've tried come close to DS paint. I don't know what it is, but when I paint with Daniel Smith, it feels almost magical. Not in a literal sense, but like the experience and process of using them is simply wonderful and incomparable. They're reliable and what I expect from a pigment is exactly what you get, with the exception of lapis lazuli 😒
Excellent video! I'm a watercolor lover and have tried lots of brands too. I have recently, in the past few months, finally tried Daniel Smith and HOLY CANOLIES BATMAN!!!! They are absolutely, hands down, COMPLETELY worth the cost of them. I currently only have 11 colors but I have 5 more on the way and couldn't be more stoked to receive them. Thanks for the video comparing the different brands!
Wow, this is hands down the most informative and well made watercolors video I've seen... and I've looked through quite a few the past few days, trying to decide what I should buy.
Thank you, this was more helpful than anything else! I love your paintings and pretty swatches you made for every brand, it was a pleasure to watch!!!
I'm so glad to hear it was helpful!
This was so informative! As a beginner, I've taken so many notes as to which palette, paints, brushes, paper, etc! I don't want to waste money on bad purchases. I think my favorite one to try will be QoR only because I absolutely love loose watercolor painting. Thank you for such an awesome video.
Your right when you say that experience with different paints and what you paint can influence which paints you like best. After a year or so using all kinds of different brands of paints, M Graham dropped to like #7 on my list. Schmincke stays #1 for me and Da Vinci #2, Mission Gold #9, Daniel Smith #8, Turner #10, Sennelier #3, Holbein #4. I love all the painting demo's with each brand of paint. Beautifully done.