Sorta color comparison

[LostFoxeh]

So I made a color chart of each of the paints I have. Most of them are student grade. Doing this showed me just how insane a difference there is from brand to brand. Sure I was told about it, but something about seeing it first hand. I'll tell a little bit about each kinda like a review.

On the left are Reeves, these are what I have been painting with mostly and have made watercolor challenging. They do not cover well compared to the others and dry so fast wet in wet never worked for me when I tried using the techniques unless I had a sprayer. To give an idea, the first block would be completely dry before I could start on the next block. Some of the other brands I painted 3-4 blocks down before the first dried.

Next going right are the Lukas studio line. Another student line, and I have not painted with these. I can tell from making this chart they have more pigment, stay wet much longer, and the colors are better looking to me.

After the Lukas is Daler Rowney. These are the worst. They paint in a weird way, only was I can thing to describe it is stringy, cause the paint makes trails behind the brush but doesn't cover well like the others. Look carefully at the picture to see what I mean. I did use a thick coverage too. Might make a interesting effect for something, but I don't think I will use these.

Forth is a mix of colors I bought from the clearance bins. Mostly Grumbacher. All I have to say about clearance bin tubes is that there is a reason they are there. It is because opening the lids is a feat of will power and hand strength.

Last and best M. Gramham. They stay wet a long time. Cover so well I had to use extra water or some of the colors would be too dark. One drop of this stuff is like 4 drops of any of my other paints. It is also my only Artist grade paint. Since I already have the other paints, I will use them up. I hate wasting when I have the option not to.

I hope someone else finds interest in what I made.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/29-Apr-2012/690742-ColorChartSmall.jpg

[Yorky]

A good exercise, quite a difference.

Doug

[BJ3]

Hi LostFox. Nice colour comparison chart. Although it’s a minor pain doing these, I find them so revealing and educational. I did a chart of all my colours and found out I had a huge collection of yellows and blues but hardly any reds and only 3 greens. However, given the number of blues and yellows, who needs any more greens? :lol:
One thing, IMHO, it is false economy to use “bargain brand” or “student grade” paints. You end up wasting time, energy and paper trying to create something using these inferior tools and you just buy yourself a load of frustration and disappointment! Believe me, I’ve been there! You don’t say how long you have been painting with watercolour, but as a novice (I’ve only been doing this for less than a year) the learning curve is steep enough without adding the aggravation of trying to cope with inferior paints.
FWIW. My advice is to bite the bullet and chuck everything except the M.Graham and from now on, buy only Artist Grade paints. My paint of choice at the moment is Winsor & Newton or Holbein. I love M. Graham but it is difficult for me to get. I have had no experience with either Daler-Rowney or Grumbacher.
With the selection of M. Graham paints that you have, you can create almost any colour imaginable. Have you done any colour wheels? They’re fun to do and give you so much valuable information.
Hope this helps.
Bev

[Drollaeem]

Very cool!

I'm surprised at the Rowney paints, I have some ancient Georgian Rowney student grade paints and aside from some weird laked pigment clumps they're still pretty nice after...oh...a long time. Oh, and the yellow ochre is possibly the worst color known to mankind.

I've also made huge numbers of swatches - it really helps me plan. Actually, since I'm a beginner, I've done way more swatches then actual paintings. But I've learned a lot! My Cotman paints and one lone Grumbacher Academy PErylene Maroon don't rewet as easily as D. Smith - but I can't say they are heads and tails worse. The perylene maroon I think has a nicer color then the color I got from the D. Smith try it dot. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you don't hate the paint and isn't actively making you miserable, then go ahead and use it? I don't know, I guess as a relative beginner to watercolor I don't like constantly reading that I'm using the wrong paints and the wrong paper. It's my journey and gosh darn it I'm taking a meandering, colorful, path if I want to. :P

And with my ancient (barely used! boooo!) paints I've found that resting the tube upside down in enough water to cover the cap for a few minutes to a half hour made opening them much easier.

[virgil carter]

Drollaeem, an old trick for opening stuck caps of watercolor tube paints is to heat the cap with a match for a few seconds. The heat expands the cap and makes it easy to open.

Too long, however, and you have a melted cap if its plastic!

Sling paint!
Virgil

[LostFoxeh]

Drollaeem, an old trick for opening stuck caps of watercolor tube paints is to heat the cap with a match for a few seconds. The heat expands the cap and makes it easy to open.

Too long, however, and you have a melted cap if its plastic!

Sling paint!
Virgil

I used hot water and a toothbrush

The Roweny paints being the way they are might because they are from a Chinese brush painting kit I bought on a whim. All they say is the company name and color, that is it. I hope they aren't related to their professional line. Would be sad.

[LittleSkink]

I know what you mean about doing more swatches than paintings sometimes, that is all we seem to do right now as my 7yo is just learning her way round her paints. I got her to put all her colours into a big 14" colour wheel (she has over a dozen Cotmans and other student colours)

From there she has had a go at predicting what mix colours she would get with different colours and put these inside - so, for example Medium Yellow with a little Cobalt Blue mix was put close to the yellow patch on the wheel while Cobalt Blue with a little Med Yellow was put near the blue. From this she has figured out how to get warm greys, cold greys and mud too. Around the outside of the wheel she has been adding lighter dilutions of some colours now too

It was really interesting watching someone explore this stuff without them knowing the answers - and actually quite hard to explain why some of the things happened, like why burnt umber and ultramarine blue actually work together but others dont. And I have a few new mixes I will try myself later

Having just done a load of Cadmium Red dilution swatches and glazes last night which was very informative for me I would encourage you to play with various water:paint ratios too. One area where the Artists pigments really seem to shine is in weak dilutions and glazes for me, the student colours I have used were lost in comparison

[reikiart]

Neat chart! :clap: I have only been painting in watercolors for a few weeks and I bought student paints (just one each of the primaries + Burnt Sienna) to start with. I wish so badly that I had just went ahead and spent a little more money to get the artist grade of paints. :(

[querin]

Great experiment, the student grade are really tacky looking they use lots of fillers .For me I rather have 6 good artist quality then a selection of student grade they are so much hard work .
querin

[LostFoxeh]

Neat chart! :clap: I have only been painting in watercolors for a few weeks and I bought student paints (just one each of the primaries + Burnt Sienna) to start with. I wish so badly that I had just went ahead and spent a little more money to get the artist grade of paints. :(

Which ones did you buy?

[M.L. Schaefer]

This is a wonderful exercise...one should make a color chart at least once...once you begin to know your colors and how they act and react, one doesn't need to refer back all the time (as I once did!)

I also started with student grade watercolors (possibly the only "student" grade worth buying is Van Gogh, I bought Cotman and Grumbacher Academy). Anyway, when I broke down and bought Artists' grade, I had to relearn all my hard-won techniques...relearn my colors (they are so different in Artists' grade). That made my watercolor journey more difficult than it should have been. I sold all my Cotman and Grumbacher Academy on eBay and made a "clean break"... They didn't bring a lot of $$, but I was able to buy a few more art supplies...But, if I had waited to use up all my student paints, I would not have progressed far at all! Something to think about?

:heart: M.L.

[LostFoxeh]

This is a wonderful exercise...one should make a color chart at least once...once you begin to know your colors and how they act and react, one doesn't need to refer back all the time (as I once did!)

I also started with student grade watercolors (possibly the only "student" grade worth buying is Van Gogh, I bought Cotman and Grumbacher Academy). Anyway, when I broke down and bought Artists' grade, I had to relearn all my hard-won techniques...relearn my colors (they are so different in Artists' grade). That made my watercolor journey more difficult than it should have been. I sold all my Cotman and Grumbacher Academy on eBay and made a "clean break"... They didn't bring a lot of $$, but I was able to buy a few more art supplies...But, if I had waited to use up all my student paints, I would not have progressed far at all! Something to think about?

:heart: M.L.

That is a very good point. I will give it thought.

[virgil carter]

This is another example of the value of the old saying, "buy the best quality equipment you can afford".

It's always better to paint (even with lesser quality equipment), than not to paint at all, but there's just no substitute for the learning experience and the painting results achieved with professional equipment--paper, paint, brushes.

Sling paint!
Virgil