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  • #471238
    Vorpal
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        Yesterday was our anniversary, and my husband bought me a 48-color set of Schmincke watercolors. Wow. I was stunned. What a thoughtful, extravagant present!

        I was even more stunned when I opened the case and started fiddling with the half pans. The edges of the case were so sharp that I slit my finger. After applying mopping up the mess and applying a band-aid, I pulled out the three cheap Chinese cases that have been sitting in my cabinet. Nope. Not a sharp edge among them. *Scratches head.*

        Okay…unwrapped the pans and proceeded to swatch them. Hmm. These colors are…well, the nicest thing I can say about them is they have a lovely, creamy consistency. Other than that, they exhibit a dullness and lifelessness that I have only seen in a crappy set of Polish watercolors that I purchased on a whim a few years ago.

        These paints get consistently terrific reviews and people swoon over them. I am clearly missing something. What?

        Susan

        #806417
        HarvestMoon
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            Where did he buy them? Do you have photos by chance of before you unwrapped them? Wondering if someone is selling knock offs. I Love Schmincke half pans. Did a color chart recently of all the colors.

            Harvest Moon 🐐

            #806442
            Vorpal
            Default

                He bought them from Jackson’s Art in England. I assume they are genuine.

                I will trade them or sell them to someone who likes these paints and stay with my Daniel Smiths.

                Susan

                #806418
                HarvestMoon
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                    Yes, they should be good.

                    Harvest Moon 🐐

                    #806426
                    shadye1
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                        Contact Jacksons, pronto.

                        #806434
                        mlaiuppa
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                            Is Jackson’s having a supply issue with cheap knockoffs? There is a thread about Escoda brushes from Jackson’s not being up to par either.

                            Or perhaps does Schmincke make a student grade paint and that is what you ended up with? Schmincke does NOT make their own metal palettes. Those are contracted out to a manufacturer and then branded with the Schmincke name. Some of the flimsy aluminum palettes have become quite poor so I don’t buy them no matter wha the brand is. Even the wooden boxes aren’t the quality they used to be. That’s why I usually keep an eye out for vintage palettes and boxes.

                            [FONT="Book Antiqua"]Runs with brushes

                            #806435
                            mlaiuppa
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                                I Love Schmincke half pans. Did a color chart recently of all the colors.

                                They include Oxgall in the 140 pan set? Cool.

                                Schmincke is the only company I know of that has oxgall in half and whole pans. I wanted to try it but didn’t want to buy a huge bottle so I included a half and a whole pan in an order from Jackson’s. Haven’t tried them yet but I’ve watched their use on YouTube and am waiting for the right subject to try them out. I think having them in a half or whole pan is so much more convenient if you do plein air and want to experiment.

                                [FONT="Book Antiqua"]Runs with brushes

                                #806419
                                HarvestMoon
                                Default

                                    I have the same Escoda brush set and love it. They make about 3 different brush types packaged the same though so you have to look at which type. I think it was being compared to kolinsky sable and found lacking since that set was synthetic. But moths don’t eat them either, and they keep a great point for years, as well as being very portable. But I use mine all the time at home too.

                                    Yes, they put oxgall in some sets. I don’t think they have a student grade.

                                    If I owned an art store, I think I would be very upset if I had someone return a set where they had opened all the paints and tried them, then found they did not like them as much as a favorite brand so tried to return them. I have tried many different brands, and some were not love at first sight. Some I tried later on and really liked despite initial disappointment. But since I had used them, I did not think it was the stores fault I was dissatisfied. They cannot sell them as new anymore, at best they might recoup part of their cost if they can sell them used in a physical store. Jackson’s often has free shipping, and they certainly have to pay for packaging as well as the shipping. If I had just opened all my stuff, made color charts from all the paint and pencils, then returned them, likely Dick Blicks, Jerry’s, Jackson’s, and Wet Paint would have gone under years ago. I like to try different things, but live with my mistakes. And often I revisit things and my mind changes. But I should get on the ball and try to let go of some slightly used things too, just hate selling on eBay.

                                    I love Daniel Smith paint too, and have their tubes and half pan sets. If I am painting rockscapes like in Sedona or Natural Arches Park they are my favorite. I wish they made a complete set of their paints in half pans, in wood, not their plastic palettes that hold 15 I think.

                                    Harvest Moon 🐐

                                    #806443
                                    Vorpal
                                    Default

                                        Is Jackson’s having a supply issue with cheap knockoffs? There is a thread about Escoda brushes from Jackson’s not being up to par either.

                                        Or perhaps does Schmincke make a student grade paint and that is what you ended up with? Schmincke does NOT make their own metal palettes. Those are contracted out to a manufacturer and then branded with the Schmincke name. Some of the flimsy aluminum palettes have become quite poor so I don’t buy them no matter wha the brand is. Even the wooden boxes aren’t the quality they used to be. That’s why I usually keep an eye out for vintage palettes and boxes.

                                        These are not student-grade paints…I checked with Jackson’s and they are supposedly the real deal.

                                        I know they don’t make their own palettes, but even the cheapest ones I own can’t cut me–all the edges are rolled. This is the first time that I have ever seen a palette with edges like this. Great for cutting tape…or your finger, but now what you want near your hands otherwise.

                                        Susan

                                        #806444
                                        Vorpal
                                        Default

                                            They include Oxgall in the 140 pan set? Cool.

                                            Schmincke is the only company I know of that has oxgall in half and whole pans. I wanted to try it but didn’t want to buy a huge bottle so I included a half and a whole pan in an order from Jackson’s. Haven’t tried them yet but I’ve watched their use on YouTube and am waiting for the right subject to try them out. I think having them in a half or whole pan is so much more convenient if you do plein air and want to experiment.

                                            The set of 48 does include a pan of ox gall. I haven’t tried it out yet. I’ll use it with my Holbein paints and see what it does.

                                            Susan

                                            #806445
                                            Vorpal
                                            Default

                                                I have the same Escoda brush set and love it. They make about 3 different brush types packaged the same though so you have to look at which type. I think it was being compared to kolinsky sable and found lacking since that set was synthetic. But moths don’t eat them either, and they keep a great point for years, as well as being very portable. But I use mine all the time at home too.

                                                Yes, they put oxgall in some sets. I don’t think they have a student grade.

                                                If I owned an art store, I think I would be very upset if I had someone return a set where they had opened all the paints and tried them, then found they did not like them as much as a favorite brand so tried to return them. I have tried many different brands, and some were not love at first sight. Some I tried later on and really liked despite initial disappointment. But since I had used them, I did not think it was the stores fault I was dissatisfied. They cannot sell them as new anymore, at best they might recoup part of their cost if they can sell them used in a physical store. Jackson’s often has free shipping, and they certainly have to pay for packaging as well as the shipping. If I had just opened all my stuff, made color charts from all the paint and pencils, then returned them, likely Dick Blicks, Jerry’s, Jackson’s, and Wet Paint would have gone under years ago. I like to try different things, but live with my mistakes. And often I revisit things and my mind changes. But I should get on the ball and try to let go of some slightly used things too, just hate selling on eBay.

                                                I love Daniel Smith paint too, and have their tubes and half pan sets. If I am painting rockscapes like in Sedona or Natural Arches Park they are my favorite. I wish they made a complete set of their paints in half pans, in wood, not their plastic palettes that hold 15 I think.

                                                I certainly wouldn’t return it…that would be totally unfair to the vendor. And I don’t want to hurt my husband’s feelings, either. He actually watched a bunch of reviews on YouTube, and decided that these would be a rare treat for me (he doesn’t paint at all). I haven’t expressed any disappointment, nor would I. Perhaps in a year or two I can trade it away for something I might actually use.

                                                Susan

                                                #806446
                                                Vorpal
                                                Default

                                                    I tried the paints out again tonight. I can report that, no matter how much Ivory black I slathered on the paper, it remained a medium gray. The Prussian blue looks like a pale, dulled-down Cerulean. The earth colors are just plain horrible–flat and opaque. Scarlet Red is pink; Helio Cerulean looks like Phthalo Blue with some yellow added, and there is no difference between Jaune Brilliant and Naples Yellow, even under the most intensive scrutiny. I have an old pan of Prussian Green that someone gave me a few years ago, and the color in this set is a pale imitation of that one. It happens to be the only Schmincke paint I had to compare.

                                                    I certainly don’t fault Jackson’s, and like I said elsewhere in this thread, I won’t return it. I am just…disappointed. These things happen.

                                                    Susan

                                                    #806421
                                                    janinep7
                                                    Default

                                                        That’s kind of shocking to hear and very disappointing! Schmincke does have a student grade line, it’s called Akademie. I don’t know if Jackson’s sells it. I’ve always been very impressed with Schmincke paints, pans and tubes. It’s got loads of pigment and the pans rewet very easily. Colors are really brilliant. You might want to email your comments to Schmincke directly. I had an issue with a pan set I bought and that was the pans not drying out completely through the middle when they looked dry on top. My paint box ended up oozing all over the place and those pans ended up being unusable. I emailed Schmincke and explained what happened. I had been prewetting the pans but apparently that is not necessary. You can just touch with a damp brush and start painting. I think the pans were just so over-hydrated, it would have taken days for them to dry out through the middle. Which is a roundabout way of saying they did respond to my email right away. They may be able to offer you some explanation for your experience or even offer to replace the box and paints that are not up to standard. FWIW.

                                                        #806447
                                                        Vorpal
                                                        Default

                                                            I will attempt to upload the swatch card tomorrow. Sometimes WetCanvas lets upload, so you can see what I am talking about.

                                                            The pans do rewet instantly, and the creamy consistency was a delightful surprise.

                                                            Susan

                                                            #806427
                                                            moohbear
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                                                                I can’t say for their pans since I don’t own one, but I do have a tube of their transparent orange and transparent ochre. They’re not dull at all, definitely artist grade paints. Maybe your husband bought the student grade one? As mentioned by others, their student line is called Akademie.

                                                                As for slathering on ivory black, it will still end up a dark grey whichever brand you choose. I’ve tried before with Winsor&Newton’s and M Graham’s same result for both, I wasted a lot of paint ^o^. It’s just how watercolor dries. I can get a darker black by mixing perylene maroon and phthalo green.

                                                                Cheers!:)
                                                                Meryl

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