I love it that you keep talking about “use what you have” theme, even though you still review different brands and colors. I need to be reminded of that over and over, and it’s my theme this year. Great review, thanks so much!
I’m glad Schmincke came out with their super-granulating colours. Not because I bought them all (ngl if I were made of money, I would), but because it made me investigate granulating pigments. I got the ones I already had, added some more that I wanted and now I’m able to mix anything myself. I find it fun, and I make lots of weird granulating mixes that wouldn’t even have occurred to me a few years ago.
As an abstract painter, I really enjoy playing with heavily granulating paints and the ways they interact with staining hues, so the premade tubes are sometimes worth it for me, just for the convenience.
Thanks, Lindsay! I appreciate how wide and deep you go to offer a balanced review, especially as you have lots of paints I dont have. I did not buy the granulating mixes of any brand -I made my own palette assembling the individual colours that granulate. I checked the Schmincke supergranulating series -50 colours total. I saw which individual colours were part of the mixes and saw that I had a few already. Then I slowly bought the others. With 19 single pigment colours you can make ALL 50 mixes of ALL their super granulating series. I have a big single pigment palette with all Schmincke granulating colours. By gathering the single pigments in one place I can make my own "supergranulating" mixes as I please, giving me so much more variety. The only exceptions for me were Schmincke Volcano Yellow (PY 159) and Volcano Red (PR108), as they are single pigment and it is otherwise rare to find single pigment granulating reds or yellows. I would not pay extra $$ for "Dusk" colours, though. Sometimes they are just too dark. It is just PBk11 + any number of colours. I have Schmincke Mars Black PBk11 (but van Gogh Oxide Black works well, is the same pigment and costs 5 times less!) It is then possible mix my own "dusk" versions, with more or less black as I want. You are so right about trends...Schmincke kicked it off in 2019 or 2020, and brands are still launching their collections. Who knows how long it will last, or which will be the next trend? Super transparent? Super opaque? 😳😂
Thank you for being a voice of reason in this FOMO driven world! Anytime I find myself looking to buy a new art supply, I first check to see if you have a review. I very much appreciate your honest and thoughtful reviews. In many cases, I learn to appreciate what I already have because I haven't explored it's full potential.
Always love your honesty with reviews. Every time I look at an art supply, I hear you tell me “use what you have”. Thanks for yet another thoughtful and well presented video
Glad to see so many in the comments that picked up on the fact that they are just convenience colors, not tubes of magic. I set up a granulating single pigment palette early on in the trend, between that and my standard colors I can make just about anything at a fraction of the price of collecting all the supergranulating paints that are only good for one thing. Not only can I control my lightfastness, which is a major problem for a lot of them, but I found mixes nobody makes that are just lovely. One of my favorites is either cerulean blue or potters pink mixed with buff titanium, it's a gorgeous soft textured shade of palest pink or blue (or violet if you use a bit of both) with little flecks.. a bit like tinted sandstone. I do keep a few pans of premade mixes to use for easy backgrounds. When I'm working in a coloring book I often am in bed and it's just easier to dip into a half pan with a waterbrush.
I invested pretty heavily in the Schmincke Supergranulating colours as an overenthusiastic beginner in 2022, but ended up selling them on after a while. I was disappointed by the drying shift and I didn't really feel like they were anything special. I still use a few Daniel Smith Primatek colours if I want granulation but overall I do agree with you that it is possibly a trend that will begin to fade. Time will tell...
I too have been disappointed in Schmincke paints’ drying shift. At this point, with one important exception, I usually use Qor, which seems to have very little drying shift, or Sennelier if it’s a color that I don’t find elsewhere. I recently started using Schmincke Graphite Grey in a very limited palette. I find that any paint mixed with Graphite Grey will granulate like crazy, but really, my purpose is to mute whichever color.
Ah, I've been eyeing the Schminke granulating favorites set for a while. But only window shopping because they're way too expensive. This is good to know. Thank you for sharing. I will take it off my list. Seems like it's not worth my $
I like granulators and they'll never go out of style for me. But I definitely bought some of the pigments Schmincke used for their granulators and have fun doing my own mixes instead of buying theirs (especially given that I'm not super impressed with the level of pigment in theirs). Honestly, once a paint makes it onto my mixing space, I'm going to have random granulators and non-granulators, based on whatever I'm mixing with whatever similarly colored left-overs. I've been working on some florals lately and literally have a palette and mixing tray for non-granulators so I don't mistakenly throw in some Potters Pink or something. It's all just gorgeous. Yayy.
I'm a huge fan of granulating colours since discovering primatek. I also have a bunch from Schminke that I love. However, I'm really selective on which ones I purchase. I stick with the colours I know I will use and buy them in single half pans or 5ml tubes because they last such a long time, and never sets - unless it's the 3 pack that Jackson's sell when they go on sale because it's only $20 CAD for 3 tubes. It's super fun to play with granulating colours and Qor. The wooshes you get are *chef's kiss*
I have to admit that I bought the dusk version of the Paul Rubin’s set and I enjoy them. However, I bought it for the box which I have on a shelf in a display holder because it is gorgeous. I took your advice about the granulation and added potters pink or ultramarine blue a while ago. I also have a tube of Bbk 11 for more dusky options. Your suggestions are so level headed. I really appreciate your comparison between art supplies and fast fashion.
thank you for this, your honesty and rawness when it comes to reviewing ALL products, where ever they come from or whoever makes them or whatever youtuber makes them! We thank you for the HONESTY and really to value your opinion because of your experience and knowledge in this community, we are able to save our hard earned money!
Thank you Lindsay! I love the dramatic effects that can be made with the granulating colors! I was really tempted to get the Schminkce sets but ended up creating my own palate after watching several videos about translating colors. I bought one of the Schmimkce tubes because it was a color combination that I really liked. This Paul Rubensset looks really beautiful and the box is so lovely!
Okay, I love this video! I love that you review paints and speak the TRUTH, no matter what ridiculous insecure people push back. I love that you are a professional with professional experience and still tell the truth and are honest to us and call out the manipulative claims of art supply sellers. You are so amazing and strong and for that I am one of your number 1 fans forever. Thank you for your honesty and courage. We deeply appreciate who you are and what you do. But also side note: even if you didn't review art supplies for us and only posted painting videos I'd still be one of your number one fans...you are just a pure, kind spirit that we cant help but love.....okay...to my next part of the comment..I have student grade and professional grade watercolor paint from the 90s and early 20s and they are so much more pigmented and smooth then their modern day counterparts. So 100% the quality has gone down- especially in brands like Winsor & Newton. Anyway great video, thanks for sharing, much love ❤
I made my own “super granulating” mixes, using Winsor & Newton’s PY159 (I think it’s called Lemon Yellow Deep). But couldn’t get a good duplicate for glacier green, so I just bought that one. As a landscape painter, I use a lot of granulating pigments, but the prices for Schmincke are just ridiculous (in the USA). A note about Daniel Smith watercolors: my tubes are mostly DS and I have tried a few of the sticks. In general I was very disappointed with the sticks. Many of them had a very gritty texture and were difficult to rewet. One that was fabulous was the sodalite genuine. Very easy to rewet and great texture.
Yes, I did the same thing. I live in Germany and Schmincke is local and affordable. With 19 of their colours I can mix all 50 shades of their super granulating sets. Lindsay also has done this, and it worked for me.
Thanks to you I've stayed away from wasting my money on granulating paints and I'm really happy about that. I followed your exemple and made a pallete with all the granulating paints I already had, I bought only a tube of Van Gogh oxide black PBk11 to be able to mix some nice shades like their dusk colors.
I have tried several. I must say Masha’s are superior. By far, hers are amazing, better and different than most. I’m hooked for sure. Nothing compares.
They are wonderful. Handmade paint can be hit or miss but you can't go wrong with mashas and she has affordable big dots if you just want to try enough for a few paintings.
I did splurge on a couple schmienke granulating tube sets. I swatched them and went; meh. Didn't knock my socks off and i did one painting and haven't used them since. Also a couple disk and a couple supervision . Made a pallet and there they sit.🤦♀️ Definitely fell into the hype. Thanks Lindsay 💜
I bought just a few of the Schmincke super granulating colors and have been pretty happy with the ones I've chosen, but I was VERY picky about the colors and thought hard about the circumstances under which I would use them. I also do have a few favorites from DS as well. I adore Serpentine Genuine! Having said that, I'm alwasy VERY interested in anything Paul Rubens puts out....
I love watching/listening to you review everything, hah! That IS a gorgeous box! Wow 😮 ..... I have to admit that I did buy the Schmincke "Shire" super granulation set when it came out! Mostly because of Steve (The Mind of Watercolor) and I am a HUGE J.R.R. Tolkien fan! I like them. They are fine... but I am not left WOWED! Anyhow, another lovely honest chat from one of my favorite UA-camrs! Thanks Lindsay!!! ❤
Well done ! An excellent video. It is also perhaps worth mentioning that if a paint granulates it tends toward opacity and also lifts easily so may not suit a style that depends on layering, transparency and / or glazing. So I think there is all the more reason for experimenting before buying. I love the almost explosive unpredictable effect of a big granulating wash for skies but can imagine it may horrify others. I think your instinct for spotting a transient trend is probably right too. Many thanks.
I love this video and the topic! You always make me think, even in my crazy buying haze which is exactly why I watch your reviews and videos. I also love granulating watercolors since they go so well with my art style which is why by now I have a nice and comfortable nest of them in case they just a trend and go away. But since they have the pigment information in them, I can always recreate them in the future.
I started watercoloring in earnest in 2022 when, I think, Schmincke came out with their super granulating watercolors. I was still learning about pigments and was so excited even though I was a newbie! I had a look at the pigment codes for Masha’s watercolors and Schminke and thought I don’t want to buy many granulating watercolors and prefer to make my own. In 2022 I bought the 5ml Schmincke Volcano colors set of 3 tubes and Daniel Smith PBk11 and PG50. The Schmincke Volcano set is nice and my DIY granulating swatches are interesting but I rarely refer to them and use them. In 2023 I bought the Daniel Smith ‘Inspiration’ palette (12 half pans) and the 6 half pan ‘blues’ palette . The two palettes are a combination of granulating, Primatek and other colors, and I think it’s a good way to try out some Primatek colors, moon glow, and some other colors. I use granulating watercolors to create interesting backgrounds without much effort. A very interesting chat, thank you!
If you use a embossing heat tool, you may get the inner packaging out... the box is very pretty but not practical for storing art supplies. But would use it in my living room for storage 😆
Thanks Lindsay! I did indeed find this very interesting. I enjoy granulation, but haven’t specifically bought any. It was Ultramarine blue that first caught my attention with regards granulation, so I just keep my eyes peeled for similar single pigment granulators. I do want to say a special thanks for taking the increasingly prevalent‘specialty’ paints on the market, that keep peeking my interest. I hadn’t yet bought any of them, and having had some sense talked into me, I definitely won’t! 👍🏻🎨👩🏻🎨🖌️👏🏻
I think as long as you know what you will use there is no harm buying some but if you know you won't use them of have something similar you might as well save your money.
I watched the granulating video a while ago. My conclusion was that I have quite a few granulating paints already. I went for some Turner Potters Pink and Mars black. And I bought a dot card of Daniel Smith super granulating colors to play with if I felt like it. It's been a year and the dot card is still in my paint basket totally unused. I get all the granulation I want mostly from ultramarine blue and Paynes grey. Thanks for the use what you have mantra. It's so true.
I have a huge collection of watercolor paints. When i am unable to paint, my creative energy goes into collection mode. I collect granulators and natural pigments. Then when i finally get to paint, i almost always end up mixing my own colors with my fav primaries- lemon, cyan, and fuchsia. I mix my own black adding three other colors. Thats it. I use granulating pigments for additional touches. In retrospect, the Daniel Smith primatek are a waste of money ( rock hard if you dont use them up), and many granulators are inferior to custom blends. I got both sets of the Paul Rubens granulating paints in round boxes and although I like a few a lot, they are not wowing me. I will find a way to use them but they arent favorites. Great video. Keep up the good work. BTW, interestingly, I find myself reaching more often for my MeiLang paints vs Paul Rubens. I didn't expect that to happen. 🤷
You already know I’m your Stan but thanks to your reviews and what you have taught me about pigments and granulation, I have learned that part of my “style” is including granulating colors in every painting. The knowledge that I have gained from your free videos and owning all of your classes has been more valuable than my almost-finished fine arts degree. I will never be able to thank you enough!! Now, let me figure out what else can I spoil you with as it’s the least I can do!!😅😅😅❤❤❤
I made a palette once that was all granulating colors and I regretted it. Even though I love granulation, I found it's more impactful to me in small doses, not as part of an entire painting. I didn't buy a special set specifically of granulating colors, just was using what I'd happened to collect over time.
Great chat Lindsay, and as with many things, our feelings are quite similar. I don't own any of the premixed lines, both for money and space reasons but also that they just seem too specific and hard to mix with more traditional colors, and when you self-mix you can control the ratio of each pigment completely. I've also noticed that even with traditional (i.e. paints not labeled super-granulating), sometimes I also just don't want as much drying separation as the paint tends to give--W&N's cerulean red shade, for example, is more granulating, and while I love the hue particularly for skies, if I'm trying to make a soft, semi-opaque neutral with it, it just separates too much in the mix to read that way once it dries. I've found the same with most French Ultramarines, so I stick to regular ones now. One other way I've found to enhance granulation with perhaps more finely milled paints-- not sure if you've covered this, you probably have -- is instead of premixing on a palette, to lay 2 pure colors down beside or on top of each other, either on pre-wetted paper or dry but with a super high-fluid- capacity brush; it sort of encourages the textures to do their thing more gently.
I think I'll pass on this Paul Rubens set because, as you had mentioned, I do have most of the single pigments in artist grade paints already half panned in my studio palette. I'll definitely be trying out the mixes though, so thanks for breaking down the "paint ingredients" for us! 🙏☺️ The amount of bonus information (additional product's info, general art info, painting technique info, etc.) that comes with your product reviews is massive and priceless!! Very much appreciated! 🙏😊
I haven't felt the need to buy these colours yet. I once bought van Gogh iron oxide black and a few van Gogh colours to mix colours like pastel colours and dusk colours. Someone from a discord server I'm on has created a handy mixing chart of these super granulating colours, if I want to mix any of them then I can easily do it with that. I think the person also made a video about it. I don't remember who it was right now.
I have 2 empty vintage watercolor tins waiting to be used. I'll be doing what you did and sort out my tubes for the granulating paints and put in one of the tins. Plus, I accidently bought a bottle of granulation medium from Winsor Newton and there it has been sitting on my shelf for a few years, and I need to use what I have. It feels great to use up an art supply or finish a sketchbook.....I agree! You keep me grounded!!!!
I did enjoy this mini rant. Definitely some things that needed to be said. I definitely bought granulating colours because of the trend and haven't used them as much as I thought I would. Trying to think before I buy now😂
I do love granulating watercolors for landscapes and sometimes other things as well. That said, I have been careful to purchase a few that mix with others (basics like lunar black) and which I know I will use
Thanks for the review, they are always so informative. I'm a beginner and I'm also turning into a pigment nerd. I was so tempted to get some of the Schmincke paints until I started reading about the pigments. Turned out that I, despite having a rather small collection of paints, actually had enough to mix quite a few of them on my own. If I remember correctly Potter's pink and cobalt turquoise were quite frequent along with a few others. I ended up buying a tube of PBk11 instead. That said, a few months later I couldn't resist getting some Rosa Gallery paints. They have a few granulating ones and where I live they cost less than a cup of coffee. 🙂 (Not sure about the exchange rates right now but a full pan is 2-3 USD, a 10 ml tube is 3-4 USD)
Thank you so much for all your info. I agree with you. I also discovered a granulation medium sold by Windsor newton that can turn any color into having a granulation affect. Amazing..I just blew me away...give it a try. Now all the colors I have can be granulated..thank you again for your review🎉🎉
I have a few of the Schmincke super granulating (Shire set, and a couple from Tundra, Volcano and Deep Sea). I absolutely LOVE them. Out of all the colors I've tried I LOVE the Tundra Violet and Deep Sea Blue. They are duo-toned and absolutely amazing for rocks & sea. I also have Winsor & Newton 'granulation medium' but I don't think it looks natural or good mixed with pigment. It looks grainy and weird.
Thanks for sharing! The granulatin medium can intensify granulating color, but I found it "meh" with others. I tried their watercolor texture medium and that was sandy and strange 😅
As someone else already mentioned here, it is really worth to check the pigment info for Schmincke's supergranulating colors. I only have one supergranulating color of their line that I got for free but very rarely use at all. I then realized that for me it makes more sense and is even more "exciting" to buy the single pigments of their standard line (except the volcano yellow and red that are also single pigment) and mix some granulating color mixes by myself. So I would suggest start with a few single pigment granulating colors and see if you like the effects. I also bought the supergranulating dot card, so I can try to recreate the colors and so far it's real fun! Additionally, the fact that I got some of the half pans for just 3 Euro per color sold from private sellers here in Germany makes me even more happy 😂
If someone wants to buy some granulating colors from Schmincke, I would suggest to get Potters Pink PR233, French Ultramarine PB29, Cobalt turquoise PG50, Cobalt green dark PG26, Mahogany brown PBr33 and Mars Black PBk11. They all show really strong granulation and you will be able to do a ton of different mixes with colors from your standard palette. 😊
Nice! I just added PV62 (strontium violet) to my line of paints, that with PR298 (YInTiCo Red) gives some very nice, rich pink/violet options for granulating mixes.
Thank you very much. Great video. Unfortunately too late for me, after falling in love with primatek and supervision I jumped on the granulating band wagon, bought most of 5ml set of 3 schminke sets, the Paul ruben you mentioned ( big disappointment) and I have to say supervision and primatek is still my favourite. The best result I got was charcoal ink made from scratch, added to anything it granulates beautifully. I got 2 sets of pigments from kremer so now I'm on a mission to make my own layering and granulating paints . Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience, it will make it easier for me to know what paints and pigments to combine. I'm super excited, I like making paints as much as painting with them, maybe even more lol. I'm going to be that goofball that has hundreds of paints and swatches and no paintings lol. Great video.
Hey, if you enjoy it it's a good hobby! I took powdered charcoal and gum arabic and made a watercolor with it and it went all moldy 😆 it was so gross 😝
That's true. Thank you very much:). I guess I'm not hurting anyone:). I feel like a mad scientist. No measuring nor scientific methods, just playing with mud :). I have powdered aquazol so we'll see if that preserves it better or if my mud puddles have to be used straight away . Thanx again. Looking forward to your next videos, quite enjoying your podcasts with all these amazing people interviewed, I watch most of those artists on you tube, it's really cool that you guys are friends. You all created a really amazing global art community. Well done.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your honesty!!! I will use what I have and I don't want to die with all of my unused stash just sitting in my craft space! Shop my own stash! (I am already searching charities and other places for my stuff to be donated to so my family will have options to empty my craft space.) P.S. I don't plan on dying anytime soon, 😅 ~Terri 😊
Thank you for this video, Lindsay. I am a sucker for the trends sometimes. Especially if it looks very cool and fun, I was able to resist the color separating granulation trend by reminding myself that I don’t even like granulating colors. 😅
Hullo Lindsay, I recall my first professional paint purchase. I was given a palette by my Gran and she was my teacher at just 10 years old. Well I went to our local art shop to replace my first empty pan after my Gran said I should experience buying my art supplies to know what she was giving us “kids”! I swore I was sold defective paint! I could not get a solid sky wash! It was freckled and blotchy and “granulated” all over my sky! I of course purchased a discount tube of paint and it was not as finely ground pigment as her professional grade paint! I hope you know that I click on the LIKE button as your videos start as I don’t believe that you create a video that I am not going to like or learn something from you! I have intentionally purchased paints that granulated since after learning about different colors and pigments even brands will generate more or less granulation. It just depends on what the Artist is trying to create! Thank you for sharing this wonderful video with us.
Back when you put together your granulating palette, I went through the paints I had and realized I had quite a few paints that granulated. I ended up making a palette of 24 colors. It felt like I just bought a new palette to play with. Also, like you said I got to know the paints I already own a lot better. tfs
Granulating pigments have been around forever and can be quite useful depending on the style and technique of the artist. So, I wouldn't call them "trendy." And the Primateks (or any other brand's mineral pigments) doesn't mean they're the only granulating pigments in a line. Now, the whole "Super Granulating" marketing scheme by Schmincke could be considered a trend. The problem is so many craft artists and beginners who aren't familiar with pigments thought that those were what any basic granulating colors were, mistaking the difference between granulating and separating. It admittedly got really tiring to hear "super" added any time a basic granulating pigment was mentioned, like PB29. They would swatch a PR233 and get disappointed because it wasn't as super as they thought it should be, because it didn't separate out into a blue or green or something. That marketing trend obviously did blow up. I think the color separaters can be fun and useful, especially for illustrative works, but they should be emphasized as convenience mixes, especially to beginners. I've got several myself, but I'm also a watercolor hoarder who likes to try everything, even if I have all the single pigments as well, lol. TL;DR: Granulating pigments aren't a trend, but the abundance of color-separating convenience mixes is (or anything marketed as super granulating"), and it's helpful for beginners to know the difference.
For what you said about Winsor + Newton, I can say there are differences in the current French made and the older English made Pro watercolors. Idk if it's necessary a differece in quality but some of the older colors I do prefer the hue more and lay down more smooth. However I only have 6 colors that are the same from old and new, so it could be different if I had more colors
You are not wrong. I used W&N Pro for years and was horrified at the difference between the old and new range. A different milling ,binder issues, changing pigments from those listed by them to mixes etc etc. I am told they are now made by Lefranc and Bourgeois whose own range are acceptable but much cheaper. I've now mostly shifted to Schminke unless I find old stock on sale. Anecdotally I haven't found any seller who disagrees with my poor opinion either. It has been an infuriating, time-consuming and expensive experience trying to find replacements for this once reliable range.
@atelierthhun1165 I have a lot of their old tubes because I like collecting the old pigments that aren't used anymore. I do still like the modern ones I have and don't have a problem using them, but if I had to pick, the older ones I do like more. In the future I would love to do a painting comparing the old and new paints but I really need to find a Yellow to do that. All the yellows I currently have in the old range have reformulated or discontinued pigments
The older corman were better too. They had genuine cadmium and colbalts and even different series of colors. You can really see the change in the pans of color. Such a shame.
@thefrugalcrafter I have 2 tubes of Cobalt violet from cotman, you can definitely tell there's filler but it is still a good color. Too bad they don't make them anymore
This is so informative. Thank you! I’m happy to see you using Masha’s Watercolors. I have many of her colors & they granulate beautifully. QUESTION ~ I have a set of Schminke granulating watercolors. Do you feel it’s safe to keep them in the tubes or should I transfer them to pans? It never occurred to me that some tube brands of granulating watercolor may develop issues over time. Schminke is high end so I wouldn’t think it would pose a problem, but would appreciate your opinion. Thanks 😊
On their website, Schmincke says the shelf life of their tubes is 5 years. They don´t say this for poured pans, though. I usually pour them into pans as I use them...and am hoping I will be using them within 5 years. If not, I can always pour them into pans and save them in dry form for later. If you are curious, check their website for their safety data sheets, they are very thorough about these things.
I just got the white knights 2 , 12 full pan sets and they are probably the most gorgeous granulating watercolors I own and they seem to reset easier than other white knights watercolors for some reason. I put a short of the swatches on UA-cam. The one with the yellowish color is probably the better of the 2 sets cause it's more well rounded. I think I paid 35 dollars. They are so bright compared to my schmincke ones. Check them out if you want. They are so fascinating with salt. Like more so than others I have.
It is nice to know what is available. If I think something is interesting I think about it for a long time. I use what I have unless it is really going to make a difference to me. I don't sell my work. This is just personal pleasure for me.
Ooh the blog post was very good for finding a few single-pigment granulators. :D Most of my first exposure to granulating paint was DS (and W&N manganese blue), so this is very nice. Thanks! Aha, editing to add on about the pigment craze... Quinacridone gold sure was a thing, wasn't it!
Oh my word 😆 if anyone wants to sell a lot of paint they can say it will be discontinued. Edited to add the pigment was discontinued because of low demand from the auto industry.
Haven't finished watching but wanted to mention this before I forget. Schmincke have 40 of their super-granulating available open stock now, in half-pans and 15ml tubes. Not sure how easily available they are in the U.S., but you find them in a lot of places here (here being Europe).
Was wanting the set due to wanting to make more night and moody pieces. That said it sounds fun to make my own tested it last night. Trying to find a good granulating medium to mix in.
Love love love the Paul Rubens packaging. Do I need this? NO. Sigh, and the Amazon shipping policies would most likely destroy the beautiful art work (cover)and break my heart. And, I neither need this set nor have $ to spend on the Paul Rubens, or any other, set. I have Girl Scout cookies to buy. ;0) Thank you.
I like Baohong. It's very similar to other cotton gelatin sized papers such as Arches, Langton Prestige, Saunders Waterford, etc but at a much lower price. I was given a piece by someone outside of the US when doing a massive watercolor paper testing project for the painting group I belonged to years ago.. I was very happily impressed. It came available on Amazon a while later and I bought some for my own use. It's also available under the label Masters Choice in some markets but at a large markup in price.
@@waymire01 Thank you! I bought their variety pack and I really liked pretty much all of them. I was gifted a few pads at Christmas. I've noticed that it's being labeled under Meeden now as well.
@@donna2kayak Good to know. Meeden sells lovely inexpensive ceramic palettes, I own quite a few of them. One favorite in particular has 12 wells around the outside so perfect for color wheel color theory practice/placement.. I searched for a really long time for one set up that way. They are nice and heavy and well made, highly recommend. Once you go ceramic for watercolor you never want to use anything else. Helpful hint for the circular ones.. you can buy plastic drip trays for potted plants in various sizes that are perfect for dust covers, and they slip right into zip lock bags for longer term storage. I have a bunch of the little "flower" palettes with custom paint mixes in them...work with minimal color palettes, alternative primary sets, old masters primaries, etc. They keep practically forever like that and you can just pull one out, add a bit of water, and paint away with it. Let it dry back out with the dust cover on and then zip it back up and it's safe and sound.
I’m loving these convenience mixes and if I buy them I will not be keeping the luciferian themed artwork so whoever wants it let me know I will get the box to you if you’re in California central or bay area At one time this would be an outlandish statement but for all unaware, it’s far too common now. Tragic. I won’t respond to mocking comments
I feel like you made this video just for me, because I was literally thinking earlier today, “hmm, I wonder if I need some granulating paint?” I really appreciate your review, because it confirmed that I do not. I think they look pretty cool, but I don’t see them fitting in with my creative practice now. As always, thanks for sharing your knowledge and perspective!
I love it that you keep talking about “use what you have” theme, even though you still review different brands and colors. I need to be reminded of that over and over, and it’s my theme this year. Great review, thanks so much!
You are so welcome!
I’m glad Schmincke came out with their super-granulating colours. Not because I bought them all (ngl if I were made of money, I would), but because it made me investigate granulating pigments. I got the ones I already had, added some more that I wanted and now I’m able to mix anything myself. I find it fun, and I make lots of weird granulating mixes that wouldn’t even have occurred to me a few years ago.
Yes, I think it's fun to see what they used and try to diy them!
As an abstract painter, I really enjoy playing with heavily granulating paints and the ways they interact with staining hues, so the premade tubes are sometimes worth it for me, just for the convenience.
Nice!
Thanks, Lindsay! I appreciate how wide and deep you go to offer a balanced review, especially as you have lots of paints I dont have. I did not buy the granulating mixes of any brand -I made my own palette assembling the individual colours that granulate. I checked the Schmincke supergranulating series -50 colours total. I saw which individual colours were part of the mixes and saw that I had a few already. Then I slowly bought the others. With 19 single pigment colours you can make ALL 50 mixes of ALL their super granulating series. I have a big single pigment palette with all Schmincke granulating colours. By gathering the single pigments in one place I can make my own "supergranulating" mixes as I please, giving me so much more variety. The only exceptions for me were Schmincke Volcano Yellow (PY 159) and Volcano Red (PR108), as they are single pigment and it is otherwise rare to find single pigment granulating reds or yellows. I would not pay extra $$ for "Dusk" colours, though. Sometimes they are just too dark. It is just PBk11 + any number of colours. I have Schmincke Mars Black PBk11 (but van Gogh Oxide Black works well, is the same pigment and costs 5 times less!) It is then possible mix my own "dusk" versions, with more or less black as I want. You are so right about trends...Schmincke kicked it off in 2019 or 2020, and brands are still launching their collections. Who knows how long it will last, or which will be the next trend? Super transparent? Super opaque? 😳😂
wow! Are you willing to share your colors you have? As in the list of names and pigments?
Omg please share your single pigment palette list that you made for these! 😍
I did that too. Mine aren’t all Schmincke, but I find they are the ones that tend to granulate the most.
Haha! Who knows?
I love the feeling of using up a supply however I can't stop my excitement of buying and trying a new supply, it never gets old
Ditto
True
Thank you for being a voice of reason in this FOMO driven world! Anytime I find myself looking to buy a new art supply, I first check to see if you have a review. I very much appreciate your honest and thoughtful reviews. In many cases, I learn to appreciate what I already have because I haven't explored it's full potential.
You are so welcome!
Always love your honesty with reviews. Every time I look at an art supply, I hear you tell me “use what you have”. Thanks for yet another thoughtful and well presented video
You are so welcome!
Glad to see so many in the comments that picked up on the fact that they are just convenience colors, not tubes of magic. I set up a granulating single pigment palette early on in the trend, between that and my standard colors I can make just about anything at a fraction of the price of collecting all the supergranulating paints that are only good for one thing. Not only can I control my lightfastness, which is a major problem for a lot of them, but I found mixes nobody makes that are just lovely. One of my favorites is either cerulean blue or potters pink mixed with buff titanium, it's a gorgeous soft textured shade of palest pink or blue (or violet if you use a bit of both) with little flecks.. a bit like tinted sandstone. I do keep a few pans of premade mixes to use for easy backgrounds. When I'm working in a coloring book I often am in bed and it's just easier to dip into a half pan with a waterbrush.
I'll try that mix!
I invested pretty heavily in the Schmincke Supergranulating colours as an overenthusiastic beginner in 2022, but ended up selling them on after a while. I was disappointed by the drying shift and I didn't really feel like they were anything special. I still use a few Daniel Smith Primatek colours if I want granulation but overall I do agree with you that it is possibly a trend that will begin to fade. Time will tell...
Lol, I did the same thing and agree.
I too have been disappointed in Schmincke paints’ drying shift. At this point, with one important exception, I usually use Qor, which seems to have very little drying shift, or Sennelier if it’s a color that I don’t find elsewhere. I recently started using Schmincke Graphite Grey in a very limited palette. I find that any paint mixed with Graphite Grey will granulate like crazy, but really, my purpose is to mute whichever color.
That's good to know about Schminke! I haven't heard this about them. Thanks for the tip.
Thanks for sharing!
Ah, I've been eyeing the Schminke granulating favorites set for a while. But only window shopping because they're way too expensive. This is good to know. Thank you for sharing. I will take it off my list. Seems like it's not worth my $
Also I love the grounding force of the comment about the unused supplies in a skip. That helps me tame the want monster 😂
I like granulators and they'll never go out of style for me. But I definitely bought some of the pigments Schmincke used for their granulators and have fun doing my own mixes instead of buying theirs (especially given that I'm not super impressed with the level of pigment in theirs). Honestly, once a paint makes it onto my mixing space, I'm going to have random granulators and non-granulators, based on whatever I'm mixing with whatever similarly colored left-overs. I've been working on some florals lately and literally have a palette and mixing tray for non-granulators so I don't mistakenly throw in some Potters Pink or something. It's all just gorgeous. Yayy.
Nice!
I'm a huge fan of granulating colours since discovering primatek. I also have a bunch from Schminke that I love. However, I'm really selective on which ones I purchase. I stick with the colours I know I will use and buy them in single half pans or 5ml tubes because they last such a long time, and never sets - unless it's the 3 pack that Jackson's sell when they go on sale because it's only $20 CAD for 3 tubes.
It's super fun to play with granulating colours and Qor. The wooshes you get are *chef's kiss*
Thanks for the tip!
I have to admit that I bought the dusk version of the Paul Rubin’s set and I enjoy them. However, I bought it for the box which I have on a shelf in a display holder because it is gorgeous. I took your advice about the granulation and added potters pink or ultramarine blue a while ago. I also have a tube of Bbk 11 for more dusky options. Your suggestions are so level headed. I really appreciate your comparison between art supplies and fast fashion.
I am glad it was helpful!
thank you for this, your honesty and rawness when it comes to reviewing ALL products, where ever they come from or whoever makes them or whatever youtuber makes them! We thank you for the HONESTY and really to value your opinion because of your experience and knowledge in this community, we are able to save our hard earned money!
Thanks 😊
Thank you Lindsay! I love the dramatic effects that can be made with the granulating colors! I was really tempted to get the Schminkce sets but ended up creating my own palate after watching several videos about translating colors. I bought one of the Schmimkce tubes because it was a color combination that I really liked. This Paul Rubensset looks really beautiful and the box is so lovely!
You are so welcome!
Okay, I love this video! I love that you review paints and speak the TRUTH, no matter what ridiculous insecure people push back. I love that you are a professional with professional experience and still tell the truth and are honest to us and call out the manipulative claims of art supply sellers. You are so amazing and strong and for that I am one of your number 1 fans forever. Thank you for your honesty and courage. We deeply appreciate who you are and what you do. But also side note: even if you didn't review art supplies for us and only posted painting videos I'd still be one of your number one fans...you are just a pure, kind spirit that we cant help but love.....okay...to my next part of the comment..I have student grade and professional grade watercolor paint from the 90s and early 20s and they are so much more pigmented and smooth then their modern day counterparts. So 100% the quality has gone down- especially in brands like Winsor & Newton. Anyway great video, thanks for sharing, much love ❤
Thank you for your k8nd comment!
I made my own “super granulating” mixes, using Winsor & Newton’s PY159 (I think it’s called Lemon Yellow Deep). But couldn’t get a good duplicate for glacier green, so I just bought that one. As a landscape painter, I use a lot of granulating pigments, but the prices for Schmincke are just ridiculous (in the USA). A note about Daniel Smith watercolors: my tubes are mostly DS and I have tried a few of the sticks. In general I was very disappointed with the sticks. Many of them had a very gritty texture and were difficult to rewet. One that was fabulous was the sodalite genuine. Very easy to rewet and great texture.
Yes, I did the same thing. I live in Germany and Schmincke is local and affordable. With 19 of their colours I can mix all 50 shades of their super granulating sets. Lindsay also has done this, and it worked for me.
I have sodalite, serpentine and cobalt teal in sticks and they all rewet wonderfully. Those are all I have tried tho.
@@thefrugalcrafter That cobalt teal stick is one of my FAVORITES!!!
Thanks to you I've stayed away from wasting my money on granulating paints and I'm really happy about that. I followed your exemple and made a pallete with all the granulating paints I already had, I bought only a tube of Van Gogh oxide black PBk11 to be able to mix some nice shades like their dusk colors.
Nice!
I have tried several. I must say Masha’s are superior. By far, hers are amazing, better and different than most. I’m hooked for sure. Nothing compares.
They are wonderful. Handmade paint can be hit or miss but you can't go wrong with mashas and she has affordable big dots if you just want to try enough for a few paintings.
I did splurge on a couple schmienke granulating tube sets. I swatched them and went; meh. Didn't knock my socks off and i did one painting and haven't used them since. Also a couple disk and a couple supervision . Made a pallet and there they sit.🤦♀️ Definitely fell into the hype. Thanks Lindsay 💜
Oh no, maybe leave the palette out and dip in to it occasionally.
I bought just a few of the Schmincke super granulating colors and have been pretty happy with the ones I've chosen, but I was VERY picky about the colors and thought hard about the circumstances under which I would use them. I also do have a few favorites from DS as well. I adore Serpentine Genuine! Having said that, I'm alwasy VERY interested in anything Paul Rubens puts out....
PR always is a good value.
I love watching/listening to you review everything, hah! That IS a gorgeous box! Wow 😮 ..... I have to admit that I did buy the Schmincke "Shire" super granulation set when it came out! Mostly because of Steve (The Mind of Watercolor) and I am a HUGE J.R.R. Tolkien fan! I like them. They are fine... but I am not left WOWED! Anyhow, another lovely honest chat from one of my favorite UA-camrs! Thanks Lindsay!!! ❤
Oh thank you!
Well done ! An excellent video. It is also perhaps worth mentioning that if a paint granulates it tends toward opacity and also lifts easily so may not suit a style that depends on layering, transparency and / or glazing. So I think there is all the more reason for experimenting before buying. I love the almost explosive unpredictable effect of a big granulating wash for skies but can imagine it may horrify others. I think your instinct for spotting a transient trend is probably right too. Many thanks.
Great point!
I love this video and the topic! You always make me think, even in my crazy buying haze which is exactly why I watch your reviews and videos.
I also love granulating watercolors since they go so well with my art style which is why by now I have a nice and comfortable nest of them in case they just a trend and go away. But since they have the pigment information in them, I can always recreate them in the future.
I'm so glad!
I started watercoloring in earnest in 2022 when, I think, Schmincke came out with their super granulating watercolors. I was still learning about pigments and was so excited even though I was a newbie! I had a look at the pigment codes for Masha’s watercolors and Schminke and thought I don’t want to buy many granulating watercolors and prefer to make my own. In 2022 I bought the 5ml Schmincke Volcano colors set of 3 tubes and Daniel Smith PBk11 and PG50. The Schmincke Volcano set is nice and my DIY granulating swatches are interesting but I rarely refer to them and use them. In 2023 I bought the Daniel Smith ‘Inspiration’ palette (12 half pans) and the 6 half pan ‘blues’ palette . The two palettes are a combination of granulating, Primatek and other colors, and I think it’s a good way to try out some Primatek colors, moon glow, and some other colors. I use granulating watercolors to create interesting backgrounds without much effort. A very interesting chat, thank you!
Good choices!
I’ve not jumped on the granulating watercolor and appreciate your honesty. I looked at this set when it first came out but never took the plunge.
If you use a embossing heat tool, you may get the inner packaging out... the box is very pretty but not practical for storing art supplies. But would use it in my living room for storage 😆
Good idea!
Thanks Lindsay! I did indeed find this very interesting. I enjoy granulation, but haven’t specifically bought any. It was Ultramarine blue that first caught my attention with regards granulation, so I just keep my eyes peeled for similar single pigment granulators. I do want to say a special thanks for taking the increasingly prevalent‘specialty’ paints on the market, that keep peeking my interest. I hadn’t yet bought any of them, and having had some sense talked into me, I definitely won’t! 👍🏻🎨👩🏻🎨🖌️👏🏻
I think as long as you know what you will use there is no harm buying some but if you know you won't use them of have something similar you might as well save your money.
I watched the granulating video a while ago. My conclusion was that I have quite a few granulating paints already. I went for some Turner Potters Pink and Mars black. And I bought a dot card of Daniel Smith super granulating colors to play with if I felt like it. It's been a year and the dot card is still in my paint basket totally unused. I get all the granulation I want mostly from ultramarine blue and Paynes grey. Thanks for the use what you have mantra. It's so true.
So glad it's helpful:)
Another wonderfully useful video! Thank you Lindsay!
You're so welcome!
I have a huge collection of watercolor paints. When i am unable to paint, my creative energy goes into collection mode. I collect granulators and natural pigments.
Then when i finally get to paint, i almost always end up mixing my own colors with my fav primaries- lemon, cyan, and fuchsia. I mix my own black adding three other colors. Thats it. I use granulating pigments for additional touches. In retrospect, the Daniel Smith primatek are a waste of money ( rock hard if you dont use them up), and many granulators are inferior to custom blends.
I got both sets of the Paul Rubens granulating paints in round boxes and although I like a few a lot, they are not wowing me. I will find a way to use them but they arent favorites.
Great video. Keep up the good work.
BTW, interestingly, I find myself reaching more often for my MeiLang paints vs Paul Rubens. I didn't expect that to happen. 🤷
Wonderful review
Thank you!
You already know I’m your Stan but thanks to your reviews and what you have taught me about pigments and granulation, I have learned that part of my “style” is including granulating colors in every painting. The knowledge that I have gained from your free videos and owning all of your classes has been more valuable than my almost-finished fine arts degree. I will never be able to thank you enough!! Now, let me figure out what else can I spoil you with as it’s the least I can do!!😅😅😅❤❤❤
You are to generous as it is!
I made a palette once that was all granulating colors and I regretted it. Even though I love granulation, I found it's more impactful to me in small doses, not as part of an entire painting. I didn't buy a special set specifically of granulating colors, just was using what I'd happened to collect over time.
I agree!
Thanks Lindsay, great review!
Glad it was helpful!
Great chat Lindsay, and as with many things, our feelings are quite similar. I don't own any of the premixed lines, both for money and space reasons but also that they just seem too specific and hard to mix with more traditional colors, and when you self-mix you can control the ratio of each pigment completely. I've also noticed that even with traditional (i.e. paints not labeled super-granulating), sometimes I also just don't want as much drying separation as the paint tends to give--W&N's cerulean red shade, for example, is more granulating, and while I love the hue particularly for skies, if I'm trying to make a soft, semi-opaque neutral with it, it just separates too much in the mix to read that way once it dries. I've found the same with most French Ultramarines, so I stick to regular ones now.
One other way I've found to enhance granulation with perhaps more finely milled paints-- not sure if you've covered this, you probably have -- is instead of premixing on a palette, to lay 2 pure colors down beside or on top of each other, either on pre-wetted paper or dry but with a super high-fluid- capacity brush; it sort of encourages the textures to do their thing more gently.
Good tip!
I think I'll pass on this Paul Rubens set because, as you had mentioned, I do have most of the single pigments in artist grade paints already half panned in my studio palette. I'll definitely be trying out the mixes though, so thanks for breaking down the "paint ingredients" for us! 🙏☺️
The amount of bonus information (additional product's info, general art info, painting technique info, etc.) that comes with your product reviews is massive and priceless!! Very much appreciated! 🙏😊
Thanks so much!
I haven't felt the need to buy these colours yet. I once bought van Gogh iron oxide black and a few van Gogh colours to mix colours like pastel colours and dusk colours.
Someone from a discord server I'm on has created a handy mixing chart of these super granulating colours, if I want to mix any of them then I can easily do it with that.
I think the person also made a video about it. I don't remember who it was right now.
Nice!
I have 2 empty vintage watercolor tins waiting to be used. I'll be doing what you did and sort out my tubes for the granulating paints and put in one of the tins. Plus, I accidently bought a bottle of granulation medium from Winsor Newton and there it has been sitting on my shelf for a few years, and I need to use what I have. It feels great to use up an art supply or finish a sketchbook.....I agree! You keep me grounded!!!!
Happy to hear it!
You sure know a lot, about a lot! Thanks for sharing it!😉🤗
Thanks for watching!
I did enjoy this mini rant. Definitely some things that needed to be said. I definitely bought granulating colours because of the trend and haven't used them as much as I thought I would. Trying to think before I buy now😂
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for sharing your point of view ❤
such a wonderful review, thank you for sharing ☺☺☺
My pleasure 😊
I do love granulating watercolors for landscapes and sometimes other things as well. That said, I have been careful to purchase a few that mix with others (basics like lunar black) and which I know I will use
Good idea!
Thanks for the review, they are always so informative. I'm a beginner and I'm also turning into a pigment nerd. I was so tempted to get some of the Schmincke paints until I started reading about the pigments. Turned out that I, despite having a rather small collection of paints, actually had enough to mix quite a few of them on my own. If I remember correctly Potter's pink and cobalt turquoise were quite frequent along with a few others. I ended up buying a tube of PBk11 instead.
That said, a few months later I couldn't resist getting some Rosa Gallery paints. They have a few granulating ones and where I live they cost less than a cup of coffee. 🙂 (Not sure about the exchange rates right now but a full pan is 2-3 USD, a 10 ml tube is 3-4 USD)
Perfect!
I'm not really worried about discontinuing, my favourite colours, that I don't want to do without.
I always buy something extra when I can get them.
Thank you so much for all your info. I agree with you. I also discovered a granulation medium sold by Windsor newton that can turn any color into having a granulation affect. Amazing..I just blew me away...give it a try. Now all the colors I have can be granulated..thank you again for your review🎉🎉
Wonderful!
Hi, Lindsay. Thank you for your video.🎉.
You are so welcome!
I have a few of the Schmincke super granulating (Shire set, and a couple from Tundra, Volcano and Deep Sea). I absolutely LOVE them. Out of all the colors I've tried I LOVE the Tundra Violet and Deep Sea Blue. They are duo-toned and absolutely amazing for rocks & sea. I also have Winsor & Newton 'granulation medium' but I don't think it looks natural or good mixed with pigment. It looks grainy and weird.
Thanks for sharing! The granulatin medium can intensify granulating color, but I found it "meh" with others. I tried their watercolor texture medium and that was sandy and strange 😅
I love the box!
As someone else already mentioned here, it is really worth to check the pigment info for Schmincke's supergranulating colors. I only have one supergranulating color of their line that I got for free but very rarely use at all. I then realized that for me it makes more sense and is even more "exciting" to buy the single pigments of their standard line (except the volcano yellow and red that are also single pigment) and mix some granulating color mixes by myself. So I would suggest start with a few single pigment granulating colors and see if you like the effects. I also bought the supergranulating dot card, so I can try to recreate the colors and so far it's real fun! Additionally, the fact that I got some of the half pans for just 3 Euro per color sold from private sellers here in Germany makes me even more happy 😂
If someone wants to buy some granulating colors from Schmincke, I would suggest to get Potters Pink PR233, French Ultramarine PB29, Cobalt turquoise PG50, Cobalt green dark PG26, Mahogany brown PBr33 and Mars Black PBk11. They all show really strong granulation and you will be able to do a ton of different mixes with colors from your standard palette. 😊
Thanks for the tip!
Thank you! 😊
Nice! I just added PV62 (strontium violet) to my line of paints, that with PR298 (YInTiCo Red) gives some very nice, rich pink/violet options for granulating mixes.
Sounds great!
I splurged on the Paul Rubens bundle 🎉
haven't gotten far into the video yet. but that boxart is amazing. i love it. does feel like they put digital art on it though
Could be
Thank you very much. Great video. Unfortunately too late for me, after falling in love with primatek and supervision I jumped on the granulating band wagon, bought most of 5ml set of 3 schminke sets, the Paul ruben you mentioned ( big disappointment) and I have to say supervision and primatek is still my favourite. The best result I got was charcoal ink made from scratch, added to anything it granulates beautifully. I got 2 sets of pigments from kremer so now I'm on a mission to make my own layering and granulating paints . Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience, it will make it easier for me to know what paints and pigments to combine. I'm super excited, I like making paints as much as painting with them, maybe even more lol. I'm going to be that goofball that has hundreds of paints and swatches and no paintings lol. Great video.
Hey, if you enjoy it it's a good hobby! I took powdered charcoal and gum arabic and made a watercolor with it and it went all moldy 😆 it was so gross 😝
That's true. Thank you very much:). I guess I'm not hurting anyone:). I feel like a mad scientist. No measuring nor scientific methods, just playing with mud :). I have powdered aquazol so we'll see if that preserves it better or if my mud puddles have to be used straight away . Thanx again. Looking forward to your next videos, quite enjoying your podcasts with all these amazing people interviewed, I watch most of those artists on you tube, it's really cool that you guys are friends. You all created a really amazing global art community. Well done.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your honesty!!! I will use what I have and I don't want to die with all of my unused stash just sitting in my craft space! Shop my own stash! (I am already searching charities and other places for my stuff to be donated to so my family will have options to empty my craft space.) P.S. I don't plan on dying anytime soon, 😅 ~Terri 😊
It feels good to use what you have.
Thank you for this video, Lindsay. I am a sucker for the trends sometimes. Especially if it looks very cool and fun, I was able to resist the color separating granulation trend by reminding myself that I don’t even like granulating colors. 😅
I think it bears reminding, especially since we tend to like what we are used to seeing repeatedly.
Hullo Lindsay, I recall my first professional paint purchase. I was given a palette by my Gran and she was my teacher at just 10 years old. Well I went to our local art shop to replace my first empty pan after my Gran said I should experience buying my art supplies to know what she was giving us “kids”! I swore I was sold defective paint! I could not get a solid sky wash! It was freckled and blotchy and “granulated” all over my sky! I of course purchased a discount tube of paint and it was not as finely ground pigment as her professional grade paint! I hope you know that I click on the LIKE button as your videos start as I don’t believe that you create a video that I am not going to like or learn something from you!
I have intentionally purchased paints that granulated since after learning about different colors and pigments even brands will generate more or less granulation. It just depends on what the Artist is trying to create! Thank you for sharing this wonderful video with us.
You are very welcome!
Love your videos! It always helps!
Glad you like them!
Back when you put together your granulating palette, I went through the paints I had and realized I had quite a few paints that granulated. I ended up making a palette of 24 colors. It felt like I just bought a new palette to play with. Also, like you said I got to know the paints I already own a lot better.
tfs
That is awesome!
Granulating pigments have been around forever and can be quite useful depending on the style and technique of the artist. So, I wouldn't call them "trendy." And the Primateks (or any other brand's mineral pigments) doesn't mean they're the only granulating pigments in a line. Now, the whole "Super Granulating" marketing scheme by Schmincke could be considered a trend. The problem is so many craft artists and beginners who aren't familiar with pigments thought that those were what any basic granulating colors were, mistaking the difference between granulating and separating. It admittedly got really tiring to hear "super" added any time a basic granulating pigment was mentioned, like PB29. They would swatch a PR233 and get disappointed because it wasn't as super as they thought it should be, because it didn't separate out into a blue or green or something. That marketing trend obviously did blow up.
I think the color separaters can be fun and useful, especially for illustrative works, but they should be emphasized as convenience mixes, especially to beginners. I've got several myself, but I'm also a watercolor hoarder who likes to try everything, even if I have all the single pigments as well, lol.
TL;DR: Granulating pigments aren't a trend, but the abundance of color-separating convenience mixes is (or anything marketed as super granulating"), and it's helpful for beginners to know the difference.
Very well said:)
For what you said about Winsor + Newton, I can say there are differences in the current French made and the older English made Pro watercolors. Idk if it's necessary a differece in quality but some of the older colors I do prefer the hue more and lay down more smooth. However I only have 6 colors that are the same from old and new, so it could be different if I had more colors
You are not wrong. I used W&N Pro for years and was horrified at the difference between the old and new range. A different milling ,binder issues, changing pigments from those listed by them to mixes etc etc. I am told they are now made by Lefranc and Bourgeois whose own range are acceptable but much cheaper. I've now mostly shifted to Schminke unless I find old stock on sale. Anecdotally I haven't found any seller who disagrees with my poor opinion either. It has been an infuriating, time-consuming and expensive experience trying to find replacements for this once reliable range.
@atelierthhun1165 I have a lot of their old tubes because I like collecting the old pigments that aren't used anymore. I do still like the modern ones I have and don't have a problem using them, but if I had to pick, the older ones I do like more. In the future I would love to do a painting comparing the old and new paints but I really need to find a Yellow to do that. All the yellows I currently have in the old range have reformulated or discontinued pigments
The older corman were better too. They had genuine cadmium and colbalts and even different series of colors. You can really see the change in the pans of color. Such a shame.
@thefrugalcrafter I have 2 tubes of Cobalt violet from cotman, you can definitely tell there's filler but it is still a good color. Too bad they don't make them anymore
This is so informative. Thank you! I’m happy to see you using Masha’s Watercolors. I have many of her colors & they granulate beautifully. QUESTION ~ I have a set of Schminke granulating watercolors. Do you feel it’s safe to keep them in the tubes or should I transfer them to pans? It never occurred to me that some tube brands of granulating watercolor may develop issues over time. Schminke is high end so I wouldn’t think it would pose a problem, but would appreciate your opinion. Thanks 😊
Heavy pigments from Schminke separate from the binder A LOT, but can always be mixed back together.
@@mikepolo2887 thanks, Mike! These are my first Schminke tubes so I was unaware.
On their website, Schmincke says the shelf life of their tubes is 5 years. They don´t say this for poured pans, though. I usually pour them into pans as I use them...and am hoping I will be using them within 5 years. If not, I can always pour them into pans and save them in dry form for later. If you are curious, check their website for their safety data sheets, they are very thorough about these things.
@@berolinastrassmann it is guaranteed shelf life, not the actual one. Usually they can last for a couple of decades.
@@mikepolo2887 Wow, thanks a lot for this. I will definitely keep it in mind.
I just got the white knights 2 , 12 full pan sets and they are probably the most gorgeous granulating watercolors I own and they seem to reset easier than other white knights watercolors for some reason. I put a short of the swatches on UA-cam. The one with the yellowish color is probably the better of the 2 sets cause it's more well rounded. I think I paid 35 dollars. They are so bright compared to my schmincke ones. Check them out if you want. They are so fascinating with salt. Like more so than others I have.
Thanks! I'll check it out!
I absolutely love my white nights granulating!
Lots of wonderful information! Thank you for sharing ❤
You are so welcome!
It is nice to know what is available. If I think something is interesting I think about it for a long time. I use what I have unless it is really going to make a difference to me. I don't sell my work. This is just personal pleasure for me.
Thanks for sharing!
What a coincidence- I’ve was watching your old videos about building a granulating palette this weekend
Did you make one?
@@thefrugalcrafter definitely want to! I have plenty of tube paints to choose from, just need time to sit a figure it all out
Lindsay! The meilang 36 watercolor set is $16.79 right now on Amazon!
Sweet!
Finally gonna try them at that price!! Lol
Ooh the blog post was very good for finding a few single-pigment granulators. :D
Most of my first exposure to granulating paint was DS (and W&N manganese blue), so this is very nice. Thanks!
Aha, editing to add on about the pigment craze... Quinacridone gold sure was a thing, wasn't it!
Oh my word 😆 if anyone wants to sell a lot of paint they can say it will be discontinued.
Edited to add the pigment was discontinued because of low demand from the auto industry.
Always love your reviews🎉🎉🎉
Glad you like them!
Haven't finished watching but wanted to mention this before I forget. Schmincke have 40 of their super-granulating available open stock now, in half-pans and 15ml tubes. Not sure how easily available they are in the U.S., but you find them in a lot of places here (here being Europe).
Good to know!
Was wanting the set due to wanting to make more night and moody pieces. That said it sounds fun to make my own tested it last night.
Trying to find a good granulating medium to mix in.
Salt water works well. You can also get granulation medium from winsor newton but you need to be generous with it.
Nice review
Thanks!
Love love love the Paul Rubens packaging. Do I need this? NO. Sigh, and the Amazon shipping policies would most likely destroy the beautiful art work (cover)and break my heart. And, I neither need this set nor have $ to spend on the Paul Rubens, or any other, set. I have Girl Scout cookies to buy. ;0) Thank you.
Have a thin mint for me!
Schmincke's lineup is definitely extensive and the naming sense is excellent...😅
It really is!
Off topic. But. Curious. If you’re going to do a review on Baohong paper . I’d love your opinion
I wasn't planning to, but I've liked what I've tried!
I like Baohong. It's very similar to other cotton gelatin sized papers such as Arches, Langton Prestige, Saunders Waterford, etc but at a much lower price. I was given a piece by someone outside of the US when doing a massive watercolor paper testing project for the painting group I belonged to years ago.. I was very happily impressed. It came available on Amazon a while later and I bought some for my own use. It's also available under the label Masters Choice in some markets but at a large markup in price.
@@waymire01 Thank you! I bought their variety pack and I really liked pretty much all of them. I was gifted a few pads at Christmas. I've noticed that it's being labeled under Meeden now as well.
@@donna2kayak Good to know. Meeden sells lovely inexpensive ceramic palettes, I own quite a few of them. One favorite in particular has 12 wells around the outside so perfect for color wheel color theory practice/placement.. I searched for a really long time for one set up that way. They are nice and heavy and well made, highly recommend. Once you go ceramic for watercolor you never want to use anything else. Helpful hint for the circular ones.. you can buy plastic drip trays for potted plants in various sizes that are perfect for dust covers, and they slip right into zip lock bags for longer term storage. I have a bunch of the little "flower" palettes with custom paint mixes in them...work with minimal color palettes, alternative primary sets, old masters primaries, etc. They keep practically forever like that and you can just pull one out, add a bit of water, and paint away with it. Let it dry back out with the dust cover on and then zip it back up and it's safe and sound.
❤
I’m loving these convenience mixes and if I buy them I will not be keeping the luciferian themed artwork so whoever wants it let me know I will get the box to you if you’re in California central or bay area
At one time this would be an outlandish statement but for all unaware, it’s far too common now. Tragic.
I won’t respond to mocking comments
"Promo sm" 😍
I feel like you made this video just for me, because I was literally thinking earlier today, “hmm, I wonder if I need some granulating paint?” I really appreciate your review, because it confirmed that I do not. I think they look pretty cool, but I don’t see them fitting in with my creative practice now. As always, thanks for sharing your knowledge and perspective!
You got this! And you probably have a couple granulating colors in your palette already if you want to try the look.