FORGOT TO MENTION THAT UV SPRAYS/GLASS FRAMES DO NOT HELP. Sadly I have not found any affordable brand of UV frame or spray that makes much difference. It might help with brief exposure, like a short term gallery display for a couple weeks (not effective for long term). There may be an expensive framing brand out there with specialty fine art use in mind. Even Krylon, a reputable spray paint company, who makes UV sealer (clear acrylic) only changed the color results slightly (and in some cases made the colors change unexpectedly after coating). In my tests with opera pink the paint still faded, but to an oddly orangish hue instead of plain diluted looking fading. The only thing I've seen work for protecting fugitive dye inks, such as alcohol inks, is a thick layer of resin like "Art Resin" brand on Amazon. For wall art it does distort the sun beams enough to be beneficial. Though, in the end, all that work to salvage fugitive paints is expensive and time consuming compared to just using more lightfast pigments to start. As far as I can tell it's a bit of a scam about UV glass, because there is no regulations or guarantees or even amount they tell you that it will help. I think thick glass with uv coatings, like car or house windows might work, but that would be pretty unreasonable for art lol :)
There are brands of museum anti-uv glass which will provide 100% UV coverage, with some caveats. They are extremely expensive and they have a limited life-span of a couple of years or so. The manufacturers usually work exclusively with museums, making them pretty hard to find, in the first place. People talk about glass and UV glass but in reality this is not a truly viable option for people whose artwork is not displayed in the MoMA or the Tate.
Sorry to be offtopic but does someone know of a way to log back into an Instagram account..? I was dumb forgot my account password. I would love any tricks you can give me
@Mayson Davis thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site thru google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff atm. I see it takes a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
I honestly can't believe that there is even a debate about lightfastness. Professional or not, finding out that something you worked on might fade away is a sad prospect. I'm glad to know about Moonglow now. As always, excellent work. Thank you for sharing this!
Moonglow was one of the very first colors I discovered lightfast problems with, which was such a bummer after falling in love with it's unique color separation. When I first started painting I hadn't realized how easy it was to mix my own lightfast version, and this color sat unused in my palette for over a year. Now I hope to help people avoid this issue, because as you said - it's a sad prospect and no one wants to see their hard work fade!
Agree, even if your work is mostly prints and digital, the rustic charm of having the original be as it was intended, might even be hanged somewhere, nothing can replace that. I couldn't imagine hanging a PRINT for cottagecore aesthetics, the texture, the life, the uniqueness is lost. Not to mention how handy it would be if you lost your digital version somehow to just be able to rescan it at any time, not "oops it was invisible ink" or suddenly greyscale now? If recreating exactly is impossible due to discontinued pigments? Ability to work in unconventional sizes, shapes, mixed medias. You can't print a holographic shimmer put on butterfly's wings for example. I never understood the fugitive pigments. Why are they made, who uses them?
@@InternetNonsense I've seen artists that don't like to think about lightfastness and even those that delete comments on youtube if you give a heads up on any colour they use. It is especially consearning when they sell the art. It is not cheap to buy originals, they better be lightfast. Sadly some companies like to avoid explicitly and honestly labeling their paints profiting on such people.
@@carlaeskelsen yep, I have seen that happen fairly recently. Someone asked about fugitiveness of moonglow on another channel, and that chanel's owner artist said those were "fake rumors". I was told, that my reply simply listing lightfast issues of some colours was deemed rude and is now invisible. Not all artists are smart or honest/diligent about quality and longevity of their work.
I knew about the Moonglow wc not being lightfast at all, and while I don't pay a lot of attention to LF it still annoys me a lot when the companies are that sloppy with their info. These mixes are lovely - what a useful video. I am a bit of a sucker for granulationg, separating mixes atm, so this was all very yummy!
I had completed several paintings in Moonglow before I learned that it was fugitive. But, thanks to you, I was just able to mix my own using the Quin. Coral. Thanks so much!!!
Wow, this fades fast! I bought some Moonglow just 3 days ago and left a little in a palette near a sunny south facing window and I can already see the loss of red tones!
Oh man, I'm so bummed to learn this about Moonglow, as it's always a color I've admired and considered purchasing. Thank you for the great list of alternatives! Another really helpful video, as usual. Also, your painting was beautiful.
I’m a long way away from making paintings to put on walls or such so I’ll gladly use my Moonglow half pan until it’s gone. But for after that (or when I do want something to have the possibility to be “in the open” I’m so glad to know about the fugitive aspect of it. Looking forward to making my own after my current half pan is empty, thanks for this!
Very informative! The little swatches of the mixes for the dupe of moonglow look like tiny little windows to galaxies and I love how the colour separates in the palette so it becomes a much more versatile paint to use on the bird. It's gorgeous. ❤❤❤
Wow! Thanks, the best thing about mixing your own is you can control the color tones somewhat by varying the mix, I do it on the fly. LOL I guess most folks do. Anyhow it's fun!
I want to suggest an alternative if you use any fugitives is to digitize your work as soon as it is completely dry. The original may fade but not the digitized scan. You can still make prints (archival if desired) with the original colors.
Thank you for keeping everyone informed. I've been trying to make my own reasonable facsimiles of DS mixes I was interested in since I swore off buying paint for a while. Really satisfying and a good skill builder.
This was very interesting. Like you said consumers should know exactly what they are getting. We shouldn’t have to second guess a rating, and end up doing our own testing. Love your mixes. I plan on giving them a try😍
Thanks so much for this! I have become concerned after reading a couple of blog posts over at Cheap Joe's regarding Daniel Smith watercolors. The company isn't particularly concerned, apparently, with customer's input regarding their own light-fastness experiments, and continually parrots that DS has the best testing equipment, blah, blah, blah. It made a lot of readers hesitant, and many said they were quite ambivalent about DS paints after reading the company's lackluster responses to light-fastness concerns. Thank you so much for your experiments, and for your generosity with the results of what must be very time-consuming experiments!
I just grabbed quin coral to try your mix because I was planning to buy moonglow. I used W/N french ultramarine and viridian. The mix you suggested is stunning, and I appreciate your work on this subject!! THANK YOU
I'm so glad to hear that! I love being able to control how much of each color gets mixed in, so you can decide if you like it with a little extra viridian or ultra as you see fit. Happy painting :D
All the Moonglows you mixed are so close to the DS color! Moonglow is such a pretty color, it immediately went up to my favorite color list along with Payne's Gray (I just really like dark grays with some slight coolness to them).
What a lovely colour, I have not seen it before - it is always worth testing our favourite art supplies in the way that we use them, rather than relying on manufacturers' lab tests. I love the beautiful alternatives you created avoiding the problem pigment, thanks for such great information!
Dang it! That color is one of my favorites, but only now do I discover it fades so dramatically! I'll pay extra attention to where I use it and to digitalize everything that does as soon as it dries! Thank you for bringing this to our attention!
I just started mixing your dupe recipes for this and Misty Morning with my Schminckes. I'd never thought that my Ruby Red shows THAT MUCH through in the mix than the Cobalt Turquoise ^^' So I basically got two colours out of one mixing trial, because my pan filled up faster than I thought and I had to maneuvering some into an additional one: One that looks kinda like your Misty Morning mix here and one that looks like a lavender hued storm cloud 😅
Yeah, it's incredible how much stronger of a mixer those reds are compared to Cobalt Turq/Teals. I bet both of your mixtures are beautiful, I did the same thing and I love them both :D
@@KimberlyCrick I definitely did. They both look glorious 🥰 And it happened with the moonglow dupe, too 😅 So I got one pan that's slightly more reddish and vivid than the other. I love and will use all four of those pans 😊
Pr177 in lighter washes fades no matter the brand, and this includes Daniel Smith too (regrettably they don't mention this either). This is the problem with lightfastness test that use only full strength swatches, most colours will succeed there, the problem becomes very prominent when more water is added.
Yes, it's a shame about PR177 in general being always labeled as LFI. I think in particular the most sad thing about this Moonglow mixture is the PR177 comes pre-diluted, making up such a small % of the mix. Even applied full strength Moonglow will always fade. I really wish watercolor paint manufacturers would pass on more accurate information for our medium, instead of copying results from masstone acrylic and oil paints :(
Absolutely Gorgeous! Thank you so much for this. I'm new to painting, and honestly haven't done a whole lot of it yet, but discovered I LOVE mixing colors. I adore Moonglow, and believe it's one that I will use often, and am so excited at the idea of being able to mix my own variations of it. Thank you so much! 💖
Thank you! This was so incredibly helpful! Moonglow is one of my favorite colors of all time and I also am one of those people that don't really care about fugitive colors for pieces in my sketchbook, studies, mastercopies.....basically anything I do not plan on gifting/selling/displaying. But for the latter pieces this guide of the different mixes was VERY helpful!
I’m looking forward to see what you think of Moonglow. It granulates into the 3 pigments which I didn’t like. I bought it and was so disappointed that it faded quite quickly and rarely use it now
This video keeps saving wallets! I was just about to buy moonglow when I stumbled upon this video and the rest of the Daniel Smith controversies. I did a quick test using these colors and got the same result! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks for all your info on granulating paints and how to mix them. I love Moonglow and usually work in an art journal, so I haven't worried about lightfastness. However, I'm delighted to learn how to mix my own when the tube gets used up.
This is my first time on your site, the Moonglow color has captured my attention. I'm extremely new to watercolor, but can appreciate talent when I see it. Your bird art is fabulous. Subscribing to your channel now, gotta go binge watch. Peace.
This was an incredibly helpful video, so glad I stumbled upon it! Had no idea about Moonglow, I need to pay more attention to the pigments/colors I use. So glad to know there’s a better way to get the same results. Thank you!!
I agree with you, that Moonglow is beautiful and sadly not lightfast, my test have shown it clearly too. When it comes to companies and the lightfastness rating, so they only rate if the pigment will fade, but NOT colour shifts. So some pigments are rated with highest lightfastness, but have a huge shift like PY40 from yellow to beige/warm grey. This can be a huge issue for artists - especially because the change happens within a few weeks as well (at least in my tests). That's why independend lightfastness test are important.
Thanks! I mixed my own because I just got Quinacridone coral! I already had a good ultramarine and viridian. I’m happy with the mix and lightfast is best!
This video is sooooo informative! I feel like I've only just dipped my toe in the ocean of information on pigments and their behaviour ❤️ Emily Olson mentioned your video and I have become a fan right away! And I love your voice❤️
Thank you, I'm so happy to hear that! There is a ton of fun pigment info out there, I love testing unique mixtures and lightfastness. I'll be making more videos like this to help explore color separating and granulating mixtures, those are some of my favorite things about watercolor painting. Happy painting :D
I was just trying out my DS watercolour samples today and seeing people use moonglow was the thing that piqued my interest in granulating watercolours. Thank you so much for this advice, I had no idea it wasn't light-fast. I'll be sure to try your recommendation!
Your art is stunning. Will using DS moonglow work for shadows. I just ordered a tube without knowing the information here. You'd think they'd have reformulated by now.
You are a star. Wonderful detailed info, quality swatches and technique with the paint, beautiful painting demo. For a watercolour pigment collecting hawk your channel is amazingg thank you 🙏
I wish I had seen this earlier. I can't remember If I have Moonglow, but I did buy the comparable P.Gray from Roman Szmal. I guess it will be used only in a sketch book.
I paint for relaxation but do try as a beginner now watch out for fugitive colors! Did a galaxy sky, put it up “no direct sun” and the fugitive “opera pink” was already starting to fade after 2 months 😳! Tyvm!!
Thank you for this video. Very informative and appreciated. I have tried to make my own now and it’s not quite perfect but I’ll keep trying. I love your painting of your bird.
I absolutely love this video I do this all the time on paper when I paint. I have always enjoyed creating my own colors because I feel like convenience colors are great but never quite what I want.
Yes thank you for speaking up about the Lightfastness exaggeration of companies. They make good $ and the hiding of the truth does in my book tarnish their reputation. I mix my own favorites and know that even some primteks are not lightfast. But it doesn’t bother all artists but it does bother me too. Your versions of Moonglow we’re actually even more beautiful especially with quin coral. Quin coral and pyrrol scarlet and DaVinci’s perm alizarin crimson are my favorite reds. I was glad to see you making your very own convenience colors. I do that with many. Happy painting. And I feel that all the information on every pigment should be readily available.
I ordered moonglow three days ago 😭😭 thank you for this invaluable information though, I'll know not to put it in exhibition pieces and paintings for sale.
I ran out of Moonglow a few months ago so I made my own. I used QOR viridian, Sennelier French Ultramarine (it's a 2 pigment color, go figure) and oddly enough I can't remember what red I used. Anyway, I mixed then wet little by little until I got the color I liked and now I have a huge well of it. I like it better too.
I'll have to try Qor's viridian at some point. Good for you for getting creative and mixing your own, I wish I had thought to do this a long time ago! When I noticed Moonglow fading in my test results I left it sitting in my palette untouched for a while, never really thinking to start playing around with mixtures so I could still enjoy the effects.
Kimberly Crick Art I adore Moonglow, it's one of my favorite colors due to the effects. The QOR Viridian really granulates beautifully, you should try it. My homemade mix is more neutral than DS, which makes it even more useful. I can always adjust it later. You're absolutely right about needing more viridian than the other pigments. I used half a small tube to make my mix.
Thanks so much for the video. I just bought a big tube of Moonglow last month. I've had a painting hanging by my window for over a year now with no fading. I did make the colour a bit darker and covered it with Gablin Cold Wax when I finished. It's not covered with glass or anything. Literally hanging on a piece of rope. I haven't seen any colour change as of yet but might be due to it not separating as much. I love the mixes you have shown and will now only use Moonglow in my sketchbook. Really appreciate the time and effort you take to show us how to mix the colours on our own ❤️
I've never tried Gamblin's Cold Wax, I'm curious if it helps protect the color or just make it more waterproof from damages. I'll check it out in the future! Moonglow is definitely more stable in masstone and on dry, where the color stays solid and darker instead of separating out into water. Happy painting :)
@@KimberlyCrick I've covered all my paintings in the cold wax and hung them on the wall right in front of the window. No problems so far. Maybe get a small pot and test it out for now. Looking forward to your next video 🤗
Moonglow is one of my favorite blends, mostly just used for the pleasure of watching it dry & separate. I will be trying your blends, because eventually I will want to send a post card or give a painting with moonglow in it. Thank you for the review.
Super informative... and I had this on my wish-list. Thankfully found your channel before ordering. Phew. Thanks for saving me, and my pocket, Kimberly. Just found you... and, subscribed! x
What a beautiful painting! The gold just made it magical. Thank you for the alternative to Moonglow. I love the color, but don’t appreciate that it is fugitive.
I'm so bummed about this, I love moonglow....Thank you for this video! I don't use many convenience colors, just Payne's Gray, Neutral Tint, or Moonglow to save my Ultramarine from running out as quickly. I love that you showed various ways to make a similar color, will definitely be trying it and saving my moonglow for tonal studies and sketchbook work.✌💙🎨
I was bummed out to find this out as well. I didn't want to believe it at first, so I redid all the tests with new samples just to make sure lol. I was like "nooooooo, but I love this color" :( Though I am thankful it motivated me to play with mixtures. I think I'll use my Moonglow up in sketchbooks too!
I have moon glow and many other Daniel Smith paints. I love them! I think I will definitely be swatching them all and do my own lightfast tests. If I find for certain a list of fugitive colors I will use them in my sketchbooks.
Like how you have checked lightfastness and experimented with multiple colors. I used to do that with natural dyes I collected and used on wool and cotton. Very inspiring, want to go draw now. Thought was a Night heron you drew but dont recall the dark under chin area. Saw 1 many yrs ago bicycling home from work. It was in a drainage ditch eating little fish,(before it was turned into a concrete channel and covered over as a road. All those poor little Pacific tree frogs. Thank you for your info and vid !!
Thank you, this is a different type of night heron called the "yellow-crowned night heron" it's a little different than other night herons and has a longer thin neck.
I prefer M Graham paints but was eyeing the DS moonglow for a while. Thanks to your video, I ditched that idea. Today I finally got to mixing it with M Graham’s PG18+PB29+PR209. It took a bit of tinkering and fine tuning the proportions, but it came out gorgeous. I pre-mixed a whole full pan. Thanks!!!!!
MGraham makes my favorite PG18, that viridian is perfect for the lightfast moonglow replacement. I'm glad to hear that I helped you decide to mix your own! Happy painting :)
No problem, I'm working on a list of all the most common fugitive pigments. In case you have other ones that might fade, you can see my progress at www.kimcrick.com/pages/fugitive-pigments-list-lightfast-test-problems-art-supplies Happy painting :)
@@KimberlyCrick Thanks, I checked out your site, and I love that you made a list of problem pigments. Very easy to reference that way. By coincidence, I just emailed Schmincke and they told me they conduct their own lightfastness tests on their roof, and their ratings are based on that. (I wrote to ask if they really still used PY 153 in their Sap Green... and they do! Weird that they don't make a Limited Edition single pigment with their remaining stock!)
@@jennw6809 I have only been able to find a pure single pigment PY153 still in production by Sennelier. It's lovely, a good mid primary mixing yellow. It's not clear if they have a massive stockpile of the very old pigment, or if they have their own personal source of manufacturing it for themselves, as they haven't needed to stop selling it despite common manufacture of PY153 ending about 9 years ago. Schmincke has questionable lightfast testing practices in comparison to companies that adhere to ASTM LF or a blue wool scale system. Luckily they choose mostly reliable pigments of little concern, so their methods of testing are not as important. Normally the UV intensity is a set amount (easier to do as a timed duration in reliably sunny locations closer to the equator in set seasons, which is why there are testing sites here in FLorida and Arizona to establish an ASTM LF rating). Many brands in other parts of the world send their paints to a lab for an arc uv machine test, or using a blue wool scale (where the result is based on how much measured sun exposure has happened, or until the blue wool strip reaches a set level of fading). Schmincke's roof in Germany (Northern climate mild UV) and a custom star rating system seems less comparable to these standards. It's unlikely their test duration is long enough for certain colors. I mention this because PO64 Saturn Red is a very modern pigment, having only been tested in plastic and printer ink applications prior to 2017. Schmincke was one of the very first paint companies to buy the pigment to make into a paint, and sadly it's one of their only fugitive colors. I wonder if they tested it diluted in enough sun, because its harsh fading in tints rivals the fading of Alizarin Crimson, despite them rating it 4/5 stars (odd since the diluted fading is on par with ASTM LFIV). I was happy to hear that Roman Szmal recently decided to send all their colors to a lab for more standard testing. They had been just passing along the pigment manufacturer ratings to artists for the past year, until they noticed colors unexpectedly faded. Golden, the makers of QOR have some really awesome LF articles if this kind of thing interests you, they are super responsible with this type of thing :) I love this article - justpaint.org/lightfastness-testing-at-golden-artist-colors/
@@KimberlyCrick Wow. You make a good point, Schmincke showed a few pictures of their testing and I didn't see diluted swatches. They do correlate their results to the Blue Wool scale but yes, if they don't test dilutions the results mean little. I will check out that article!
I only have Winsor & Newton French ultramarine, so I added a dab of DS Primatek Sodalite into the mix and it turned out wonderful. I just hope the Sodalite doesn't fade down the road. 😢
I remember reading about moonglow being not lightfast in comments of one of your videos way back then, so I bought the moonglow with that in mind, but still enjoyed the instant effect it produces. Your alternatives seem so good!
I'm so glad that you were prepared for the news about the lightfast results, for some people it will come as a bad surprise. I really enjoyed mixing the alternatives. I'm going to try Shadow Violet, Imperial Purple and Cascade Green custom mixtures next :)
@@KimberlyCrick yes and thank you for that initial information! Moonglow is definitely one of the top popular colors of DS and many people might purchase it without being aware of its lightfast issues. I did my own test in indirect window light, even though the red disappeared, the bluish undertone still remains. I was worrying about the colors would fade all completely lol! glad it's not as fugitive as opera pink
I just stumbled upon your channel and subscribed. Thanks so much for this video. I'm so upset about Moonglow....😭. You've given us some wonderful alternatives here. Your painting is just beautiful. I look forward to more of your videos. 🤗
Really though I thoroughly enjoyed your video as I recently got a pack of Dan Smith's color and have been trying to figure out where exactly to use Moonglow and now before using it and wasting my time I can make my own that is lightfast and leaning to whichever color I prefer
thank you so very much for all your research you do into this and sharing it with us. It saves us so much time. Your generosity is very much appreciated x
FORGOT TO MENTION THAT UV SPRAYS/GLASS FRAMES DO NOT HELP. Sadly I have not found any affordable brand of UV frame or spray that makes much difference. It might help with brief exposure, like a short term gallery display for a couple weeks (not effective for long term). There may be an expensive framing brand out there with specialty fine art use in mind. Even Krylon, a reputable spray paint company, who makes UV sealer (clear acrylic) only changed the color results slightly (and in some cases made the colors change unexpectedly after coating). In my tests with opera pink the paint still faded, but to an oddly orangish hue instead of plain diluted looking fading. The only thing I've seen work for protecting fugitive dye inks, such as alcohol inks, is a thick layer of resin like "Art Resin" brand on Amazon. For wall art it does distort the sun beams enough to be beneficial. Though, in the end, all that work to salvage fugitive paints is expensive and time consuming compared to just using more lightfast pigments to start. As far as I can tell it's a bit of a scam about UV glass, because there is no regulations or guarantees or even amount they tell you that it will help. I think thick glass with uv coatings, like car or house windows might work, but that would be pretty unreasonable for art lol :)
There are brands of museum anti-uv glass which will provide 100% UV coverage, with some caveats. They are extremely expensive and they have a limited life-span of a couple of years or so. The manufacturers usually work exclusively with museums, making them pretty hard to find, in the first place. People talk about glass and UV glass but in reality this is not a truly viable option for people whose artwork is not displayed in the MoMA or the Tate.
Sorry to be offtopic but does someone know of a way to log back into an Instagram account..?
I was dumb forgot my account password. I would love any tricks you can give me
@Mayson Davis thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site thru google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff atm.
I see it takes a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Mayson Davis it worked and I finally got access to my account again. Im so happy:D
Thanks so much, you really help me out :D
@Harlan Maverick no problem :)
I honestly can't believe that there is even a debate about lightfastness. Professional or not, finding out that something you worked on might fade away is a sad prospect. I'm glad to know about Moonglow now. As always, excellent work. Thank you for sharing this!
Moonglow was one of the very first colors I discovered lightfast problems with, which was such a bummer after falling in love with it's unique color separation. When I first started painting I hadn't realized how easy it was to mix my own lightfast version, and this color sat unused in my palette for over a year. Now I hope to help people avoid this issue, because as you said - it's a sad prospect and no one wants to see their hard work fade!
Agree, even if your work is mostly prints and digital, the rustic charm of having the original be as it was intended, might even be hanged somewhere, nothing can replace that. I couldn't imagine hanging a PRINT for cottagecore aesthetics, the texture, the life, the uniqueness is lost. Not to mention how handy it would be if you lost your digital version somehow to just be able to rescan it at any time, not "oops it was invisible ink" or suddenly greyscale now? If recreating exactly is impossible due to discontinued pigments? Ability to work in unconventional sizes, shapes, mixed medias. You can't print a holographic shimmer put on butterfly's wings for example. I never understood the fugitive pigments. Why are they made, who uses them?
@@InternetNonsense I've seen artists that don't like to think about lightfastness and even those that delete comments on youtube if you give a heads up on any colour they use. It is especially consearning when they sell the art. It is not cheap to buy originals, they better be lightfast. Sadly some companies like to avoid explicitly and honestly labeling their paints profiting on such people.
@@kaas2597 There are artists who delete comments with heads-up on fugitive colors????
@@carlaeskelsen yep, I have seen that happen fairly recently. Someone asked about fugitiveness of moonglow on another channel, and that chanel's owner artist said those were "fake rumors". I was told, that my reply simply listing lightfast issues of some colours was deemed rude and is now invisible. Not all artists are smart or honest/diligent about quality and longevity of their work.
I knew about the Moonglow wc not being lightfast at all, and while I don't pay a lot of attention to LF it still annoys me a lot when the companies are that sloppy with their info. These mixes are lovely - what a useful video.
I am a bit of a sucker for granulationg, separating mixes atm, so this was all very yummy!
As well as being a superb artist, you are providing an amazing public service, Kimberly - thank you! 💜
I tried your recipe for moonglow using Daniel smith French ult blue, viridian and Quin Coral, and the results are stunning! Thank you.
I had completed several paintings in Moonglow before I learned that it was fugitive. But, thanks to you, I was just able to mix my own using the Quin. Coral. Thanks so much!!!
Moonglow is FUGITIVE! It's lovely seeing someone talking about it
Thank you for this
It's always a great to see a new post from you! Loved the bird! Also I agree mixing your own is better and a more versatile option.
Wow, this fades fast! I bought some Moonglow just 3 days ago and left a little in a palette near a sunny south facing window and I can already see the loss of red tones!
Oh man, I'm so bummed to learn this about Moonglow, as it's always a color I've admired and considered purchasing. Thank you for the great list of alternatives! Another really helpful video, as usual. Also, your painting was beautiful.
I’m a long way away from making paintings to put on walls or such so I’ll gladly use my Moonglow half pan until it’s gone. But for after that (or when I do want something to have the possibility to be “in the open” I’m so glad to know about the fugitive aspect of it. Looking forward to making my own after my current half pan is empty, thanks for this!
Very informative! The little swatches of the mixes for the dupe of moonglow look like tiny little windows to galaxies and I love how the colour separates in the palette so it becomes a much more versatile paint to use on the bird. It's gorgeous. ❤❤❤
Wow! Thanks, the best thing about mixing your own is you can control the color tones somewhat by varying the mix, I do it on the fly. LOL I guess most folks do. Anyhow it's fun!
I want to suggest an alternative if you use any fugitives is to digitize your work as soon as it is completely dry. The original may fade but not the digitized scan. You can still make prints (archival if desired) with the original colors.
I love the toned and granulation of moonglow but when I’m done with my tube I’m going to have to give thus much a whirl! Thank you.
Thank you for keeping everyone informed. I've been trying to make my own reasonable facsimiles of DS mixes I was interested in since I swore off buying paint for a while. Really satisfying and a good skill builder.
This was very interesting. Like you said consumers should know exactly what they are getting. We shouldn’t have to second guess a rating, and end up doing our own testing. Love your mixes. I plan on giving them a try😍
Wow! Thanks for sharing this Kimberly. Very valuable information!
Thanks so much for this! I have become concerned after reading a couple of blog posts over at Cheap Joe's regarding Daniel Smith watercolors. The company isn't particularly concerned, apparently, with customer's input regarding their own light-fastness experiments, and continually parrots that DS has the best testing equipment, blah, blah, blah. It made a lot of readers hesitant, and many said they were quite ambivalent about DS paints after reading the company's lackluster responses to light-fastness concerns. Thank you so much for your experiments, and for your generosity with the results of what must be very time-consuming experiments!
Wow thank you for the info. I am just getting to know pigments. I do love that you share your alternatives. Thank you
This piece turned out so beautifully! And so cool to learn we can mix our owns without some kind of fancy additive.
I just grabbed quin coral to try your mix because I was planning to buy moonglow. I used W/N french ultramarine and viridian. The mix you suggested is stunning, and I appreciate your work on this subject!! THANK YOU
I'm so glad to hear that! I love being able to control how much of each color gets mixed in, so you can decide if you like it with a little extra viridian or ultra as you see fit. Happy painting :D
That’s fantastic. I actually can see that your own mixes are even more vibrant than the DS moonglow
you are doing god's work, thank you for sharing your thorough experiments
Are you planning a color mixing recipe book for sale?
All the Moonglows you mixed are so close to the DS color! Moonglow is such a pretty color, it immediately went up to my favorite color list along with Payne's Gray (I just really like dark grays with some slight coolness to them).
What a lovely colour, I have not seen it before - it is always worth testing our favourite art supplies in the way that we use them, rather than relying on manufacturers' lab tests. I love the beautiful alternatives you created avoiding the problem pigment, thanks for such great information!
Dang it! That color is one of my favorites, but only now do I discover it fades so dramatically!
I'll pay extra attention to where I use it and to digitalize everything that does as soon as it dries! Thank you for bringing this to our attention!
The granulation is very cool!
Glad i passed this color up and decided to mix my own. Thank you for other red suggestions
I LOVE your use of the custom Moonglow. Beautiful artwork!
I just started mixing your dupe recipes for this and Misty Morning with my Schminckes. I'd never thought that my Ruby Red shows THAT MUCH through in the mix than the Cobalt Turquoise ^^' So I basically got two colours out of one mixing trial, because my pan filled up faster than I thought and I had to maneuvering some into an additional one: One that looks kinda like your Misty Morning mix here and one that looks like a lavender hued storm cloud 😅
Yeah, it's incredible how much stronger of a mixer those reds are compared to Cobalt Turq/Teals. I bet both of your mixtures are beautiful, I did the same thing and I love them both :D
@@KimberlyCrick I definitely did. They both look glorious 🥰 And it happened with the moonglow dupe, too 😅 So I got one pan that's slightly more reddish and vivid than the other. I love and will use all four of those pans 😊
Of course I just got my DS Moonglow today.... But I appreciate your tests and demonstration! I’ll have to mix up my own as well.
All I can say is wow! I think this is one of your best videos.
Thank you! 🤗
So helpful! Thanks.
Pr177 in lighter washes fades no matter the brand, and this includes Daniel Smith too (regrettably they don't mention this either). This is the problem with lightfastness test that use only full strength swatches, most colours will succeed there, the problem becomes very prominent when more water is added.
Yes, it's a shame about PR177 in general being always labeled as LFI. I think in particular the most sad thing about this Moonglow mixture is the PR177 comes pre-diluted, making up such a small % of the mix. Even applied full strength Moonglow will always fade. I really wish watercolor paint manufacturers would pass on more accurate information for our medium, instead of copying results from masstone acrylic and oil paints :(
You are just so talented and committed! Thank you for... you! xx
Absolutely Gorgeous!
Thank you so much for this. I'm new to painting, and honestly haven't done a whole lot of it yet, but discovered I LOVE mixing colors.
I adore Moonglow, and believe it's one that I will use often, and am so excited at the idea of being able to mix my own variations of it. Thank you so much! 💖
Kimberly, this was super helpful. Thank you!
Thank you! This was so incredibly helpful! Moonglow is one of my favorite colors of all time and I also am one of those people that don't really care about fugitive colors for pieces in my sketchbook, studies, mastercopies.....basically anything I do not plan on gifting/selling/displaying. But for the latter pieces this guide of the different mixes was VERY helpful!
Thanks so much! I was just about to order Moonglow...
I’m looking forward to see what you think of Moonglow. It granulates into the 3 pigments which I didn’t like. I bought it and was so disappointed that it faded quite quickly and rarely use it now
Great video, never thought DS would be inaccurate on their labeling! Thanks so much for your information!
I always learn so much from your videos! This was so well done and informative. Thank you Kimberly!
This video keeps saving wallets! I was just about to buy moonglow when I stumbled upon this video and the rest of the Daniel Smith controversies. I did a quick test using these colors and got the same result! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks for all your info on granulating paints and how to mix them. I love Moonglow and usually work in an art journal, so I haven't worried about lightfastness. However, I'm delighted to learn how to mix my own when the tube gets used up.
You are a treasure with your wealth of information!!!
This is my first time on your site, the Moonglow color has captured my attention. I'm extremely new to watercolor, but can appreciate talent when I see it. Your bird art is fabulous. Subscribing to your channel now, gotta go binge watch. Peace.
This was an incredibly helpful video, so glad I stumbled upon it! Had no idea about Moonglow, I need to pay more attention to the pigments/colors I use. So glad to know there’s a better way to get the same results. Thank you!!
Have you ever tried granulation medium in these mixes, and if so does it affect lightfastness in any way?
I agree with you, that Moonglow is beautiful and sadly not lightfast, my test have shown it clearly too. When it comes to companies and the lightfastness rating, so they only rate if the pigment will fade, but NOT colour shifts. So some pigments are rated with highest lightfastness, but have a huge shift like PY40 from yellow to beige/warm grey. This can be a huge issue for artists - especially because the change happens within a few weeks as well (at least in my tests). That's why independend lightfastness test are important.
Thank you so much for the video! You mentioned that Viridian accounts for 50% of the mix. Are the other two 25% each?
I was wondering this too. I've got these pigments on my christmas wish list, I'd love to know the ratios please
Thanks! I mixed my own because I just got Quinacridone coral! I already had a good ultramarine and viridian. I’m happy with the mix and lightfast is best!
This video is sooooo informative! I feel like I've only just dipped my toe in the ocean of information on pigments and their behaviour ❤️
Emily Olson mentioned your video and I have become a fan right away!
And I love your voice❤️
Thank you, I'm so happy to hear that! There is a ton of fun pigment info out there, I love testing unique mixtures and lightfastness. I'll be making more videos like this to help explore color separating and granulating mixtures, those are some of my favorite things about watercolor painting. Happy painting :D
@@KimberlyCrick thank you ❤️ and I look forward to watching them all 😍
I was just trying out my DS watercolour samples today and seeing people use moonglow was the thing that piqued my interest in granulating watercolours. Thank you so much for this advice, I had no idea it wasn't light-fast. I'll be sure to try your recommendation!
Your art is stunning. Will using DS moonglow work for shadows. I just ordered a tube without knowing the information here. You'd think they'd have reformulated by now.
You are a star. Wonderful detailed info, quality swatches and technique with the paint, beautiful painting demo. For a watercolour pigment collecting hawk your channel is amazingg thank you 🙏
I wish I had seen this earlier. I can't remember If I have Moonglow, but I did buy the comparable P.Gray from Roman Szmal. I guess it will be used only in a sketch book.
I paint for relaxation but do try as a beginner now watch out for fugitive colors! Did a galaxy sky, put it up “no direct sun” and the fugitive “opera pink” was already starting to fade after 2 months 😳! Tyvm!!
Thanks for this excellent analysis and the the beautiful painting.
Thank you for this video. Very informative and appreciated. I have tried to make my own now and it’s not quite perfect but I’ll keep trying. I love your painting of your bird.
Such good information and demonstrated beautifully! Thank you!
Thanks for the information, lovely painting too
What an amazing pigment database on your website! Very useful.
I absolutely love this video I do this all the time on paper when I paint. I have always enjoyed creating my own colors because I feel like convenience colors are great but never quite what I want.
Yes thank you for speaking up about the Lightfastness exaggeration of companies. They make good $ and the hiding of the truth does in my book tarnish their reputation. I mix my own favorites and know that even some primteks are not lightfast. But it doesn’t bother all artists but it does bother me too. Your versions of Moonglow we’re actually even more beautiful especially with quin coral. Quin coral and pyrrol scarlet and DaVinci’s perm alizarin crimson are my favorite reds. I was glad to see you making your very own convenience colors. I do that with many. Happy painting. And I feel that all the information on every pigment should be readily available.
I ordered moonglow three days ago 😭😭 thank you for this invaluable information though, I'll know not to put it in exhibition pieces and paintings for sale.
I ran out of Moonglow a few months ago so I made my own. I used QOR viridian, Sennelier French Ultramarine (it's a 2 pigment color, go figure) and oddly enough I can't remember what red I used. Anyway, I mixed then wet little by little until I got the color I liked and now I have a huge well of it. I like it better too.
I'll have to try Qor's viridian at some point. Good for you for getting creative and mixing your own, I wish I had thought to do this a long time ago! When I noticed Moonglow fading in my test results I left it sitting in my palette untouched for a while, never really thinking to start playing around with mixtures so I could still enjoy the effects.
Kimberly Crick Art
I adore Moonglow, it's one of my favorite colors due to the effects. The QOR Viridian really granulates beautifully, you should try it. My homemade mix is more neutral than DS, which makes it even more useful. I can always adjust it later. You're absolutely right about needing more viridian than the other pigments. I used half a small tube to make my mix.
Thanks so much for the video. I just bought a big tube of Moonglow last month. I've had a painting hanging by my window for over a year now with no fading. I did make the colour a bit darker and covered it with Gablin Cold Wax when I finished. It's not covered with glass or anything. Literally hanging on a piece of rope. I haven't seen any colour change as of yet but might be due to it not separating as much. I love the mixes you have shown and will now only use Moonglow in my sketchbook. Really appreciate the time and effort you take to show us how to mix the colours on our own ❤️
I've never tried Gamblin's Cold Wax, I'm curious if it helps protect the color or just make it more waterproof from damages. I'll check it out in the future! Moonglow is definitely more stable in masstone and on dry, where the color stays solid and darker instead of separating out into water. Happy painting :)
@@KimberlyCrick I've covered all my paintings in the cold wax and hung them on the wall right in front of the window. No problems so far. Maybe get a small pot and test it out for now. Looking forward to your next video 🤗
I have always wanted Moonglow, but it is very expensive and fades. Thankyou so much for sharing your process!
I appreciate the video. I have been waiting to buy the color and now maybe mixing. Thanks
Moonglow is one of my favorite blends, mostly just used for the pleasure of watching it dry & separate. I will be trying your blends, because eventually I will want to send a post card or give a painting with moonglow in it. Thank you for the review.
Thanks so much for this, Moonglow is one if my favorites and I had no idea it wasn't lightfast.
Super informative... and I had this on my wish-list. Thankfully found your channel before ordering. Phew. Thanks for saving me, and my pocket, Kimberly. Just found you... and, subscribed! x
Have you made a review on Rockwell Canada's colours ?
I loved the first Quin coral mix most!! 🤩❤️
What a beautiful painting! The gold just made it magical. Thank you for the alternative to Moonglow. I love the color, but don’t appreciate that it is fugitive.
I'm so bummed about this, I love moonglow....Thank you for this video! I don't use many convenience colors, just Payne's Gray, Neutral Tint, or Moonglow to save my Ultramarine from running out as quickly. I love that you showed various ways to make a similar color, will definitely be trying it and saving my moonglow for tonal studies and sketchbook work.✌💙🎨
I was bummed out to find this out as well. I didn't want to believe it at first, so I redid all the tests with new samples just to make sure lol. I was like "nooooooo, but I love this color" :( Though I am thankful it motivated me to play with mixtures. I think I'll use my Moonglow up in sketchbooks too!
That is absolutely beautiful 😍
I have moon glow and many other Daniel Smith paints. I love them! I think I will definitely be swatching them all and do my own lightfast tests. If I find for certain a list of fugitive colors I will use them in my sketchbooks.
Brilliant work! Thank you for making this video.
Thanks for the great mixing tips. :) Magnificent Heron.
Good to know! Surprised but so happy you advised me of the truth. Cheers
Thank you for the video. The mixes are all so beautiful. Thank you showing us alternatives for mixing our own moonglow
Very informative and great bird. Thank you!
Like how you have checked lightfastness and experimented with multiple colors. I used to do that with natural dyes I collected and used on wool and cotton. Very inspiring, want to go draw now. Thought was a Night heron you drew but dont recall the dark under chin area. Saw 1 many yrs ago bicycling home from work. It was in a drainage ditch eating little fish,(before it was turned into a concrete channel and covered over as a road. All those poor little Pacific tree frogs. Thank you for your info and vid !!
Thank you, this is a different type of night heron called the "yellow-crowned night heron" it's a little different than other night herons and has a longer thin neck.
Great video and LOVE the bird!
I prefer M Graham paints but was eyeing the DS moonglow for a while. Thanks to your video, I ditched that idea. Today I finally got to mixing it with M Graham’s PG18+PB29+PR209. It took a bit of tinkering and fine tuning the proportions, but it came out gorgeous. I pre-mixed a whole full pan. Thanks!!!!!
MGraham makes my favorite PG18, that viridian is perfect for the lightfast moonglow replacement. I'm glad to hear that I helped you decide to mix your own! Happy painting :)
Wow, thank you, I had just checked the DS rating when buying PR 177 and had forgotten to check Handprint. Glad you pointed this out!!
No problem, I'm working on a list of all the most common fugitive pigments. In case you have other ones that might fade, you can see my progress at www.kimcrick.com/pages/fugitive-pigments-list-lightfast-test-problems-art-supplies Happy painting :)
@@KimberlyCrick Thanks, I checked out your site, and I love that you made a list of problem pigments. Very easy to reference that way. By coincidence, I just emailed Schmincke and they told me they conduct their own lightfastness tests on their roof, and their ratings are based on that. (I wrote to ask if they really still used PY 153 in their Sap Green... and they do! Weird that they don't make a Limited Edition single pigment with their remaining stock!)
@@jennw6809 I have only been able to find a pure single pigment PY153 still in production by Sennelier. It's lovely, a good mid primary mixing yellow. It's not clear if they have a massive stockpile of the very old pigment, or if they have their own personal source of manufacturing it for themselves, as they haven't needed to stop selling it despite common manufacture of PY153 ending about 9 years ago. Schmincke has questionable lightfast testing practices in comparison to companies that adhere to ASTM LF or a blue wool scale system. Luckily they choose mostly reliable pigments of little concern, so their methods of testing are not as important.
Normally the UV intensity is a set amount (easier to do as a timed duration in reliably sunny locations closer to the equator in set seasons, which is why there are testing sites here in FLorida and Arizona to establish an ASTM LF rating). Many brands in other parts of the world send their paints to a lab for an arc uv machine test, or using a blue wool scale (where the result is based on how much measured sun exposure has happened, or until the blue wool strip reaches a set level of fading). Schmincke's roof in Germany (Northern climate mild UV) and a custom star rating system seems less comparable to these standards. It's unlikely their test duration is long enough for certain colors. I mention this because PO64 Saturn Red is a very modern pigment, having only been tested in plastic and printer ink applications prior to 2017. Schmincke was one of the very first paint companies to buy the pigment to make into a paint, and sadly it's one of their only fugitive colors. I wonder if they tested it diluted in enough sun, because its harsh fading in tints rivals the fading of Alizarin Crimson, despite them rating it 4/5 stars (odd since the diluted fading is on par with ASTM LFIV). I was happy to hear that Roman Szmal recently decided to send all their colors to a lab for more standard testing. They had been just passing along the pigment manufacturer ratings to artists for the past year, until they noticed colors unexpectedly faded. Golden, the makers of QOR have some really awesome LF articles if this kind of thing interests you, they are super responsible with this type of thing :) I love this article - justpaint.org/lightfastness-testing-at-golden-artist-colors/
@@KimberlyCrick Wow. You make a good point, Schmincke showed a few pictures of their testing and I didn't see diluted swatches. They do correlate their results to the Blue Wool scale but yes, if they don't test dilutions the results mean little. I will check out that article!
Your suggestions are very helpful thank you.
I only have Winsor & Newton French ultramarine, so I added a dab of DS Primatek Sodalite into the mix and it turned out wonderful. I just hope the Sodalite doesn't fade down the road. 😢
I remember reading about moonglow being not lightfast in comments of one of your videos way back then, so I bought the moonglow with that in mind, but still enjoyed the instant effect it produces. Your alternatives seem so good!
I'm so glad that you were prepared for the news about the lightfast results, for some people it will come as a bad surprise. I really enjoyed mixing the alternatives. I'm going to try Shadow Violet, Imperial Purple and Cascade Green custom mixtures next :)
@@KimberlyCrick yes and thank you for that initial information! Moonglow is definitely one of the top popular colors of DS and many people might purchase it without being aware of its lightfast issues. I did my own test in indirect window light, even though the red disappeared, the bluish undertone still remains. I was worrying about the colors would fade all completely lol! glad it's not as fugitive as opera pink
Thank you for your hard work. I never thought of this.
Oh drat I just ordered it before seeing this : ( Thanks for uploading this and for providing fantastic alternatives.
On the bright side Moonglow is still a beautiful paint that will be lovely to experiment with, go wild with your ideas and sketchbook practice :D
I just stumbled upon your channel and subscribed. Thanks so much for this video. I'm so upset about Moonglow....😭. You've given us some wonderful alternatives here. Your painting is just beautiful. I look forward to more of your videos. 🤗
Simply stunning!
Really though I thoroughly enjoyed your video as I recently got a pack of Dan Smith's color and have been trying to figure out where exactly to use Moonglow and now before using it and wasting my time I can make my own that is lightfast and leaning to whichever color I prefer
thank you so very much for all your research you do into this and sharing it with us. It saves us so much time. Your generosity is very much appreciated x
I love this painting!
This is quite interesting and informative. Thank you. I happen to have a large tube of moonglow to use up. Guess it will be more sketchbook style.
Wow thanks for this, what an amazing and thorough video with the most calming voice I've ever heard!