I used to think of Winsor and Newton as boring. But then I realized that maybe that isn’t such a bad thing. They have a good range, it’s everything you need. And they’re reliable. They will ALWAYS mix and go down on paper like you want them to. They will do their job and they’ll be great at it. They won’t be extra special. They’re decently priced- not cheap but not out of reach. The pan of Antwerp Blue that I got 2 years ago will be the exact same as the tube of Antwerp Blue I bought last week. I don’t have to do anything special to them to make them work. There’s no guessing games about what it will look like on paper. They’re clear vibrant and only travel so much. I LOVE Daniel Smith for their expressiveness, massive range, different characteristics, the way they travel in water and on paper will always create something new. Sennelier has outstanding clarity and I can layer them 100 times without overworking a piece. Schmincke is my special one that I only use when I feel fancy and get a bonus at work or a good commission. Holbein for when I want something opaque and punchy with a lot of character in 1 pass. Paul Rubens for sketchbook, travel, plein air and studies. They all have their strengths and uses. I have a beautiful collection that I am so grateful for. My old reliable Winsor and Newton is the foundation of that. It’s what I started with when I got serious- then and White Nights. So I will always think of then fondly. I love their Rose Madder Genuine, Potters Pink, Caput Morton Violet, Perylene Maroon, Antwerp Blue, Brown Madder, Bismuth Yellow, Aqua Green, Turners Yellow, Dioxazine Violet and Cobalt Violet. They’re just staples in my art. They’re always there when I need them. They have convenience colors that I don’t have to mix myself and will stay clear, consistent and true every time. I feel bad that I ever thought of them as basic in a negative way and boring. They’re reliable and they’re beautiful.
You can't go wrong with Winsor & Newton. Even using the primary colors of Winsor Yellow, Winsor Red, and Winsor Blue will provide the most beautiful mixes. Thank you so much for this video. You are a delightful presenter. I think you sold me on Rose Dore and Venetian Red. I will have to get those this week.
@@Pointebrush I forgot to mention that the Blue red shade was the perfect colour for your windmill, reminding me of the Netherlands and of Delft blue porcelain. 🇳🇱💙💙💙
I've never liked using orange (or red!) paint until I've got my hands on W&N transparent orange. It's so juicy and smooth and truly transparent that it can pass off as engine red but has this translucency that will allow you to make amazing mixes with any other transparent color. My other favourites are Parelyne Maroon (love it the most over other brands), aqua green, quin violet, cobalt turquoise light, payne's gray and phtalo turqouise. Also WInsor Yellow is a good all round use yellow! I mean i really really really like this brand i guess! For people that do not own the chart though, i would NOT recommend terre verte and cobalt violet - those are very hard to rewet and look like there's very little pigment, but its actually rather the pigments property in those two cases.
My respect for W&N comes from their uniformly smooth, transparent colors. I have yet to see another brand that goes down on paper so effortlessly. Theirs is the benchmark I compare all others to. Having said that, there are many other brands with unique and outstanding paints as well. I would have to say the Rose Dore and Potter's Pink really stand out to me as special W&N paints. Loved your top 10 colors. TFS 😊
Ok Tracy gotta ask: do you work from blocks (as opposed to tube paint)? I use Daniel Smith or M Graham both if which rewet super easily. Any comparison of WN to those two? WN apparently uses different formula fir tube paints vs blocks and unless you add drop/two glycerine to WN tube paint (or live humid area) doesn’t rewet easily.
@Scottlp2 I have never bought their pans/blocks. I pour my tube paint into my own pans, though. There are 2 pigments that are extremely dry from the get-go.Raw Sienna and Prussian Blue. Both could use a drop or 2 of glycerin and / or honey because they always crumble or turn very dry. Some pigments, by their nature, rewet very easily, while others need that minute or two of sitting with water to activate them. I used a sprayer in the past to wet my paints just before using, getting every pan wet. Now I prefer a water dropper for just the few pans that I need activated. I hope that helps. 😊
@Scottlp2 M graham uses honey, so they seem to never dry in a pan and remain tacky for years. That is wonderful for a home studio, but not when you are on the go. MG paints will spill in your traveling palette. 😢 Some people will LOVE honey based paints that activate quickly (White Nights, M Graham, Sennelier, a few ROMAN Szmal) while other people don't care for that quality one bit. It's all about personal preference.
Hi Tracy. Jim from Madrid (Spain). I want to THANK you for the info you've shared on this post. Here in Spain (EU) W&N is one of the most "affordable" professional watercolor brands in comparison with others (about same price as Mijello's Mission Gold or Sommelier, for example, and a lot cheaper than Daniel Smith or Schmincke Horadam, just to name a few - note for all of you back in the US: M. Graham is extremely scarce and very expensive too). I like W&N but I am also in the process of learning and experimenting with other brands (professional grade). Your info on W&N was very helpful, at least to me, so thank you very much! Cheers from a New Yorker living in Madrid, Spain!
Wow your top 10 choices are some very unknown colors to me as a beginner-intermediate artist. I do love you reasons for choosing these. Thanks for sharing this wonderful information with us. Yes please do more Top 10 colors for more brands.
I love W&N's Quin Magenta and Sap Green, but I also can't do without Cobalt Turquoise Light, Opera Rose, Olive Green, Permanent Rose, and Scarlet Lake. In my opinion, no other paint brand does these colors as beautifully. I recently picked up 2 new tubes of Brown Madder as well, since PR206 will soon be gone.
Thank you for a comprehensive 'walk-through' of your colour choices. Not only giving us your top ten, but the 'why' and the demonstration of your use of the colours. It must have taken quite some time to put this together and to edit it so seamlessly, and I truly appreciate good workmanship in whatever form it takes. As for the colours: I have five of the ten - only two in my limited colour everyday palette, which I've used pretty much since I began painting many years ago (Cerulean blue and Indigo). The other three (Sap green, Winsor violet and Winsor blue) being in what I describe as my 'play' palette, made up of free samples I've gathered along the way over the years, but that box gets used for all sorts of fun experiments, and is how indigo found its way into the everyday palette. I have a Cadmium orange (PR108 + PY35) in the 'play' box, and it's very similar to the Indian yellow (PO62+PY139), so I have been looking at the transparent orange as a possible single pigment, transparent and warmer replacement, so seeing your comments on it has been helpful. Intriguing that so far, W&N haven't given it a pigment code, simply the DPP. I'm primarily a plein air landscape painter who also loves the joy of mixing her own colours, including the infinity of greens (!) and it helps to keep the weight and volume of my kit at a carry-able level!
Thank you for your thoughtful message! Plein air painting and painting on the go definitely has its own set of challenges so I understand why you like to keep your kit small and nimble! I’m glad you enjoyed the video! 😜
I loved this video! I hope this turns into a series. I love WN transparent orange, but was impressed with the orange hue you showcased. I like aqua green and smalt blue as well. That WN yellow deep is luscious and a must buy for me. I love all the colors you mentioned and have not found an Indigo I like better than WN. Thanks!
Thank you for this Margot love this idea of yours. To make it a series because it's a great help to know what you put them in your top 10 and to see why, and watch you put them at work and explain why you love them so much and also I love it that you say what you can use these for and show us how you use them. I am really impressed with that, and that you mentioned the granulation or lack of it according to which paint to others. It's a great help for a beginner that wants to shop for paints but is confused and not sure where to go. This is a great roadmap for new shoppers and even experienced ones to be able to go confidently into an art shop and know what they need and not come home disgusted with poor quality paints. There is nothing more disheartening and disappointing to go out on a good days shopping and come home with a heap of rubbish when you know you could have done better. It's a long way for me to get to decent art stores here and I can't afford to make mistakes. I'm sure the same for many more people. I have to say though I went and treated myself to a set of Winsor & Newton tubes before Christmas and I love them. The quality is beautiful. Even though its cotman I bought. But still they are great quality and I bought single tubes that were not in the set.. I fell in love with Permanent Rose and got a few large tubes of that because I love the shade of pink and it's not available in the shops nearer to me so I went and bought a few large tubes of it. it is the most beautiful colour dark or light. And is so versatile painting roses and other flowers And Rose Madder. Gorgeous. I have to say the quality even for Cotman is really very impressive. So I can only imagine what the professional is like. I'm dying to try them. I heard Winsor & Newton were well worth the money and are great quality and I'm not disappointed thank God. I came home that day with my haul and am a very happy bunny. But its through artists like you on UA-cam I learned that. So I came home very pleased with myself. Even though I saw your video after that said that we should go straight to the professional brand first of the Winsor & Newton and not work our way up to it. Hopefully I will get to try them. But for now I have the Cotman I am happy with them and I'll use them up rather than waste them. At least I know I am happy with the quality and the colours are gorgeous and I'm having fun. So I know now that when I need to go shopping I know the quality of Winsor and Newton and make a beeline for the professional and know I wont be making any mistakes. Thank you though for the advice. I can pick up one or two of the professional paints while still having fun with the cotman whenever I'm shopping again. I love the paintings you had there of the ballerinas in various colours that you tried these colours on. And various other paintings that you used to show for examples on why you used these colours and why you love them so much. I'd love to see more top 10s maybe even top 20s of them and maybe top 10s or even 20s of various brands thrown in that you love and why. But this was certainly very helpful. Maybe top 20s would be too time consuming for now that you are caring for your young baby girl and maybe too time consuming anyway. Maybe top 10s are better. Fair play to you. ALL your videos are very helpful and tutorials are beautiful to watch. You know how much I love your ballerinas. You should make a book of them. I'd certainly buy it. The weather outside here in Ireland is freezing and has been snowing all week, so I'm going to pull out my paints and have some fun while my little dog is snoring her little head off 🐶🤣🤣🤣 Much love and God bless you and your family Susan xxx👍🤗🤗🥰🙏🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏❤❤❤❤🎨
Thank you for your thoughtful message Susan! Cotman is definitely the best academic watercolor in my opinion but I think you’ll be even more wowed by the professional series 😝 Thank you as always for your kind words and support! I truly appreciate it!
@@Pointebrush Thanks very much Margot for replying to my comment. If I had seen your video before I went shopping I think it would have been the professional I would have gone for. I'm trying to save up now for another haul my birthday is coming up soon so I hope to go stone mad in those art stores here!! 🤣🤣🤣 We'll see what happens. I'll definitely be looking out for the Winsor & Newton professional range and stock up on other bits and pieces. Hope I'm not housebound with snow that time which has often happened in the past but it's something I got used to and I have my dog to celebrate with me. I'll get over it and make up for the art shopping some day after. I intend to go nuts. I love being left loose in art stores on my own and have my own time to enjoy myself. And come home with a load of stuff. I'd be on a high for weeks and months after it. And then to start experimenting with all of it. And then play with my dog have a nice dinner and give her some loving. And relax with my dog next to.me. She's my angel and this is my idea of Heaven. Who needs drugs and alcohol give me a day like this. That's my idea of a great time. 🤣🤣🤣. Spend the rest of the weeks and months painting. Thank you for your videos Margot. I love them and as for the support it's always nice to support someone. And to want to do it. Love and kindness never cost anyone anything and we all need kindness and support and encouragement for what we do, it keeps us all going. And encourages people to keep doing the work and know they are doing something worthwhile and making sc someone out there very happy which you are. You give me so much by your videos and your ideas and you need to know how we feel about it to know whether you're on the right track. And believe me. You are very much on the right track. Thank you for all you do. By the way. The Mannequin video you had. I out in a comment about calling mine Paddy if I got a mannequin and said I'd see if he can hold a pint. of Guinness. Please dont worry. I meant no offence to anyone called Paddy out there. Or any Irish man. I know how the Irish are. I love them to bits. And my late parents were Irish. Believe me Margot they have a great sense of humour. They can take a bit of good hearted banter and you can be very sure they can give it back just as good if not better! 🤣🤣🤣 The British and Irish have the same sense of humour and have always had great banter and fun between them. I have never had any bad comments from them. I have had so much fun with them here since I moved here. But also in London while I was living there. We all got on so well. Therexwas a large Irish community there. They are funny and very witty. I would never hurt anyone of them. I know what they're like. It's why I love them so much. I got my mannequin. My Paddy by the way but he's very small. So I have to break him in slowly. And I'd say I'll have to hold that pint for him for a while.! He might stretch a bit over time!!🤣🤣🕊 but he'll be fine. I'll take him out dancing now one of these days and see what he's made of. 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Margot keep up the good work. Big hugs and love to you and your family. God bless you all. Susan xxx ❤❤❤❤❤🥰🥰🤗🤗😘👍🌹🌹🌹💝💝💝🎨🍺🐶
I really enjoyed hearing about your top 10 Winsor Newton picks because you provided great info and solid reasons for your choices. I would certainly enjoying hearing your top 10 Daniel Smith picks...or any other brand you've used.
Rose Doré is a favorite of mine! I also love W&N Permanent Mauve. It's very granulating, and creates the most beautiful mixes with lots of other colors -- fans of Schmincke's super granulating colors would probably have a lot of fun mixing with Mauve!
I actually have the mauve on my studio palette so I know exactly what you mean! It’s gorgeous when mixed with a granulating black like Mars Black too for some extra extra granulation 😜
Oh my god.. I need just a colour to Complete my palette (because I've got only one more space for a single godet) and now I watched this video I don't know what to choose.. 😂😂😂 it's impossible!!! Thank you, I appreciate so much that you share Your knowledge with us 🙏🙏 Ciao Sara from Italy
Putting non granulating cerulean blue on my wish list 👏🏽 I never tried their professional watercolors yet, but I'm really into their Cotman Permeant Rose 🌺
Winsor and Newton’s Cotman grade is the best academic watercolor in my opinion so until you do try out the professional, I’d say you’re in good hands 😉
I love the idea. Great choices. W&N is a very trusty brand. I love seeing your work. It’s so beautiful, classy ,and original, just like you! Thank you for sharing your wonderful talent. 😊
Thank you so much for a very well done tutorial of your top 10 WN paints. I'm sure alot of work went into the making of this video and I thank you very much for your suggestions.
I have most of those colors. I want to try "rose dore" and "winsor orange red hue." I love brown madder and perylene green. Looking forward to more paint color reviews.🎨
I recently bought Winsor Orange Red Shade and it's extremely vibrant. Like a true fiery red-orange. It is a little bit semi-opaque. But I do like it. A great substitute for cadmium orange
Permanent rose is my all time favorite pink. So glorious!! Favorite paints might be Davinci. Hard to choose with all the superstars but they have spectacular pigment richness and creaminess and colors are slightly more wow 🤩
My fave WN colours are Smalt (Dumont’s Blue) a beautiful blue violet granulating paint, Cobalt Green Deep - stunning, Caput Mortuum Violet, Potters Pink, Quin Gold, (the best hue out there IMO), Cobalt Blue Deep, so pretty and granulating, Perylene Maroon, again the best brand for the true blood red colour, Aqua Green - a beautiful teal, I could go on!
Hi Margot, I totally agree with what you said about cerulean and granulation; since it’s first use would be for skies, the smooth uniformity of W&N cerulean is best IMO. Great brand; it’s in,y top 3 favorites.
Yes please…. Great idea to do top 10 of different brands. One of my essential Winsor and Newton colours is Cobalt Turquoise Light….just a dash here and there makes a painting sing
I love that color too! I’ve recently been using Sleeping Beauty Turquoise from DS which is different altogether but also nice if you like this color family.
@@Pointebrush not at that price Margaret! In UK that particular paint is so expensive….and Jane Blundell has reviewed it and says it’s not very lightfast
@@annepercival7814 Lightfastness is definitely a hot topic. The way I see it, I don't use fugitive or non-lightfast colors for client work but for work that is going into my archives or being made into reproductions, I use whatever I want. I have paintings using opera rose from 10 years ago that are still as vivid as the day I painted them so it really all depends on what you're doing with it. I think I have a problem with generalized reviews or criticism of colors or manufacturers just on the basis of lightfastness alone because there are plenty of very unique colors that can not be achieved by more light stable pigments. But again, a totally personal choice and perspective as long as the ASTM info is public and transparent.
What a great video! Thanks so much. I love W &N and have explored many other brands but let me tell you, I always return to W & N Indigo, Cobalt Turquoise Light, Naples Yellow, and Winsor Red. The Cobalt Turquoise Light is dear to my heart but that red - well, I’ve been testing various brands for a poppy painting and I keep coming back to it. . . Thanks again so much for your insights into a great brand of paint!
I LOVE Winsor and Newton. Some other colours to mention are, Winsor Red and Payne’s Grey and my new favourite Perelyne Green. Thank you for doing this video. IMO, WN doesn’t get the respect it deserves.❤
Winsor & Newton professional,is the most beautiful Paynes Gray watercolor! Especialy for monochromatic sketches! I'l have to try that Pyrelene Green,as I just begun to paint landscapes and I love greens! Thanks for mentioning it!
My fav W&N Professional watercolors are Cerulean Blue (I love the big granulation and how easy it is to blot up cloud shapes), Winsor Violet (it's more subtle than other brands version of dioxazine violet, so mixes better), and the sadly discontinued Transparent Yellow PY97 (it's now nickel azo yellow PY150, lovely but very different). I think W&N makes the most luminous reds so Rose Doré is on my wish list, and I'm still looking for a real replacement for Transparent Yellow PY97 which was so transparent and glowy. Thanks for sharing your take on these colors, looking forward to your take on other brands!
Thanks for this! I'm new to watercolour and this list is so invaluable. I love their Potters Pink and Indigo,as you have stated. I'd love if you did a list for Roman Szmal! Daniel Smith too but I'd prefer Roman Szmal. ❤😊
My favorites are perm rose, quin magenta new gamboge(must be the old formula with extinct py153, winsor yellow deep is a good substitute since new gamboge now is no longer what it used be), winsor violet, perylene violet, quin violet, smalt, cobalt turquoise light, burnt sienna and venetian red. I somewhat dislike cerulean and perm mauve for I want something smooth and bright.
Not a bad selection! Just to note: people might want to check the lightfastness on a Sap Green before buying. I don’t know about the W&N’s professional line specifically, but I know a lot of Sap Greens are pretty fugitive, so if you can find a Sap Green Permanent alternative then that might be preferable. I know I have tried their Sap Green Permanent (PG36 + PY110) & it was perfectly good, but I’ve only ever tried their ordinary Sap Green in the student’s Cotman line, as one of the first watercolor paints I ever tried. The markings on that old tube aren’t even visible anymore though, so no clue what pigments were in it or just how bad the lightfastness was, but I know I learned later that the Permanent version is generally preferred because Sap Green does notoriously have lightfastness problems.
Shocked to see rose dore on this list. I thought it was only me that used it. It's dual pigment and hard to rewet but, what with warm transparent reds being so hard to find, it's a no brainier to include this one on my palette. I have Winsor (pyrol) red as an alternative warm red if I need something more pillar boxy; it's single pigment but only semi transparent. Still, more transparent than cadmium red.
Loved very much the video. I myself am learning to paint in the medium and was looking specifically some primary colors from this brand. Muchísimas Gracias!
Oh gosh, I super wish I had this video in my knowledge bank before I shopped for a class I’m taking tomorrow! Guess I’ll just have to add some more to the (new) stash! Please may I say your editing is so good, interesting but not like throwing tricks around, informative precisely to what you are talking about. So enjoyable!!!
I only have one WN color and that is the regular Winsor Orange. I needed a bright vibrant orange that didnt lean into red and I was going to go for the Daniel Smith Permanent Orange but it was harder to find on amazon and pretty expensive. So I went looking for other brands with that same pigment. Winsor Orange was "that girl" and and OMG, it is such a lovely happy color in my palette. So smooth and nice. It rewets easily and is always ready to have a good time. I ordered a single tiny tube and was accidentally sent a box of three, so I think it was meant to be the right one for me. I am encouraged to look at the cerulean since you pointed out its not as granulating as others. Also that Winsor Blue Red you showed looks like it might be a nice blue for me in place of an Ultramarine. I am NOT a fan of granulation at all so I have been on a quest to find colors that are alternatives to popular but granulating colors like Ultramarine. The one I can't seem to find yet is a Cobalt Turquoise. I think WN is supposed to be least granulating though, so I may grab that one eventually.
Hi Adria! If you don't like granulation so much, a brand you MUST try is M Graham. Their watercolors are pure butter and I believe they have a cobalt turquoise or cobalt teal that you might like. Both they and Sennelier have the smoothest least granulating French Ultramarines I've found by the way. Thanks for watching!!
Winsor and Newton is my go to brand with Sennelier and Daniel Smith coming next. Some of my favorite W&N colors are Aqua Green, Gamboge, and Permanent Rose.
Wonderful video 💕. I love W&N and in spite of it being pretty expensive in my country, it's the one that's most widely imported and used. I've tried others as well, but the ease with which it's possible to work with W&N is just awesome. My favourite colours? I love Cobalt Violet and Permanent Mauve because both are capable of creating subtle hints of purple shining through when used in the underpainting which add so much glow to the finished piece. Quinacridone Gold is another one that I find most useful, though I haven't tried their latest formulation yet. And Payne's Gray is such a gorgeous shade to work in monocrome.
I'd love to listen about the other brands. As for Winsor & Newton, I love your top 10. I also love Quinacridone Gold & Quinacridone Violet, they look amazing even on super cheap paper, and 8 other including Permanent Sap Green. It's just I have too many hobbies to have time to paint something decent with them😀 I mostly like florals but want to have my palette to be ready for everything.
Hi Ani! Quin Gold was on my list but got booted by magenta for top 10 😂 and I know the feeling of wanting to be stocker and prepped for anything and everything!
You convinced me. Winsor yellow deep. I think W&N made a mistake using both Winsor Lemon and the colour next to it, Winsor Yellow in their 6 colour primary range. I think Winsor Yellow Deep makes a much better warm yellow because of the range of mixes you demonstrate. Cerulean... merry. For me, their Manganese Blue Hue is nicer. Maybe that's because UK skies tend to be less bright. Another brand new revival colour is Ultramarine Ash. I love it's greenish grey tones. It also uses left over pigment after extracting French Ultramarine, so appeals to my eco concern for the planet - a little - but the soft buttery colour is a perfect metallic sheen or shadows on clouds and distant landscape hills through sea mist. Coupled with Davys Grey or Terre Verte Yellow shade and dabs of Naples Yellow Deep you have misty islands that are just waking to morning light. Ultramarine Ash is a nice shadow for orangy skin tones without being too dark. I'm mourning Quinacridone Gold, but Transparent Gold Deep is a close substitute that I really like. Quinacridone Violet and Opera Rose I love to mix with just a little Transparent Yellow or Quin Gold/Transparent Gold Deep to make the mating pinkish grey plumage of a wood pigeons chest. The show off bird struts along right outside our patio! Lastly, Small Dumonts Blue. It's blue but has a hint of soft mauve that stays bright. Just a hint of pinkish red or a splash of Quin Violet or a darker blue tips the perfect balance like a weighing scale where you might add a hint more of this flavour or another to make your favourite cookery dish extra special. Please look again at Winsor and Newtons new colours!
i don't know if i could begin to say my favorites! lemon yellow, new gamboge, permanent rose, wb1, wb2, ultramarine, prussian, sap... well i just can't narrow it down more. i have favorites from many other brands and look forward to more vids! i just found your channel so maybe you have already made some!
I cannot think of any color I don't love, but in your list, the Indigo and Rose Dore are most intriguing, and I will be adding them to my resources. I favor Daniel Smith, but have used that brand for many years, being from the Seattle area..... :)
Wamt to second those requests above M Graham, A Gallo, Isaro, Da Vinci. And of course DS and Sennelier. Also wondering if you have had a chance to develop favorites in Qor, Roman Szmal, MaimeriBlu, Michael Harding, Rembrandt, or Blockx? Or Old Holland or Holbein?
Hi, Margot! I just watched this video after watching your Daniel Smith Top 10 - Thank you for both! I will definitely be curating my collection from among your suggestions! I only started watercolor a few years ago. When I did, I bought a set of tubes from Amazon by Shin Han; are you familiar? I mention it because they have a lovely cerulean blue that washes nicely and doesn't granulate. Obviously, you're happy with W&N, but soemtimes it's nice to have options. Love your channel!!
I like their Raw Sienna for its golden tone. It dries kind of hard, so I'm going to try DS's light version and see if it has the same goldenness. I use the WN Cotman Dioxazine Violet in the studio. It rewets fairly easily and is good for anything less than large, broad washes, in which case I just put out fresh paint.
The Winsor Newton top ten was great fun , I started a wish list, Winsor Blue and Violet are on it. I love using Indigo, a looking for Rose. Please continue this series, you are a wonderful teacher and Artist! How about you, creating a set including all the above, and perhaps a surprise color or two. I would surely purchase a Margot Hallac Watercolor Set! Karen Dirmish, watcher and learner! 11:37
An enjoyable video, thank you! I only have an ancient W&N Cotman 12 full pan set from 25-30 years ago with the standard colors of a small set. I would be very interested in your top ten favorites in other brands. 😊
The only W&N Professional color have is Potters pink. W&N was the first to make this color, so I chose them for historical significance. You have me now on the lookout for a good price on their Rose Doré -- but it must be precious pigments because 💰💰💰
I LOVE W&N. They do get a bad rap sometimes because of the high prices and the less-exciting Earth tones selection. And I do think those are justified; I really wish they would've gone back to the drawing board on the Earth tones. The mixed pigments and weird Raw Sienna just leaves more to be desired. However, all of the other colors are absolutely amazing, extremely pigmented, and very predictable and easy to use. Dioxaxine Violet was the very first color I ever swatched (and very first watercolor I ever tried) and I couldn't believe how concentrated and vivid it was. I also love Permanent Rose- it is more "neutral" than Daniel Smith's (less cool) so it works well not only as a standalone rose but also a mixing "cool red". I also find W&N's Yellow Ochre to be superior to Daniel Smith's. I've heard people say DS' version is more transparent, but I have tested them side-by-side multiple times and W&N's yellow ochre has a prettier gradient to it and paints out more smoothly.
If I could add two colours to the list, I would add Potter’s Pink and Cobalt Turquoise Light. Those are the two paints that made me try W&N. I find that Potter’s Pink is one of the colours that is very different in every brand, and I found W&N’s more fun to play with than Schmincke’s. I really like the mixes I can create with Cobalt Turquoise Light. Most Cobalt Turquoise colours from other brands can be recreated by adding a bit of Phthalo Green, and the bright greens that can be made add so much more versatility to my palette. + Honourable mention to Perylene Maroon.
@@Pointebrush Hi, Margot. Quite excited to see you have responded. I have just seen a video on lightfastness testing, and although it is not your biggest concern, W&N's Opera Rose has performed exceptionally well, and had barely faded after a year. I know you use the colour. I wanted to mention that it might be worth looking into.
Hola; mis favoritos son los perilenos, especialmente el verde, que es simplemente perfecto para sombras de vegetación, lagos y aguas quietas...etc. El azul Small Dumont, la aureolina y la siena tostada. Tengo muchos otros, pero esos son mis favoritos. Gracias y saludos.
I agree that you can't go wrong with W&N. LOVE their Rose Doré. They are a staple in my palette. The only negative I have is that they are not very daring. Which I why I have other brands too :). Would love to see what your faves are in other brands for sure.
Oh I 100% agree with you Monique! W&N to me is like the little black dress of watercolors. You can’t go wrong and it’s timeless, but sometimes you can use a little more excitement 😜
WN’s transparent orange is the one non-Daniel Smith color with a forever home on my palette. It’s one of those colors that just makes me happy looking at it! Is it bright? YES! I guess I tend to have a lot of bright colors…it’s easy to neutralize a bright, but if you start with an already somewhat neutralized color on the palette, you can never get that pure color. A lot of what we each pick has to do with our subjects, and it may be August now, but that is Spring up on Mt. Rainier still, with lots of bright wildflowers around (and, uh, traffic cones lol…lot of road re-building this year). New subscriber here…really enjoying your videos!
This is the first time seeing your video, I'm slowly building up my color repertoire and I added some of the colors you reviewed to my list. I don't know if W&N makes this color, but I've seen it before and absolutely love it - it's Chinese Orange. It's like a burnt orange but it almost has a depth of like a little Perylene Maroon or Burnt Sienna in it and not brown. I love how clear and precise you explain and demonstrate things without blaring music in the background like some channels do, and I'd love to see more review videos from you so I can add new colors to my list - greetings from NYC!! 😄🤗🗽🧑🎨🖌️🎨🖼️💖
I know exactly what kind of orange you’re talking about! Sennelier has one that’s marvelous which I love! Daniel Smith is coming next so stay tuned!! Thank you for watching 🙏
Yes!! I can absolutely do Sennelier and I hear you on Jaune Sophie (I believe it’s named after Sophie Sennelier who is the fourth generation of the family). I’m kind of rekindling an old flame with Sennelier so that would be the perfect opportunity to revisit their collection
What was the gold you used on your black swan painting. I loved the idea of this video you did an excellent Job and I would love to see you do it with more brands
I am not sure what Cerulean you've got, because mine (Cerulean Blue made with PB 35) granulates just as much as any other similar paint from other manufacturers.
I like your video. I’m a newbie and just got a W&N travel size pallete in “floral” color set. It has 8 of those little Cotman pigments. Maybe you can clarify something for me. I want to add an “earthy” tone to my set. If I get a color that comes in a tube and squish it out into one of the compartments, will it harden up and work as a solid pigment? Or do I have to specifically look for those pigments?
Hi Vira! Welcome! So tubes can absolutely be squeezed out into pans and will harden in the compartments to function like your other paints. So you can mix and match as you please. Winsor & Newton can be more difficult to rewet sometimes depending on the color so I recommend buying a cheap spray bottle and lightly spritzing your paints about 1-2 minutes before you use them and they’ll be much juicier and softer to pick up 😉
Some colors are quite unique that it is not uncommon to see polarized reviews. I guess no one will reject some certain colors such as ultramarine and quin rose in almost every brands.
Great video! If you're interested in another professional artists perspective on Winsor &Newtons top colors, please check out Kimberly Cricks UA-cam video labeled "Top 20 Winsor and Newton Professional Watercolor Review 109 Dot Card Unique & Granulating Palette." Kimberly Crick focuses on not only the science behind the pigments but, of course, the way they move and paint. So anyone looking to add a few extra interested paints to the top 10 listed in this video, I definitely recommend you check out Kimberly Cricks' video after this one. Anyway, this is a great video. Thank you for putting it together and sharing.🩵💜
I’ve only tried W&N’s new formulation Madder Brown. Meh 😐 Having said that, I do wish to try the paints that are unique to them such as Transparent Orange, Smalt (which is not Smalt at all), Turner’s Yellow, Permanent Carmine, Rose Madder Genuine, Cobalt Blue Deep, Aqua Green, and Magnesium Brown.
@Margot Hallac I really love the Dumonts blue, which is a completely different composition than actual Smalt. All of those colors would make a stunning addition to your brilliant paintings. It's so funny.....I'm filling half pans right now with PV15. 💓
Hello, Jim from Madrid (Spain). I really liked this video about W&N watercolours because I don't find many that seem "reliable" in comparison to other Brands (Daniel Smith, Schminke Horadam, etc.) And in Spain (at least) W&N Professional is an affordable option compared to others, but I sometimes hear issues with it, such as harder to re-wet, for example. I do believe that an analysis and comparison of different brands is a great idea. THANK you for sharing your views and knowledge! Cheers from Madrid!
Hola Jim from Madrid! Interesting thoughts! What do you mean by reliable? Are you talking about how they work and interact on paper or more of a storage and rewetting aspect? I do find that W&N are not as buttery when rewet compared to other brands when you’re wetting your paints with a brush. However, one thing I love doing is to prep paints with either a spray bottle or a couple of drops of water from a dropper 5-10 minutes before you start painting and you’ll see that your paints spring to life with more ease (especially a dryer brand like WN) Hope this helps and let me know your thoughts!
@@Pointebrush Hi Margot! Thank you for your input. And yes, I feel that W&N dry faster than other brands (like Daniel Smith, for example) even while painting, which was something that bothered me a bit. But, they are great watercolor paints, don't get me wrong, and they are very affordable and easy to buy here in Spain. Again, thanks for taking the time to answer and yes, Madrid is a great city to live in, not only because of the mild winters (though hot summers) but also because of the food, the people and a lot of history... It's a comfortable city, if you know what I mean. Cheers from Madrid!
W/N not reliable!???They were the leading brand in the world for more than a century for a reason. Yes they are harder to wet than newer brands that use honey binders but they are hardly "difficult to rewet. "
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), one of the properties of most ceruleans is granulation. It's part of that family of pigments, alongside ultramarine, potter's pink and cobalt among others that is known to do that. If you like non granulating cerulean hues, an old trick is to mis phtalo blue with some white and that should get you something similar in color but with minimal granulation 😉
I used to think of Winsor and Newton as boring. But then I realized that maybe that isn’t such a bad thing. They have a good range, it’s everything you need. And they’re reliable. They will ALWAYS mix and go down on paper like you want them to. They will do their job and they’ll be great at it. They won’t be extra special. They’re decently priced- not cheap but not out of reach. The pan of Antwerp Blue that I got 2 years ago will be the exact same as the tube of Antwerp Blue I bought last week. I don’t have to do anything special to them to make them work. There’s no guessing games about what it will look like on paper. They’re clear vibrant and only travel so much. I LOVE Daniel Smith for their expressiveness, massive range, different characteristics, the way they travel in water and on paper will always create something new. Sennelier has outstanding clarity and I can layer them 100 times without overworking a piece. Schmincke is my special one that I only use when I feel fancy and get a bonus at work or a good commission. Holbein for when I want something opaque and punchy with a lot of character in 1 pass. Paul Rubens for sketchbook, travel, plein air and studies. They all have their strengths and uses. I have a beautiful collection that I am so grateful for. My old reliable Winsor and Newton is the foundation of that. It’s what I started with when I got serious- then and White Nights. So I will always think of then fondly. I love their Rose Madder Genuine, Potters Pink, Caput Morton Violet, Perylene Maroon, Antwerp Blue, Brown Madder, Bismuth Yellow, Aqua Green, Turners Yellow, Dioxazine Violet and Cobalt Violet. They’re just staples in my art. They’re always there when I need them. They have convenience colors that I don’t have to mix myself and will stay clear, consistent and true every time. I feel bad that I ever thought of them as basic in a negative way and boring. They’re reliable and they’re beautiful.
This is actually the most helpful breakdown of brands. I’m looking to invest in my first professional set, and I needed these insights!
I agree with all of her input! Just bought W&N and I love all the colors. I love the transparency and smoothness of all the colors.
You can't go wrong with Winsor & Newton. Even using the primary colors of Winsor Yellow, Winsor Red, and Winsor Blue will provide the most beautiful mixes. Thank you so much for this video. You are a delightful presenter. I think you sold me on Rose Dore and Venetian Red. I will have to get those this week.
Thank you! It’s a brilliant idea doing the same video with different brands, as it’s so very helpful. Love your colour choices too! ❤
Thank you! ❤️❤️❤️
@@Pointebrush I forgot to mention that the Blue red shade was the perfect colour for your windmill, reminding me of the Netherlands and of Delft blue porcelain. 🇳🇱💙💙💙
I've never liked using orange (or red!) paint until I've got my hands on W&N transparent orange. It's so juicy and smooth and truly transparent that it can pass off as engine red but has this translucency that will allow you to make amazing mixes with any other transparent color. My other favourites are Parelyne Maroon (love it the most over other brands), aqua green, quin violet, cobalt turquoise light, payne's gray and phtalo turqouise. Also WInsor Yellow is a good all round use yellow! I mean i really really really like this brand i guess! For people that do not own the chart though, i would NOT recommend terre verte and cobalt violet - those are very hard to rewet and look like there's very little pigment, but its actually rather the pigments property in those two cases.
My respect for W&N comes from their uniformly smooth, transparent colors. I have yet to see another brand that goes down on paper so effortlessly. Theirs is the benchmark I compare all others to. Having said that, there are many other brands with unique and outstanding paints as well. I would have to say the Rose Dore and Potter's Pink really stand out to me as special W&N paints. Loved your top 10 colors. TFS 😊
Hi Tracy! I love potter’s pink from them too! It was either Rose Dore or Potter’s Pink for that slot so I totally agree with you! 💕
Ok Tracy gotta ask: do you work from blocks (as opposed to tube paint)? I use Daniel Smith or M Graham both if which rewet super easily. Any comparison of WN to those two? WN apparently uses different formula fir tube paints vs blocks and unless you add drop/two glycerine to WN tube paint (or live humid area) doesn’t rewet easily.
@Scottlp2 I have never bought their pans/blocks. I pour my tube paint into my own pans, though. There are 2 pigments that are extremely dry from the get-go.Raw Sienna and Prussian Blue. Both could use a drop or 2 of glycerin and / or honey because they always crumble or turn very dry. Some pigments, by their nature, rewet very easily, while others need that minute or two of sitting with water to activate them. I used a sprayer in the past to wet my paints just before using, getting every pan wet. Now I prefer a water dropper for just the few pans that I need activated. I hope that helps. 😊
@Scottlp2 M graham uses honey, so they seem to never dry in a pan and remain tacky for years. That is wonderful for a home studio, but not when you are on the go. MG paints will spill in your traveling palette. 😢 Some people will LOVE honey based paints that activate quickly (White Nights, M Graham, Sennelier, a few ROMAN Szmal) while other people don't care for that quality one bit. It's all about personal preference.
Hi Tracy. Jim from Madrid (Spain). I want to THANK you for the info you've shared on this post. Here in Spain (EU) W&N is one of the most "affordable" professional watercolor brands in comparison with others (about same price as Mijello's Mission Gold or Sommelier, for example, and a lot cheaper than Daniel Smith or Schmincke Horadam, just to name a few - note for all of you back in the US: M. Graham is extremely scarce and very expensive too).
I like W&N but I am also in the process of learning and experimenting with other brands (professional grade). Your info on W&N was very helpful, at least to me, so thank you very much! Cheers from a New Yorker living in Madrid, Spain!
I Love this and I really enjoyed your historic examples of these colors in art.
Wow your top 10 choices are some very unknown colors to me as a beginner-intermediate artist. I do love you reasons for choosing these. Thanks for sharing this wonderful information with us. Yes please do more Top 10 colors for more brands.
I love W&N's Quin Magenta and Sap Green, but I also can't do without Cobalt Turquoise Light, Opera Rose, Olive Green, Permanent Rose, and Scarlet Lake. In my opinion, no other paint brand does these colors as beautifully. I recently picked up 2 new tubes of Brown Madder as well, since PR206 will soon be gone.
You clearly have excellent taste 😜 Love your choices!
@@Pointebrush I learned to appreciate these colors from UA-cam artists like you.
Thank you for a comprehensive 'walk-through' of your colour choices. Not only giving us your top ten, but the 'why' and the demonstration of your use of the colours. It must have taken quite some time to put this together and to edit it so seamlessly, and I truly appreciate good workmanship in whatever form it takes.
As for the colours: I have five of the ten - only two in my limited colour everyday palette, which I've used pretty much since I began painting many years ago (Cerulean blue and Indigo). The other three (Sap green, Winsor violet and Winsor blue) being in what I describe as my 'play' palette, made up of free samples I've gathered along the way over the years, but that box gets used for all sorts of fun experiments, and is how indigo found its way into the everyday palette.
I have a Cadmium orange (PR108 + PY35) in the 'play' box, and it's very similar to the Indian yellow (PO62+PY139), so I have been looking at the transparent orange as a possible single pigment, transparent and warmer replacement, so seeing your comments on it has been helpful. Intriguing that so far, W&N haven't given it a pigment code, simply the DPP.
I'm primarily a plein air landscape painter who also loves the joy of mixing her own colours, including the infinity of greens (!) and it helps to keep the weight and volume of my kit at a carry-able level!
Thank you for your thoughtful message! Plein air painting and painting on the go definitely has its own set of challenges so I understand why you like to keep your kit small and nimble! I’m glad you enjoyed the video! 😜
Thank you for your color spotlight on the Winsor and Newton brand. I would love for you to do a series on this subject.
I loved this video! I hope this turns into a series. I love WN transparent orange, but was impressed with the orange hue you showcased. I like aqua green and smalt blue as well. That WN yellow deep is luscious and a must buy for me. I love all the colors you mentioned and have not found an Indigo I like better than WN. Thanks!
Thank you DeeAnn and looking forward to visiting more brands just like this 👍 Thanks for stopping by and commenting 🤗
Thank you for this Margot love this idea of yours. To make it a series because it's a great help to know what you put them in your top 10 and to see why, and watch you put them at work and explain why you love them so much and also I love it that you say what you can use these for and show us how you use them. I am really impressed with that, and that you mentioned the granulation or lack of it according to which paint to others. It's a great help for a beginner that wants to shop for paints but is confused and not sure where to go. This is a great roadmap for new shoppers and even experienced ones to be able to go confidently into an art shop and know what they need and not come home disgusted with poor quality paints. There is nothing more disheartening and disappointing to go out on a good days shopping and come home with a heap of rubbish when you know you could have done better. It's a long way for me to get to decent art stores here and I can't afford to make mistakes. I'm sure the same for many more people. I have to say though I went and treated myself to a set of Winsor & Newton tubes before Christmas and I love them. The quality is beautiful. Even though its cotman I bought. But still they are great quality and I bought single tubes that were not in the set.. I fell in love with Permanent Rose and got a few large tubes of that because I love the shade of pink and it's not available in the shops nearer to me so I went and bought a few large tubes of it. it is the most beautiful colour dark or light. And is so versatile painting roses and other flowers And Rose Madder. Gorgeous. I have to say the quality even for Cotman is really very impressive. So I can only imagine what the professional is like. I'm dying to try them. I heard Winsor & Newton were well worth the money and are great quality and I'm not disappointed thank God. I came home that day with my haul and am a very happy bunny. But its through artists like you on UA-cam I learned that. So I came home very pleased with myself. Even though I saw your video after that said that we should go straight to the professional brand first of the Winsor & Newton and not work our way up to it. Hopefully I will get to try them. But for now I have the Cotman I am happy with them and I'll use them up rather than waste them. At least I know I am happy with the quality and the colours are gorgeous and I'm having fun. So I know now that when I need to go shopping I know the quality of Winsor and Newton and make a beeline for the professional and know I wont be making any mistakes. Thank you though for the advice. I can pick up one or two of the professional paints while still having fun with the cotman whenever I'm shopping again. I love the paintings you had there of the ballerinas in various colours that you tried these colours on. And various other paintings that you used to show for examples on why you used these colours and why you love them so much. I'd love to see more top 10s maybe even top 20s of them and maybe top 10s or even 20s of various brands thrown in that you love and why. But this was certainly very helpful. Maybe top 20s would be too time consuming for now that you are caring for your young baby girl and maybe too time consuming anyway. Maybe top 10s are better. Fair play to you. ALL your videos are very helpful and tutorials are beautiful to watch. You know how much I love your ballerinas. You should make a book of them. I'd certainly buy it. The weather outside here in Ireland is freezing and has been snowing all week, so I'm going to pull out my paints and have some fun while my little dog is snoring her little head off 🐶🤣🤣🤣 Much love and God bless you and your family Susan xxx👍🤗🤗🥰🙏🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏❤❤❤❤🎨
Thank you for your thoughtful message Susan! Cotman is definitely the best academic watercolor in my opinion but I think you’ll be even more wowed by the professional series 😝 Thank you as always for your kind words and support! I truly appreciate it!
@@Pointebrush Thanks very much Margot for replying to my comment. If I had seen your video before I went shopping I think it would have been the professional I would have gone for. I'm trying to save up now for another haul my birthday is coming up soon so I hope to go stone mad in those art stores here!! 🤣🤣🤣 We'll see what happens. I'll definitely be looking out for the Winsor & Newton professional range and stock up on other bits and pieces. Hope I'm not housebound with snow that time which has often happened in the past but it's something I got used to and I have my dog to celebrate with me. I'll get over it and make up for the art shopping some day after. I intend to go nuts. I love being left loose in art stores on my own and have my own time to enjoy myself. And come home with a load of stuff. I'd be on a high for weeks and months after it. And then to start experimenting with all of it. And then play with my dog have a nice dinner and give her some loving. And relax with my dog next to.me. She's my angel and this is my idea of Heaven. Who needs drugs and alcohol give me a day like this. That's my idea of a great time. 🤣🤣🤣. Spend the rest of the weeks and months painting. Thank you for your videos Margot. I love them and as for the support it's always nice to support someone. And to want to do it. Love and kindness never cost anyone anything and we all need kindness and support and encouragement for what we do, it keeps us all going. And encourages people to keep doing the work and know they are doing something worthwhile and making sc someone out there very happy which you are. You give me so much by your videos and your ideas and you need to know how we feel about it to know whether you're on the right track. And believe me. You are very much on the right track. Thank you for all you do. By the way. The Mannequin video you had. I out in a comment about calling mine Paddy if I got a mannequin and said I'd see if he can hold a pint. of Guinness. Please dont worry. I meant no offence to anyone called Paddy out there. Or any Irish man. I know how the Irish are. I love them to bits. And my late parents were Irish. Believe me Margot they have a great sense of humour. They can take a bit of good hearted banter and you can be very sure they can give it back just as good if not better! 🤣🤣🤣 The British and Irish have the same sense of humour and have always had great banter and fun between them. I have never had any bad comments from them. I have had so much fun with them here since I moved here. But also in London while I was living there. We all got on so well. Therexwas a large Irish community there. They are funny and very witty. I would never hurt anyone of them. I know what they're like. It's why I love them so much. I got my mannequin. My Paddy by the way but he's very small. So I have to break him in slowly. And I'd say I'll have to hold that pint for him for a while.! He might stretch a bit over time!!🤣🤣🕊 but he'll be fine. I'll take him out dancing now one of these days and see what he's made of. 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Margot keep up the good work. Big hugs and love to you and your family. God bless you all. Susan xxx ❤❤❤❤❤🥰🥰🤗🤗😘👍🌹🌹🌹💝💝💝🎨🍺🐶
Susan you better start writing a book😂😂😂
WN should definitely make this your signature set. I want them all!
I love their cobalt turquoise light, transparent orange and quinacridone red
I really enjoyed hearing about your top 10 Winsor Newton picks because you provided great info and solid reasons for your choices. I would certainly enjoying hearing your top 10 Daniel Smith picks...or any other brand you've used.
Thank you for watching and I’m glad you liked it! I’m working on Daniel Smith right now and excited to share my selections soon! 👍
Rose Doré is a favorite of mine! I also love W&N Permanent Mauve. It's very granulating, and creates the most beautiful mixes with lots of other colors -- fans of Schmincke's super granulating colors would probably have a lot of fun mixing with Mauve!
I actually have the mauve on my studio palette so I know exactly what you mean! It’s gorgeous when mixed with a granulating black like Mars Black too for some extra extra granulation 😜
Oh my god.. I need just a colour to Complete my palette (because I've got only one more space for a single godet) and now I watched this video I don't know what to choose.. 😂😂😂 it's impossible!!! Thank you, I appreciate so much that you share Your knowledge with us 🙏🙏 Ciao Sara from Italy
Putting non granulating cerulean blue on my wish list 👏🏽 I never tried their professional watercolors yet, but I'm really into their Cotman Permeant Rose 🌺
Winsor and Newton’s Cotman grade is the best academic watercolor in my opinion so until you do try out the professional, I’d say you’re in good hands 😉
♥️🎯🙏🏼Thank you, you’re delightful to listen to and outstanding in your description of beyond gorgeous colors!
I’ve been using W&N since 1985 and absolutely love them. Two additional colors I have in my palette are rose madder and Payne’s grey
Thank you for this series. I am a big fan of your art and learning so much from your techniques. Please show us more!!!
I'd like to see your top Daniel Smith colors.
Love this video! I vote for a series of other brand. Can you innclude M. Graham too?
Oooooh just what I needed… a reason to go shopping for more 😜 Thank you for watching!
I love their permanent rose and payne’s grey, and agree on indigo.
Fantastic choices! If I had make it a top 20 list, those two would definitely have been included 👍
I love the idea. Great choices. W&N is a very trusty brand. I love seeing your work. It’s so beautiful, classy ,and original, just like you! Thank you for sharing your wonderful talent. 😊
Aww thank you so much 🤗 and thanks for watching!
Great video. W & N Cottman Turquoise is stunning.
Thank you so much for a very well done tutorial of your top 10 WN paints. I'm sure alot of work went into the making of this video and I thank you very much for your suggestions.
Thank you so much Patricia (that’s my mother’s name btw 😘)
I have most of those colors. I want to try "rose dore" and "winsor orange red hue."
I love brown madder and perylene green.
Looking forward to more paint color reviews.🎨
OMG Penny, you're a gal after my own heart vbecause I love Perylene anything! W&N Perylene Green specifically is fabulous!!
I recently bought Winsor Orange Red Shade and it's extremely vibrant. Like a true fiery red-orange. It is a little bit semi-opaque. But I do like it. A great substitute for cadmium orange
Permanent rose is my all time favorite pink. So glorious!! Favorite paints might be Davinci. Hard to choose with all the superstars but they have spectacular pigment richness and creaminess and colors are slightly more wow 🤩
I’ve never tried Da Vinci! As if I needed another excuse to shop ha! Thank you for sharing!
My fave WN colours are Smalt (Dumont’s Blue) a beautiful blue violet granulating paint, Cobalt Green Deep - stunning, Caput Mortuum Violet, Potters Pink, Quin Gold, (the best hue out there IMO), Cobalt Blue Deep, so pretty and granulating, Perylene Maroon, again the best brand for the true blood red colour, Aqua Green - a beautiful teal, I could go on!
Hi Margot,
I totally agree with what you said about cerulean and granulation; since it’s first use would be for skies, the smooth uniformity of W&N cerulean is best IMO. Great brand; it’s in,y top 3 favorites.
Yes please…. Great idea to do top 10 of different brands.
One of my essential Winsor and Newton colours is Cobalt Turquoise Light….just a dash here and there makes a painting sing
I love that color too! I’ve recently been using Sleeping Beauty Turquoise from DS which is different altogether but also nice if you like this color family.
@@Pointebrush not at that price Margaret! In UK that particular paint is so expensive….and Jane Blundell has reviewed it and says it’s not very lightfast
@@annepercival7814 Lightfastness is definitely a hot topic. The way I see it, I don't use fugitive or non-lightfast colors for client work but for work that is going into my archives or being made into reproductions, I use whatever I want. I have paintings using opera rose from 10 years ago that are still as vivid as the day I painted them so it really all depends on what you're doing with it.
I think I have a problem with generalized reviews or criticism of colors or manufacturers just on the basis of lightfastness alone because there are plenty of very unique colors that can not be achieved by more light stable pigments. But again, a totally personal choice and perspective as long as the ASTM info is public and transparent.
What a great video! Thanks so much. I love W &N and have explored many other brands but let me tell you, I always return to W & N Indigo, Cobalt Turquoise Light, Naples Yellow, and Winsor Red. The Cobalt Turquoise Light is dear to my heart but that red - well, I’ve been testing various brands for a poppy painting and I keep coming back to it. . . Thanks again so much for your insights into a great brand of paint!
I love these colors to, smalt/ dumonis blue, indian yellow and turqoise cobalt.
I LOVE Winsor and Newton. Some other colours to mention are, Winsor Red and Payne’s Grey and my new favourite Perelyne Green. Thank you for doing this video. IMO, WN doesn’t get the respect it deserves.❤
Winsor & Newton professional,is the most beautiful Paynes Gray watercolor! Especialy for monochromatic sketches! I'l have to try that Pyrelene Green,as I just begun to paint landscapes and I love greens! Thanks for mentioning it!
My fav W&N Professional watercolors are Cerulean Blue (I love the big granulation and how easy it is to blot up cloud shapes), Winsor Violet (it's more subtle than other brands version of dioxazine violet, so mixes better), and the sadly discontinued Transparent Yellow PY97 (it's now nickel azo yellow PY150, lovely but very different). I think W&N makes the most luminous reds so Rose Doré is on my wish list, and I'm still looking for a real replacement for Transparent Yellow PY97 which was so transparent and glowy. Thanks for sharing your take on these colors, looking forward to your take on other brands!
My fav W&N color, I buy over and over again:
Permanent rose
Also a beautiful one. Elegant but a bit tongue in cheek and coquette 😉
Thanks for this! I'm new to watercolour and this list is so invaluable. I love their Potters Pink and Indigo,as you have stated. I'd love if you did a list for Roman Szmal! Daniel Smith too but I'd prefer Roman Szmal. ❤😊
My favorites are perm rose, quin magenta new gamboge(must be the old formula with extinct py153, winsor yellow deep is a good substitute since new gamboge now is no longer what it used be), winsor violet, perylene violet, quin violet, smalt, cobalt turquoise light, burnt sienna and venetian red. I somewhat dislike cerulean and perm mauve for I want something smooth and bright.
Not a bad selection! Just to note: people might want to check the lightfastness on a Sap Green before buying. I don’t know about the W&N’s professional line specifically, but I know a lot of Sap Greens are pretty fugitive, so if you can find a Sap Green Permanent alternative then that might be preferable. I know I have tried their Sap Green Permanent (PG36 + PY110) & it was perfectly good, but I’ve only ever tried their ordinary Sap Green in the student’s Cotman line, as one of the first watercolor paints I ever tried. The markings on that old tube aren’t even visible anymore though, so no clue what pigments were in it or just how bad the lightfastness was, but I know I learned later that the Permanent version is generally preferred because Sap Green does notoriously have lightfastness problems.
i'm really enjoyin White Nights - St Petersburg
Yes please! More and bravo!
Shocked to see rose dore on this list. I thought it was only me that used it. It's dual pigment and hard to rewet but, what with warm transparent reds being so hard to find, it's a no brainier to include this one on my palette. I have Winsor (pyrol) red as an alternative warm red if I need something more pillar boxy; it's single pigment but only semi transparent. Still, more transparent than cadmium red.
I love color videos.. thanks Margot
Me too! Thanks for watching Marie ❤️
I love this top 10 series! Keep it coming! ❤
Loved very much the video. I myself am learning to paint in the medium and was looking specifically some primary colors from this brand. Muchísimas Gracias!
I Loved this video, please do more of other brands,
Glad you enjoyed it! I think I will! 👍
Oh gosh, I super wish I had this video in my knowledge bank before I shopped for a class I’m taking tomorrow!
Guess I’ll just have to add some more to the (new) stash!
Please may I say your editing is so good, interesting but not like throwing tricks around, informative precisely to what you are talking about. So enjoyable!!!
I only have one WN color and that is the regular Winsor Orange. I needed a bright vibrant orange that didnt lean into red and I was going to go for the Daniel Smith Permanent Orange but it was harder to find on amazon and pretty expensive. So I went looking for other brands with that same pigment. Winsor Orange was "that girl" and and OMG, it is such a lovely happy color in my palette. So smooth and nice. It rewets easily and is always ready to have a good time. I ordered a single tiny tube and was accidentally sent a box of three, so I think it was meant to be the right one for me. I am encouraged to look at the cerulean since you pointed out its not as granulating as others. Also that Winsor Blue Red you showed looks like it might be a nice blue for me in place of an Ultramarine. I am NOT a fan of granulation at all so I have been on a quest to find colors that are alternatives to popular but granulating colors like Ultramarine. The one I can't seem to find yet is a Cobalt Turquoise. I think WN is supposed to be least granulating though, so I may grab that one eventually.
Hi Adria! If you don't like granulation so much, a brand you MUST try is M Graham. Their watercolors are pure butter and I believe they have a cobalt turquoise or cobalt teal that you might like. Both they and Sennelier have the smoothest least granulating French Ultramarines I've found by the way. Thanks for watching!!
@@Pointebrush Thanks! That’s super helpful. I will look at them for sure.
Schmincke has two versions of ultramarine. The ultramarine finest is non-granulating.
Well done and presented. I would love if you could also give the pigment number. It would be very helpful
Indigo,rosedore,Venetian red,cerulean blue,Windsor velvet,Q magenta,sap green,Windsor orange red hue,Windsor yellow deep,winsorblue red shade.
Love your descriptions of colour.
Thank you!!
Winsor and Newton is my go to brand with Sennelier and Daniel Smith coming next. Some of my favorite W&N colors are Aqua Green, Gamboge, and Permanent Rose.
Wonderful choices! 🙌
Fab. W&N is locally available in the US. Delightful video!
Im impressed by this video, thank you so much for sharing!! I know what colors to get next ❤
Thank you this was very interesting. I would love to know your top 10 in Daniel Smith and Schminke. Many thanks
Yes! Coming soon!!
Wonderful video 💕. I love W&N and in spite of it being pretty expensive in my country, it's the one that's most widely imported and used. I've tried others as well, but the ease with which it's possible to work with W&N is just awesome.
My favourite colours? I love Cobalt Violet and Permanent Mauve because both are capable of creating subtle hints of purple shining through when used in the underpainting which add so much glow to the finished piece. Quinacridone Gold is another one that I find most useful, though I haven't tried their latest formulation yet. And Payne's Gray is such a gorgeous shade to work in monocrome.
What country do you live in if you don’t mind me asking? Thank you for sharing your choices! ❤️🙏
I'd love to listen about the other brands. As for Winsor & Newton, I love your top 10. I also love Quinacridone Gold & Quinacridone Violet, they look amazing even on super cheap paper, and 8 other including Permanent Sap Green. It's just I have too many hobbies to have time to paint something decent with them😀 I mostly like florals but want to have my palette to be ready for everything.
Hi Ani! Quin Gold was on my list but got booted by magenta for top 10 😂 and I know the feeling of wanting to be stocker and prepped for anything and everything!
You convinced me. Winsor yellow deep. I think W&N made a mistake using both Winsor Lemon and the colour next to it, Winsor Yellow in their 6 colour primary range. I think Winsor Yellow Deep makes a much better warm yellow because of the range of mixes you demonstrate.
Cerulean... merry. For me, their Manganese Blue Hue is nicer. Maybe that's because UK skies tend to be less bright. Another brand new revival colour is Ultramarine Ash. I love it's greenish grey tones. It also uses left over pigment after extracting French Ultramarine, so appeals to my eco concern for the planet - a little - but the soft buttery colour is a perfect metallic sheen or shadows on clouds and distant landscape hills through sea mist. Coupled with Davys Grey or Terre Verte Yellow shade and dabs of Naples Yellow Deep you have misty islands that are just waking to morning light. Ultramarine Ash is a nice shadow for orangy skin tones without being too dark. I'm mourning Quinacridone Gold, but Transparent Gold Deep is a close substitute that I really like. Quinacridone Violet and Opera Rose I love to mix with just a little Transparent Yellow or Quin Gold/Transparent Gold Deep to make the mating pinkish grey plumage of a wood pigeons chest. The show off bird struts along right outside our patio! Lastly, Small Dumonts Blue. It's blue but has a hint of soft mauve that stays bright. Just a hint of pinkish red or a splash of Quin Violet or a darker blue tips the perfect balance like a weighing scale where you might add a hint more of this flavour or another to make your favourite cookery dish extra special. Please look again at Winsor and Newtons new colours!
Thank you for this. I would love to see your top favorites in the other brands. Thank you!
i don't know if i could begin to say my favorites! lemon yellow, new gamboge, permanent rose, wb1, wb2, ultramarine, prussian, sap... well i just can't narrow it down more. i have favorites from many other brands and look forward to more vids! i just found your channel so maybe you have already made some!
I love all the colors and I also like all my colors to be smooth.
I cannot think of any color I don't love, but in your list, the Indigo and Rose Dore are most intriguing, and I will be adding them to my resources. I favor Daniel Smith, but have used that brand for many years, being from the Seattle area..... :)
Daniel Smith is wonderful! I’m actually doing a top 10 of my faves from them very soon! Can’t wait to share 😜
I'm all for a series. I am just beginning. How about M Graham, A. Gallo, Isoro?
Patty-I want to thank you for sharing your opinion.
Those are all on my bucket list! Thinking of getting A Gallo for my birthday this year so we’ll see!! Which A Gallo set are you intrigued about?
Wamt to second those requests above M Graham, A Gallo, Isaro, Da Vinci. And of course DS and Sennelier. Also wondering if you have had a chance to develop favorites in Qor, Roman Szmal, MaimeriBlu, Michael Harding, Rembrandt, or Blockx? Or Old Holland or Holbein?
Hi, Margot! I just watched this video after watching your Daniel Smith Top 10 - Thank you for both! I will definitely be curating my collection from among your suggestions!
I only started watercolor a few years ago. When I did, I bought a set of tubes from Amazon by Shin Han; are you familiar? I mention it because they have a lovely cerulean blue that washes nicely and doesn't granulate. Obviously, you're happy with W&N, but soemtimes it's nice to have options.
Love your channel!!
My personal favorite is Transparent Orange. I also love their Burnt Sienna (I much prefer PR101 over PBr7) and Prussian Blue.
I like their Raw Sienna for its golden tone. It dries kind of hard, so I'm going to try DS's light version and see if it has the same goldenness. I use the WN Cotman Dioxazine Violet in the studio. It rewets fairly easily and is good for anything less than large, broad washes, in which case I just put out fresh paint.
Great choices! And for academic watercolors, nothing beats W&N’s Cotman range!
The Winsor Newton top ten was great fun , I started a wish list, Winsor Blue and Violet are on it. I love using Indigo, a looking for Rose. Please continue this series, you are a wonderful teacher and Artist! How about you, creating a set including all the above, and perhaps a surprise color or two. I would surely purchase a Margot Hallac Watercolor Set! Karen Dirmish, watcher and learner! 11:37
Wonderful topic Thankyou. Have I missed your top 10 colours of schminche please?
An enjoyable video, thank you! I only have an ancient W&N Cotman 12 full pan set from 25-30 years ago with the standard colors of a small set. I would be very interested in your top ten favorites in other brands. 😊
Your Cotmans are considered “vintage” at this point 😉 Definitely will be turning this into a series now that it sounds like everyone likes it 👍
@@Pointebrush 😅👍
The only W&N Professional color have is Potters pink. W&N was the first to make this color, so I chose them for historical significance. You have me now on the lookout for a good price on their Rose Doré -- but it must be precious pigments because 💰💰💰
You and I have VERY similar tastes in what we are looking for. ❤
I love hearing that! Daniel Smith roundup will come next and I’m intrigued to see if we share the same tastes there too 🤗
@@Pointebrush I paint them out and think "yikes, garish" from time to time and heard you say that. Lol
I LOVE W&N. They do get a bad rap sometimes because of the high prices and the less-exciting Earth tones selection. And I do think those are justified; I really wish they would've gone back to the drawing board on the Earth tones. The mixed pigments and weird Raw Sienna just leaves more to be desired. However, all of the other colors are absolutely amazing, extremely pigmented, and very predictable and easy to use.
Dioxaxine Violet was the very first color I ever swatched (and very first watercolor I ever tried) and I couldn't believe how concentrated and vivid it was. I also love Permanent Rose- it is more "neutral" than Daniel Smith's (less cool) so it works well not only as a standalone rose but also a mixing "cool red".
I also find W&N's Yellow Ochre to be superior to Daniel Smith's. I've heard people say DS' version is more transparent, but I have tested them side-by-side multiple times and W&N's yellow ochre has a prettier gradient to it and paints out more smoothly.
If I could add two colours to the list, I would add Potter’s Pink and Cobalt Turquoise Light. Those are the two paints that made me try W&N. I find that Potter’s Pink is one of the colours that is very different in every brand, and I found W&N’s more fun to play with than Schmincke’s. I really like the mixes I can create with Cobalt Turquoise Light. Most Cobalt Turquoise colours from other brands can be recreated by adding a bit of Phthalo Green, and the bright greens that can be made add so much more versatility to my palette. + Honourable mention to Perylene Maroon.
Fabulous choices! I love them both and you're right that W&N's potter's pink is one of the best of all brands! Thanks for watching!
@@Pointebrush Hi, Margot. Quite excited to see you have responded. I have just seen a video on lightfastness testing, and although it is not your biggest concern, W&N's Opera Rose has performed exceptionally well, and had barely faded after a year. I know you use the colour. I wanted to mention that it might be worth looking into.
Hola; mis favoritos son los perilenos, especialmente el verde, que es simplemente perfecto para sombras de vegetación, lagos y aguas quietas...etc. El azul Small Dumont, la aureolina y la siena tostada. Tengo muchos otros, pero esos son mis favoritos.
Gracias y saludos.
❤️❤️❤️
Windsor blue and windsor red are insustituible. I ADORE them
I agree that you can't go wrong with W&N. LOVE their Rose Doré. They are a staple in my palette. The only negative I have is that they are not very daring. Which I why I have other brands too :). Would love to see what your faves are in other brands for sure.
Oh I 100% agree with you Monique! W&N to me is like the little black dress of watercolors. You can’t go wrong and it’s timeless, but sometimes you can use a little more excitement 😜
@@Pointebrush Perfect analogy!!
Oh what a beautiful map of Italy, and lemons, and cypresses, and fields, and Pisa, and the Colosseum, and the gondola, and...! 💚🤍❤🍋
Thank you! Ahhh Italy, makes me wish I could just hop onto a plane sighhhhh
Do you cut your swatch paper or is it available commercially. What dimensions? And what type of brush do you use?
I would love to hear about your favorite Daniel Smith colors.
You ask and I deliver, Brenda 😉👍💕
Hands down the best review of pigment/ paints ever!!! The explanations and articulation is ….. chefs kiss. ❤
WN’s transparent orange is the one non-Daniel Smith color with a forever home on my palette. It’s one of those colors that just makes me happy looking at it! Is it bright? YES! I guess I tend to have a lot of bright colors…it’s easy to neutralize a bright, but if you start with an already somewhat neutralized color on the palette, you can never get that pure color. A lot of what we each pick has to do with our subjects, and it may be August now, but that is Spring up on Mt. Rainier still, with lots of bright wildflowers around (and, uh, traffic cones lol…lot of road re-building this year). New subscriber here…really enjoying your videos!
Lemon yellow fav
This is the first time seeing your video, I'm slowly building up my color repertoire and I added some of the colors you reviewed to my list. I don't know if W&N makes this color, but I've seen it before and absolutely love it - it's Chinese Orange. It's like a burnt orange but it almost has a depth of like a little Perylene Maroon or Burnt Sienna in it and not brown. I love how clear and precise you explain and demonstrate things without blaring music in the background like some channels do, and I'd love to see more review videos from you so I can add new colors to my list - greetings from NYC!! 😄🤗🗽🧑🎨🖌️🎨🖼️💖
I know exactly what kind of orange you’re talking about! Sennelier has one that’s marvelous which I love! Daniel Smith is coming next so stay tuned!! Thank you for watching 🙏
@@Pointebrush That's awesome - thank you! 😄🤗💖
Because I have more daniel smith , I would love your top ten....and maybe da Vinci. Then there is m.Graham, which is on my studio palette.
I’d love to see other brands in other Watercolor ranges too 😊 I’m not keen on Winsor&Newton 😄
Daniel Smith is coming next! Can’t wait to share. What are your favorite brands?
Next brand: Sennelier! Especially if you have their Jaune Sophie. The name has such a sophisticated, fancy ring to it - so French! 😂
Yes!! I can absolutely do Sennelier and I hear you on Jaune Sophie (I believe it’s named after Sophie Sennelier who is the fourth generation of the family). I’m kind of rekindling an old flame with Sennelier so that would be the perfect opportunity to revisit their collection
What was the gold you used on your black swan painting. I loved the idea of this video you did an excellent Job and I would love to see you do it with more brands
Ah yes! That was Golden fluid acrylic in iridescent gold deep! I highly recommend it for adding metallic touches!
I am not sure what Cerulean you've got, because mine (Cerulean Blue made with PB 35) granulates just as much as any other similar paint from other manufacturers.
I like your video. I’m a newbie and just got a W&N travel size pallete in “floral” color set. It has 8 of those little Cotman pigments. Maybe you can clarify something for me. I want to add an “earthy” tone to my set. If I get a color that comes in a tube and squish it out into one of the compartments, will it harden up and work as a solid pigment? Or do I have to specifically look for those pigments?
Hi Vira! Welcome! So tubes can absolutely be squeezed out into pans and will harden in the compartments to function like your other paints. So you can mix and match as you please. Winsor & Newton can be more difficult to rewet sometimes depending on the color so I recommend buying a cheap spray bottle and lightly spritzing your paints about 1-2 minutes before you use them and they’ll be much juicier and softer to pick up 😉
@@Pointebrush thank you! I couldn’t find the information anywhere haha. And thanks for the great tip about spraying the paints before using 👍🏻
Yes please make this for DS etc. as well - so helpful!
Daniel Smith is coming next month! I can’t wait to share 😜
Some colors are quite unique that it is not uncommon to see polarized reviews. I guess no one will reject some certain colors such as ultramarine and quin rose in almost every brands.
Great video! If you're interested in another professional artists perspective on Winsor &Newtons top colors, please check out Kimberly Cricks UA-cam video labeled "Top 20 Winsor and Newton Professional
Watercolor Review 109 Dot Card Unique &
Granulating Palette." Kimberly Crick focuses on not only the science behind the pigments but, of course, the way they move and paint. So anyone looking to add a few extra interested paints to the top 10 listed in this video, I definitely recommend you check out Kimberly Cricks' video after this one. Anyway, this is a great video. Thank you for putting it together and sharing.🩵💜
I love Kimberly Crick! I read her blog like the Wall Street journal 🤣 I’ll check out her video too!
I’ve only tried W&N’s new formulation Madder Brown. Meh 😐
Having said that, I do wish to try the paints that are unique to them such as Transparent Orange, Smalt (which is not Smalt at all), Turner’s Yellow, Permanent Carmine, Rose Madder Genuine, Cobalt Blue Deep, Aqua Green, and Magnesium Brown.
I have most of those colors. 😉 You know where to find me. 😆
@@TracyIndy Indeed O do 🙂
Great choices! I've been dying to use Smalt more in my work. Will have to dig it out of it's hiding place and use it!
@Margot Hallac I really love the Dumonts blue, which is a completely different composition than actual Smalt. All of those colors would make a stunning addition to your brilliant paintings. It's so funny.....I'm filling half pans right now with PV15. 💓
Brest video! thank you, Silvia
Hello, Jim from Madrid (Spain).
I really liked this video about W&N watercolours because I don't find many that seem "reliable" in comparison to other Brands (Daniel Smith, Schminke Horadam, etc.) And in Spain (at least) W&N Professional is an affordable option compared to others, but I sometimes hear issues with it, such as harder to re-wet, for example.
I do believe that an analysis and comparison of different brands is a great idea.
THANK you for sharing your views and knowledge! Cheers from Madrid!
Hola Jim from Madrid! Interesting thoughts! What do you mean by reliable? Are you talking about how they work and interact on paper or more of a storage and rewetting aspect? I do find that W&N are not as buttery when rewet compared to other brands when you’re wetting your paints with a brush. However, one thing I love doing is to prep paints with either a spray bottle or a couple of drops of water from a dropper 5-10 minutes before you start painting and you’ll see that your paints spring to life with more ease (especially a dryer brand like WN) Hope this helps and let me know your thoughts!
@@Pointebrush Hi Margot! Thank you for your input. And yes, I feel that W&N dry faster than other brands (like Daniel Smith, for example) even while painting, which was something that bothered me a bit. But, they are great watercolor paints, don't get me wrong, and they are very affordable and easy to buy here in Spain. Again, thanks for taking the time to answer and yes, Madrid is a great city to live in, not only because of the mild winters (though hot summers) but also because of the food, the people and a lot of history... It's a comfortable city, if you know what I mean. Cheers from Madrid!
W/N not reliable!???They were the leading brand in the world for more than a century for a reason. Yes they are harder to wet than newer brands that use honey binders but they are hardly "difficult to rewet. "
Do you have issues with granulation with W&N Rose Dore?
Not at all. I find it very smooth and easy to work with.
My w&n cerulean blue granulated a lot .wish it didnt
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), one of the properties of most ceruleans is granulation. It's part of that family of pigments, alongside ultramarine, potter's pink and cobalt among others that is known to do that. If you like non granulating cerulean hues, an old trick is to mis phtalo blue with some white and that should get you something similar in color but with minimal granulation 😉
Did you already do the daniel smith one?
Scheduled for tomorrow!