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I labeled the brand and color beneath each sample, although my handwriting never improved past about a 2nd grade level, so if you can't read any of them and want to know, just ask.My oldest paints are the Winsor & Newton Cotman paints, a student line but they seem to be of fairly good quality and have some nice colors. I've done at least a dozen ink and wash paintings using only the W&N paints you see here: earth colors. They work well together and are great for sketching/painting landscapes and fall scenery.
The Van Gogh and Grumbacher paints are also student paints that I pick up sometimes at art stores when they're on sale. You can find them extremely cheap and they seem to be very good paints for the money. For around $2, I can't find anything to beat them for cost/quantity/quality in a student paint for sketching or adding color to ink drawings.
I really like the Maimeri Blu paints. Their Cobalt Blue is completely awesome even though it's really expensive, and their Cadmium colors are very vibrant, the only fault I have with them (Cadmium in general as a watercolor pigment) is that they are so opaque. That does have its uses, though.
The blue is a bit grainy but really potent, it mixes up some nice purples or greens with ease.
The earth colors are good. I strongly recommend you at least try their blues and siennas. From what I've red, they make some good violet colors as well.
Viridian is a nice sea-green color and I've found it useful for painting plants.
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Interesting collection of colors. How did you come up with this particular combination? Just bought them as you needed them or there was some strategy behind it?
ReplyDeleteI am curios because I am working on a list of pigments of tube colors. I decided to go with Daniel Smith brand, but my list keeps being modified. I started with 12 portrait colors, added "must-have's", like sepia, indigo, prussian blue. Then some portratists I know added a few things. Then my watercolor instructor said that I only need a warm primary triad, a cool primary triad and a darkening tint. So I don't know what to do anymore, LOL...
Alex
I see what you mean about pigment differences. You burnt umber is more burgundy then mine, mine is closer to your Maimeri raw umber. My Cotman raw umber is much lighter and almost yellow. Crazy!
ReplyDeleteAh, it's quite a decision picking colors!
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read, Daniel Smith, M. Graham, Maimeri, and W&N are all top-tier brands. I still want to try some Daniel Smith and Graham colors, I know the Grahams use honey which is pretty neat.
I acquired these colors in "batches". The oldest ones are the W&N and Rowney colors. I bought them to add washes to ink drawings as they looked like they'd complement them well.
The next ones I got were the Maimeri paints when I wanted to buy some artist quality paints for full-color paintings. I picked the colors that had absolute maximum lightfastness.
The other ones I just picked up as I went. I like blue and purple colors so I collect them also.
I know what your instructor means about the two triads... for example, it's difficult to mix a good, warm pink with the colors I have (that's why I got the Thio Violet) because I don't have a full warm/cool set of each color.
The colors are skewed a little toward bright red on my monitor, on paper the Raw Umber has a slight yellow-green hue to it and the burnt siennas aren't quite as red as they are here.