Mini review to follow. I rate these Van Gogh watercolor paints positively. I have few issues with them, I like them, and I trust them. My impression is that the raw pigments are trustworthy and lightfast, but the binder is synthetic (cheaper production cost from that aspect)... Note: I've never used the pan sets or commercial pans. I use dried tube paints in a porcelain palette or DIY dried pans, with no problems. The only exception among the colors I have is the Turquoise Green, which (as you also noted) is harder to rewet. Downside: Paper compatibility makes more of a difference than with other paint brands. They are best, for me, on absorbent watercolor papers. The synthetic binder can cause the paints to act less than expected, and possibly lift too easily, on papers with "hard" sizing. I believe this may be due to interactions between paper sizing and paint binder; more than a straight quality issue per se... Downside 2: The tubes are kinda thin metal. If a cap gets stuck, I have to put it under hot water and gently work it so as to not twist-wrack the tube itself... Downside 3: One tube color went 'off' (spoiled?) after sitting unused for years. It's possible it was a fluke; it's also possible the synthetic binder may have a slightly shorter shelf life. Upside for me: They are inexpensive, without being too much of a compromise. Something about that truly pleases me. The company even offers some specialty options (interference, metallic, and 'dusk' granulating colors). As a consequence, I own a full array of tube colors at a reasonable price... I store DIY dried pans in a small tin that I reach for often; especially when I want to mess around, due to their low price point. I also keep a few pans of certain custom DIY pre-mixes that I enjoy for monochrome studies (like their black oxide + blues, for a kind of granulating indigo). More often than not, I'm also using multiple types of pens/liners, pencils, crayons, pastels, etc., as part of sketches. Overall, I have many brands of paints; and yet I still like these for sketches, studies, and mixed media. I also (for me) see no problem using them for formal finished pieces. The upsides (to be aware of) are enough to balance out the downsides (to also be aware of). If all my paints were stolen or something (God forbid), I would actually buy these again if I had to; and I figure that's a good gauge on whether I really like them or not... Disclaimer: Just my opinion. These experiences are my own. I cannot guarantee others would have the same experience or form similar opinions. Regards!
Thank you for your thoughts on these paints! I was thinking the same thing as far as the pigment vs. binder. I believe Royal Talens is a trust worthy company, so I'm sure we can trust the pigments. But it is a reasonably priced paint so it is likely that the binder is what makes it budget friendly. Which is also likely the reason that they have the finish they have. I think next time I will try them on a different paper as well, maybe on a cold pressed paper, just to see how they differ. I really do like these for mixed media and am excited to see what else can be done with them. Thanks again for your well thought out comment. It helps me and others to get a better idea of these paints!
The most natural colored paint(s). I find Rembrandt and Van Gogh spread in a controlled manner more so than other brands. They also glaze very well. I have this set (plus 2 of the others) and I like it. I use them for general paintings even though I have quite a few Pro paints. I consider them more “Intermediate” than student. Thanks for your review.
The other end of the paintbrush has a pointy tool on it that lets you pry off the palette. Just put it in the small slat and pry it off. There is a large mixing area below it plus easier to clean the palette if you’re into that. Nice review.
I’ve got the four dusk colours (which are bright colours mixed with a granulating black) and I love them! I also bought that black on its own (Oxide Black PBk11), which is not too strong, and the Davy’s Grey which is a great version of that colour. I bought the tubes and added them to a granulating palette that I set up. I think they are fantastic for a student grade paint. Their “big brother” is Rembrandt, the artist grade version, but I haven’t tried them myself. The travel brush is a joke! I had one which kept falling apart while painting so it’s not something I use.
Ooh the four dusk colors sound amazing, and the black too! I will have to check that out! I will also have to look into the Rembrandt paint, I haven't tried them yet either! I agree with what you said about the brush, it's a fun idea in theory, but not in execution.
@@CautionArtistatPlay I used the dusk colours together with some other granulating paints for a picture of succulents - the green in particular is amazing, it looks quite dull at first but then the black and green start to separate and it’s so much fun to watch!
Under the mixing palette is another mixing palette. Use the end of your brush and insert the tool end into the small hole in top palette and remove it giving you two mixing palettes🙂 I have Van Gogh paint and love it!
*very exciting to see that these paints are available as an open stock option...really like the muted colors in this set...very desirable and very much the ones i gravitate towards in my own work... still building/assembling my own specially palette's when i have the funds to do so (which really gets in the way when you are OCD)...mostly inks as of this writing although i do have some really nice watercolor shades which interact/blend with each other in very nice ways...always enjoy your tutorials*
They are lovely colors! They offer so many fun little palettes, there are a couple others I am intrigued by. It is good that they are available open stock, perfect for making your own palette! Thank you for watching and for your comment as always Scott, I really appreciate it!
Unrelated but it's sad that PR206 Quinacridone burnt orange is now discontinued. Golden don't have the individual colour in their acrylic range on their website anymore and the mixes that had this colour have now changed. Winsor and Newton have changed their colour mixes such as Quinacridone gold watercolour, brown madder and permanent alizarin crimson. So first Quinacridone gold PO49, now PR206 and also Ive heard PO48 being discontinued as well. They better not discontinue the other Quinacridone colours now.
I love my VanGogh's, but I definitely have seen the dullness, I dont know too much about watercolors, but I know my way around, and I thought, I started thinking the dullness was just my imagination.. good review, thank you..❤
Oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only one who had that experience with them! I do think they are fun to play with, and they are still beautiful. They just didn't seem to pack a punch the way some others do. Thank you for watching!
This is in between professional and student, Very affordable, not stsy in place like other student colours so gives you a real taste of what wet in wet czn really do. Beware though. most of them are staining.
Interesting, because Van Gogh and Rembrandt are known to be shiny when dry if too much paint is on the paper (just as shiny as they are in the pans, like in your video). Perhaps your paper sizing isn't so good? The sizing on the Fluid 100 paper isn't so good with all brands and paints.
Van gogh is a Student brand. They are one of the better student brands however. I find most of their colors are just not very good... the tinting strength always seems low. The transparent colours are not really. They are also a bit Chalky. (most student brands are) Having said that they are inexpensive and a few colors do compare well. The frustration is just figuring out which ones are worth using. I have used a handful of these and I can't say I'll ever replace them when I use them up. Sure it costs a little more to buy an artist brand... but they tint, and 5ml of a Daniel Smith or a W&N will go just as far as the larger VanG tubes. At this point most of my palette is M. Graham with some DS and W&N mixed in. Even if your starting its worth spending the extra for a the Artist grade. If your budget doesn't like it... restrict yourself to a solid starter set with 6-8 colours, do the Warm Cool primaries with a Neutral tint and perhaps 1 or 2 earths and your golden.
Thanks for letting us know about your experience with these! I also love M. Graham, I have a palette I made with a bunch of their colors, and they are beautiful to work with.
Mini review to follow. I rate these Van Gogh watercolor paints positively. I have few issues with them, I like them, and I trust them. My impression is that the raw pigments are trustworthy and lightfast, but the binder is synthetic (cheaper production cost from that aspect)... Note: I've never used the pan sets or commercial pans. I use dried tube paints in a porcelain palette or DIY dried pans, with no problems. The only exception among the colors I have is the Turquoise Green, which (as you also noted) is harder to rewet.
Downside: Paper compatibility makes more of a difference than with other paint brands. They are best, for me, on absorbent watercolor papers. The synthetic binder can cause the paints to act less than expected, and possibly lift too easily, on papers with "hard" sizing. I believe this may be due to interactions between paper sizing and paint binder; more than a straight quality issue per se... Downside 2: The tubes are kinda thin metal. If a cap gets stuck, I have to put it under hot water and gently work it so as to not twist-wrack the tube itself... Downside 3: One tube color went 'off' (spoiled?) after sitting unused for years. It's possible it was a fluke; it's also possible the synthetic binder may have a slightly shorter shelf life.
Upside for me: They are inexpensive, without being too much of a compromise. Something about that truly pleases me. The company even offers some specialty options (interference, metallic, and 'dusk' granulating colors). As a consequence, I own a full array of tube colors at a reasonable price... I store DIY dried pans in a small tin that I reach for often; especially when I want to mess around, due to their low price point. I also keep a few pans of certain custom DIY pre-mixes that I enjoy for monochrome studies (like their black oxide + blues, for a kind of granulating indigo). More often than not, I'm also using multiple types of pens/liners, pencils, crayons, pastels, etc., as part of sketches. Overall, I have many brands of paints; and yet I still like these for sketches, studies, and mixed media. I also (for me) see no problem using them for formal finished pieces.
The upsides (to be aware of) are enough to balance out the downsides (to also be aware of). If all my paints were stolen or something (God forbid), I would actually buy these again if I had to; and I figure that's a good gauge on whether I really like them or not... Disclaimer: Just my opinion. These experiences are my own. I cannot guarantee others would have the same experience or form similar opinions. Regards!
Thank you for your thoughts on these paints! I was thinking the same thing as far as the pigment vs. binder. I believe Royal Talens is a trust worthy company, so I'm sure we can trust the pigments. But it is a reasonably priced paint so it is likely that the binder is what makes it budget friendly. Which is also likely the reason that they have the finish they have.
I think next time I will try them on a different paper as well, maybe on a cold pressed paper, just to see how they differ.
I really do like these for mixed media and am excited to see what else can be done with them. Thanks again for your well thought out comment. It helps me and others to get a better idea of these paints!
The most natural colored paint(s). I find Rembrandt and Van Gogh spread in a controlled manner more so than other brands. They also glaze very well. I have this set (plus 2 of the others) and I like it.
I use them for general paintings even though I have quite a few Pro paints. I consider them more “Intermediate” than student.
Thanks for your review.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these paints. It's a fun little palette! I agree that they feel more intermediate, that's a good word for them!
The other end of the paintbrush has a pointy tool on it that lets you pry off the palette. Just put it in the small slat and pry it off. There is a large mixing area below it plus easier to clean the palette if you’re into that. Nice review.
Oh cool!! I didn't realize that! Thank you for the tip! That's great that the palette offers so many areas to mix!
I’ve got the four dusk colours (which are bright colours mixed with a granulating black) and I love them! I also bought that black on its own (Oxide Black PBk11), which is not too strong, and the Davy’s Grey which is a great version of that colour. I bought the tubes and added them to a granulating palette that I set up. I think they are fantastic for a student grade paint. Their “big brother” is Rembrandt, the artist grade version, but I haven’t tried them myself.
The travel brush is a joke! I had one which kept falling apart while painting so it’s not something I use.
Ooh the four dusk colors sound amazing, and the black too! I will have to check that out! I will also have to look into the Rembrandt paint, I haven't tried them yet either! I agree with what you said about the brush, it's a fun idea in theory, but not in execution.
@@CautionArtistatPlay I used the dusk colours together with some other granulating paints for a picture of succulents - the green in particular is amazing, it looks quite dull at first but then the black and green start to separate and it’s so much fun to watch!
Fun!! That's exciting!
Under the mixing palette is another mixing palette. Use the end of your brush and insert the tool end into the small hole in top palette and remove it giving you two mixing palettes🙂 I have Van Gogh paint and love it!
Cool!! Thanks for the tip!! 💖
*very exciting to see that these paints are available as an open stock option...really like the muted colors in this set...very desirable and very much the ones i gravitate towards in my own work... still building/assembling my own specially palette's when i have the funds to do so (which really gets in the way when you are OCD)...mostly inks as of this writing although i do have some really nice watercolor shades which interact/blend with each other in very nice ways...always enjoy your tutorials*
They are lovely colors! They offer so many fun little palettes, there are a couple others I am intrigued by. It is good that they are available open stock, perfect for making your own palette! Thank you for watching and for your comment as always Scott, I really appreciate it!
Those looks pretty nice. I love your artwork.
Thank you Teresa!! 💖
Unrelated but it's sad that PR206 Quinacridone burnt orange is now discontinued. Golden don't have the individual colour in their acrylic range on their website anymore and the mixes that had this colour have now changed. Winsor and Newton have changed their colour mixes such as Quinacridone gold watercolour, brown madder and permanent alizarin crimson.
So first Quinacridone gold PO49, now PR206 and also Ive heard PO48 being discontinued as well.
They better not discontinue the other Quinacridone colours now.
I hope not! I love all the Quinacridone colors!
I love my VanGogh's, but I definitely have seen the dullness, I dont know too much about watercolors, but I know my way around, and I thought, I started thinking the dullness was just my imagination.. good review, thank you..❤
Oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only one who had that experience with them! I do think they are fun to play with, and they are still beautiful. They just didn't seem to pack a punch the way some others do. Thank you for watching!
This is in between professional and student, Very affordable, not stsy in place like other student colours so gives you a real taste of what wet in wet czn really do. Beware though. most of them are staining.
Thank you for the information!
If you're still using VG paint, they are a lot of fun on toned paper.
Good to know! Thanks for the tip!!
Interesting, because Van Gogh and Rembrandt are known to be shiny when dry if too much paint is on the paper (just as shiny as they are in the pans, like in your video). Perhaps your paper sizing isn't so good? The sizing on the Fluid 100 paper isn't so good with all brands and paints.
It's possible. I will have to try them on different paper at some point to see if there is a difference.
You need degas to make the van gogh 😉 😁
😂😂😂😂😂 I love it!!
Van gogh is a Student brand. They are one of the better student brands however. I find most of their colors are just not very good... the tinting strength always seems low. The transparent colours are not really. They are also a bit Chalky. (most student brands are) Having said that they are inexpensive and a few colors do compare well. The frustration is just figuring out which ones are worth using. I have used a handful of these and I can't say I'll ever replace them when I use them up. Sure it costs a little more to buy an artist brand... but they tint, and 5ml of a Daniel Smith or a W&N will go just as far as the larger VanG tubes. At this point most of my palette is M. Graham with some DS and W&N mixed in. Even if your starting its worth spending the extra for a the Artist grade. If your budget doesn't like it... restrict yourself to a solid starter set with 6-8 colours, do the Warm Cool primaries with a Neutral tint and perhaps 1 or 2 earths and your golden.
Thanks for letting us know about your experience with these! I also love M. Graham, I have a palette I made with a bunch of their colors, and they are beautiful to work with.