There's something called shrinkflation happening, too, especially with food products. Smaller quantity but same price so we don't realize we're being manipulated into thinking the price has stayed the same as we're used to. But we're wise to them, aren't we!! LOL.
"We are too poor to buy cheap stuff" I heard once. I buy less stuff, but good stuff. I haven't seen a change in my materials. It is tempting to buy a budget brand...but I always think that if I saved that money, I would end up with better quality stuff in my stash in the long term. I stick to well established brands l, who invest in R&D, quality control and safe, tried production methods. I also appreciate companies that publish details about their pigments, production materials and methods. You don't get that with "no brand" or white label branded products. Sometimes companies shift production to countries with no sound safety or quality control standards for cost reasons. That is a 🚩 for me. Companies that do not publish their safety data info is also a 🚩. Most European brands are required to do that and this increases trust. I haven't seen changes in the brands I use, such as Schmincke, Caran d'Ache, Sennelier, Maimeri Blu or brushes from Rosemary, Jackson's or Da Vinci. Thanks for kicking the debate off. I am intrigued to see what other artists are experiencing.
"We are too poor to busy cheap stuff" has always been my family's attitude (not that we are actually poor.). We had good art supplies as children (some of my paintings are still on the wall at my mother's house) and I always gave my son good art supplies. Everything else can be annoying and frustrating.
Yes! And the fact that I am worth the best! There is a difference ~ especially with paper! You can make subpar paper work ~ but why? Just save for better quality!
As always, there's a lot of great, well-researched information in this video, and clear disclosure when a point is speculative, which we appreciate. We're all experiencing the "new normal" of smaller package sizes and it seems like everyone is expressing a generally less satisfactory consumer experience in obtaining the things we need from day to day. Please don't take this as as a condemnation of what was presented here, or even a blanket rebuttal. We'd just like to speak up for some of the trusted vendors who are continuing to deliver great products and excellent value for artists, and help shed light on some instances where product changes are occurring due to pro-consumer concerns, and not at all as an excuse for cheapness. Apologies for the length of this comment- it's a big topic, and as always we like to err on the side of disclosure and transparency. Plus, we're kind of bad at editing for length so please be kind ;-) There have definitely been some changes in certain products over the decades, and we can share what we know about a couple of these developments. What was stated about the art materials industry being subject to changes in pigment sourcing and manufacturing is absolutely true- we represent only a small consumer of these commodities, and any artist who has been working for more than a couple of years probably has seen a few colors retired or reformulated because of this. (Car tires are the #1 use for amorphous carbon black, and products like carbon pencils or lamp black oil paint are well down the list for the amount of that pigment consumed.) That's been the case for a long time, and it's unlikely to change. Oil painters have very recently noticed an almost overnight change in the behavior of white paints and light-tint convenience mixtures with sharp reduction and elimination of use of zinc white pigment in oils. This was the result of conservation studies that identified negative effects on aging paint films containing zinc. Zinc white pigment is excellent for masking the natural yellow/amber color of linseed oil, and artists have noted that titanium white paint without zinc can have a slightly less neutral color. Zinc also promotes pigment suspension in oil, and without zinc, there can be increased shedding of excess oil, which some artists have incorrectly assumed is an indication that overall pigment load was decreased. Technical issues with zinc white only impact oil paints, so there's no reason for concern with acrylics or other types of paint relating to use of that pigment. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and if "green-washing" is how one interprets availability of toxicologist-certified safe products, that's up to the individual. These concerns originated with artists and educators, who have to be in daily physical contact with art supplies for decades over a career, and in the case of teachers, adhere to institutional rules on what is used in the classroom. Real, working artists participated in ASTM panels that set mandatory and voluntary standards for art materials testing and labeling, so these are not marketing campaigns created by corporations. Many reading this would recognize names of some of the panel members as respected peers. Safety and labeling standards are mutually agreed-upon by consumers, producers, and vendors, and in some cases, they are the law. That's why it's so confusing when we see artists waiving these protections by purchasing overseas-direct products that carry no disclosure of contents, with no accountability if a consumer wants to investigate the actual tests performed by a real health care professional. Several brands have launched Cadmium-Free color assortments, and while we can't speak for every manufacturer, our partner company Utrecht Art Supplies undertook a major product development process to create their Cadmium Free sub-assortment, which is in no way a "re-branding" of Cadmium Hues. Utrecht already had Cadmium Hue equivalents for reds, oranges, and yellows, but those were developed long ago as "best effort" substitutions to offer lower cost, safer alternatives. Each color in the Utrecht Cadmium Free range was independently developed to have all essential benefits of real cadmium- tint strength, covering power, lightfastness, and an authentic mass-tone match for the original- using pigments that were safe enough to carry the AP seal of the ACMI (safe for all ages). The pigment content of Cadmium Free is completely different from Cadmium Hue colors, which could not come close to the target performance and appearance for the new line. (Some of the Cadmium Free colorants were not yet available when Cadmium Hues were first introduced). The price of each Utrecht Cadmium Free color is directly reflective of the cost of pigments, product development, and manufacturing. Again, we're very grateful that this channel has opened up these topics for discussion. If anyone has questions to post in comments, we'll do our best to respond. Thanks to all the artists in this community, and to Lindsay!
This was a very extensive, but helpful comment. On the topic of heavy metal pigments, the harm they cause of usually over the period of several years. Also, these pigments if not disposed properly are hazardous for microbial ecosystems. (Speaking based on a few toxicological studies I did as a part of my college course). These pigments, since are finely ground can enter the water bodies where they could be taken up by either sea animals or plants, which might eventually Circle back to us causing bioaccumulation and possible heavy metal poisoning. All that being said, I love my Cobalt teal to the end of this world. 🙊🙈
Don't know much about your own Utrecht products as not really available in my country but....... Green-washing is a VERY profitable marketing ploy. Rebranding, 'new' formulations and clever sophistry has many questionable products re-marketed as a 'desirable' feature.
@@starvingartistscollective Art materials labeling and testing standards are taken seriously where we do business. We think rather than relying on speculation about "marketing ploys", artists will get better results by using trusted brands that offer honest disclosures about their products. We recommend paying attention to the actual standards used for testing, looking at pigment content and lightfastness ratings, and looking for verifiable 3rd party health and safety ratings. That way, nobody has to wonder or guess.
Then why do many companies selling Cadmium Free alternative watercolors (like winsor newton) refuse to disclose any pigment or manufacturing info? These colors are not exact matches for the cadmiums they're supposed to replace. Opacity and lightfastness aren't the same. And they seem to be mixtures of cheaper pigments already used by artists like Quinacridones, Pyrrols, Benzimidazalones and Perylenes. So why are they still charging Cadmium prices? These art supply companies are at the will of pigment manufacturers so they can only use what these manufacturers have made available which means they're using existing pigments that are cheaper than cadmiums. Green washing is a fact in today's world. I'm happy there are systems in place working to keep people and the planet safe, but there's always going to be corporations that take advantage of marketing ploys that jack up prices and cut costs to maximize profit... isn't that the whole point of a corporation? While not all companies do this, it would be reckless and laughable to say that the majority of corporations aren't doing this.
I have been an artist for over 50 years. Back in high school, supplies cost more, however, I still have all my brushes from back then, my set of Grumbacher hard pastels, my set of Grumbacher oil pastels, and a number of Prismacolor colored pencils. I work in a ton of different mediums, so things don't need to be replaced as often. That being said, newer items lack the quality that many of my older supplies have. It's too bad. I believe that being frugal is buying good quality products that will last many years, and that makes them a bargain. Thanks for sharing.
Sitting outside sipping coffee while listening to you. You've become part of my Saturday AM routine. I even began saying that color is "nothing to write home about!"! Lol.... love your Sat Chats. You're a very important part of this Art community!
I guess I don’t understand the concern with “cruelty free” art products, expressing a concern with cruelty to animals when there doesn’t seem to be the same concern regarding the plight of humans in countries recognized to use slave labor to create products. This cheap or even forced free labor is the basis for the cheap prices and ever increasing number of “new and exciting” art products that come on the market. Artists and hobbyists are tempted to buy these products being reviewed, until the next “new and exciting” products come on the market, even if you haven’t used the first ones up. These suspect manufacturers are encouraged by the plethora of art supply review channels who receive their income from having something “new” to review sometimes as often as 2-3 times a week. I think that’s where the examination of conscience ought to be, as well as with the manufacturers themselves who are encouraged to create more and more “different” products and to farm their products out to Chinese companies who are well documented for using slave labor in their factories. We make a hue and cry about Chinese products when it comes to food and clothing being made by the Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities housed in slave labor camps in China. Why would we think that all those various cheap art and craft supplies coming from China are any different or any more ethically manufactured. I’ve even heard art supply reviewers remark that they suspect that some of the paints, palettes, brushes, and such are all made by the same supplier and just relabeled with different product names. Cotman is a good case in point. When they were manufactured in the U.K., they were a very good and reliable student brand. When they were moved to China, the quality changed. And that is only one example. Cotman, and its parent company, Winsor & Newton were bought out by Colart. Colart, or the Colart Group, is a large international supplier of art materials, with subsidiaries and brands such as Winsor & Newton, Liquitex, and Lefranc & Bourgeois, which they bought out over the past couple of decades. The group's head office is situated in London, BUT -and it’s a big “but”- the Colart Group has ten production facilities based in the UK, France, and China. In which of those factories do you think the cheaper products are being made and who do you think the laborers are and how they are paid? I’ve been troubled for some time at what is happening with all these cheap products coming onto our markets in the West. Our discount stores are filled with cheaper Chinese made products. More recently we are being encouraged to “buy local” or to shop in small independent “mom and pop” stores to keep independent farmers or shop owners afloat, not only for their sake but also for our various countries’ economies in general, because of what happens to the jobs of our people when all the manufacturing plants are outsourced and shipped overseas, and we watch our cities and towns fall into decline for lack of jobs. And importantly we have lost control over the quality and safety of our consumer goods. So I will continue to buy Daniel Smith or M. Graham, and others like them, because I know where they are made and that their workers are fairly compensated. I may be able to afford fewer of their products, and I can’t become a “collector” of art supplies, but the products I do buy will last longer and I can happily create my art, which is the whole point of having art supplies to start with, to create with them and enjoy the process of creation, not merely to own them. I don’t mean to offend anyone with the expression of my concerns, but you asked for dialogue from the hive mind about what we think is happening in the art supply world, and this is the way I have been troubled for some time. I would rather own less, whether art supplies or clothing or any product, so that workers could be paid more ethically and not be exploited. If the market for cheap goods is there, the unethical manufacturers will find a way to exploit their workers, even to enslaving them. I sincerely thank you for the opportunity to voice my concerns.
Wonderful comment! Food for thought. I think of pencils popping out of machines in factories but they need people to run them and dig up materials and make pigments. What us the human cost? Great diaoloague!
Well said. I think about this a lot too, every time I open my wallet. Sometimes I think the best solution is to buy nothing, but that’s just not realistic. Less is more, and better for all.
When I was sixteen I was given two sable brushes, lovely brushes. Life got in the way and they were stored for over fifty years and through many more moves than I care to count. There was a great unpack in my latest move and I found them. You can’t buy anything like them.
Hullo, I disagree. If you are willing to buy true natural hair sable brushes you can get Kolinsky brushes that will last a lifetime. With the development of the synthetic hair brushes that are replicating natural hair the new synthetic brushes will be here years later too!
@@mjpete27 While you can buy something “like” those brushes today, the craftsmanship and unique build of products from decades ago (as long as fifty years in this case) will never be replicated today nor in the future. Everything from the type of wood, what the sables were fed, and the ingredients of the glue are different. Not to mention, fifty years ago sable brushes would have been handmade. This is true for all manufactured products - if you can find good quality appliances from the past they will often last another lifetime as they are built to use and fix rather than disposed of when their electronics malfunction as is the case today (often within a very short timeframe).
@@anicelery4764 Just a thought: good sable brushes are, for the most part, still hand-made, simply because the process of making the brushes doesn't lend itself to machine-manufacturing. Sorting the hair is a very intricate business (I've seen it being done). It's one reason why these brushes are so expensive. Eg I know for certain that Rosemary and Co brushes are hand-made - not only because I'm currently waiting for Rosemary to return from the US to make my brush, but because if any brush you want is out of stock, all you need to do is send a message and it will be made for you as soon as is possible.
I agree 100%. I worked for a manufacturer for 13 years in customer service and a logistics/cold storage company for 10 yearsin their accounting and customer service departments . Both companies started out as small, family owned businesses, but the bigger they got the more they cut corners. As a result, quality suffered. Quality of materials, workmanship, and even work ethics of employees. The manufacturer I worked for is no longer in business as a result. That's why I like small companies like Roman Szmal. He takes pride in his product with a hands on approach and it shows. I've even gotten some really good handmade watercolors from someone on Etsy, Addison & Sedgwick, who makes them herself and will provide pigment information if you ask. She's very nice to deal with too. ❤
Yes Lindsay your observations are spot on! In 40 years of art making I've noticed the changes in quality as well. Fewer legacy brand artist's quality products are my best choices now. As for Daniel Smith.....after paying AU$48 for a 15ml tube of Amazonite 'Genuine' only to find out it's phthalo green has 'cured' me of any temptation to buy their products ever again!
I just paid Amazon AU$48 for a few 5ml tubes of Daniel Smith watercolour paints. Way overpriced for the amount of paint. Couldn’t swatch because too little paint.RETURNED them
@@c8Lorraine1 What do you mean that it wasn’t enough for a swatch? I assume a 5ml watercolor tube would more than enough for a swatch. Do you mean that the tube was advertised as 5ml but had less paint inside?
The changes I've noticed are 1) the sizing in artist quality watercolour paper, even Arches, starting around ten years ago. The paint doesn't flow as evenly as it once did and sometimes there are spots that don't accept colour as well and other spots that accept it too well (staining when not a staining colour). I'll find a good replacement and they stop making it (that's happened a number of times). 2) some previously permanent, waterproof liner pens aren't waterproof even after days of drying. The one brand that is still excellent is difficult to get. 3) acrylic mediums are different from batch to batch (even Golden!) This seems to have occurred during/after Covid. 4) there are some high end, very pricey, printed rice papers that aren't colour set--ie. can't get them wet with glue or put media over them. 5) not a quality issue, but a big big problem (at least here in Canada): availability. Our art stores are stocking cheaper student grade or crafting products, or closing up shop... My backup plan: going back to drawing--my first love--because I can draw in the sand with a twig if I must.
I completely agree with your point on Arches! I have stopped buying it altogether. I love Baohong paper, but trying others like Hahnemühle and a few others.
You're a brave soul addressing the Arches "debate." When I posted I wasn't so brave. I will name the brand now... Arches. I couldn't agree more. Its a waste of money now. The last of it I kept buying when good sense should have prevailed I now have to treat to use. It sure has taught me a lot about using my own sizing, etc. But, pigments... that's another matter... can't save the Daniel Smith duds for instance. I still use a couple and nearly hold my breath opening a teensy 5ml new tube because I'm afraid to invest more in it... yeh, its changed that much that fast. M.Grahham is still dependable for me as is Sennelier but that one is only for a particular luminous delicate style that I haven't found an equal so I'm willing to pay for it.
Copics are the first thing that come to mind. I have 1 and half sets that my mom and I purchased in 2011. All of my copics are still in fantastic shape and still going strong. I have had to refill and replace a few nibs here and there, but otherwise I have no desire to use another brand. I have recently purchased some copics for the ones I am missing in the second set, the quality is not the same, the plastic seems different, the lids do not fit. There is definitely a difference in the quality of the actual marker. If I was new to Copics, I probably would go for a lesser priced alcohol marker. However because my Copics are 12 years old and still going, I’m sticking with them even though the refills are less. To me my 12 year old Copics are simply the best.
Arches watercolor paper isn’t the same as it used to be. I have 25 year old paper and the texture and responsiveness are completely different to new paper.
Yes, Arches was bought by canson a few years ago I think. I wonder if it changed then. I find the sizing on newer watercolor papers do not last as well too.
@@thefrugalcrafter Yes! it makes me laugh to think that Canson think that we believe all Arches paper is still made in that little mill in the French countryside!!!
Other Artists mentioned in this video: - Art Gear Guide - Kimberly Crick - Dr Oto Kano - Jane Blundell - Doodle Wash (I already followed 3 of them but had a bit of a time understanding and finding the names of the other 2 so thought I might be able to help others to find them. Just search on Google and they come up. Thanks Lindsay, always interesting to broaden our education of professional paints).
I am not an artist but am so grateful to have stumbled upon your channel. I've binge watched your content and have learned a great deal about art/ craft techniques and the behind the scenes. I appreciate your analysis on product quality and commentary on spending, motivation and inspiration. You've been a great help to me in my crafting journey. Thank you.
I TOTALLY AGREE with you on the quality of everything! I grumble about it all the time. Lately companies are making smaller packages of products and charging the same price...they think they are fooling us but I compare ounces and grams of things like face cream that they lower a half to an ounce and make the container the same size but hollow on the bottom. I haven't been paining long enough to notice a change in quality. I'm still trying to find my favorite things and my own techniques. Thanks for the chat! Have a great week!
This true with all sorts of food…a bag of chips has about 1/3 the amount they used to and they used to not be full anyway. Tricks of the trade, I guess.
Yes to smaller packages, same price. Two months ago my Double Stuff Oreos came in 3 rows of 9 cookies, now they come 8 to a row, 3 rows. 3 less Oreos for the same amount. Highway robbery!!😂😂
"Shrinkflation" is the term for shrinking the product but charging the same. Some of it was due to supply chain shortages, but of course, I'm sure 99.9% of it is just greed! Sigh.
I think more people are using art supplies today that they never would have been able to access I. The past. Growing up in a rural area, I only had Kmart and Jamesway to shop at for art supplies. Fabric was purchased at an actual fabric store. We had a 99 cent store that sold gag gifts, bad incense, cheap baseball caps, expired food, etc. Amazon and big box stores have changed the ability to access supplies that I only encountered in a high school art class.
I’ve always appreciated how honest, thorough and fair you are. I think there are a couple things that have kept the prices down. There is more competition from companies in places like China, Russia and Korea who can produce great pigments for way less, drives the price down. 20 years ago there was no online shopping, now most stores are online and that reduces costs. I definitely agree the supplies feel less special because we now have EVERYTHING. I’m sure companies have figured out how to produce everything as cheaply as they can and that has to reduce quality. What I AM sure of is we are SOOO lucky as artists to be alive in the US today. I have more paint than all the kings and queens combined used to have. I just wish I could remember that more often. ❤️
My dad was a water well driller by trade and later a water master for rural water systems. I can remember as long as 40 years ago, or more, he expressed great concerns about ‘artists’ using cadmium and other metals. He said they have no idea the problems they are causing by dumping those things down the drain. He was quite passionate about the long term risks to health even back then. I wonder if perhaps the quality of some products has decreased based on increased consumption. For example, where watercolor paints were traditionally used by ‘painters’, more and more folks concentrating on ‘crafting’ projects are procuring these paints now. Also, if you have an interest in becoming a watercolor artist, classes, tutorials and training are much more readily available with the advancement in technology which also leads to increased consumption. I suspect that with increased consumption manufacturers may be looking for, and utilizing, lower cost factories. And in some cases I believe not a lot of money or time is invested in quality control. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad that more people are able to pursue creative endeavors than ever before! It’s a real conundrum Lindsay! (And you are absolutely correct about tomatoes! And green peppers!)
your comment makes me think about an extra thing that we prob don't think of... the water. certainly water is involved in paint making. and ox bile, honey, gelatin or other things etc. those things could be affected?! But also water. I can tell you, cooking with NY water and Phoenix water are VERY different. NYC water comes down from the mountain. Thers no comparison. Thats why NY pizza and bagels are the best. Why wouldnt water also affect paint? Or anything else?
The quality of all products are declining. Art supplies aren't exceptions. Outsourcing production to China, Bangladesh, and India where there aren't any quality control or labor control laws is a huge part of it.
With cotman paints definitely. I have an old set that is 15yrs and they are amazing but I got a sketcher set a few years ago and the quality was about the same as my cheap pencilmarch (superior) set despite being over double the price 😣
Yes- licensed FRAUD I call it! Keeping the same name, labelling and price relative to the market average , but nothing like the same quality is a classic “bait and switch” con. I would definitely pay more for the quality stuff I know works for me, but they don’t even give me a choice. The whole art supplies industry business model seems aimed at disappointed customers buying multiple products searching for something that actually works.
I don't know if quality is different or not, but Hobby Lobby, the only local easy to get to store for me, no longer carries many name brands, especially watercolor paper. Now it's all the store brand. Not happy about that. I find I don't visit there very often anymore since they, got rid of the discount AND they mostly carry store brand art supplies.
Hobby Lobby replaced the "daily discount" coupon with more percent off aisle sales. I check the weekly advert (still on my phone as the formerly bookmarked weekly coupon) to see what aisles are on sale. I like it better because it saves me from impulse visits and spending. I am not happy with the decrease of brands, either.
I was lucky that a teacher encouraged her class to buy Golden products, I extended to QOR, and then to Pan Pastel. They’re expensive, but seem to me worth it. Ten year old paints are still great, new purchases seem the same quality. I like the fact that they offer regular newsletters and vlogs that not only offer tips and techniques, but also information about the reason for pigment changes. In addition, they are worker-owned and in the US.
My daughter got W&N coatmans before me, she raved about this pallet she got was on special and well it flowed for her and the colours popped. When I started I thought will get a little pallet like hers …… no pallets only tubes, ok someone said they liked fresh tubes better grabbed a few colours and away I went. Um nope coatmans bad paint, so didn’t flow just sat on the paper, got better paper um nope looks washed out won’t do anything. Me daughter was home she said here let me try and she was is this coatmans cause this paint sucks. Yep won’t buy W&N know but her little pallet is fabulous, paints are bright, they flow so different. So my answer is yes quality has slipped.great chat.
The only thing that I use up and replace quickly are watercolor sketchbooks. I have noticed a change in my favorite, pages do not take the paint as well. Thought it was all in my head but then I purchased another one and same deal. So quality is changing for sure. Guess my second favorite sketchbook will now become my favorite...and hope that it hasn't changed as well. Great chat! I think you are on the right track! Have a good one!!!
There has definitely been a decline in food, art supplies, cosmetics, skincare, clothing, etc. I don't know, it just seems like quality was better in the 80s and 90s when I was growing up. Back in my day we would walk ten miles up hill in five feet of snow....I'm old. 😁🤣
The 7/80s declined from the 50s and 2000s from the 80s... its a process where profits have taken precedence over reputation. I remember it well.... those who changed all industries from our doctor's office to appliances were called YUMPies,,, for young upwardly mobile something or other. I loved it when my doctor and/or vet didn't have a business office on site with a sterile attitude toward patients.... when the doctor was actually involved in all areas affecting their patients and "insurance" companies were actual there to "insure" security instead of scamming me. Yeh, the art industry is just following suit.
I have a slant palette of WN watercolors from about 25 years ago. Recently I’ve been putting together some more easily transported palettes. The paint difference between now and then is very marked. The 25 years old paint activates like a dream. I find i do love Daniel Smith paint, but only for certain things. In general it granulates heavily, but that seems to be the current trend with painters. The overall quality of things like palettes and brushes declined, as well. It makes me sad because it has a direct impact on the art we all make.
What I’ve seen happening is craft supplies have gotten small and charging way more. I’m a reseller and when someone’s art supplies come up for auction (which is very rare) I always check it out. When I see that they used the good stuff I pay more attention to what it goes for. All art supplies of quality sell for top dollar at the auctions. I’ve notice “vintage pencils” are now selling extremely high on the secondary market. Guess people are thinking they were made better back in the day.
They were! Everything from safety pins to clothes pins and paper clips are hardly usable compared to the sturdy stuff from the past. Art supplies in US have really taken a hit. Even so called art supply stores are pushing the poor grade paints. Used to be they had at least 3-4 choices. Kiddy grade, student grade, mid line grade and professional to choose from. Not anymore virtually all supplies in " art stores" are the same low grade offerring or of poorer quality found in the crafty chains. The good stuff, if they even carry it has very limited selections. The poorer quality way below even decent student grade paints ( old school quality performance not unusable chalky trash in very shallow pans) are seriously hard to get away from no matter where you go.
Good morning. Like you, I work in a variety of mediums, so I can only hope to live long enough to see my supplies 'run out'. I do, however, have the Prismacolors from back in the 90's. I understand from what I have seen that those were the 'good ole days' for Prismacolors, so I am fortunate in that respect. I typically buy higher end stuff, as I don't feel it is prudent for me to get cheaper supplies only to have to replace them when I get better with something more archival or inferior. The few times that I purchased 'budget' or 'student' grade supplies and used them and did something nice on them, I had big regrets. Example: I painted a raven that came out so pretty - but I used cheap watercolor paper. When I got to the top layers, it began to pill and was ruined. I was so upset. I put a lot of hours into it and I never even brought it over the finish line. It would have wound up in the bin if I didn't want to keep it as a reminder as what not to do. If I am unsure about a medium, I get a smaller package to try them out. Usually the small sets have the most used colors anyway, so if I upgrade to a larger set, the common colors will have backups. BUT - mostly what I do is watch YOU and Harry (Art Gear Guide) and my other favorite artists/teachers before I invest. You really do us a great service. Thank you. Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather. We are sunny and should be warm here for the weekend. I will wave to you from the other side of the bay, as I see the beach in my near future.
The quality is definitely changing. My first watercolor set in the early 2000s was Prang and then I had a Reeves cake set for about 8$. I rebought the Prang and although the paint was ok, the pallet was AWFUL thin plastic and the wells were smaller and felt less pigmented. My Reeves set was in a wider box and I had NO idea how good they were. I eventually let my young kid use them up and regretfully to get the set back I was able to find the same box from a small gallery in Ireland, (the reeves paints were right after their rebrand, and the watercolor cakes were horrible! ) And eventually found the old school cakes in a red tin and put them in the box from Ireland to recreate my 2008 original reeves travel kit. I cannot find it anywhere...but the same old red tin cakes sometimes go for 150$+ on ebay or other stores!!! The quality is sooo much better and I have paintings that I had in sunlight with them and I swear they have not faded over 15 years! I also noticed some of the cotmans I bought years ago out perform newer tubes these days. Now as far as professional paints go I think they are alright... Not much change in quality. I just think there's a major shift from the cheaper end where you might as well truly put a few more dollars in then waste the time and frustration with dollarstore stuff.
Cars . . . I’ve been in the market for a car, and I learned a thing or two. It’s not about demand, but about the profits that come from manufacturing efficiency. They are not only reducing choice of car colors, but choice of car models. The model I wanted they are discontinuing because they are streamlining their model line. I got that info from the car dealership. Henry Ford once said, “You can buy a Motel T in any color, as long as it’s black.” Yeah. We seem to be going back to that.
Wow, what a different Sat Chat. I haven't replaced any professional quality paints to be able to compare, still using them from 10 years ago. BUT, I ate a tomato this week that tasted like tap water, it had no tomato taste at all. This was a very thought provoking essay in greed in my opinion. If the prices haven't gone up then something else is cheaper, labor, manufacturing, or raw ingredients. Especially if the labor or manufacturing is unethical, which we know is happening around the world. I have noticed few car colors on the road and mentioned that to others, but didn't think about it in relation to limited choices by the sellers that may be influenced by the paint manufacturers. These kinds of chats rate up my brain and I go down rabbit holes in all directions as I try to sort them out. As a retired person I have the time to just do that and it helps me do a little research and keep my world view open. Thanks for the challenge. Have a wonderful week.
Fascinating subject! I'll read the comments to see what others think. It's interesting about how the prices haven't gone up when everything else did during the pandemic. I've all but given up on Amazon, too many dishonest sellers. I feel that if I buy from a reputable seller, like Cheap Joe's or DB I have a much better chance at the true product. Manufacturing in general has gone downhill for sure. I work at a car parts manufacturer and they sent about 75% of their lines to another country, and pushed the older, higher paid employees into retirement. A lot of the time, the parts get sent back to us to fix, but somehow, it's still cheaper for them to do the parts there. We make big name parts, too. Oh well, what can you do? Thanks for posting this, great video! ♥
Re: changes in lightfastness. I haven't checked up on the ones you mentioned specifically, but in a few places here and there I remember hearing that some pigments labeled as fairly lightfast are less so in certain mediums like watercolor where the pigment may be very diluted. And watercolorists sometimes are the first to sort of "figure it out" when a pigment is actually more fugitive than the typical ratings would show. So is it possible that some changes to lightfastness, at least in packaging and disclosures could be due to newly gained knowledge or new rounds of tests having been done that show us "actually no this pigment is not as light fast as we used to think." I recently heard that some pigments that were kinda swept in decades ago under little to no safety testing are coming under new scrutiny by the US government who is changing their minds with newly presented info and tests to say "hey actually this pigment is less safe than we thought it was 60 years ago when it was approved for general use."
Agree, even the very popular Stampin company has shown decline. Remember when we could afford their paper packs of 50? Now the paper comes in packages of 24, the price is really high, and the quality is not as superb as 25 years ago.
I’ve noticed quality going down! I used to love Global Handbooks for the paper and page quantity. They were bought out by a larger brand. Now, the paper doesn’t hold water as well, is more beige, and just is NOT the same although packaged the same. Utrecht was bought out by Blick. Utrecht used to have an American Masters paper that was divine. Blick stopped carrying and said another brand is just as good. No! No! And NO! The new brand’s paper is Awful. The original paper was about $1 in early 2000s. New brand paper is now in double digits. Utrecht gesso quality seems to have gone down, too. I only ever had mold in a pint of Mars black. Now, my gesso pint has mold. Aaargh! Brushes are another problem. I have brushes from early 2000s. We had a small fire and my art brushes were close enough to melt. Trying to replace my melted and damaged brushes with same brand, just last year, proved impossible. The brush quality is Not the same, in spite of design, brand, etc being the same. Yes, I’ve noticed an overall decline. It’s frustrating.
You’re right about the automobile colors. I recently bought a new car in a beautiful (to me) deep blue color after 25 years of owning gray and silver cars. It really stood out at the dealership because most of the cars were gray, silver, white or black with an occasional red or blue and some rare greens at a couple of other dealerships. It made me notice that most of the cars on the road are white, silver/gray and black. I don’t know if it’s because those colors are what’s popular, but they are definitely very predominant.
I learned something a very long time ago and that is to follow the money. Any changes made by big companies is always for their bottom line. I try to buy from small vendors when possible but the money is always going to be the reason things change.
How weird you bring this tomato thing up at the same time you bring up the car thing. This has zero to do with art, but I learned something about tomatoes, too. When my mom was getting her knee rehabbed, the son of her roommate was a guy who worked in marketing-specifically-tomatoes! He told me that grocery store tomatoes are bred for shelf life and not for flavor. He was impervious to my suggestions that he work on flavor. Delicious varieties of tomatoes do not travel well, and do not pack well. Tube tomatoes have always tasted like wallpaper paste, of course. But if f you are trucking in normally harvested tomatoes from Mexico, or flying them in from someplace in South America or New Zealand, they have to be tougher and start out unripened in order to withstand the trip. So, they breed them to look pretty so we’ll at least buy them when they get here-minor detail that they taste like cardboard. If you want a somewhat tomato-like experience, buy cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes out of season. Of course, in season, (August) you can get pretty good tomatoes from a grocery store. Or grow your own. “Only two things that money can’t buy; and that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes!”
Tomatoes aren't the only fruit/veg that has been bred selectively for the ability to withstand being picked green and held for long shipping and storage periods before ending up in our produce departments . I'm also thinking of peaches, pears, apricots , bananas, apples, to name a few. There is nothing like tree-ripened fruit, or ripe homegrown tomatoes! On the surface, this has little to do with art supplies.
You are right about the tomatoes. They have hybridized tomatoes to have thicker skin….so they ship better and in doing so have lost the flavor. Taste or grow a heirloom tomato. Their flavor is outstanding. However the old heirloom tomato plants do not produce as many tomatoes as the newer varieties. Plus the growers pick the tomatoes when they are not quite ripe and let them ripen in transit. So the flavor is not as good as a tomato that has ripened on the vine in the sun.They are also making the plants more disease resistant. Same with roses. They hybridized them to have better form and be disease resistant but the new roses have little to no scent. If you smell an old rose…. their scent if fabulous! One will perfume a whole room! I recently found my old art supplies from college in my basement. They are 40 years old. I bought the supplies at Dick Blick in 1975. They consisted of oil Grumbacher oil paints and pastels. I am no expert but I do believe the quality was better back then. My old paints seem so much richer in color and quality. Love your sat chats!
You said exactly what I was going to say about tomatoes! I'll add one more point though... even an heirloom tomato will taste watered down if picked at the wrong time of day or after a heavy rain/watering. While most produce is best picked in early morning, for the best tomato flavor, pick in the afternoon. I'm betting the tomatoes in the food industry are shipped after a big uptake of water (and who knows what *in* the water to preserve them during travel and extend their sh
@@ms_chigger Always excited to try a new tomato variety!!! Is it possible they go by the name Mountain Magic? I searched Johnny's and that is what came back when searching for Campari. None of my favorite seed companies (I checked 6 of them) had seeds under that name... not even Totally Tomatoes. Is that maybe a brand name of tomatoes in the store, or a specific variety you've been able to grow?
I couldn't agree more about the roses grown commercially having little to no scent! It's crazy! To me roses are beautiful to look at, of course, but it is in their fragrance that makes them the grand flower that they are. I can remember having a few rose bushes at home growing in the front yard and I specifically bought them for their Tea Rose aspect in order to get that heavenly fragrance. The red one was beautiful and had only a faint rose smell, but the pink one had a heady aroma that was just wonderful! So disappointing to see a fine looking display of roses in any store but then they have no fragrance! And this has been going on for some decades now, unfortunately!
@@karenpage9383 I’m not sure. I’m in Oklahoma & originally from Texas. I think I have seen them other names. They are about the size of a golf ball & are still on the vine. I get mostly at Sam’s club. I would figure they would also be found at Costco.
Most of my artist quality is old but i have noticed that getting new Daniel Smith tubes are not as full compared to the older tubes, like they have air in the bottoms. However, the biggest change is in yarn, the quality is hit or miss now and the y have a lot of knots that was rare in the past, its so frustrating
I’ve noticed a decline in a lot of products, food for sure, clothing, cars, appliances, some art supplies. But when I look at my high end archival legacy brand art supplies, I would say no. Or at least I have not noticed. They are still wonderful. Luminance pencils, m Graham paint..still good. On the plus side, there are a few new brands or products that I also find stellar, like Qor watercolors, Mijello single pigments, and Derwent lightfast pencils. I can’t afford to try all that’s new and wonderful, but when I can save up, I do purchase the good stuff. I think think both WN and Faber Castell have been making loads more products that appeal more to students and crafters, so that may contribute to their higher end items staying relatively price stable, like maybe they spread the cost around a little, or can afford the hit on increased cost for good pigment. Just a thought. Also, in my opinion, the cheaper lines are really fun but they come and go, even the surprisingly good cheap items, so I don’t get too invested. I don’t like being sad, lol.
Seems to me that the quantity is less in many things. The pans are more shallow, tubes are less amount. Like candy. I did a short video on a container of candy corn. Looked like a great buy. When I opened it and reached in the container I realized that they made the round container with a raised cone in the center to take up space! Shame shame!
I have Daniel Smith of watercolor sticks, but do not intend to get the regular paint tubes because I have WN, Schmincke Horadam and Holbein....thats absolutely enough already excellent professional paints.
yes, and fewer places selling anything but below student grade at reasonable prices. Very disappointed in HL and other retail stores for the switch to store brands only. I am old enough to remember these stores carrying Terry Madden, DaVinci, Susan Schwee, Yarka, Van Gogh and other higher quality midline ie above student kiddy grade paints. Even major online stores push the not so good quality more.
It is such a dissappontment! I have no reason to go in these stores anymore. And they charge the same price I can get Artist grade online for the crappy white labeled stuff.
@@thefrugalcrafteryep, most of my supplies were purchased around the 80s 90s also including prisma colored pencils and watercolor paints etc. Agree the older quality and performance was for the most part, superior to same brand or similiar range ie price and grade, than what is offered now,
Interesting topic. I've been buying art supplies for 4 years so I don't know much. But I've been switching to profesional paints lately because when I watch art videos I notice the quality of the artists' supplies is way better than my cheap supplies. :) It'd be a shame if all profesional paint decreased too someday. Then again, I've seen experienced artists like yourself do wonders with cheap materials so the world will still be able to appreciate beautiful art no matter what happens with the paints.
I find that prices have gone up enormously, especially since the pandemic on Amazon Canada, there are no deals to be had there. Even Jackson's delivery charges have gone through the roof, before it was free after a certain amount now, I haven't seen that in a while.
Another great Sat Chat! I have some WN paints given to me by an artist friend. They are really old and way better than the new ones I have. They seem smoother and much more pigmented. Just purchased your water color glass class. Wonderful! Thanks for the Memorial Day Sale!
I total agree. My husband gave me a set of Lukus1862 watercolors about 10 years ago for Christmas. I just bought a new half pan of paint and found it to be chalky and less pigmented. I've also noticed changes to Bee Paper and Winsor and Newton paints.
I’ve used liquitex acrylics since the 80’s. I just bought a bronze to replace a nearly empty tube that was probably 7 years old and they are nowhere near the same color. The new one is like a muted dusty rose gold instead of a rich chocolate bronze. It’s so bad it looks like kids paint, very sad.
I go through a lot of watercolor paper, and I try lots of different kinds. Fabriano Artistico hot press used to be my favorite above all others. In the last year or so they changed their sizing to be vegan and to lift out mistakes easier. I don't like it. Unless I soak and stretch it, it's hard to get a nice wash. It defeats the purpose of buying a block. Fortunately, I have a stash of sheets. I wonder if it was just cheaper to change the sizing.
I would rather pay more and get more product than have it downsized to keep the price down. That goes for art supplies and food, too. I don’t like the downsizing of cans from standard 16 ozs. to 14 or 15 ozs. It messes with my vintage recipes! 😂 Also, I hate to see so much packaging for smaller amounts of products. It adds more plastics, etc., to the environment. I wish they would ask us consumers what we prefer.
Hullo Lindsay, I stopped buying budget brands in 1986 for my artworks because they just never worked as well as professional grade supplies. I remember the year as I started selling regularly and became a full time artist! So I think most quality supplies remain worth the money. Dan Smith? Bunch of cheaters and I wish more attention was given to the law suit that was filed but nothing since? What happened there? Paper has gotten better and worse. Arches is still the go to brand but more quality papers made by more brands has given them competition and reduced prices in some cases! Bee paper came out great! Now they changed manufacturing methods or vendors and you must be more careful about the quality that you buy! Yes, wood pulp + cotton blends do work, but not as good as 100% cotton! FOOD! Yes! More food is picked green and shipped before it is ripe as the skins are tougher and transport is easier. If you buy local produce at say a farmer’s market you will taste the difference in your foods! Vine ripened instead of a squirt of inert gas to turn tomatoes red! Or a cucumber green! A C02 blast to keep meat looking red in the package long after it should be brown, this is why if you unwrap meat and it goes brown before you get it in the pan? This is why! You are a true joy to watch Lindsay. Thank you for sharing this wonderful SatChat with us! Please take care, be safe and enjoy your weekend!
A great topic! I had that issue with watercolor paper. With some of them, it seems that the sizing is gone, two years after buying them. I had to apply Gesso on them to be able to use them with some media.
I think when we get older we know more and we get pickier. But I would trust your experience with products regardless. Myself, I don't enjoy restaurant food anymore. It is so mediocre compared to my own simple cooking, which is just so tasty.
Thank you! This whole cadmium paint fear mongering thing is extremely frustrating for me! There are such small amounts of cadmium in the paints that it's not even required to put a warning label on them. Unless you're inhaling them through spraying it or ingesting it in some way, it's not harmful to you! And even then, it's large amounts over a long period of time that causes risks. Even if you are eating around your paints, it's not going to cause any health risks. Unless you are actually eating the paint itself on a regular basis and in large quantities.
@Karabear I agree! Cadmium red is one of my absolute favorites, especially for mixing flesh tones 🥰 I've read and heard some people say the fear around cadmiums is because it's "bad for the environment" and I just want to ask them: Where do you think cadmium comes from?! 🤷🏼♀️😂
@@melissamcintyre7661 It's legit just fear mongering. I have tried and tried to find cases of cadmium poisoning from paints and how dangerous it is to use and I've come up empty handed every time. Simply put, it's just not dangerous to paint with. There's no reason whatsoever to not use it. I've looked into the dangers it can cause pets too and again, the amount is so small it doesn' t pose a threat! And same, I prefer cadmium red deep and cadmium yellow over all the others. Especially during Christmas time! Cadmium red deep is a must have for the reds that I want!
I’ve seen and heard from various art suppliers that almost all Winsor and Newton products have suffered a decline in quality ever since they moved some of their production to Asia. The main area that I have noticed a big difference since I started painting is in watercolor paper and other supports such as canvas. I’ve become very careful about buying art supplies that seem too cheap to be true - and especially from amazon. I think a lot of art supplies were overpriced even back in the 90’s - and it could be that companies today are finding less expensive means of manufacturing - but I also wouldn’t put it past some of them to skimp on quality to boost profits.
I have some newer Copic markers with tops popping off and drying marker. A few markers had tips that came messed up and unable to use. Arteza watercolor sketchbooks need to be used within a year according to person I spoke with about my sketchbook paper going bad. Arteza replaced my sketchbooks but won’t buy again. I recently purchased a W&N watercolor marker in yellow ochre and it’s different than old. Thanks Lindsay 💕
Lindsay, you rocked this query and I'm so proud of you for the courage to post this SatChat!! 👏🏻❣️👏🏻 Yes, quality has diminished in many things and, as a result, we've become a disposable world. Not all higher priced products are better either, so it pays to do one's homework before investing. But then too, some inexpensive items can be equal to or better than the higher priced products. There again, it pays to do one's homework. I've taken risks and been both disappointed and delighted. 😜 Sometimes, because of my situation of creating whilst bedridden, I will deal with a lesser quality item that better suits the space on the tray tables atop my bed and to the side of my bed - every 1/4" of real estate space matters! 😂 Happy Holiday weekend, sweet girl! ♥️
With legacy art supply manufacturers, I’ve only seen a decline when they changed where their products are made. I have Polychromos from 25 years ago to from two years ago, and they’re the same. But they’re still made in Germany and I’m sure their prices have gone up. The Faber Castell kids’ pencils aren’t made in Germany anymore and the new ones aren’t as nice as the old ones. I haven’t noticed a decline in Schmincke Horadam or Sennelier, but Lukas is not as good as they used to be before they were bought by Fila. I do wonder how much stuff ends up for bargain prices on Amazon that wouldn’t have made it through quality control 20 years ago.
I didn’t read previous comments but with regard to the cadmium’s, cobalts, or for that matter most if not all paints end up in our ground or landfills, and yes, back into the water - it’s not that you specifically breathe them in while painting. I feel strongly about this, but obviously not strong enough to alter my painting🙃
I'm not concerned about my health for cadmium and cobalt based pigments and the colors are very nice, however, it's not about me. Children mine cobalt and cadmium and that's just wrong on many levels. I choose not to use those paints. Maybe it will be a spit in the ocean. I hope collectively we can all make a difference. I think one of the reasons good brands of art supplies have been able to maintain their price points is because of supply and demand. Pre-internet sales can't have been nearly as high because these supplies are much more available that they used to be. That's going to keep prices down because manufacturers can buy more raw materials cheaper. Sheer volume of sales can keep prices down too. Just a thought.
I own Cottman and Royal and Langnickel. The Cottman is more pigmented (good for the $$ I paid for it) but the R&L is cleaner, more transparent, and mixes better. So i think the issue may be more in the budget/student grade market (which is unfortunately where I live as an artist on a very strict budget) rather than the professional grade supplies market.
I am sorting through cardmaking supplies (storing everything together... in one location, ha ha ha). I think quality depends on the manufacturer, and most have stayed pretty consistent in the decades I have been crafting. In defense of Prismacolor pencils, I have several that are easily over forty years old. The wood is better, and I was surprised that the colors match the ones I bought from Amazon a few years ago. The color lays down smooth, so I would say Prismacolors are a great buy (I love my Prismas and keep my Scholar set out on my desk). Some of the scrapbook papers seem a bit thinner, and budget cardstock has never been good to me in terms of inking and stamping. Again, I stick to brands that appear to have stayed consistent (e.g., Neenah or Astrobrights). I have never followed trends, and I do have enough stamps, dies, paper, etc., and embellishments to keep myself busy papercrafting for a long time. I have noticed that prices for craft supplies have gone up so I keep my eyes out for sales in those rare instances when I need to replace something. It is also harder to find items made in the United States, like copper wire. My local Hobby Lobby is not carrying Parawire anymore, and their On a Wire brand is made in the USA--not my first choice so it is good that I am currently stocked on wire. Food prices staying the same as quantities decrease is a phenomenon I first noticed in the 1980s. Toilet paper went through that during the lock down years, and food is going through such a period now. A home grown tomato, or a tomato bought from a local/seasonal farmer's market is superior to any from the store. I have started buying local or domestic produce seasonally because it will keep for more than three days. 😂😂
With out watching past the initial question and listening while I type. YES. I think the quality has changed about 70%. The idea of it all seems "it does what it's suppose to" but not really! "Is it red?" GREAT that's good enough. Is how it feels. Even other textile products on shelves or online feel very rough or less smooth to use. An example is yarn! I don't mind that they change due to health concern, but my overall scope of art supplies being less quality is real for a lot of products. The paint I used in 2005 - same brands even feel watery, less dense, less opacity. Could be formula could just be health concern.. but it costs more. I have had to find more supplies that are CHEAPER but function the same. I honestly started to use highlighters in artwork now to just feel comfortable with "cheap" instead of wanting something more peppy. I'm getting comfortable with cheap. The paper is the roughest part about supplies right now. If the paper can't hold the medium I want to use, that is a huge concern to my satisfaction of results and outcome!
Green-washing or safety-washing definitely occurs across all types of products. Remember when cholesterol, gluten or trans-fats where the newest heinous thing in food items? Prepared food manufacturers started putting "Cholesterol free", "No trans-fats" or "Gluten free!" on products that would never have those in the product in the first place....like strawberry jam or frozen broccoli...as a marketing strategy. Ice cream manufacturers have started decreasing the SIZE of their products (16 oz - pint- is now 12 oz, 64 oz - 1/2 gal - may now be 48 oz), but have kept the PRICE the same....rather than risk the wrath of the consumer by just RAISING the prices. So, yes, companies would definitely look for ways to save on costs in producing their products rather than just raising prices. If the American public didn't have a "poverty" mentality and could see the value of paying slightly more for good quality products, the manufacturers probably wouldn't feel the need to take such steps so frequently or to switch their manufacturing facilities to countries where the labor force is not as well paid. There will always be other valid reasons for ingredient/product substitution, so, yes, do your research in all product types...especially anything that you will literally consume or put ON your body.
I use mostly Escoda & Princeton brushes. I haven’t seen any difference in their quality. I have some Rosemary brushes I have had for 3-4 years & they are great. I have some silver black velvet I have had for years & they look like new. The funny part of that is I was at hobby lobby one night & they had a basket of brushes marked down. I found several black velvet marked down to -get this- a dollar. Bought them. I didn’t know what a treasure I had until i started with water colors. I didn’t like them because they were to soft. Pulled them & started seeing the actual price of them & it was a jaw drop moment for me!
Great point about the quality of older supplies vs what we can buy today. I will say that this new iteration of Bee Creative watercolor journals seems different than my older ones. Specifically the new paper seems not to absorb water as easily. In painting wet on wet I need several applications of water before the water stops floating on the surface. That said I still love these journals. Have a wonderful week!!
Great question! I think in general the art supplies I have been using are very good quality but I think on the whole of things in the art supplies world I think paints are getting better made and papers too! Happy weekend!
You and I are in agreement regarding Daniel Smith paints. They have beautiful colors but I find them more difficult to re-wet than my European & M. Graham favorites. Maybe it's just me, I don't know, because there are many artists that swear by them as their favorites. I have several different brands I use. I will get 1-3 different colors of a new-to-me brand to try before I commit to buying more. As for quality of art supplies, I don't know. I have enough to last my lifetime. LOL
I love M. Graham because of the honey and hate them for the same reason. I like to let tube colors dry in my palette, then use them like pan colors. If I did that with M. Graham I finally learned not to take them out of the house, or I end up with paint drips all over everything. I still love them for painting at home though, and would choose them over anything else I’ve tried. Including Daniel Smith.
@@TeriZipf me too! M. Graham for home and (usually) Schmincke for travel. They both re-wet easily and are great paints. Lately, I've been enjoying Kristy Rice's paints. They do have dye in them, but the colors are lovely and they all seem to go together.
I've noticed the quality of Prisma color pencils is now hit and miss, I've got a set from 15years ago, and compared to the latest replacement pencils I just purchased, the newer ones had randomly smaller sized cores, as well as the cores bring offset and cracks or splits in the actual wood of the pencil as well, the art store replaced the ones with cracks in them but honestly how did they even pass quality control
Happy Saturday…good topic! I have not noticed any difference is replacing my paints or paper but I do read reviews and thank you for starting this chat! Have a great weekend!
I can't really comment on the QUALITY of the art supplies, because I had about a 30 year gap where I wasn't buying/using any. And I've changed the types of art supplies I buy over the years--I used to paint with acrylics, and now it's watercolors. I do think that the cost of paper continues to increase substantially. At least quality paper. And honestly, the price of just about everything I purchase in life has gotten increasingly expensive. Especially over the past 5 years. And the quality has certainly declined in equal measure. Getting really tired of big purchases, like appliances and televisions and riding lawn mowers falling apart after 3 years. My husband and I were just talking about it this morning, as both our riding and push lawn mowers, which we purchased less than three years ago, are experiencing major (different) issues. The $3500 refrigerator we bought about the same time has had the ice maker and the control panel replaced twice, and still isn't working. Food is definitely not as rich in nutrients or flavor as it was 50 years ago. Furniture falls apart after 2 moves. Clothes fall apart after a dozen washings. I bought some pretty expensive sheets for our bed, and they had several tears in them a week later. About the only consumer item I think is better quality than they used to be is cars. And we drive our cars for a minimum of 10 years, after buying them already 3-5 years old. As for things like cadmiums and cobalts, the concerns are more in the contamination of the water supply and the contamination caused by the process of mining it. Apparently, it's already a pretty big issue in our food supply. Due to their high consumption of cereals, nuts, oilseeds and pulses, vegetarians have a higher dietary exposure. As for cobalt, it's a deadly chemical as toxic dumping is devastating landscapes, polluting water, and contaminating crops. High concentrations of cobalt have even been linked to the death of crops and worms, which are vital for soil fertility. I think the use of cadmium and cobalt is a legit concern. Not suggesting we stop using them altogether, but definitely avoid when a reasonable substitute is available.
I haven't heard about metals in food. Yikes! The appliance thing is do true. They do not last along. I refused to buy another dishwasher after the one we bought 7v6ears ago dies. I use it as a cabinet for Tupperware now and wash my dishes by hand (and no more spots or hard water build up!)
Hey Lindsay Weirich, I personally look for art supplies at thrift Shops and yard sales, I am very happy with my finds. I once brought a very decoratively painted pallet with wafer sized cubes of colors. It contained about 92 colors and they are very vibrant, the wafers wearout much quicker, that makes me sad because I know I won't fine these delicious colors anywhere, as the pallet is dated made in England 1963. Love The Sat Chat and hearing about the stores in Maine that we don't have in the central part of Illinois. Thanks for sharing.
For various reasons, I have studied various aspects of product production and aspects of the legal wording on how products are represented. Some companies and some industries are under great pressure to continuously improve profits. The focus and trends in the markets has moved away from quality. It is a fact of life. If you can't produce faster cheater you will be out of business. What that looks like for the consumer varies with the industry. For example: the life expectancy of a major appliance today is around 5 years. Not that long ago an appliances lasted 10 to 20 years. I know we are talking about art which is a much smaller scale. However, the smaller scale puts greater pressure on rhe survival of the company. Futher, the near absense of industry standards allows for greater wiggle room when it comes to quality. Case in point, most people believe that Daniel Smith primatect paints are made from gemstones. I have heard well-respected reviewrs on RUclips make that claim. Aside from some small enterprises who are focused on quality all others focused on faster cheaper. Better is a subjective term and solely defined by how well a produt is selling. As to legal wording, that is a subject of endless manipulation. The one that is currently very popular is Natural. Because natural have no strick legal definition. You can call almost anything natural and not be legally bound. It appears on the label to make people think that the product is somehow wholesome and beneficial in a way that a product without that word on the label isn't. And the answer is that from the legal perspective the company is not legally bound in anyway to provide anything wholesome or beneficial. It means absolutely nothing. Then there is a gray area. The way we now use certain words has made the definition of them less precise and more ambiguous. As a result the labeling and representations made are not as legally binding as they used to be. I often find myself reading a label and the small print over and over trying to understand what it means. Usually the answer is a redefinition of the claims made about the product. If that redefinition does not include what i am looking for in the produce i move on. In the art world much is open to trial and error, interpretations and opinions. For some people the highest standard of paper is 100% cotton. Others do not like cotton for their style of painting. Once you decide on paper content then there is the question on sizing, one side, 2 sides, two sides plus internal sizing. You think you got the sizing right, but no there are diferent types of sizing. Some desolve more redily with water than others. This just for something as seemingly simple as paper. We haven't discussed what 100% cotton means. Aside from the different veraties of cotton plants, there is the amount and type of processing to the cotton before it goes into the paper. In other words quality is an infinitely variable thing with many possibilities and opportunities for cost cutting. I can't say the exact era when quality started to take a hit. Post WW2 there was the beginning of a measurable trend. I don't ascribe any sinister intent. One thing led to another as the measure of success graduately shifted from quality towards profit. The genie is out of the bottle. Does anyone know how to get it back in? Quality didn't disappear. It simply became very expensive. Even at a higher price there is no guarantee that the quality will be there in all cases. I have often wondered how the great empires of ancient history came to an end. The Egyptians, Incas, Romans, etc. What was the moment of no return?
Very good point about not being able to truly review something based on old products. I immediately thought about Winsor & Newton Cotman and how manufacturing was moved to China. (Lol, you got to that as I was typing.) What I love about Polychromos is the fact that Faber-Castell colour matches as close as possible across all their products. I can grab 219 Deep Scarlet red in my Polychromos pencils and my Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils and my Pitt artist pens and they all match exactly.
I have not had to actually change any of my paint art supplies yet, at least not the more "professional" ones since I have been not long using them so I cant add to that part of the conversation although I really enjoyed hearing and reading comments about it. But yes, I do think quality in general has been going down in what I have been able to observe. We have seen this a lot with home appliances. You buy a refrigerator or tv and you are lucky if it will go fine for 4 years. My mothers washing machine was 12 years old when it died. Her refrigerator again, very old. All my grandmother's home appliances went to my mother's house when she died, they worked fine. No, it is not normal that a printer will stop working in a few years and its cheaper to get a new one that to get it fixed. Its a waste of materials. And I do have a hard time accepting that. I try to fix anything broken rather to buy something new unless totally necessary. But unfortunately they make it necessary because they dont have manufactured parts that you can buy to fix things. Its a generalized problem.
I think that is the cause of "built in obsolesence." If it lasts forever the company will not make money. Meanwhile, these things wind up in landfills. 🙄
I don't see a change in the professional supplies. But I do think there is a lot more junk duping the real thing, trying to get a piece of the pie, and end up costing the consumer more in the long run.
Your review raises issues not only around the quality of the paints but also shares thoughts on how to go about making choices. Many thanks for a full round approach. I tend to shop less, mono pigments tube paints and learn to mix. Too many choices (i.e. Himi, Annagoni) overwhelm me. Playing with colours is always fun, so learing to mix is a bonus (as well a savings measure) I started gouache with Schmincke Akademie (in Europe €4 for 60ml tubes) The oaint is excellent and not precious. Plus, Schmincke is in 🇩🇪 with fair labour practices (25+ paid leave, 2year paid maternity leave to name a couple) and strict environmental and garbage disposal practices. Plus, everytbing is available in open stock and quality is constant. Just like in "fast fashion", the same concerns show up in cheal art supplies of unclear origins and non declared health and safety or labour practices. I applaud you for bringing this side of the art supplies into the conversation.
I think a lot of products are poor quality now it's all about making $$$$! Less amount and same or higher price. I've noticed. I'm so glad I have tubes of excellent paint you suggested I buy years ago.. Thank you! I still have art supplies from college too 40+ years ago and they are still excellent. They didn't make cheap stuff back then they were expensive but great quality.. It's crazy and stressful these days.
I remember taking art classes after high school back in the early seventies...and then again in college. After that, decades went by before I took up painting again as a stress buster. I lost my supplies from a move and had to buy new stuff. When I bought acrylics, I kept wondering what I was doing wrong because in the past, the paint had a lot of body. I thought that I bought the wrong stuff and tried again getting the same results. It seems to be like this for most everything these days. It's a game of quality vs quantity. Sad.😮
I think part of the art supply chain is it’s become more like craft supplies. We have many different choices of top quality items and even more choices for ok quality. It’s no longer just 3 or 4 old standard companies and no with Chinese companies making art supplies that are manufactured by the same company for 10 different companies makes it seem as though we have more actual choices than we have. My cottons from art school 89-94, are far better than the ones I bought for my granddaughter. My old Winsor & Newton are different than the newer versions purchased since the pandemic but they’re not manufactured by the same factories anymore. So I’m feeling like you and don’t know definitely. It’s definitely hard to know.
I just got into professional artist brands in 2020. So I can't really speak for the quality going down or not since my last supplies were only Crayola. But I love when you speak the truth about brands which makes me believe your reviews more. You have said Daniel Smith is not your favorite because of the practices they did with "gem" watercolors. Most won't go against such big brand that could sponsor you in the future. I love when we can have a real talk. I say keep these videos coming! They always make me think deeper.
Cheaper prices could also be result of supply and demand... it is cheaper to make things if you make more of it. higher demand could lead to lower costs cause they are making more and competition. But seeing how cheaply everything is being made even outside of art, I suspect that has more to do with it. Ppl just getting into art won't know the quality isn't as good and the ppl who have been doing it are using the supplies they bought yrs ago so they are only experiencing the new stuff intermittently so they think it's a quality control issue. I would think the step down in quality is probably incremental too, so it isn't immediately noticeable but over the yrs the quality keeps going down. so stuff bought today vs 20 yrs ago is a huge difference compared with stuff from 5-10 yrs ago. Hoping that makes sense. I've watched your reviews for yrs and have noticed that you have commented more and more about how the repurchased items don't seem to have the same quality. Could also be change in attitudes too... ppl looking for just good enough and companies using their good brand name to give impression of high quality when it's just slightly better than good enough. Incidentally, a few yrs ago a co worker divorced and was setting up her new home and bought bedroom furniture. It was a name brand associated with high quality and she paid the quality price, but I noticed that some , if not all of it was made with an MDF type material and was just coated to look like wood instead of it being made of wood. The price would have been fair if the furniture were made of wood, but it was a rip off for the quality of materials used. It certainly wasn't something that could be passed down and repainted etc. I've noticed that with a lot of furniture. I bought side tables for my bed last yr and had to return one because the top was damaged in shipping.... it looked and felt like wood, but the damage showed it was made of like a thick pressed chip board type material. If it wasn't for the fact that they were the exact style and size I had searched months to find, I would have returned them instead of replacing the damaged one.
we are so lucky to have so many choices these days,after buying so many paints over the years i can say about 5 out of 50 sets of paints are still bad. the cheaper tubes i got because they were a good buy but now i have a large bag with them just sitting there ,i learned to appreciate the high pigment load in mission gold and art whale,good prices and good color pay out,
Everything is going down in quality! From paints to stencils. I especially notice it in stencils since I love stenciling. I have stencils from 30 years ago they were quality ...same brands are thinner some are so thin they won't last .
Ink pads quality has fallen off. I have some Distress minis that I got for Christmas 6 months ago that not only are drying out, but the physical quality of the pad itself is shoddy. My Archivers ones don't last as long without reinking like the older ones did. Maybe I'm too picky, who knows. As a carmaker, I like a good, reliable stamping pad. Momento is the best yet. I prefer rubber stamps over acrylic, and was "sad" when I got word the Peg Stamps were gone. I love those things. Wish I would have gotten more. That's not a quality issue, though. (Train of thought issue!)
Most of my inkpads are five or more years old. I have Archival full size and minis that are in good shape (I am not a Distress ink person). Momento is one of my favorite inks/pads, too. I prefer rubber stamps (Deep Red 😉 ), and if you are referring to the Pegz orange snap-together stamps, I love them. I bought double sets when they went on clearance before they went away.
Yes. It's pretty well known, but I did not have a ton of experience with them but I used prismacolor colored pencils in the late 90s in high school but I've noticed that even then ones I got around 2010 and versus the newer ones I got in 2018 and then refills have gone waaaayyyy down in quality. It might partially be because they aren't super expensive anymore because I can remember them being priced like $300 for the full set in like 1999 (which is why I never bought my own), like I would expect professional art supplies to be priced. The only reason I have a larger set is because there was a Groupon for the 72 set back in 2015-6? ish, and those feel cheaper than the 24 set I bought at Michaels a couple years before that. I've even noticed a slight degradation in Faber Castel Polychromos around the time they stopped printing the labels in the embossed (? engraved?) gold metallic and started doing black printed on labelling with UPC codes. I can feel a little difference in the same color between the two methods. Might just be me because they feel slightly cheaper without the engraved writing, but to me they feel a little different. I feel like there are other things like in watercolor as well but off the top of my head I can't remember at the moment.
I have several Prismacolor pencils that are at least forty years old. Except for better wood casings, the consistency of the color and cores seem comparable with those in the set of 72 I bought a couple of years ago. I bought a set of Scholars and like them almost as well. 😊
I wish someone would deep dive into who owns the formulas for the older brand Terry Madden used, They are lovely and highly pigmented. my large tubes are nearly gone, and I am so sad. My research online is at a dead end. Some say it was the Davinci brand then or now (I forgot which) but Davinci is less pigmented to me. I cannot even find used old tubes at any online stores, like ebay or Etsy. one site still sells his instructional videos but that is it. I think a wise move would be to approach his remaining family to revive the formulas. even if renamed. Finding anything or the old used paint is like looking for the fountain of youth.
I've been using windsor and newton professional watercolours for years, I don't think their professional range has changed much, however I can't comment on the cotman range. Polychromos coloured pencils have also stayed consistent, but they did change some colour names for example light flesh is now called rosy beige. The pencil numbers are the same and I didn't notice any change in the hue colour or lay down
For me, M. Graham, Schmincke and QoR are very consistent for watercolour paints. Love Golden acrylics in all forms. Not a fan of Liquitex anymore as I feel like their quality has changed. There are other things in the crafting space that I feel have changed as well, but that is more on the scrapbooking side of life.
Papercrafts seem to have gone the way of Cricut. There are no more aisles full of embellishments or dies, and there is a narrow choice of supplies or vendors to choose from. 😩
Well I am thinking of when I was a child and hearing my parents and grandparents saying "they just don't make them like they used to". I think the quality has went down on a lot of things. I have not been in art long enough to say a difference in the products I use. I do know that other things have went down in quality and up in price. Once again a very entertaining video, Thank you
There is a reason that my kitchen is stocked with vintage cast iron and stainless pots and pans from the 1940s-1960s, and it took years to put together. I am thinking through which pieces I will be handing down to my son, and he is already asking. 😀
I can't think of specific brands off the top of my head, but so many products, from clothes to electronics to stationery has declined in quality. So many brands that I used to be able to trust blindly I no longer can. Now I have to know what products are good in what brands.
I collect and use vintage art supplies. I find them at estate sales, garage sales, antique and re-sale shops and e Bay or Etsy, even hit a score of vintage color pencils at Restore. The most exciting thing is swatching them out to compare to my professional grade supplies. There are times when my jaw drops at the velvety smooth texture of the vintage prismacolor pencils and prismacolor pastel pencils....just wow! Even the Venus pencils and Paradise pencils have a bit of a wow factor to them. Same with the Prang watercolor paints in the tin palettes compared to the ones in the plastic. I have a Reeves paint tin with old paint in It and a few colors were fantastic and a few were so awfully dried and not able to re-wet. I found drawing pencils and charcoal from Derwent in an unopened tin ( about 20 years old) and again, lovely, lovely quality, equal to my Derwent newer set. I could go on......The paper I've rescued from an artist estate sale includes Grumbacher, AquaBee, Strathmore, and Morilla papers for watercolor, charcoal and pastel and generally speaking are good paper to use for practice ( some of it was yellowed at the edges and the watercolor pulp paper has a little issue with the sizing). Fredrix canvases have been good finds too. I've yet to try a set of W&N vintage oil paints from the 1960's that I found and that is next on my list. One tube was rock hard so that one is out but the rest are soft. Now that I've been blabbing on and on I do feel the compulsion to find more vintage art treasures and rescue them from the sure fate of the landfill. P. S. One of my vintage pencil hauls had 3 Blick color pencils...red, yellow and blue. I adore them and was surprised at the quality and I'll probably invest in more of them as I build my sets. Thank you Lindsey.....this is a wonderful video......I'm not in love with DS paints either.....never understood the excitement over them but I have a few favorites I order. Thanks again.
You are clever! I have found supplies at thrift stores or yard sales, but no scores like yours. Wow. I agree with you about the Blick colored pencils, I bought a few just to see and was surprised at how nice they were.
There's something called shrinkflation happening, too, especially with food products. Smaller quantity but same price so we don't realize we're being manipulated into thinking the price has stayed the same as we're used to. But we're wise to them, aren't we!! LOL.
I worked that out during the 1980s/1990s. My husband just discovered shrinkflation the other day. 😂😂
"We are too poor to buy cheap stuff" I heard once. I buy less stuff, but good stuff. I haven't seen a change in my materials. It is tempting to buy a budget brand...but I always think that if I saved that money, I would end up with better quality stuff in my stash in the long term. I stick to well established brands l, who invest in R&D, quality control and safe, tried production methods. I also appreciate companies that publish details about their pigments, production materials and methods. You don't get that with "no brand" or white label branded products. Sometimes companies shift production to countries with no sound safety or quality control standards for cost reasons. That is a 🚩 for me. Companies that do not publish their safety data info is also a 🚩. Most European brands are required to do that and this increases trust. I haven't seen changes in the brands I use, such as Schmincke, Caran d'Ache, Sennelier, Maimeri Blu or brushes from Rosemary, Jackson's or Da Vinci. Thanks for kicking the debate off. I am intrigued to see what other artists are experiencing.
Well said!
It’s so true, you don’t need 90% of what you have already. Buy good once and you will never touch those cheap supplies from the big box stores, again.
"We are too poor to busy cheap stuff" has always been my family's attitude (not that we are actually poor.). We had good art supplies as children (some of my paintings are still on the wall at my mother's house) and I always gave my son good art supplies. Everything else can be annoying and frustrating.
"Too poor to buy the cheap stuff." Couldn't have said it better myself. 😉
Yes! And the fact that I am worth the best! There is a difference ~ especially with paper! You can make subpar paper work ~ but why? Just save for better quality!
As always, there's a lot of great, well-researched information in this video, and clear disclosure when a point is speculative, which we appreciate. We're all experiencing the "new normal" of smaller package sizes and it seems like everyone is expressing a generally less satisfactory consumer experience in obtaining the things we need from day to day. Please don't take this as as a condemnation of what was presented here, or even a blanket rebuttal. We'd just like to speak up for some of the trusted vendors who are continuing to deliver great products and excellent value for artists, and help shed light on some instances where product changes are occurring due to pro-consumer concerns, and not at all as an excuse for cheapness. Apologies for the length of this comment- it's a big topic, and as always we like to err on the side of disclosure and transparency. Plus, we're kind of bad at editing for length so please be kind ;-)
There have definitely been some changes in certain products over the decades, and we can share what we know about a couple of these developments. What was stated about the art materials industry being subject to changes in pigment sourcing and manufacturing is absolutely true- we represent only a small consumer of these commodities, and any artist who has been working for more than a couple of years probably has seen a few colors retired or reformulated because of this. (Car tires are the #1 use for amorphous carbon black, and products like carbon pencils or lamp black oil paint are well down the list for the amount of that pigment consumed.) That's been the case for a long time, and it's unlikely to change.
Oil painters have very recently noticed an almost overnight change in the behavior of white paints and light-tint convenience mixtures with sharp reduction and elimination of use of zinc white pigment in oils. This was the result of conservation studies that identified negative effects on aging paint films containing zinc. Zinc white pigment is excellent for masking the natural yellow/amber color of linseed oil, and artists have noted that titanium white paint without zinc can have a slightly less neutral color. Zinc also promotes pigment suspension in oil, and without zinc, there can be increased shedding of excess oil, which some artists have incorrectly assumed is an indication that overall pigment load was decreased. Technical issues with zinc white only impact oil paints, so there's no reason for concern with acrylics or other types of paint relating to use of that pigment.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and if "green-washing" is how one interprets availability of toxicologist-certified safe products, that's up to the individual. These concerns originated with artists and educators, who have to be in daily physical contact with art supplies for decades over a career, and in the case of teachers, adhere to institutional rules on what is used in the classroom. Real, working artists participated in ASTM panels that set mandatory and voluntary standards for art materials testing and labeling, so these are not marketing campaigns created by corporations. Many reading this would recognize names of some of the panel members as respected peers. Safety and labeling standards are mutually agreed-upon by consumers, producers, and vendors, and in some cases, they are the law. That's why it's so confusing when we see artists waiving these protections by purchasing overseas-direct products that carry no disclosure of contents, with no accountability if a consumer wants to investigate the actual tests performed by a real health care professional.
Several brands have launched Cadmium-Free color assortments, and while we can't speak for every manufacturer, our partner company Utrecht Art Supplies undertook a major product development process to create their Cadmium Free sub-assortment, which is in no way a "re-branding" of Cadmium Hues. Utrecht already had Cadmium Hue equivalents for reds, oranges, and yellows, but those were developed long ago as "best effort" substitutions to offer lower cost, safer alternatives. Each color in the Utrecht Cadmium Free range was independently developed to have all essential benefits of real cadmium- tint strength, covering power, lightfastness, and an authentic mass-tone match for the original- using pigments that were safe enough to carry the AP seal of the ACMI (safe for all ages). The pigment content of Cadmium Free is completely different from Cadmium Hue colors, which could not come close to the target performance and appearance for the new line. (Some of the Cadmium Free colorants were not yet available when Cadmium Hues were first introduced). The price of each Utrecht Cadmium Free color is directly reflective of the cost of pigments, product development, and manufacturing.
Again, we're very grateful that this channel has opened up these topics for discussion. If anyone has questions to post in comments, we'll do our best to respond. Thanks to all the artists in this community, and to Lindsay!
Good points! Thanks for sharing your expertise!
This was a very extensive, but helpful comment.
On the topic of heavy metal pigments, the harm they cause of usually over the period of several years. Also, these pigments if not disposed properly are hazardous for microbial ecosystems. (Speaking based on a few toxicological studies I did as a part of my college course).
These pigments, since are finely ground can enter the water bodies where they could be taken up by either sea animals or plants, which might eventually Circle back to us causing bioaccumulation and possible heavy metal poisoning.
All that being said, I love my Cobalt teal to the end of this world. 🙊🙈
Don't know much about your own Utrecht products as not really available in my country but.......
Green-washing is a VERY profitable marketing ploy. Rebranding, 'new' formulations and clever sophistry has many questionable products re-marketed as a 'desirable' feature.
@@starvingartistscollective Art materials labeling and testing standards are taken seriously where we do business. We think rather than relying on speculation about "marketing ploys", artists will get better results by using trusted brands that offer honest disclosures about their products. We recommend paying attention to the actual standards used for testing, looking at pigment content and lightfastness ratings, and looking for verifiable 3rd party health and safety ratings. That way, nobody has to wonder or guess.
Then why do many companies selling Cadmium Free alternative watercolors (like winsor newton) refuse to disclose any pigment or manufacturing info? These colors are not exact matches for the cadmiums they're supposed to replace. Opacity and lightfastness aren't the same. And they seem to be mixtures of cheaper pigments already used by artists like Quinacridones, Pyrrols, Benzimidazalones and Perylenes. So why are they still charging Cadmium prices? These art supply companies are at the will of pigment manufacturers so they can only use what these manufacturers have made available which means they're using existing pigments that are cheaper than cadmiums.
Green washing is a fact in today's world. I'm happy there are systems in place working to keep people and the planet safe, but there's always going to be corporations that take advantage of marketing ploys that jack up prices and cut costs to maximize profit... isn't that the whole point of a corporation? While not all companies do this, it would be reckless and laughable to say that the majority of corporations aren't doing this.
I have been an artist for over 50 years. Back in high school, supplies cost more, however, I still have all my brushes from back then, my set of Grumbacher hard pastels, my set of Grumbacher oil pastels, and a number of Prismacolor colored pencils. I work in a ton of different mediums, so things don't need to be replaced as often. That being said, newer items lack the quality that many of my older supplies have. It's too bad. I believe that being frugal is buying good quality products that will last many years, and that makes them a bargain. Thanks for sharing.
Sitting outside sipping coffee while listening to you. You've become part of my Saturday AM routine. I even began saying that color is "nothing to write home about!"! Lol.... love your Sat Chats. You're a very important part of this Art community!
Thanks 😊
I guess I don’t understand the concern with “cruelty free” art products, expressing a concern with cruelty to animals when there doesn’t seem to be the same concern regarding the plight of humans in countries recognized to use slave labor to create products. This cheap or even forced free labor is the basis for the cheap prices and ever increasing number of “new and exciting” art products that come on the market. Artists and hobbyists are tempted to buy these products being reviewed, until the next “new and exciting” products come on the market, even if you haven’t used the first ones up.
These suspect manufacturers are encouraged by the plethora of art supply review channels who receive their income from having something “new” to review sometimes as often as 2-3 times a week. I think that’s where the examination of conscience ought to be, as well as with the manufacturers themselves who are encouraged to create more and more “different” products and to farm their products out to Chinese companies who are well documented for using slave labor in their factories. We make a hue and cry about Chinese products when it comes to food and clothing being made by the Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities housed in slave labor camps in China. Why would we think that all those various cheap art and craft supplies coming from China are any different or any more ethically manufactured. I’ve even heard art supply reviewers remark that they suspect that some of the paints, palettes, brushes, and such are all made by the same supplier and just relabeled with different product names.
Cotman is a good case in point. When they were manufactured in the U.K., they were a very good and reliable student brand. When they were moved to China, the quality changed. And that is only one example. Cotman, and its parent company, Winsor & Newton were bought out by Colart.
Colart, or the Colart Group, is a large international supplier of art materials, with subsidiaries and brands such as Winsor & Newton, Liquitex, and Lefranc & Bourgeois, which they bought out over the past couple of decades. The group's head office is situated in London, BUT -and it’s a big “but”- the Colart Group has ten production facilities based in the UK, France, and China.
In which of those factories do you think the cheaper products are being made and who do you think the laborers are and how they are paid?
I’ve been troubled for some time at what is happening with all these cheap products coming onto our markets in the West. Our discount stores are filled with cheaper Chinese made products.
More recently we are being encouraged to “buy local” or to shop in small independent “mom and pop” stores to keep independent farmers or shop owners afloat, not only for their sake but also for our various countries’ economies in general, because of what happens to the jobs of our people when all the manufacturing plants are outsourced and shipped overseas, and we watch our cities and towns fall into decline for lack of jobs. And importantly we have lost control over the quality and safety of our consumer goods.
So I will continue to buy Daniel Smith or M. Graham, and others like them, because I know where they are made and that their workers are fairly compensated. I may be able to afford fewer of their products, and I can’t become a “collector” of art supplies, but the products I do buy will last longer and I can happily create my art, which is the whole point of having art supplies to start with, to create with them and enjoy the process of creation, not merely to own them.
I don’t mean to offend anyone with the expression of my concerns, but you asked for dialogue from the hive mind about what we think is happening in the art supply world, and this is the way I have been troubled for some time. I would rather own less, whether art supplies or clothing or any product, so that workers could be paid more ethically and not be exploited. If the market for cheap goods is there, the unethical manufacturers will find a way to exploit their workers, even to enslaving them.
I sincerely thank you for the opportunity to voice my concerns.
Great thinking points.
Wonderful comment! Food for thought. I think of pencils popping out of machines in factories but they need people to run them and dig up materials and make pigments. What us the human cost? Great diaoloague!
Well said. I think about this a lot too, every time I open my wallet. Sometimes I think the best solution is to buy nothing, but that’s just not realistic. Less is more, and better for all.
When I was sixteen I was given two sable brushes, lovely brushes. Life got in the way and they were stored for over fifty years and through many more moves than I care to count. There was a great unpack in my latest move and I found them. You can’t buy anything like them.
Hullo, I disagree. If you are willing to buy true natural hair sable brushes you can get Kolinsky brushes that will last a lifetime. With the development of the synthetic hair brushes that are replicating natural hair the new synthetic brushes will be here years later too!
@@mjpete27 While you can buy something “like” those brushes today, the craftsmanship and unique build of products from decades ago (as long as fifty years in this case) will never be replicated today nor in the future. Everything from the type of wood, what the sables were fed, and the ingredients of the glue are different. Not to mention, fifty years ago sable brushes would have been handmade. This is true for all manufactured products - if you can find good quality appliances from the past they will often last another lifetime as they are built to use and fix rather than disposed of when their electronics malfunction as is the case today (often within a very short timeframe).
@@anicelery4764 Just a thought: good sable brushes are, for the most part, still hand-made, simply because the process of making the brushes doesn't lend itself to machine-manufacturing. Sorting the hair is a very intricate business (I've seen it being done). It's one reason why these brushes are so expensive.
Eg I know for certain that Rosemary and Co brushes are hand-made - not only because I'm currently waiting for Rosemary to return from the US to make my brush, but because if any brush you want is out of stock, all you need to do is send a message and it will be made for you as soon as is possible.
I agree 100%. I worked for a manufacturer for 13 years in customer service and a logistics/cold storage company for 10 yearsin their accounting and customer service departments . Both companies started out as small, family owned businesses, but the bigger they got the more they cut corners. As a result, quality suffered. Quality of materials, workmanship, and even work ethics of employees. The manufacturer I worked for is no longer in business as a result.
That's why I like small companies like Roman Szmal. He takes pride in his product with a hands on approach and it shows. I've even gotten some really good handmade watercolors from someone on Etsy, Addison & Sedgwick, who makes them herself and will provide pigment information if you ask. She's very nice to deal with too. ❤
Great recommendations!
Yes Lindsay your observations are spot on! In 40 years of art making I've noticed the changes in quality as well. Fewer legacy brand artist's quality products are my best choices now.
As for Daniel Smith.....after paying AU$48 for a 15ml tube of Amazonite 'Genuine' only to find out it's phthalo green has 'cured' me of any temptation to buy their products ever again!
I just paid Amazon AU$48 for a few 5ml tubes of Daniel Smith watercolour paints. Way overpriced for the amount of paint. Couldn’t swatch because too little paint.RETURNED them
@@c8Lorraine1 If you can't do hundreds of swatches with a 5 ml tube of any color, you are doing it wrong.
@@c8Lorraine1 What do you mean that it wasn’t enough for a swatch? I assume a 5ml watercolor tube would more than enough for a swatch. Do you mean that the tube was advertised as 5ml but had less paint inside?
The changes I've noticed are 1) the sizing in artist quality watercolour paper, even Arches, starting around ten years ago. The paint doesn't flow as evenly as it once did and sometimes there are spots that don't accept colour as well and other spots that accept it too well (staining when not a staining colour). I'll find a good replacement and they stop making it (that's happened a number of times). 2) some previously permanent, waterproof liner pens aren't waterproof even after days of drying. The one brand that is still excellent is difficult to get. 3) acrylic mediums are different from batch to batch (even Golden!) This seems to have occurred during/after Covid. 4) there are some high end, very pricey, printed rice papers that aren't colour set--ie. can't get them wet with glue or put media over them. 5) not a quality issue, but a big big problem (at least here in Canada): availability. Our art stores are stocking cheaper student grade or crafting products, or closing up shop... My backup plan: going back to drawing--my first love--because I can draw in the sand with a twig if I must.
I completely agree with your point on Arches! I have stopped buying it altogether. I love Baohong paper, but trying others like Hahnemühle and a few others.
You're a brave soul addressing the Arches "debate." When I posted I wasn't so brave. I will name the brand now... Arches. I couldn't agree more. Its a waste of money now. The last of it I kept buying when good sense should have prevailed I now have to treat to use. It sure has taught me a lot about using my own sizing, etc. But, pigments... that's another matter... can't save the Daniel Smith duds for instance. I still use a couple and nearly hold my breath opening a teensy 5ml new tube because I'm afraid to invest more in it... yeh, its changed that much that fast. M.Grahham is still dependable for me as is Sennelier but that one is only for a particular luminous delicate style that I haven't found an equal so I'm willing to pay for it.
Copics are the first thing that come to mind. I have 1 and half sets that my mom and I purchased in 2011. All of my copics are still in fantastic shape and still going strong. I have had to refill and replace a few nibs here and there, but otherwise I have no desire to use another brand. I have recently purchased some copics for the ones I am missing in the second set, the quality is not the same, the plastic seems different, the lids do not fit. There is definitely a difference in the quality of the actual marker. If I was new to Copics, I probably would go for a lesser priced alcohol marker. However because my Copics are 12 years old and still going, I’m sticking with them even though the refills are less. To me my 12 year old Copics are simply the best.
Arches watercolor paper isn’t the same as it used to be. I have 25 year old paper and the texture and responsiveness are completely different to new paper.
Yes, Arches was bought by canson a few years ago I think. I wonder if it changed then. I find the sizing on newer watercolor papers do not last as well too.
Yay! A professional that agrees! I love your Chanel Diane.
@@marytesta3003 thanks so much Mary! So glad to hear that (and this ones’s great too, isn’t it 🤣❤️)
@@thefrugalcrafter Yes! it makes me laugh to think that Canson think that we believe all Arches paper is still made in that little mill in the French countryside!!!
@@DianeAntoneStudio Lindsay is fabulous.
Other Artists mentioned in this video:
- Art Gear Guide
- Kimberly Crick
- Dr Oto Kano
- Jane Blundell
- Doodle Wash
(I already followed 3 of them but had a bit of a time understanding and finding the names of the other 2 so thought I might be able to help others to find them. Just search on Google and they come up. Thanks Lindsay, always interesting to broaden our education of professional paints).
I am not an artist but am so grateful to have stumbled upon your channel. I've binge watched your content and have learned a great deal about art/ craft techniques and the behind the scenes. I appreciate your analysis on product quality and commentary on spending, motivation and inspiration. You've been a great help to me in my crafting journey. Thank you.
I TOTALLY AGREE with you on the quality of everything! I grumble about it all the time. Lately companies are making smaller packages of products and charging the same price...they think they are fooling us but I compare ounces and grams of things like face cream that they lower a half to an ounce and make the container the same size but hollow on the bottom. I haven't been paining long enough to notice a change in quality. I'm still trying to find my favorite things and my own techniques. Thanks for the chat! Have a great week!
This true with all sorts of food…a bag of chips has about 1/3 the amount they used to and they used to not be full anyway. Tricks of the trade, I guess.
Yes to smaller packages, same price. Two months ago my Double Stuff Oreos came in 3 rows of 9 cookies, now they come 8 to a row, 3 rows. 3 less Oreos for the same amount. Highway robbery!!😂😂
"Shrinkflation" is the term for shrinking the product but charging the same. Some of it was due to supply chain shortages, but of course, I'm sure 99.9% of it is just greed! Sigh.
I think more people are using art supplies today that they never would have been able to access I. The past. Growing up in a rural area, I only had Kmart and Jamesway to shop at for art supplies. Fabric was purchased at an actual fabric store. We had a 99 cent store that sold gag gifts, bad incense, cheap baseball caps, expired food, etc. Amazon and big box stores have changed the ability to access supplies that I only encountered in a high school art class.
I’ve always appreciated how honest, thorough and fair you are. I think there are a couple things that have kept the prices down. There is more competition from companies in places like China, Russia and Korea who can produce great pigments for way less, drives the price down.
20 years ago there was no online shopping, now most stores are online and that reduces costs. I definitely agree the supplies feel less special because we now have EVERYTHING. I’m sure companies have figured out how to produce everything as cheaply as they can and that has to reduce quality.
What I AM sure of is we are SOOO lucky as artists to be alive in the US today. I have more paint than all the kings and queens combined used to have. I just wish I could remember that more often. ❤️
My dad was a water well driller by trade and later a water master for rural water systems. I can remember as long as 40 years ago, or more, he expressed great concerns about ‘artists’ using cadmium and other metals. He said they have no idea the problems they are causing by dumping those things down the drain. He was quite passionate about the long term risks to health even back then.
I wonder if perhaps the quality of some products has decreased based on increased consumption. For example, where watercolor paints were traditionally used by ‘painters’, more and more folks concentrating on ‘crafting’ projects are procuring these paints now. Also, if you have an interest in becoming a watercolor artist, classes, tutorials and training are much more readily available with the advancement in technology which also leads to increased consumption. I suspect that with increased consumption manufacturers may be looking for, and utilizing, lower cost factories. And in some cases I believe not a lot of money or time is invested in quality control. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad that more people are able to pursue creative endeavors than ever before! It’s a real conundrum Lindsay! (And you are absolutely correct about tomatoes! And green peppers!)
Yeah that's why i don't use cadmiums.
Good on Ya
Most art is a waste of space.
The food hasn't changed that much for me.
@@grannieannie1371 I do have and use some cads that are legacy brands and legacy collections But every time I think of daddy and say ‘I’m sorry dad’
I pour my dirty water into a PUR plus water pitcher to get the heavy metals out before dumping the liquid down the drain.
your comment makes me think about an extra thing that we prob don't think of... the water. certainly water is involved in paint making. and ox bile, honey, gelatin or other things etc. those things could be affected?! But also water. I can tell you, cooking with NY water and Phoenix water are VERY different. NYC water comes down from the mountain. Thers no comparison. Thats why NY pizza and bagels are the best. Why wouldnt water also affect paint? Or anything else?
The quality of all products are declining. Art supplies aren't exceptions. Outsourcing production to China, Bangladesh, and India where there aren't any quality control or labor control laws is a huge part of it.
With cotman paints definitely. I have an old set that is 15yrs and they are amazing but I got a sketcher set a few years ago and the quality was about the same as my cheap pencilmarch (superior) set despite being over double the price 😣
Yes- licensed FRAUD I call it! Keeping the same name, labelling and price relative to the market average , but nothing like the same quality is a classic “bait and switch” con. I would definitely pay more for the quality stuff I know works for me, but they don’t even give me a choice. The whole art supplies industry business model seems aimed at disappointed customers buying multiple products searching for something that actually works.
Paper is my biggest problem right now. Everything I’ve replaced in the last couple of years has turned out to be useless for the intended purpose
I don't know if quality is different or not, but Hobby Lobby, the only local easy to get to store for me, no longer carries many name brands, especially watercolor paper. Now it's all the store brand. Not happy about that. I find I don't visit there very often anymore since they, got rid of the discount AND they mostly carry store brand art supplies.
All the big box stores seem to be doing that. It's very annoying and keeps me from going in.
Hobby Lobby replaced the "daily discount" coupon with more percent off aisle sales. I check the weekly advert (still on my phone as the formerly bookmarked weekly coupon) to see what aisles are on sale. I like it better because it saves me from impulse visits and spending. I am not happy with the decrease of brands, either.
I was lucky that a teacher encouraged her class to buy Golden products, I extended to QOR, and then to Pan Pastel. They’re expensive, but seem to me worth it. Ten year old paints are still great, new purchases seem the same quality. I like the fact that they offer regular newsletters and vlogs that not only offer tips and techniques, but also information about the reason for pigment changes. In addition, they are worker-owned and in the US.
Qor is my top favorite watercolor paint. They perform beautifully!
My daughter got W&N coatmans before me, she raved about this pallet she got was on special and well it flowed for her and the colours popped. When I started I thought will get a little pallet like hers …… no pallets only tubes, ok someone said they liked fresh tubes better grabbed a few colours and away I went. Um nope coatmans bad paint, so didn’t flow just sat on the paper, got better paper um nope looks washed out won’t do anything. Me daughter was home she said here let me try and she was is this coatmans cause this paint sucks. Yep won’t buy W&N know but her little pallet is fabulous, paints are bright, they flow so different. So my answer is yes quality has slipped.great chat.
The only thing that I use up and replace quickly are watercolor sketchbooks. I have noticed a change in my favorite, pages do not take the paint as well. Thought it was all in my head but then I purchased another one and same deal. So quality is changing for sure. Guess my second favorite sketchbook will now become my favorite...and hope that it hasn't changed as well. Great chat! I think you are on the right track! Have a good one!!!
What sketchbook is that?
Yeah, which one is that? 😊
@ToniHulick I'm curious as well!
There has definitely been a decline in food, art supplies, cosmetics, skincare, clothing, etc. I don't know, it just seems like quality was better in the 80s and 90s when I was growing up. Back in my day we would walk ten miles up hill in five feet of snow....I'm old. 😁🤣
The 7/80s declined from the 50s and 2000s from the 80s... its a process where profits have taken precedence over reputation. I remember it well.... those who changed all industries from our doctor's office to appliances were called YUMPies,,, for young upwardly mobile something or other. I loved it when my doctor and/or vet didn't have a business office on site with a sterile attitude toward patients.... when the doctor was actually involved in all areas affecting their patients and "insurance" companies were actual there to "insure" security instead of scamming me. Yeh, the art industry is just following suit.
I have a slant palette of WN watercolors from about 25 years ago. Recently I’ve been putting together some more easily transported palettes. The paint difference between now and then is very marked. The 25 years old paint activates like a dream. I find i do love Daniel Smith paint, but only for certain things. In general it granulates heavily, but that seems to be the current trend with painters. The overall quality of things like palettes and brushes declined, as well. It makes me sad because it has a direct impact on the art we all make.
What I’ve seen happening is craft supplies have gotten small and charging way more.
I’m a reseller and when someone’s art supplies come up for auction (which is very rare) I always check it out. When I see that they used the good stuff I pay more attention to what it goes for. All art supplies of quality sell for top dollar at the auctions.
I’ve notice “vintage pencils” are now selling extremely high on the secondary market. Guess people are thinking they were made better back in the day.
Sounds like it!
They were! Everything from safety pins to clothes pins and paper clips are hardly usable compared to the sturdy stuff from the past. Art supplies in US have really taken a hit. Even so called art supply stores are pushing the poor grade paints. Used to be they had at least 3-4 choices. Kiddy grade, student grade, mid line grade and professional to choose from. Not anymore virtually all supplies in " art stores" are the same low grade offerring or of poorer quality found in the crafty chains. The good stuff, if they even carry it has very limited selections. The poorer quality way below even decent student grade paints ( old school quality performance not unusable chalky trash in very shallow pans) are seriously hard to get away from no matter where you go.
Good morning. Like you, I work in a variety of mediums, so I can only hope to live long enough to see my supplies 'run out'. I do, however, have the Prismacolors from back in the 90's. I understand from what I have seen that those were the 'good ole days' for Prismacolors, so I am fortunate in that respect. I typically buy higher end stuff, as I don't feel it is prudent for me to get cheaper supplies only to have to replace them when I get better with something more archival or inferior. The few times that I purchased 'budget' or 'student' grade supplies and used them and did something nice on them, I had big regrets. Example: I painted a raven that came out so pretty - but I used cheap watercolor paper. When I got to the top layers, it began to pill and was ruined. I was so upset. I put a lot of hours into it and I never even brought it over the finish line. It would have wound up in the bin if I didn't want to keep it as a reminder as what not to do. If I am unsure about a medium, I get a smaller package to try them out. Usually the small sets have the most used colors anyway, so if I upgrade to a larger set, the common colors will have backups. BUT - mostly what I do is watch YOU and Harry (Art Gear Guide) and my other favorite artists/teachers before I invest. You really do us a great service. Thank you. Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather. We are sunny and should be warm here for the weekend. I will wave to you from the other side of the bay, as I see the beach in my near future.
Have a nice weekend!
The quality is definitely changing. My first watercolor set in the early 2000s was Prang and then I had a Reeves cake set for about 8$. I rebought the Prang and although the paint was ok, the pallet was AWFUL thin plastic and the wells were smaller and felt less pigmented. My Reeves set was in a wider box and I had NO idea how good they were. I eventually let my young kid use them up and regretfully to get the set back I was able to find the same box from a small gallery in Ireland, (the reeves paints were right after their rebrand, and the watercolor cakes were horrible! ) And eventually found the old school cakes in a red tin and put them in the box from Ireland to recreate my 2008 original reeves travel kit. I cannot find it anywhere...but the same old red tin cakes sometimes go for 150$+ on ebay or other stores!!! The quality is sooo much better and I have paintings that I had in sunlight with them and I swear they have not faded over 15 years! I also noticed some of the cotmans I bought years ago out perform newer tubes these days. Now as far as professional paints go I think they are alright... Not much change in quality. I just think there's a major shift from the cheaper end where you might as well truly put a few more dollars in then waste the time and frustration with dollarstore stuff.
Cars . . . I’ve been in the market for a car, and I learned a thing or two. It’s not about demand, but about the profits that come from manufacturing efficiency. They are not only reducing choice of car colors, but choice of car models. The model I wanted they are discontinuing because they are streamlining their model line. I got that info from the car dealership. Henry Ford once said, “You can buy a Motel T in any color, as long as it’s black.” Yeah. We seem to be going back to that.
Wow, what a different Sat Chat. I haven't replaced any professional quality paints to be able to compare, still using them from 10 years ago. BUT, I ate a tomato this week that tasted like tap water, it had no tomato taste at all. This was a very thought provoking essay in greed in my opinion. If the prices haven't gone up then something else is cheaper, labor, manufacturing, or raw ingredients. Especially if the labor or manufacturing is unethical, which we know is happening around the world. I have noticed few car colors on the road and mentioned that to others, but didn't think about it in relation to limited choices by the sellers that may be influenced by the paint manufacturers. These kinds of chats rate up my brain and I go down rabbit holes in all directions as I try to sort them out. As a retired person I have the time to just do that and it helps me do a little research and keep my world view open. Thanks for the challenge. Have a wonderful week.
Thanks, it's a vacation week chat I taped in advance 😆
Fascinating subject! I'll read the comments to see what others think. It's interesting about how the prices haven't gone up when everything else did during the pandemic.
I've all but given up on Amazon, too many dishonest sellers. I feel that if I buy from a reputable seller, like Cheap Joe's or DB I have a much better chance at the true product.
Manufacturing in general has gone downhill for sure. I work at a car parts manufacturer and they sent about 75% of their lines to another country, and pushed the older, higher paid employees into retirement. A lot of the time, the parts get sent back to us to fix, but somehow, it's still cheaper for them to do the parts there. We make big name parts, too.
Oh well, what can you do? Thanks for posting this, great video! ♥
Re: changes in lightfastness. I haven't checked up on the ones you mentioned specifically, but in a few places here and there I remember hearing that some pigments labeled as fairly lightfast are less so in certain mediums like watercolor where the pigment may be very diluted. And watercolorists sometimes are the first to sort of "figure it out" when a pigment is actually more fugitive than the typical ratings would show. So is it possible that some changes to lightfastness, at least in packaging and disclosures could be due to newly gained knowledge or new rounds of tests having been done that show us "actually no this pigment is not as light fast as we used to think." I recently heard that some pigments that were kinda swept in decades ago under little to no safety testing are coming under new scrutiny by the US government who is changing their minds with newly presented info and tests to say "hey actually this pigment is less safe than we thought it was 60 years ago when it was approved for general use."
Agree, even the very popular Stampin company has shown decline. Remember when we could afford their paper packs of 50? Now the paper comes in packages of 24, the price is really high, and the quality is not as superb as 25 years ago.
I’ve noticed quality going down!
I used to love Global Handbooks for the paper and page quantity. They were bought out by a larger brand. Now, the paper doesn’t hold water as well, is more beige, and just is NOT the same although packaged the same.
Utrecht was bought out by Blick. Utrecht used to have an American Masters paper that was divine. Blick stopped carrying and said another brand is just as good. No! No! And NO! The new brand’s paper is Awful. The original paper was about $1 in early 2000s. New brand paper is now in double digits.
Utrecht gesso quality seems to have gone down, too. I only ever had mold in a pint of Mars black. Now, my gesso pint has mold. Aaargh!
Brushes are another problem. I have brushes from early 2000s. We had a small fire and my art brushes were close enough to melt. Trying to replace my melted and damaged brushes with same brand, just last year, proved impossible. The brush quality is Not the same, in spite of design, brand, etc being the same.
Yes, I’ve noticed an overall decline. It’s frustrating.
You’re right about the automobile colors. I recently bought a new car in a beautiful (to me) deep blue color after 25 years of owning gray and silver cars. It really stood out at the dealership because most of the cars were gray, silver, white or black with an occasional red or blue and some rare greens at a couple of other dealerships. It made me notice that most of the cars on the road are white, silver/gray and black. I don’t know if it’s because those colors are what’s popular, but they are definitely very predominant.
I learned something a very long time ago and that is to follow the money. Any changes made by big companies is always for their bottom line. I try to buy from small vendors when possible but the money is always going to be the reason things change.
I'm finding the quality art supplies, are held privately and not in public stock. Once you go public the investors have more say
How weird you bring this tomato thing up at the same time you bring up the car thing. This has zero to do with art, but I learned something about tomatoes, too. When my mom was getting her knee rehabbed, the son of her roommate was a guy who worked in marketing-specifically-tomatoes! He told me that grocery store tomatoes are bred for shelf life and not for flavor. He was impervious to my suggestions that he work on flavor. Delicious varieties of tomatoes do not travel well, and do not pack well. Tube tomatoes have always tasted like wallpaper paste, of course. But if f you are trucking in normally harvested tomatoes from Mexico, or flying them in from someplace in South America or New Zealand, they have to be tougher and start out unripened in order to withstand the trip. So, they breed them to look pretty so we’ll at least buy them when they get here-minor detail that they taste like cardboard. If you want a somewhat tomato-like experience, buy cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes out of season. Of course, in season, (August) you can get pretty good tomatoes from a grocery store. Or grow your own. “Only two things that money can’t buy; and that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes!”
This is the same reason why red delicious apples taste like sadness. Bred to withstand shipping and handling and still look pretty.
I totally belive it. The best smell and taste have my mum's tomatoes that usually perish in 3 days.
I hate red delicious apples 😆
Tomatoes aren't the only fruit/veg that has been bred selectively for the ability to withstand being picked green and held for long shipping and storage periods before ending up in our produce departments . I'm also thinking of peaches, pears, apricots , bananas, apples, to name a few. There is nothing like tree-ripened fruit, or ripe homegrown tomatoes!
On the surface, this has little to do with art supplies.
@@amandahodgin9316 “…red apples taste like sadness” is (sadly) the perfect description.
You are right about the tomatoes. They have hybridized tomatoes to have thicker skin….so they ship better and in doing so have lost the flavor. Taste or grow a heirloom tomato. Their flavor is outstanding. However the old heirloom tomato plants do not produce as many tomatoes as the newer varieties. Plus the growers pick the tomatoes when they are not quite ripe and let them ripen in transit. So the flavor is not as good as a tomato that has ripened on the vine in the sun.They are also making the plants more disease resistant. Same with roses. They hybridized them to have better form and be disease resistant but the new roses have little to no scent. If you smell an old rose…. their scent if fabulous! One will perfume a whole room! I recently found my old art supplies from college in my basement. They are 40 years old. I bought the supplies at Dick Blick in 1975. They consisted of oil Grumbacher oil paints and pastels. I am no expert but I do believe the quality was better back then. My old paints seem so much richer in color and quality. Love your sat chats!
You said exactly what I was going to say about tomatoes! I'll add one more point though... even an heirloom tomato will taste watered down if picked at the wrong time of day or after a heavy rain/watering. While most produce is best picked in early morning, for the best tomato flavor, pick in the afternoon. I'm betting the tomatoes in the food industry are shipped after a big uptake of water (and who knows what *in* the water to preserve them during travel and extend their sh
So guys, try a Campari tomato. They have the closest taste to a fresh tomato. I can eat them by the bowl, and do.
@@ms_chigger Always excited to try a new tomato variety!!! Is it possible they go by the name Mountain Magic? I searched Johnny's and that is what came back when searching for Campari. None of my favorite seed companies (I checked 6 of them) had seeds under that name... not even Totally Tomatoes. Is that maybe a brand name of tomatoes in the store, or a specific variety you've been able to grow?
I couldn't agree more about the roses grown commercially having little to no scent! It's crazy! To me roses are beautiful to look at, of course, but it is in their fragrance that makes them the grand flower that they are. I can remember having a few rose bushes at home growing in the front yard and I specifically bought them for their Tea Rose aspect in order to get that heavenly fragrance. The red one was beautiful and had only a faint rose smell, but the pink one had a heady aroma that was just wonderful! So disappointing to see a fine looking display of roses in any store but then they have no fragrance! And this has been going on for some decades now, unfortunately!
@@karenpage9383 I’m not sure. I’m in Oklahoma & originally from Texas. I think I have seen them other names. They are about the size of a golf ball & are still on the vine. I get mostly at Sam’s club. I would figure they would also be found at Costco.
Most of my artist quality is old but i have noticed that getting new Daniel Smith tubes are not as full compared to the older tubes, like they have air in the bottoms. However, the biggest change is in yarn, the quality is hit or miss now and the y have a lot of knots that was rare in the past, its so frustrating
I had the same issue with some open stock turner paint.
I’ve noticed a decline in a lot of products, food for sure, clothing, cars, appliances, some art supplies. But when I look at my high end archival legacy brand art supplies, I would say no. Or at least I have not noticed. They are still wonderful. Luminance pencils, m Graham paint..still good. On the plus side, there are a few new brands or products that I also find stellar, like Qor watercolors, Mijello single pigments, and Derwent lightfast pencils. I can’t afford to try all that’s new and wonderful, but when I can save up, I do purchase the good stuff. I think think both WN and Faber Castell have been making loads more products that appeal more to students and crafters, so that may contribute to their higher end items staying relatively price stable, like maybe they spread the cost around a little, or can afford the hit on increased cost for good pigment. Just a thought. Also, in my opinion, the cheaper lines are really fun but they come and go, even the surprisingly good cheap items, so I don’t get too invested. I don’t like being sad, lol.
Good point!
20+ years as an artist here and I agree with your assessment.
Seems to me that the quantity is less in many things. The pans are more shallow, tubes are less amount. Like candy. I did a short video on a container of candy corn. Looked like a great buy. When I opened it and reached in the container I realized that they made the round container with a raised cone in the center to take up space! Shame shame!
I have Daniel Smith of watercolor sticks, but do not intend to get the regular paint tubes because I have WN, Schmincke Horadam and Holbein....thats absolutely enough already excellent professional paints.
yes, and fewer places selling anything but below student grade at reasonable prices. Very disappointed in HL and other retail stores for the switch to store brands only. I am old enough to remember these stores carrying Terry Madden, DaVinci, Susan Schwee, Yarka, Van Gogh and other higher quality midline ie above student kiddy grade paints. Even major online stores push the not so good quality more.
It is such a dissappontment! I have no reason to go in these stores anymore. And they charge the same price I can get Artist grade online for the crappy white labeled stuff.
@@thefrugalcrafteryep, most of my supplies were purchased around the 80s 90s also including prisma colored pencils and watercolor paints etc. Agree the older quality and performance was for the most part, superior to same brand or similiar range ie price and grade, than what is offered now,
Interesting topic. I've been buying art supplies for 4 years so I don't know much. But I've been switching to profesional paints lately because when I watch art videos I notice the quality of the artists' supplies is way better than my cheap supplies. :) It'd be a shame if all profesional paint decreased too someday. Then again, I've seen experienced artists like yourself do wonders with cheap materials so the world will still be able to appreciate beautiful art no matter what happens with the paints.
I find that prices have gone up enormously, especially since the pandemic on Amazon Canada, there are no deals to be had there. Even Jackson's delivery charges have gone through the roof, before it was free after a certain amount now, I haven't seen that in a while.
Another great Sat Chat! I have some WN paints given to me by an artist friend. They are really old and way better than the new ones I have. They seem smoother and much more pigmented. Just purchased your water color glass class. Wonderful! Thanks for the Memorial Day Sale!
Thanks 😊
I total agree. My husband gave me a set of Lukus1862 watercolors about 10 years ago for Christmas. I just bought a new half pan of paint and found it to be chalky and less pigmented. I've also noticed changes to Bee Paper and Winsor and Newton paints.
What color of Lukas was it?
Verona Green Earth. May a bad batch?
I’ve used liquitex acrylics since the 80’s. I just bought a bronze to replace a nearly empty tube that was probably 7 years old and they are nowhere near the same color. The new one is like a muted dusty rose gold instead of a rich chocolate bronze. It’s so bad it looks like kids paint, very sad.
Bummer! I always lied their heavy body acrylics.
I noticed that too with the price triggering on Amazon.
I go through a lot of watercolor paper, and I try lots of different kinds. Fabriano Artistico hot press used to be my favorite above all others. In the last year or so they changed their sizing to be vegan and to lift out mistakes easier. I don't like it. Unless I soak and stretch it, it's hard to get a nice wash. It defeats the purpose of buying a block. Fortunately, I have a stash of sheets. I wonder if it was just cheaper to change the sizing.
That paper has been vegan for a while but I have heard complaints from colored pencil artists about the sizing.
I would rather pay more and get more product than have it downsized to keep the price down. That goes for art supplies and food, too. I don’t like the downsizing of cans from standard 16 ozs. to 14 or 15 ozs. It messes with my vintage recipes! 😂 Also, I hate to see so much packaging for smaller amounts of products. It adds more plastics, etc., to the environment. I wish they would ask us consumers what we prefer.
Hullo Lindsay, I stopped buying budget brands in 1986 for my artworks because they just never worked as well as professional grade supplies. I remember the year as I started selling regularly and became a full time artist! So I think most quality supplies remain worth the money. Dan Smith? Bunch of cheaters and I wish more attention was given to the law suit that was filed but nothing since? What happened there? Paper has gotten better and worse. Arches is still the go to brand but more quality papers made by more brands has given them competition and reduced prices in some cases! Bee paper came out great! Now they changed manufacturing methods or vendors and you must be more careful about the quality that you buy! Yes, wood pulp + cotton blends do work, but not as good as 100% cotton!
FOOD! Yes! More food is picked green and shipped before it is ripe as the skins are tougher and transport is easier. If you buy local produce at say a farmer’s market you will taste the difference in your foods! Vine ripened instead of a squirt of inert gas to turn tomatoes red! Or a cucumber green! A C02 blast to keep meat looking red in the package long after it should be brown, this is why if you unwrap meat and it goes brown before you get it in the pan? This is why! You are a true joy to watch Lindsay. Thank you for sharing this wonderful SatChat with us! Please take care, be safe and enjoy your weekend!
Thanks! I will! I am hitting the beach with my old college roommat3 tomorrow and we are all going to a family cookout Monday! Beautiful weather too!
A great topic!
I had that issue with watercolor paper. With some of them, it seems that the sizing is gone, two years after buying them. I had to apply Gesso on them to be able to use them with some media.
The s9zong on newer papers is not ad good. I have 20 year old Arches and Fabriano that's fine tho.
I think when we get older we know more and we get pickier. But I would trust your experience with products regardless. Myself, I don't enjoy restaurant food anymore. It is so mediocre compared to my own simple cooking, which is just so tasty.
Thank you! This whole cadmium paint fear mongering thing is extremely frustrating for me! There are such small amounts of cadmium in the paints that it's not even required to put a warning label on them. Unless you're inhaling them through spraying it or ingesting it in some way, it's not harmful to you! And even then, it's large amounts over a long period of time that causes risks. Even if you are eating around your paints, it's not going to cause any health risks. Unless you are actually eating the paint itself on a regular basis and in large quantities.
@Karabear I agree! Cadmium red is one of my absolute favorites, especially for mixing flesh tones 🥰 I've read and heard some people say the fear around cadmiums is because it's "bad for the environment" and I just want to ask them: Where do you think cadmium comes from?! 🤷🏼♀️😂
@@melissamcintyre7661 It's legit just fear mongering. I have tried and tried to find cases of cadmium poisoning from paints and how dangerous it is to use and I've come up empty handed every time. Simply put, it's just not dangerous to paint with. There's no reason whatsoever to not use it. I've looked into the dangers it can cause pets too and again, the amount is so small it doesn' t pose a threat! And same, I prefer cadmium red deep and cadmium yellow over all the others. Especially during Christmas time! Cadmium red deep is a must have for the reds that I want!
I’ve seen and heard from various art suppliers that almost all Winsor and Newton products have suffered a decline in quality ever since they moved some of their production to Asia. The main area that I have noticed a big difference since I started painting is in watercolor paper and other supports such as canvas. I’ve become very careful about buying art supplies that seem too cheap to be true - and especially from amazon. I think a lot of art supplies were overpriced even back in the 90’s - and it could be that companies today are finding less expensive means of manufacturing - but I also wouldn’t put it past some of them to skimp on quality to boost profits.
I have some newer Copic markers with tops popping off and drying marker. A few markers had tips that came messed up and unable to use. Arteza watercolor sketchbooks need to be used within a year according to person I spoke with about my sketchbook paper going bad. Arteza replaced my sketchbooks but won’t buy again. I recently purchased a W&N watercolor marker in yellow ochre and it’s different than old. Thanks Lindsay 💕
I've noticed all of those things.
@@thefrugalcrafter yes, yes. I heard this from you on 2. 💕
Lindsay, you rocked this query and I'm so proud of you for the courage to post this SatChat!! 👏🏻❣️👏🏻 Yes, quality has diminished in many things and, as a result, we've become a disposable world. Not all higher priced products are better either, so it pays to do one's homework before investing. But then too, some inexpensive items can be equal to or better than the higher priced products. There again, it pays to do one's homework. I've taken risks and been both disappointed and delighted. 😜
Sometimes, because of my situation of creating whilst bedridden, I will deal with a lesser quality item that better suits the space on the tray tables atop my bed and to the side of my bed - every 1/4" of real estate space matters! 😂
Happy Holiday weekend, sweet girl! ♥️
Good points!
With legacy art supply manufacturers, I’ve only seen a decline when they changed where their products are made. I have Polychromos from 25 years ago to from two years ago, and they’re the same. But they’re still made in Germany and I’m sure their prices have gone up. The Faber Castell kids’ pencils aren’t made in Germany anymore and the new ones aren’t as nice as the old ones. I haven’t noticed a decline in Schmincke Horadam or Sennelier, but Lukas is not as good as they used to be before they were bought by Fila.
I do wonder how much stuff ends up for bargain prices on Amazon that wouldn’t have made it through quality control 20 years ago.
You might be on to something!
Happy Saturday Sat chat. Great subject thanks for touching on this topic.
I didn’t read previous comments but with regard to the cadmium’s, cobalts, or for that matter most if not all paints end up in our ground or landfills, and yes, back into the water - it’s not that you specifically breathe them in while painting. I feel strongly about this, but obviously not strong enough to alter my painting🙃
wow, can't wait to watch, thanks again for a great conversation
I'm not concerned about my health for cadmium and cobalt based pigments and the colors are very nice, however, it's not about me. Children mine cobalt and cadmium and that's just wrong on many levels. I choose not to use those paints. Maybe it will be a spit in the ocean. I hope collectively we can all make a difference. I think one of the reasons good brands of art supplies have been able to maintain their price points is because of supply and demand. Pre-internet sales can't have been nearly as high because these supplies are much more available that they used to be. That's going to keep prices down because manufacturers can buy more raw materials cheaper. Sheer volume of sales can keep prices down too.
Just a thought.
I own Cottman and Royal and Langnickel. The Cottman is more pigmented (good for the $$ I paid for it) but the R&L is cleaner, more transparent, and mixes better. So i think the issue may be more in the budget/student grade market (which is unfortunately where I live as an artist on a very strict budget) rather than the professional grade supplies market.
I am sorting through cardmaking supplies (storing everything together... in one location, ha ha ha). I think quality depends on the manufacturer, and most have stayed pretty consistent in the decades I have been crafting. In defense of Prismacolor pencils, I have several that are easily over forty years old. The wood is better, and I was surprised that the colors match the ones I bought from Amazon a few years ago. The color lays down smooth, so I would say Prismacolors are a great buy (I love my Prismas and keep my Scholar set out on my desk).
Some of the scrapbook papers seem a bit thinner, and budget cardstock has never been good to me in terms of inking and stamping. Again, I stick to brands that appear to have stayed consistent (e.g., Neenah or Astrobrights). I have never followed trends, and I do have enough stamps, dies, paper, etc., and embellishments to keep myself busy papercrafting for a long time. I have noticed that prices for craft supplies have gone up so I keep my eyes out for sales in those rare instances when I need to replace something. It is also harder to find items made in the United States, like copper wire. My local Hobby Lobby is not carrying Parawire anymore, and their On a Wire brand is made in the USA--not my first choice so it is good that I am currently stocked on wire.
Food prices staying the same as quantities decrease is a phenomenon I first noticed in the 1980s. Toilet paper went through that during the lock down years, and food is going through such a period now.
A home grown tomato, or a tomato bought from a local/seasonal farmer's market is superior to any from the store. I have started buying local or domestic produce seasonally because it will keep for more than three days. 😂😂
With out watching past the initial question and listening while I type. YES. I think the quality has changed about 70%. The idea of it all seems "it does what it's suppose to" but not really! "Is it red?" GREAT that's good enough. Is how it feels. Even other textile products on shelves or online feel very rough or less smooth to use. An example is yarn! I don't mind that they change due to health concern, but my overall scope of art supplies being less quality is real for a lot of products. The paint I used in 2005 - same brands even feel watery, less dense, less opacity. Could be formula could just be health concern.. but it costs more. I have had to find more supplies that are CHEAPER but function the same. I honestly started to use highlighters in artwork now to just feel comfortable with "cheap" instead of wanting something more peppy. I'm getting comfortable with cheap. The paper is the roughest part about supplies right now. If the paper can't hold the medium I want to use, that is a huge concern to my satisfaction of results and outcome!
Green-washing or safety-washing definitely occurs across all types of products. Remember when cholesterol, gluten or trans-fats where the newest heinous thing in food items? Prepared food manufacturers started putting "Cholesterol free", "No trans-fats" or "Gluten free!" on products that would never have those in the product in the first place....like strawberry jam or frozen broccoli...as a marketing strategy. Ice cream manufacturers have started decreasing the SIZE of their products (16 oz - pint- is now 12 oz, 64 oz - 1/2 gal - may now be 48 oz), but have kept the PRICE the same....rather than risk the wrath of the consumer by just RAISING the prices. So, yes, companies would definitely look for ways to save on costs in producing their products rather than just raising prices. If the American public didn't have a "poverty" mentality and could see the value of paying slightly more for good quality products, the manufacturers probably wouldn't feel the need to take such steps so frequently or to switch their manufacturing facilities to countries where the labor force is not as well paid. There will always be other valid reasons for ingredient/product substitution, so, yes, do your research in all product types...especially anything that you will literally consume or put ON your body.
I use mostly Escoda & Princeton brushes. I haven’t seen any difference in their quality. I have some Rosemary brushes I have had for 3-4 years & they are great. I have some silver black velvet I have had for years & they look like new. The funny part of that is I was at hobby lobby one night & they had a basket of brushes marked down. I found several black velvet marked down to -get this- a dollar. Bought them. I didn’t know what a treasure I had until i started with water colors. I didn’t like them because they were to soft. Pulled them & started seeing the actual price of them & it was a jaw drop moment for me!
Great point about the quality of older supplies vs what we can buy today. I will say that this new iteration of Bee Creative watercolor journals seems different than my older ones. Specifically the new paper seems not to absorb water as easily. In painting wet on wet I need several applications of water before the water stops floating on the surface. That said I still love these journals.
Have a wonderful week!!
The bee paper company is now owned by Royal & Langnickle
Great question! I think in general the art supplies I have been using are very good quality but I think on the whole of things in the art supplies world I think paints are getting better made and papers too! Happy weekend!
You and I are in agreement regarding Daniel Smith paints. They have beautiful colors but I find them more difficult to re-wet than my European & M. Graham favorites. Maybe it's just me, I don't know, because there are many artists that swear by them as their favorites.
I have several different brands I use. I will get 1-3 different colors of a new-to-me brand to try before I commit to buying more.
As for quality of art supplies, I don't know. I have enough to last my lifetime. LOL
M Graham uses honey as a binder, which makes them very easy to rewet, as opposed to paints that use other binders such as oxgall.
I love M. Graham because of the honey and hate them for the same reason. I like to let tube colors dry in my palette, then use them like pan colors. If I did that with M. Graham I finally learned not to take them out of the house, or I end up with paint drips all over everything. I still love them for painting at home though, and would choose them over anything else I’ve tried. Including Daniel Smith.
@@TeriZipf me too! M. Graham for home and (usually) Schmincke for travel. They both re-wet easily and are great paints. Lately, I've been enjoying Kristy Rice's paints. They do have dye in them, but the colors are lovely and they all seem to go together.
I've noticed the quality of Prisma color pencils is now hit and miss, I've got a set from 15years ago, and compared to the latest replacement pencils I just purchased, the newer ones had randomly smaller sized cores, as well as the cores bring offset and cracks or splits in the actual wood of the pencil as well, the art store replaced the ones with cracks in them but honestly how did they even pass quality control
Happy Saturday…good topic! I have not noticed any difference is replacing my paints or paper but I do read reviews and thank you for starting this chat! Have a great weekend!
I can't really comment on the QUALITY of the art supplies, because I had about a 30 year gap where I wasn't buying/using any. And I've changed the types of art supplies I buy over the years--I used to paint with acrylics, and now it's watercolors. I do think that the cost of paper continues to increase substantially. At least quality paper.
And honestly, the price of just about everything I purchase in life has gotten increasingly expensive. Especially over the past 5 years. And the quality has certainly declined in equal measure. Getting really tired of big purchases, like appliances and televisions and riding lawn mowers falling apart after 3 years. My husband and I were just talking about it this morning, as both our riding and push lawn mowers, which we purchased less than three years ago, are experiencing major (different) issues. The $3500 refrigerator we bought about the same time has had the ice maker and the control panel replaced twice, and still isn't working. Food is definitely not as rich in nutrients or flavor as it was 50 years ago. Furniture falls apart after 2 moves. Clothes fall apart after a dozen washings. I bought some pretty expensive sheets for our bed, and they had several tears in them a week later. About the only consumer item I think is better quality than they used to be is cars. And we drive our cars for a minimum of 10 years, after buying them already 3-5 years old.
As for things like cadmiums and cobalts, the concerns are more in the contamination of the water supply and the contamination caused by the process of mining it. Apparently, it's already a pretty big issue in our food supply. Due to their high consumption of cereals, nuts, oilseeds and pulses, vegetarians have a higher dietary exposure. As for cobalt, it's a deadly chemical as toxic dumping is devastating landscapes, polluting water, and contaminating crops. High concentrations of cobalt have even been linked to the death of crops and worms, which are vital for soil fertility. I think the use of cadmium and cobalt is a legit concern. Not suggesting we stop using them altogether, but definitely avoid when a reasonable substitute is available.
I haven't heard about metals in food. Yikes! The appliance thing is do true. They do not last along. I refused to buy another dishwasher after the one we bought 7v6ears ago dies. I use it as a cabinet for Tupperware now and wash my dishes by hand (and no more spots or hard water build up!)
Hey Lindsay Weirich, I personally look for art supplies at thrift Shops and yard sales, I am very happy with my finds. I once brought a very decoratively painted pallet with wafer sized cubes of colors. It contained about 92 colors and they are very vibrant, the wafers wearout much quicker, that makes me sad because I know I won't fine these delicious colors anywhere, as the pallet is dated made in England 1963. Love The Sat Chat and hearing about the stores in Maine that we don't have in the central part of Illinois. Thanks for sharing.
For various reasons, I have studied various aspects of product production and aspects of the legal wording on how products are represented. Some companies and some industries are under great pressure to continuously improve profits. The focus and trends in the markets has moved away from quality. It is a fact of life. If you can't produce faster cheater you will be out of business. What that looks like for the consumer varies with the industry. For example: the life expectancy of a major appliance today is around 5 years. Not that long ago an appliances lasted 10 to 20 years. I know we are talking about art which is a much smaller scale. However, the smaller scale puts greater pressure on rhe survival of the company. Futher, the near absense of industry standards allows for greater wiggle room when it comes to quality. Case in point, most people believe that Daniel Smith primatect paints are made from gemstones. I have heard well-respected reviewrs on RUclips make that claim. Aside from some small enterprises who are focused on quality all others focused on faster cheaper. Better is a subjective term and solely defined by how well a produt is selling.
As to legal wording, that is a subject of endless manipulation. The one that is currently very popular is Natural. Because natural have no strick legal definition. You can call almost anything natural and not be legally bound. It appears on the label to make people think that the product is somehow wholesome and beneficial in a way that a product without that word on the label isn't. And the answer is that from the legal perspective the company is not legally bound in anyway to provide anything wholesome or beneficial. It means absolutely nothing. Then there is a gray area. The way we now use certain words has made the definition of them less precise and more ambiguous. As a result the labeling and representations made are not as legally binding as they used to be. I often find myself reading a label and the small print over and over trying to understand what it means. Usually the answer is a redefinition of the claims made about the product. If that redefinition does not include what i am looking for in the produce i move on.
In the art world much is open to trial and error, interpretations and opinions. For some people the highest standard of paper is 100% cotton. Others do not like cotton for their style of painting. Once you decide on paper content then there is the question on sizing, one side, 2 sides, two sides plus internal sizing. You think you got the sizing right, but no there are diferent types of sizing. Some desolve more redily with water than others. This just for something as seemingly simple as paper. We haven't discussed what 100% cotton means. Aside from the different veraties of cotton plants, there is the amount and type of processing to the cotton before it goes into the paper. In other words quality is an infinitely variable thing with many possibilities and opportunities for cost cutting.
I can't say the exact era when quality started to take a hit. Post WW2 there was the beginning of a measurable trend.
I don't ascribe any sinister intent. One thing led to another as the measure of success graduately shifted from quality towards profit.
The genie is out of the bottle. Does anyone know how to get it back in?
Quality didn't disappear. It simply became very expensive. Even at a higher price there is no guarantee that the quality will be there in all cases.
I have often wondered how the great empires of ancient history came to an end. The Egyptians, Incas, Romans, etc. What was the moment of no return?
What a thoughtful provoking comment. I read it twice!
History records the fall of empires. Rome is a benchmark, unfortunately. Excellent and insightful commentary.
Maybe it was late stage capitalism like we are experiencing now?
Very good point about not being able to truly review something based on old products. I immediately thought about Winsor & Newton Cotman and how manufacturing was moved to China. (Lol, you got to that as I was typing.)
What I love about Polychromos is the fact that Faber-Castell colour matches as close as possible across all their products. I can grab 219 Deep Scarlet red in my Polychromos pencils and my Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils and my Pitt artist pens and they all match exactly.
I have not had to actually change any of my paint art supplies yet, at least not the more "professional" ones since I have been not long using them so I cant add to that part of the conversation although I really enjoyed hearing and reading comments about it. But yes, I do think quality in general has been going down in what I have been able to observe. We have seen this a lot with home appliances. You buy a refrigerator or tv and you are lucky if it will go fine for 4 years. My mothers washing machine was 12 years old when it died. Her refrigerator again, very old. All my grandmother's home appliances went to my mother's house when she died, they worked fine. No, it is not normal that a printer will stop working in a few years and its cheaper to get a new one that to get it fixed. Its a waste of materials. And I do have a hard time accepting that. I try to fix anything broken rather to buy something new unless totally necessary. But unfortunately they make it necessary because they dont have manufactured parts that you can buy to fix things. Its a generalized problem.
I think that is the cause of "built in obsolesence." If it lasts forever the company will not make money. Meanwhile, these things wind up in landfills. 🙄
I don't see a change in the professional supplies. But I do think there is a lot more junk duping the real thing, trying to get a piece of the pie, and end up costing the consumer more in the long run.
Your review raises issues not only around the quality of the paints but also shares thoughts on how to go about making choices. Many thanks for a full round approach. I tend to shop less, mono pigments tube paints and learn to mix. Too many choices (i.e. Himi, Annagoni) overwhelm me. Playing with colours is always fun, so learing to mix is a bonus (as well a savings measure) I started gouache with Schmincke Akademie (in Europe €4 for 60ml tubes) The oaint is excellent and not precious. Plus, Schmincke is in 🇩🇪 with fair labour practices (25+ paid leave, 2year paid maternity leave to name a couple) and strict environmental and garbage disposal practices. Plus, everytbing is available in open stock and quality is constant. Just like in "fast fashion", the same concerns show up in cheal art supplies of unclear origins and non declared health and safety or labour practices. I applaud you for bringing this side of the art supplies into the conversation.
I think a lot of products are poor quality now it's all about making $$$$! Less amount and same or higher price. I've noticed. I'm so glad I have tubes of excellent paint you suggested I buy years ago.. Thank you! I still have art supplies from college too 40+ years ago and they are still excellent. They didn't make cheap stuff back then they were expensive but great quality.. It's crazy and stressful these days.
I remember taking art classes after high school back in the early seventies...and then again in college. After that, decades went by before I took up painting again as a stress buster. I lost my supplies from a move and had to buy new stuff. When I bought acrylics, I kept wondering what I was doing wrong because in the past, the paint had a lot of body. I thought that I bought the wrong stuff and tried again getting the same results. It seems to be like this for most everything these days. It's a game of quality vs quantity. Sad.😮
I think part of the art supply chain is it’s become more like craft supplies. We have many different choices of top quality items and even more choices for ok quality. It’s no longer just 3 or 4 old standard companies and no with Chinese companies making art supplies that are manufactured by the same company for 10 different companies makes it seem as though we have more actual choices than we have. My cottons from art school 89-94, are far better than the ones I bought for my granddaughter. My old Winsor & Newton are different than the newer versions purchased since the pandemic but they’re not manufactured by the same factories anymore. So I’m feeling like you and don’t know definitely. It’s definitely hard to know.
I just got into professional artist brands in 2020. So I can't really speak for the quality going down or not since my last supplies were only Crayola. But I love when you speak the truth about brands which makes me believe your reviews more. You have said Daniel Smith is not your favorite because of the practices they did with "gem" watercolors. Most won't go against such big brand that could sponsor you in the future. I love when we can have a real talk. I say keep these videos coming! They always make me think deeper.
Cheaper prices could also be result of supply and demand... it is cheaper to make things if you make more of it. higher demand could lead to lower costs cause they are making more and competition. But seeing how cheaply everything is being made even outside of art, I suspect that has more to do with it. Ppl just getting into art won't know the quality isn't as good and the ppl who have been doing it are using the supplies they bought yrs ago so they are only experiencing the new stuff intermittently so they think it's a quality control issue. I would think the step down in quality is probably incremental too, so it isn't immediately noticeable but over the yrs the quality keeps going down. so stuff bought today vs 20 yrs ago is a huge difference compared with stuff from 5-10 yrs ago. Hoping that makes sense. I've watched your reviews for yrs and have noticed that you have commented more and more about how the repurchased items don't seem to have the same quality.
Could also be change in attitudes too... ppl looking for just good enough and companies using their good brand name to give impression of high quality when it's just slightly better than good enough.
Incidentally, a few yrs ago a co worker divorced and was setting up her new home and bought bedroom furniture. It was a name brand associated with high quality and she paid the quality price, but I noticed that some , if not all of it was made with an MDF type material and was just coated to look like wood instead of it being made of wood. The price would have been fair if the furniture were made of wood, but it was a rip off for the quality of materials used. It certainly wasn't something that could be passed down and repainted etc. I've noticed that with a lot of furniture. I bought side tables for my bed last yr and had to return one because the top was damaged in shipping.... it looked and felt like wood, but the damage showed it was made of like a thick pressed chip board type material. If it wasn't for the fact that they were the exact style and size I had searched months to find, I would have returned them instead of replacing the damaged one.
Good point! I see Windsor & newton adding sets of "artst" colored pencils and pastels that are private labeled again made products.
we are so lucky to have so many choices these days,after buying so many paints over the years i can say about 5 out of 50 sets of paints are still bad. the cheaper tubes i got because they were a good buy but now i have a large bag with them just sitting there ,i learned to appreciate the high pigment load in mission gold and art whale,good prices and good color pay out,
Very interesting topic, Lindsay. The comments are just as educational and informative, too. Have a great weekend!
Everything is going down in quality! From paints to stencils. I especially notice it in stencils since I love stenciling. I have stencils from 30 years ago they were quality ...same brands are thinner some are so thin they won't last .
Thank you Lindsay.
Ink pads quality has fallen off. I have some Distress minis that I got for Christmas 6 months ago that not only are drying out, but the physical quality of the pad itself is shoddy. My Archivers ones don't last as long without reinking like the older ones did. Maybe I'm too picky, who knows. As a carmaker, I like a good, reliable stamping pad. Momento is the best yet. I prefer rubber stamps over acrylic, and was "sad" when I got word the Peg Stamps were gone. I love those things. Wish I would have gotten more. That's not a quality issue, though. (Train of thought issue!)
All my inkpads are old and have been reinked dozens of times and are still going strong!
Most of my inkpads are five or more years old. I have Archival full size and minis that are in good shape (I am not a Distress ink person). Momento is one of my favorite inks/pads, too. I prefer rubber stamps (Deep Red 😉 ), and if you are referring to the Pegz orange snap-together stamps, I love them. I bought double sets when they went on clearance before they went away.
@@user-mv9tt4st9k the Peg stamps I referred to are small red rubber stamps mounted on wooden dowels. They were from Rubber Stamp Tapestry. Wonderful!
Yes. It's pretty well known, but I did not have a ton of experience with them but I used prismacolor colored pencils in the late 90s in high school but I've noticed that even then ones I got around 2010 and versus the newer ones I got in 2018 and then refills have gone waaaayyyy down in quality. It might partially be because they aren't super expensive anymore because I can remember them being priced like $300 for the full set in like 1999 (which is why I never bought my own), like I would expect professional art supplies to be priced. The only reason I have a larger set is because there was a Groupon for the 72 set back in 2015-6? ish, and those feel cheaper than the 24 set I bought at Michaels a couple years before that. I've even noticed a slight degradation in Faber Castel Polychromos around the time they stopped printing the labels in the embossed (? engraved?) gold metallic and started doing black printed on labelling with UPC codes. I can feel a little difference in the same color between the two methods. Might just be me because they feel slightly cheaper without the engraved writing, but to me they feel a little different. I feel like there are other things like in watercolor as well but off the top of my head I can't remember at the moment.
I have several Prismacolor pencils that are at least forty years old. Except for better wood casings, the consistency of the color and cores seem comparable with those in the set of 72 I bought a couple of years ago. I bought a set of Scholars and like them almost as well. 😊
I wish someone would deep dive into who owns the formulas for the older brand Terry Madden used, They are lovely and highly pigmented. my large tubes are nearly gone, and I am so sad. My research online is at a dead end. Some say it was the Davinci brand then or now (I forgot which) but Davinci is less pigmented to me. I cannot even find used old tubes at any online stores, like ebay or Etsy. one site still sells his instructional videos but that is it. I think a wise move would be to approach his remaining family to revive the formulas. even if renamed. Finding anything or the old used paint is like looking for the fountain of youth.
I love the knowledge you provide regarding pigments.
I've been using windsor and newton professional watercolours for years, I don't think their professional range has changed much, however I can't comment on the cotman range. Polychromos coloured pencils have also stayed consistent, but they did change some colour names for example light flesh is now called rosy beige. The pencil numbers are the same and I didn't notice any change in the hue colour or lay down
For me, M. Graham, Schmincke and QoR are very consistent for watercolour paints. Love Golden acrylics in all forms. Not a fan of Liquitex anymore as I feel like their quality has changed. There are other things in the crafting space that I feel have changed as well, but that is more on the scrapbooking side of life.
Papercrafts seem to have gone the way of Cricut. There are no more aisles full of embellishments or dies, and there is a narrow choice of supplies or vendors to choose from. 😩
Well I am thinking of when I was a child and hearing my parents and grandparents saying "they just don't make them like they used to". I think the quality has went down on a lot of things. I have not been in art long enough to say a difference in the products I use. I do know that other things have went down in quality and up in price. Once again a very entertaining video, Thank you
There is a reason that my kitchen is stocked with vintage cast iron and stainless pots and pans from the 1940s-1960s, and it took years to put together. I am thinking through which pieces I will be handing down to my son, and he is already asking. 😀
I can't think of specific brands off the top of my head, but so many products, from clothes to electronics to stationery has declined in quality. So many brands that I used to be able to trust blindly I no longer can. Now I have to know what products are good in what brands.
I collect and use vintage art supplies. I find them at estate sales, garage sales, antique and re-sale shops and e Bay or Etsy, even hit a score of vintage color pencils at Restore. The most exciting thing is swatching them out to compare to my professional grade supplies. There are times when my jaw drops at the velvety smooth texture of the vintage prismacolor pencils and prismacolor pastel pencils....just wow! Even the Venus pencils and Paradise pencils have a bit of a wow factor to them. Same with the Prang watercolor paints in the tin palettes compared to the ones in the plastic. I have a Reeves paint tin with old paint in It and a few colors were fantastic and a few were so awfully dried and not able to re-wet. I found drawing pencils and charcoal from Derwent in an unopened tin ( about 20 years old) and again, lovely, lovely quality, equal to my Derwent newer set. I could go on......The paper I've rescued from an artist estate sale includes Grumbacher, AquaBee, Strathmore, and Morilla papers for watercolor, charcoal and pastel and generally speaking are good paper to use for practice ( some of it was yellowed at the edges and the watercolor pulp paper has a little issue with the sizing). Fredrix canvases have been good finds too. I've yet to try a set of W&N vintage oil paints from the 1960's that I found and that is next on my list. One tube was rock hard so that one is out but the rest are soft. Now that I've been blabbing on and on I do feel the compulsion to find more vintage art treasures and rescue them from the sure fate of the landfill. P. S. One of my vintage pencil hauls had 3 Blick color pencils...red, yellow and blue. I adore them and was surprised at the quality and I'll probably invest in more of them as I build my sets. Thank you Lindsey.....this is a wonderful video......I'm not in love with DS paints either.....never understood the excitement over them but I have a few favorites I order.
Thanks again.
You are clever! I have found supplies at thrift stores or yard sales, but no scores like yours. Wow. I agree with you about the Blick colored pencils, I bought a few just to see and was surprised at how nice they were.