Akademie vs. Horadam: A comparison of Schmincke Watercolours
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- Опубликовано: 17 июн 2020
- Due to the popularity of the last comparison video, today we look at the offerings from Schmincke, comparing their student-grade watercolour pans to the professional-grade Horadam paints.
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What a lovely comparison! I totally agree that during the swatching, they seemed really similar - but what a difference painting with them makes!
When it comes to the range of colours in professional vs student grade paints - in my experience it's because all pigments have slightly different characteristics, and while a professional painter is probably able to mix a certain shade fairly well - sometimes you might be after a certain effect (granulation, the way it mixes, etc), and sometimes it's just easier to get the colour you want when you start with a colour close to it! Plus - some pigments are simply pricey, and too expensive for student-grade paints; an example would be that almost all student ranges have a pthalo blue (PB15) and Ultramarine (PB29), but few-to-none have an Indanthrone blue (PB60) or a Cobalt Blue (PB28). So I think the larger ranges in professional paint are due to pigment prices, and the subtle differences between pigments/fabrication that lead to different outcomes.
Paulie Doodle one reason pthalo blue is a student staple is the uses and learning how to mix colors. I know some of the reasons beginners buy student level paints is cost. But, if you are taking classes learning and completing assignments cost is a factor. You will be throwing away your work, permanence is the true reason for investing in professional grade paints.
@Paulie Doodle I sometimes use it for skies? Alternatively, pthalo blue is a fairly good mixing colour. If you don't like it on its own, maybe you like the greens it makes? That way you at least have a chance to finish it. Or give it away to another painter/someone you want to get into painting!
(I often do the same thing with my Ultramarine; I prefer Indanthrone in most situations)
I love these comparisons. It's interesting to see this kind of review because most people show finished pieces and swatches but don't talk about the feel. I guess that is a little subjective but it's still interesting. Sadly Schmincke is horribly expensive in the US. Next time I make it to Europe I might have to find my way to an art store. Or have someone bring some to me.
So many reviews are swatching only. I'm glad you demonstrated that swatching isn't enough to form a good opinion.
Great comparison. Learned a lot. Thank you for taking the time to do such an in-depth overview of the paints and the way they react.
Glad it was helpful! 😁
This has been so interesting and informative and fun. Thank you very much!
I love how you talked about how mobile the paints are. I love how you did a piece with both paints.
Thanks Gem, I really enjoyed this video! 💖
I am pretty sure these are formulated to be extremely transparent and to be used in layers or glazes rather then intense colour straight from the pan. Also if you had lotion on your hands when handling the paper it can act as a resist against the paint
Great review and fun video!
A great comparison! I really liked this video!
Thank you! I hope you found it useful, and cheers for the comment! 😊
Fabulous review, you definitely make really good review videos.👍
Great thorough review.
Thank you so much for this review and comparison. There was definitely a need for a well-rounded and more in-depth review such as this one. (I find previous reviews base everything on swatches.)
You're very welcome! Thanks for letting me know, comments like this are really helpful.
thank you for the comparison has been very interesting thank you again gem
I love these comparisons because you don't just swatch and come to a clear verdict. As you said, "the proof is really in the pudding." I'm new to watercolors but I'm trying to see which professional paints to go with, soooooo expensive! I'm curious if using Ox Gall would affect the Student Grade or Professional Grade paints at all? You put 3-4 drops per 8 oz. water, it will last forever, pipette into your individual pans to help the paints flow better. There are synthetic Ox Gal products too, one from Qor. I'd be curious how that might bump up the Student Grade watercolors. Always love your videos! Have a great day!
Bronwyn Sparks one reason student grade paints are cheaper is the fillers and lack of true pigment. You add flow agents or any other supplements cannot make a student grade better. In Liquid Color here on RUclips has many videos on paints and I have learned from the content on this channel!
Hi Gem, love your review! I'm a Schmincke fan but never tried the akademie line, I see it's a good thing^^
Considering the huge range of colors, yes of course, professionals can mix their own colors. But in watercolor you have so many characteristics to take in consideration: granulation, transparency, lightfastness. By mixing colors who has not the same characteristics you lose the control of those things.
And of course there is also the myth that you'll get mud^^
Anyway, I like to have single-pigment pans and mixing them with just a little bit of another color to get what I want. This way I'm pretty sure of the characteristics of what I'll get.
I don't think Schmincke intends that we get all their colors, for example they have 3 ultramarine!
Oh and by the way, yes mountain blue is milky : it has white in it. Pretty color but I haven't found a use for it yet...
Schmincke is a quality line of paints, I am extremely impressed with their soft pastels, but I feel I must point out that students create a lot of work that they throw away. Assignment works and practice not ment for keeping! If you are starting out your choice of buying professional paints is the best move because you may want to keep early pieces or earn money from your painting and you don’t want it to fade or cause trouble for your customer down the road. I believe that learning with quality supplies is easier and your able to advance your skills much more quickly. Gem, you have become an exceptional “tester” and your giving your viewers quality content that can apply to real life situations. I really am preferring DaVinci paints from California, I know that they are much more expensive in Europe, yet I would recommend them over every other brand for quality and ease of use! Yes, even Dan Smith! I guess Denise(InLiquidColor) has converted me to them! Thank you for sharing this wonderful video and giving us a view of a quality line of paints.
If only I can learn to paint as well as I can review 😂
Hey there, nice video, made with a lot of care to the subject! Great job :)
I have one question, since I‘m considering switching to Schmincke for working in Gouache:
Is the Akademie series also archival?
Hi! Thanks for stopping in. I can't answer your question regarding gouache from experience, but the Schminke website does state that the gouache Akademie range has good lightfast ratings. Hope this helps!
The Horadam is also availae in tubes. Then the price is compairable with the Academie in pans. I’ll only buy tubes (Rembrandt and Horadam) and fill my pans, 2/3 full, that works less messy when rewetting.
Thank you
Thank you 👍👍👍👍
Oils (as well as beauty products/lotions) from your hands while handling the paper can cause that to happen with paint not wanting to lay down on the surface. Just a thought to keep in mind 😊 love the compare/contrast videos!
Aww such a great comparison! I will definitely be looking into trying these out ☺️ I’m currently using the kuretake watercolours, have you tried those before? Keep up the awesome work gem! 💕
The Gansai Tambi paints were my first set of watercolours - I learned the hard way that they don't behave the same as traditional western watercolours... I have been meaning to revisit that - another video idea that's on the list that hasn't quite come to fruition yet!
I always feel like a huge variety of colours can be quite overwhelming and since I use my cotman Watercolours a lot I actually have my favourite colours to work with. And also, a limited colour palette makes me more creative and experiement more with mixing, so I wouldn't need over 100 different colours.
However, I have decided that once I use up my Cotman half-pans I'll try and replace them with the professional watercolours instead of reordering Cotman pans. I think it's worth the money in the end and I only need to replace 40 colours. I don't need more than that (says the lady who's buying more and more of Julia's watercolours xD )
Your comparison is very interesting and helpful! I just bought my first watercolors, making a significant investment for me and, after doing so, I realized that I bought the Akademy line instead of the Horadan ... I watch your video and I am very sad about my mistake.
They are still great paints, so don't be disheartened. Lots of people start with student-grade and replace the pans with professional grade as they run out. Might be a good option for you?
You wondered why artists' grade paint comes into so many colours when professional painters can mix most colours with just a few primaries. As far as I can tell, there are a few reasons for that.
Firstly, many painters love colours, love exploring colours, and love playing around with new colours and textures. A great example is Denise Soden. She makes amazing videos where she explores possibilities of one colour, compares the same colour between brands, and makes top fives of colours (e.g. reds, oranges, browns, etc).
Secondly, if painters paint every day, a new colour can bring fresh possibilities and inspiration. Also, paint runs out faster, so why not try out a new shade or brand when you have to buy new paint anyway?
Thirdly, even painters that use limited palets, like for example Teoh and Leron, love exploring new shades of a colour to see how it changes their paintings. And I'm pretty sure they didn't just pick their current favourites at random, they tried out plenty of different colours.
Its true, if you have horrible cheap paper it doesnt compliment the paints. So out of interest what paper did you use ?
You're right - the paper makes paintings look better
I don't really comment often (in general on youtube) but I so enjoy your channel and just hearing you talk and watch all your videos! You really create a nice atmosphere and the impression like you are sitting in the same room. :)
I love to use Schmincke paints and especially the Horadam. It is my favorite watercolor brand (also due to the fact that the tubes and pan versions behave exactly the same). I also like Daniel Smith due to some wonderful and special paints but have to say that it annoys me to no end that they don't dry to well in a pan (the shrink too much and often fall out of the pan) and don't have a consistent "rewetability" (depends on the pigments/paints). I also quite like Mission gold and Sennelier but they are also not good to pour in pans yourself (way too sticky and runny). I have a love/hate relationship with Rennaisance and van Gogh. I am not impressed by Qor and I heavily dislike Lukas and Old Holland. Winsor & Newton way also okay but not impressed (disclamer: I mostly use cobalt turquoise paints to test brands because... you never ever can have enough turuoise! But to be fair PG50 or PG36 pigments are really difficult pigments to be used in paint).
I was lucky that I got my first Horadam paints as a little child from my stepmom (around 9/10 or so?)? It even came with well cared sable brushes! It was already used and I think they are older than me actually ;) In hindsight I believe that a lot of my love for watercolors was helped by the fact that I was able to learn with high quality products. It makes learning so much easier and joyful. The main difference between Horadam and Akademie watercolors are the binder as well as the binder to pigment ratio. The pigment range in Akademie are high quality pigments, the same are also used in the Horadam ones, but all of them are also the more affordable pigments. The Horadam series has a broader range of pigments, also including some difficult or potentially more toxic ones. Of course, most painters only use a selected range of paints in their palette but the ones I know are really particular about which ones and which pigments. Even if two paints made with different pigments show the same shade of color, they may behave completely different in regards to opacity, lifting, how they move or how they interact with other pigments due to their chemical composition. I enjoy this aspect of watercolor more and more and the first thing I look up in new paints are actually the pigment compositions! The oxgall in the Horadam binder (not in the Akadmie binder) is one of the main reasons for how the paint behaves differently. So for people who don't want animal products in their paint, Horadam is not for them but they could use Akademie.
Btw I just got on ebay some old Horadam paint pans. From their paper design as well as the different pan size of some of them, I think most of them are older than me. There is some info about when Horadam changed the designs over time. They also changed the owl quite often ;) So... older than 40 years at least. They rewet and behaved like new bought paints! I was pleasantly surprised!
For people in Germany, you can get the Horadam at the store (also online) Gerstaecker for a really good price. Also Jackson is way more expensive. Sadly they don't sell internationally. They even have a special edition right now of supergranulating paints that Schmincke produced only for them. So if you ever want me to get you some, just write!
PS: Schmincke has also different gouache lines. If you ever try it out, just get the Horadam and maybe compare it to their calligraphy series but skip the Akademie. The Akadmie gouache is not really good to rewet after being dried so one can't use them in pans :(
Thank you for the lovely comment, and the helpful information - I love to learn new things (especially chemical compositions - I'm a science geek above all else) so this is really great for me. Also, thanks for sharing your story 😊
Thank you for pointing the ox gall out. Also glycerin. Ox gall makes the pigments spread and disperse (beginners may find this hard to control). Glycerin helps in rewetability(?) Since Akademie has no ox gall, the paints are more static and won't easily bleed into other colors. Depending on your needs, this can be a good thing or a bad thing.
Thank you also for the insight about Daniel Smith tubes. I had heard Schmincke's tubes are the same with their pans and are a dream while others you get tje binder separation :( if ever, I might try DS in stick form
I wish I could draw as well as you the flower is beautiful
I didn't draw the flower - it was a set of pre-printed designs that came in a 'pad' of postcards - perfect if you want to paint but don't want to draw! 😊
@@TheColourCave do you know where I could get some ?
You can find a range of them on the publishers website: pepinpress.com/product-tag/postcard-colouring-books/
I am still messing about with a cheap set hoping not to totally ruin a coloring page 😂😂😂😂😂
From what I've learned, cheap paper is more challenging than cheap paints! Or in other words, with decent paper and cheap paints, it's easier to produce decent results than with cheap paper and decent paints. (You can always trace the colouring page to the better paper once you get your hands on some; a window/lightbox/bright monitor can help with that). I hope that might help with the messing about/not ruining the page
@@Lionessfeather thank you so very much for the greatly need advice. I diamond paint also so I have an A4 and A3 light pad. 💖🍻
YES YES YES!!!! This ^^^^
@@TheColourCave 😆😆😆
Idk what you consider "cheap" but I'm cheap lol. I finally splurged (what I consider a splurge) by having my husband get me a white night set for my birthday..or Christmas?
And those are amazing but I say all that to say I spent 15 dollars on a WN cotman set and still love them and use them regularly AND I also found a prang set at my local pharmacy on sale for $1.25!!!!!!!! And the prang have an amazing flow!
When I hear cheap wstercolor I typically think super cheap though. Like chalky. Or Crayola.
If your charging for professional watercolour paintings, then you should use them so as not to rip off clients. Poor judgement.
A valid point, but it’s totally down to the artist to decide what to use and what to charge for a painting based on skill level and their own budget - I personally don’t sell watercolour paintings, so not an issue for me. If I did, I’d be more comfortable using pigments that I knew had good lightfast ratings the same way I do with pencil drawings.
@@TheColourCave too bad to sell them. Good point.
When you buy an artist's work you pay for their particular art style, their knowledge of the craft and their time. If the materials used are archival and lightfast, like a lot of student grade paint lines are nowadays, why does it matter?
@@awendaawenda8011 I do own both types of watercolours from a wide range of brands and I know what I'm talking about based on personal experience and correspondence with brands. Lightfastness is not tied directly to price, it depends on the pigment used. Many student lines use the same lightfast pigments prized by professional lines, albeit at lower concentrations. You just have to research the paint line, look at the pigments listed on the little paint tubes and read the lightfast rating provided! One such example is van gogh watercolours... They apply almost as well and as brilliantly as my Schmincke, if I know the pigment composition of the colours I've chosen for my palette. You seem to be very keen to associate cheap paint with inferior art. This line of thinking doesn't work out well when it comes to the existence of white nights watercolours by St Petersburg, umton watercolours, roman szmal, Paul Rubens... And so on. Those are budget brands used and loved by many popular professionals despite being classed as student grade by some. Fancy pricey paints aren't the thing that defines a work's value and as far as I am aware, people can't tell the difference just by looking.
While healthy debate is encouraged here in the Cave, please keep comments respectful and constructive. This thread is bordering on passive-aggressive and any conversations descending past an acceptable level will be deleted. Keep it clean, folks.