Comments on: You Asked – Inexpensive Watercolor Paints?

By: Lise King

Lise King — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 23:39:04 +0000

The two you mentioned are student level paint,

You could go to Lukas a paint that is a bit cheaper, but what you need to know is that you get what you pay for. If your children have develop their artistic talent to a point that is worth investing, then help them find odd jobs in the neighbourhood so they can invest in quality paints that won’t fade with time… which have higher or more pigments in the colour producing strong smooth colours because of the binding agent like honey. I think that if children learn to work a bit for the joy of acquire ring something, they appreciate it more…
Plus you do not need many colours, have them learn how to mix the basic palette, this will improve their knowledge of opaque and transparent colours.
All they need basically is Raw umber, Burnt umber, Ultra marine blue, Viridian, Sap green, Cerulean blue, Cad. Yellow light, Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Alizarin Crimson.
Later they can add Cad Red, Prussian blue, Cobalt blue, Sepia and a rose colour like rose madder or Carmine rose, but start with the basic.
The kids can learn to share the paint all they need is a bit on a palette and when they run out of a certain colour then they can add more… watercolour does go a long way. You do not through away what is left on the plate you seal it and store it then rewet the paint when you want to use it and enjoy, unlike acrylic or oil that dies up and cannot be reused.
Hope this helps,
Lise King

By: Agathe

Agathe — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:15:52 +0000

Hi, I buy Cotmans watercolor tubes. They are a student quality and I learned with this brand and it’s fine for me. Good luck with your painting. It’s so good for the soul to develop our talent. We learn with a lot of practice.
Agathe

By: Marilyn

Marilyn — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 14:10:30 +0000

By now, you have probably bought your paints using the good advise you received. I teach watercolor classes and feel that you should buy artist quality paints. Student quality have less pigment and more binder and are less expensive because they are less paint pigment, I buy DaVinci paints online from Cheap Joe’s art stuff, ASW, Jerry’s artarama, etc. The 37 ml tubes give more for the money than the 21ml. Just buy three primary colors to start, a true red, a true blue and a true yellow. Later, add warm and cool shades of these primary colors, Alizarin Crimson, Vermillion Red, Phalo Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Gamboge yellow, Lemon Yellow.
Also, use Arches Watercolor Paper, I use 140# Cold press most often but like the 300# if I can afford it. Arches has a good sizing that allows you to scrub out mistakes withoug tearing the surface of the paper. Hope this helps. Happy Painting

By: Raymond Mosier

Raymond Mosier — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:53:30 +0000

Look at Jerry’s web site. They feature Lukas brand paints. They are German made and are affordable. I’ve not used them, but I’ve heard good things about them. I’m sure they are better than VanGough or Grumbacher. I suggest you get 3 primaries, sap green, burnt umber, and yelow ocher. That is 6 tubes which will last a long time.

By: Alana Cullen

Alana Cullen — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:40:43 +0000

Dawn, I joined a mixed media art group that meets once a week. There is no instructor, we are all now aware of most mediums and our goal is to work together and share our knowledge. I joined with 20 years of oil painting , fell in love with watercolors, and this great group told me not to buy paint or paper but to bring a palette in to next class. They each contributed squirts of paint into the wells and stacks of small watercolor paper. This is our second year and my color palette is in exactly the same order, the stacks of paper got me through the practise stage and one actually got framed and these supportive artists truly shared their talent. Go find a bulletin board and ask for help, library too.