What brand of watercolor paints do you like?

[HaroldRoth]

I used to use pans too, years ago, and I've used WN since the 70s. I always liked their clear, transparent colors. But I also got to love tube paints and further, DS Primatek. I love the granulation with those and how often the granulation settles with a different color in the depressions in the paper. And finally, I also use Guerra Paints pigment dispersions and add either gum arabic solution or QoR watercolor medium. They have a lot of pigments that mainstream watercolor manufacturers don't have, and for much cheaper. But their pigments do not granulate. Still, it is worth it because the colors are very intense.

 

[Ellen Easton]

I like using the tubes but I never use up the whole blob of wet tube paint at a sitting and it ends up drying anyway, so the pan paints just make more sense to me. I might as well just start out with a pan. White Nights are in full pans so that was something that attracted me to that brand to begin with because it's a little easier on the brushes. However, I only do small paintings, so I don't have to worry about getting large amounts of paint out of the little areas, whether half or full pans. My small brushes get the paint out just fine.

When I first started I bought a little cheap plastic palette and filled the little hollows with paint out of tubes and let them dry. That's a good solution, too, if a person has favorites or favorite colors of certain different brands. I put my Shin Hans tube paints in a not-so-cheap palette box and let them dry.

 

[Claude J Greengrass]

I haven't used the pans since I was very young. But I don't think it's a bad idea since sometimes the tubes can dry out over time.

When it happens, I cut open the tube, dump the contents into a recycled yogurt cup or similar. Just give it a quick spray 15 minutes before you start to paint. YMMV

 

[Ellen Easton]

When it happens, I cut open the tube, dump the contents into a recycled yogurt cup or similar. Just give it a quick spray 15 minutes before you start to paint. YMMV

That's a great idea.

 

[Artyczar]

Thanks Claude!