Hematemesis compiled a guide to purchasing watercolor paints for beginners (dry information)

After writing the guide for buying watercolor brushes for beginners, I have always wanted to write another guide for buying watercolor paints, but I have been unable to do so because watercolor paints are so complicated. It’s much harder to explain clearly. I spend several times more energy studying watercolor paints than watercolor brushes.

In this article for watercolor novices, I hope to write down the essence of the hundreds of videos and articles I have watched in the past few months, and of course my direct experience in using it. . I hope it can help those who are new to watercolor to avoid detours, spend less time, energy and money on purchasing watercolor paints, and use the saved time to improve their painting skills.

The following brands of watercolor paints are currently popular on the market: Domestic Horsepower, Sakura, Winsor & Newton, Rubens (domestic), Lucas, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Meijer , Byakuya, Shinhan, Kusakabe, Beautiful Blue Hummingbird, Schennelier, Daniel Smith (DS), Holbein, Shi Minke, MG, Jixiang Yancai, Phoenix Yancai, Kuretake Yancai, nicker, etc., in fact, there are also There are many niche brands, so I won’t list them all.

None of the above paints is unique, which shows that they each have their own characteristics and audience. Every painter has their own favorite brand.

The cheapest watercolor paints cost tens of yuan per box, usually around 100 yuan, and the best ones cost more than several thousand yuan. How to choose and which parameters to look at are very particular.

Of course, those who are not short of money can buy all these paints home. I saw on Station B that an UP owner with hamster syndrome had bought all the popular paints on the market, and all of them were full colors of the brand. Almost all the paints have been used except for the color cards. It is estimated that these pigments will not be used up in dozens of lifetimes, which is really a waste.

So whether you want to paint or become a hoarder of painting materials, think clearly before you start!

Below I will explain in six parts the classification of watercolors, pigment characteristics, characteristics of major popular brands, my introduction to watercolor paints, and the watercolor paint guide recommended to novices.

The whole article is a bit long. If you find it troublesome, you can just read the first and last parts. But if you have the patience to read them one by one, you will have a more comprehensive understanding of watercolor paints!

1. Price range division

Taking the 24-color solid watercolor configuration as an example, I divided the mainstream watercolors on the market into three grades:

Low-end Grade pigments

The first level is cheap entry-level, with prices ranging from tens of yuan to 130 yuan. The main brands include domestic horsepower, Japan's Terrence Sakura, Taiwan's Lion and domestic Winsor & Newton. .

Why is it 130 yuan? Because that is the price I paid for Sakura 24-color solid color. To be honest, Sakura's box of watercolors is really expensive. I feel that it is about the same for less than 100 yuan, and its performance is not much better than those that cost dozens of yuan. But I don’t know why everyone got started from Sakura. It’s probably because they do a good job in marketing and focus on entry-level watercolor paints.

In fact, these paints are suitable for children to paint casually. If you want to seriously paint watercolors, don’t choose this level.

Mid-range paints

There are more paints at this level, such as Van Gogh and Rembrandt from the Netherlands, Winsor & Newton College-level songs from the UK, domestic Rubens, Russia's White Night, South Korea's Mejile, Japan's Kusakabe, etc., the prices are below 150 to 400, most of them are two to three hundred.

It is recommended that beginners just choose from this range of paints, and don’t be superstitious about entry-level cherry blossoms.

High-grade pigments

Ranging from more than 400 yuan to over a thousand yuan, the mainstream ones include Schminck from Germany, Holbein from Japan, Daniel Smith and MG from the United States, and France Schennelier, and the beautiful blue hummingbird of Italy.

Shi Minke’s college-level 24-color solid color treasure is about 420 yuan, which is very cost-effective and beginners can also try it. Other watercolors are really not cheap.

MG artist-grade color tubes cost more than 60 yuan each (15ml). Counting 24 colors, it costs more than 1,500 yuan, plus the cost of various pens, paper as consumables and other painting tools, plus Improving your painting skills requires years of practice, and the long-term investment is really a small expense!

(After entering the painting industry, you will know that in addition to watercolors, paints also include colored pencils, markers, oil paintings and other materials)

Huh, painting is really unfriendly to the poor. ! Of course, those who have money should be free and try to buy higher-end paints, paper and pens within their ability, especially paper! Good painting materials can help you reduce the stress when you first learn to paint.

2.? Transparent watercolor, translucent watercolor and opaque watercolor

We generally say that watercolor mainly refers to transparent watercolor. The pigment becomes transparent after adding water, and the color is controlled by how much water is added. The depth (brightness).

In addition to transparent watercolors, translucent colors are also more popular, and are often used for painting in ancient styles. Translucent watercolors are bright in color and have some of the characteristics of transparent watercolors.

However, because it is translucent and the particles are relatively large, it will easily become dirty if more than three colors are mixed together. However, I haven’t tried Gufeng myself, so I won’t comment much.

Opaque watercolor is as covering as gouache (gouache is cheaper and rougher). It is generally used in landscape paintings, and the colors are very beautiful. Many animation background colors are painted with opaque watercolors. Miyazaki Hayao's animation scenes use Nicker brand opaque watercolors, which have an effect similar to the following:

Comparing transparent watercolors, does it feel completely different? The white paper can still reveal a white background when covered with transparent watercolors.

Most brands on the market focus on transparent watercolors, and some brands also have opaque watercolors. Don’t make the wrong choice when buying.

3. Academy level and artist level

Most brands are divided into academy level and artist level. Academy level is used by students for practice, and the price is cheaper than artist level. .

In terms of performance, the academic level is definitely worse than the artist level. However, some specific parameters have not been introduced here, so we will not elaborate on them. In terms of results, artist-level performance and preservation will be better.

In addition, some brands have different names for academy grade and artist grade. For example, the college grade of Winsor and Newton is called Gewen, and the artist grade is the imported Winsor and Newton artist grade; the gold version of Meijile is the artist grade, and the silver version is the college grade. People who are not familiar with it can easily get it wrong.

It is said that for novices, it is difficult to tell the difference between the two. In this case, choosing some brands of college-level products is enough for practicing.

4. Tube color and solid color

When we were young, we used to use Mali brand tube paint in art classes, so when we first started learning watercolor, it felt very fresh when we came into contact with solid watercolor for the first time. . The paint is in small pieces, just like sugar, very beautiful and very durable.

When I draw, I just dip my pen into a wet pen. I am afraid of getting it dirty at the beginning, so I have to wipe off other colors on the surface every time I finish painting. In fact, solid colors are highly concentrated pigments. Even if the surface is stained, it will not affect the use of the underlying colors.

Most brands are available in tubular and solid forms, and most of them focus on solid colors. I think this is because solid colors are more convenient to carry and use than tube colors, and have a wider audience. However, MG only has tube colors, and DS has tube colors, no solid colors, only watercolor sticks.

In addition, although the pigments used in tube colors and solid colors are the same, their properties will be slightly different due to different production processes. For example, Holbein's tubular pigments do not have as good diffusion properties as solid colors. The DS tube color dries easily after being squeezed out and is difficult to dip. After deciding which brand to buy, it is best to check the characteristics of tube colors and fixed colors first.

Beginners always start with small paintings, so anything below 16K (about the size of A4 paper) can be done with solid color. Larger paintings require the use of tube paints, which is more convenient.

The above are a few basic points that you need to pay attention to when choosing watercolor paints. If you pay attention to them, you will not make the wrong choice in the general direction.

Next, let’s take a closer look at some of the characteristics of watercolor paints.

When choosing watercolor paints, I squinted and watched many videos of brand watercolor paint tests on Bilibili. I kept comparing and selecting them. I am really grateful to some wealthy UP owners for their selfless dedication.

In summary, through the dynamic display of the UP host, we can see the following characteristics of pigments:

1. Saturation, which is the brightness of the color.

2. Transparency. Some pigment particles are large and powdery, so the transparency appears low.

3. Diffusion, which is the effect of wet painting. First spread a layer of water on the paper and paint on it while the water is still wet. Pigments with good diffusibility spread when exposed to water. This painting method is generally suitable for rendering background atmosphere.

4. Water marks are the reverse of wet painting. First draw the paint on the paper, and then immediately drip it with water. The paint will be scattered when it encounters water, forming beautiful water splashes and creating a special texture effect.

5. Color mixing, the difference between pigments with different prices will be obvious in this aspect. Mixing colors is also an important effect that watercolor needs to achieve.

The effect of watercolor on paper can basically be seen from the above test. I think for novices to draw simple small paintings, the more important things are saturation, transparency and color mixing. As for the diffusion and water marks, although it looks good when testing, it is generally not used by novices.

Unless you decide from the beginning that you want to paint a large area of ​​smudge (requiring diffusion and color mixing) and water marks, as shown in the following picture.

Then below are the results of my own tests after I bought several packages of paints. You can take a look at them for your reference only.

It can be seen that the color mixing effect of cheap pigments is relatively poor. In particular, the cherry blossoms appear dirty and have no sense of clarity. The water mark of Master Shiminke is relatively heavy, making it more difficult for novices to control.

PS. Such a test cannot completely and strictly reflect the condition of the pigment because there are too many variables to be controlled, such as environment, moisture, time, paper, etc.

Thank you for your patience in seeing this. Next, let’s talk about some more professional vocabulary. In fact, it’s not that mysterious. It’s just the logo on the official manual of the watercolor paint you bought. Let’s take Master Sminke as an example:)

1. Pigment grade. Pigments pigments are generally derived from metals, organic substances or synthetically. The more difficult a color is to extract, the higher the grade and the higher the price. Smink's paint grades are represented by circled Arabic numerals.

2. Transparency: represented by squares, divided into transparent, translucent, semi-opaque and opaque.

3. Coloration degree: represented by a triangle. You can try to remove the watercolor when it is still wet. The higher the dyeing degree, the easier it is to soak into the paper and the harder it is to erase.

4. Lightfastness: Lightfastness is represented by stars. The more stars, the more stable the pigment and the better the lightfastness. For artists, of course they want their works to be preserved for a long time, so they choose stable and lightfast pigments.

5. Pigment composition: The color of some cheap pigments is not extracted from a single pigment, but synthetic. It is conceivable that the stability and color mixing effect of synthetic pigments are relatively poor. The better the brand, the more pigments of a single color.

6. English names and numbers: Most of the high-quality pigments we are now exposed to are from abroad, so it is recommended to pay attention to their official English names, because the translated Chinese names are prone to errors or inconsistencies. In addition, the English name can also reflect the characteristics of the pigment from one side. For example, many pigments have the name metal or organic, or have the word hue, which means they are synthetic pigments. The English name and number corresponding to each paint are unique, so you can recognize it no matter where you go in the world.

I have focused on Smink, but I think the logos of other brands of paint should be similar. As your painting skills mature, you can choose your own color scheme based on these properties to create a unique style.

MG: Anyway, everyone who heard it used said it was good, and they like every color. But I’m not very impressed with the specific advantages, embarrassment! I feel it may be a model with top-notch comprehensive performance in all aspects.

Beautiful Blue Hummingbird: Highly recommended by a painter who paints flowers. It is characterized by very good diffusion (probably the best), bright and clear colors, and very beautiful warm and blue colors. .

DS: It should have the same overall performance as MG, and there are several well-known mineral colors. The effect is to grind gems directly into powder. What a wealthy person! The effect presented is a rich and varied precipitation color. Of course, novices must be difficult to control.

Shenelier: The color is brighter, but I don’t know the other details, and few people use it.

Holbein: Looking at the Internet, some people say it is fresh and fresh, while others say it is gorgeous. I think it's probably somewhere in the middle, it depends on how it compares. Then there are other pigments with better overall performance.

Shi Mink: The legendary high-end gray, the things made by the Germans are the same as their personality, which is relatively calm and elegant.

Meijile: It is said to be the most beautiful, even more beautiful than Van Gogh, who is famous for his bright colors.

Winsor & Newton: Made by the British, it is fresh and elegant in color. The college-level song series is suitable for beginners.

Van Gogh: There are many good reviews online. The price is moderate and the color is bright. Overall, it is very suitable for novices.

Bai Ye: I saw that the first box of paints used by many students was Bai Ye. The advantages are that it is big, cheap and bright in color, but the disadvantage is that the workmanship is rough.

Rubens: A little pride of domestic production, the new generation has fresh and beautiful colors, and is pretty good in all aspects. Novices can try it.

Lucas and Rembrandt: relatively old-fashioned paints, not many people use them now, and their overall performance should be okay.

I feel that the more obvious difference visible in the paint is whether the color is small, fresh and elegant, or lively and beautiful, each has its own suitable style.

The bright and beautiful Van Gogh and Korean Mejile are suitable for drawing exaggerated comics, character illustrations, and food illustrations; the elegant Winsor and Newton is suitable for literary and artistic styles; if you want to paint in a realistic style, you should use some old European and American brands Watercolor paints, such as Shimink; large-scale works require large-area blending, etc. If the comprehensive ability of the paint is tested, it is best to choose better paints, such as Beautiful Blue Hummingbird, MG, etc.

Having said all this, I still recommend that you go to a certain store to buy separate packages before deciding to buy formal wear, or buy an official dot-shaped trial card to experience the effect for yourself. Everyone has different preferences, so choose the one that suits you!

Repackaging is generally a process of artificially squeezing tube-shaped pigments into repackaged boxes for sale. The price is much cheaper than a full-size can, so it can be used for color testing, or for particularly expensive paints, you can just buy larger repacks for repacking. Watercolor paints are relatively durable, and some packages may look small, but they can last a long time.

Here are a few boxes of paint I have used. I have not purchased many paints in the past half year. They are 24 colors of Sakura solid color, 24 colors of domestic Windsor tubes, 40 colors of Van Gogh and 12 colors of Master Smink. The other 3 small packages are almost used up. .

I used these two boxes of paint for about 2-3 months and did a lot of paintings. However, Sakura is too powdery and has no transparency. Domestic Windsor worth dozens of yuan actually works well, but many colors have come off after being stored for a while, so they have been discarded.

The most commonly used ones nowadays are Van Gogh and Sminck. Van Gogh has brighter colors and is used when I need to draw some small illustrations. I bought a full set of 12 colors from Master Shimink, plus a few half-packs of my own. The greens and purples mixed by Sminke are very beautiful and can be used to paint realistic small landscapes.

In the future, when my painting skills improve, I plan to prepare a set of MG tube paints myself, but I guess it will take a long time.

Choosing paint is the same as choosing a brush. You need to know yourself and your enemy. Suitability is the most important thing. As a novice, it is difficult to feel the subtle differences between different brands of paint at first. If I recommend paints to novices:

1. Price: Beginners with limited funds can choose mid-range, such as Van Gogh and Ge Wen, which are very cost-effective; novices with novices, please feel free, as long as you don’t choose Pigments with difficult-to-control properties are sufficient.

2. Solid color or tube color: Novices prefer solid color. It will be more convenient to use tube color when the painting is large.

3. Color matching: I don’t recommend buying too many colors, 24 colors is just right. If there are too many colors, firstly, it will not be conducive to practicing color mixing. Secondly, it will not be easy to remember when painting, and in fact, you will not be able to distinguish some subtle differences of the same color system.

4. There are also general novices who start by copying the artist's works. If the price of the brand used by the artist is acceptable to you, then you can also buy the same model.

Therefore, for novices, it usually costs about 200-300 yuan to purchase one or two sets of 24-color fixed-color paints, which is enough to last a year and a half if you paint every week.

Finally, the most important thing is to draw more and look at different styles of works. During practice, on the one hand, you will become familiar with the painting materials and on the other hand, you will find your favorite painting style.

After you have painted dozens of paintings with a box of paint, you will be very familiar with its characteristics. When you use other paints, you will be able to deeply understand the differences, and it will be more effective to choose new paints. So targeted.

I hope the above introduction to watercolor paints can be helpful to you. I wish everyone can paint better and better, refills!

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My experience in purchasing watercolor brushes for novices (dry information) and the wrong path I have taken