It is always very difficult choosing the right materials and tools to use for creating art since there are so many good things on offer. Watercolors are not the exception to this rule with so many amazing manufacturers out there things can get really confusing.
One of the good watercolors I can recommend you are American Journey watercolors. These are artist grade watercolors meaning top quality materials are used in the production, they are richer in pigments and more lightfast then student grade watercolors.
Appearance And Performance
American Journey artist watercolors come in over 100 different colors. They are sold in quite large tubes of 37ml and also in 15ml and 8ml ones. You can also find a few sets of these paints. They are only sold through Cheap Joe’s. Since they come in such large tubes some people might think they are student grade colors which is not the case.
Paints have very specific consistency and properties and do not behave like many other watercolors. Once you squeeze them out of the tube you will notice that they are very thick and creamy almost toothpaste like.
What is different about them is that they keep that consistency on the palette and on the paper as well, there is not a lot of movement or fluidity in these paints. This can be good or bad depending on the way you paint really. But don’t worry they dilute well if enough water is added so this is really not a problem with the paints.
Even tho they are so thick they are rewetting nicely if enough water is added. what is nice about them is that they keep the brightness and strength of color after they dry.
When it comes to granulation just a few of the colors showed granulating properties while others diluted nicely with no granulation at all. So I would say, considering the creamy consistency and almost no granulation at all these paints are very easy to controll which makes them almost ideal for students and beginners. Not to mention nice big tubes of paint for a very affordable price.
Of course this said I do not think American Journey watercolors are just for beginners. These are top quality artist watercolors with amazing bright pigments and good lightfastness and they come in wast majority of colors and I am sure they can fulfil the criteria of even the most demanding artists, depending on the technique they use.
To Summarize
American Journey watercolors are top quality artist watercolors made of finest pigments with a very creamy consistency and little to no granulation. They rewet well and maintain the brightness of color even after they are fully dry on the paper. The packaging is great and the price is very affordable for most of the colors.
They are great for students and beginners but can also be used by professional artists. There are nice sample packs for you to purchase and try them out to see if these are something you might like using. What I can say to you is that for this particular brand I haven’t found any flaws.
Alternatives
If you are still not sure that these are something you might like using there are other great professional artist colors I can recommend you such as Winsor and Newton professional watercolors which come in a range of 109 different colors and tones with 80 single pigment colors.
Most of the colors in Winsor and Newton professional watercolor line are marked as permanent for artist’s use. Even 106 rated A or AA for permanence.
The only issue with Winsor and Newton can be that the paints in tubes are not made by the same formula as paints in the pans and half pans so you cant pour them into pans from the tube.
They do tend to behave oddly when rewetted as well, giving you unusable gritty mass. So my advice would be to purchase them in pans and half pans unless you can use all of the paint you squeezed out of the tube.
The price of Winsor and Newton professional colors is not high and you can purchase them in many nice and practical sets.
If you are looking for something more serious when it comes to watercolors there is Schminke Horadam artist watercolor line that offers you pure perfection but at a higher price of course.
Schminke Horadam professional watercolors come in amazing 139 different colors. Most of those colors or to be exact 112 of them are rated with the highest possible lightfastness ( four and five stars ).
Schminke watercolors ale sold in pans, half-pans and tubes. There is no difference what so ever between the paint in the tubes and the pans so you can easily refill your pans with the paint from the tubes. Tubes come in 5ml and 15ml. Paints rewet easily even after a long time on the palette.
Most of Schminke Horadam paints from their professional line are made of single or double pigments so it is very easy mixing them with amazingly bright and brilliant results.
The texture of the paint in the tubes goes from almost liquid to very creamy consistency but don’t be worried about that when you pour paint in the pans and half pans it dries normally with no noticeable shrinking or crackling.
You can find these watercolors in many different sets and the price is not very high for the quality you get. It is a real delight painting with Schminke Horadam watercolors.
Whichever paints you decide to purchase, go small. We are all different and have different painting technique and preferences, different things suit us. Most of the paints come in sample sets so it might be the best starting with one of those before you decide to spend extra and get yourself all the colors you need.
If you have any questions about the subject you can leave them in the comment section and I will be happy to answer them.
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