Lay out rags on a completely flat, non-flammable surface (i.e., concrete flooring, tile) to allow the heat to dissipate. Because MG adds honey to the base, these paints stay semi-moist to moist in the palette and are easy to rewet. They also shrink very little while drying, and this characteristic keeps them tight inside my pans. However, I do have to take care with these paints and don't recommend them for travel.Too many times, I've found MG paints in unfortunate places. I’m sure there are others, but these are some of the best known paints – although I still believe that Daniel Smith, Winsor and Newton, and M. Graham count as some of the highest quality paint brands. Which Colors to Choose? Earth Tone Mixing– While the only earth tone in this set is Transparent Red Iron Oxide, the set has almost unlimited potential for easily mixing a number of beautiful, transparent and luminescent earth tones such as ochres, umbers, siennas, oxides, olives and other rich earthy hues. Winsor & Newtonwatercolors (or watercoloursfor the diehard WN fan)have been in production since 1835 and currently offer 96 colors. Through the years, WN has consistently produced an excellent product which has resulted in the brand often being described by artists as "The Standard."

i bought this set last year, i love the creaminess of m. graham paints and am enjoying the color selection. i will say using phthalo green instead of phthalo blue surprised me, but it does work. i don't use neutral tint, but otherwise its a very useful collection Pigment load – M. Graham boasts one of the most intense pigment loads in the watercolor industry. This is perfect not only for intense colors when needed but also for creating subtle, highly transparent tints using the least amount of pigment. When you select your paints, the characteristics you need to take into consideration are the following: Raw Sienna: PBr7 (Semi-transparent & single pigment). This color has a similar appearance to Yellow Ochre. One of its distinctive qualities is that you can paint superb glowing skies without giving a green tint to you blue sky wash! Ask five watercolor artists which brand they recommend and you’ll probably get five different answers!Shades of Summer set of 5 contains:Sap Green,Bismuth Yellow, Cobalt Teal,Permanent Green Pale andScarlet Pyrrol. Place rags in a sealed water-filled metal container, taking care to assure to completely wet rags with water. Single Pigments – All colors in this selection are single-pigment colors with the exception of Neutral Tint. This helps keep mixes clean and predictable. Third Row: Ultramarine Pink, Quinacridone Violet, Dioxazine Purple, Burn Umber, and…room for two more! Quinacridone Burnt Orange: PO48 (Transparent & single pigment). This is a beautiful orange earth color. It has a similar color appearance to burnt sienna, and makes some wonderful colors when mixed with blue.

In mixing greens, I used the pre-mixed Sap green for the test, instead of using a mixture between Ultramarine and Azo Yellow. Putting Sap Green in the basic set is great because the hue reflects quite closely to the foliage green we see everyday. It is not exactly the green we see in our environment but it is ‘greyed’ enough to be a home-based green to start with while painting foliage.

Warm Yellow – Hansa Yellow Deep: PY65 (Semi-transparent / single pigment). This pigment gives a beautifully warm, vibrant, and pure yellow appearance. It only undergoes a very slight color shift as it dries, keeping most of its color saturation. Makes fantastic oranges when mixed with warm reds. According to known sources, M Graham’s watercolor paints are manufactured with minimal use of fillers or brighteners, so you get real color intensities and good control when you mix your colors due to its heavy pigment load. The paints retain their brilliance even when diluted out. However it also means that the paints are very staining and therefore difficult to be lifted out when the paint dries on paper. A link to my Patreon membership where you can get ad-free video tutorials, plus other exclusive bonuses that I only share with members of my Patreon channel. Follow the link to find out more... Primary Colors:

Cool Blue – Phthalo Blue GS: PB15:3 (Transparent & single pigment). The “GS” means “Green Shade”. The green shade option is what makes this a cool blue. This is an excellent blue paint with a fine texture and good saturation. Warm Red – Pyrrol Scarlet: PR255 (Semi-transparent & single pigment). This is a very intense warm red color with excellent lightfast qualities. It has consistent handling properties across different brands. Desert Southwest set of 5 contains: Quinacridone Rust, Yellow Ochre, Indian Yellow, Mineral Violet and Turquoise.Why I Use M. Graham Watercolors By Mike Bailey AWS and NWS member Mike Bailey @me_bailey_art shares why M. Graham paints permanently reside in his palette in the latest M. Graham blog. Daniel Smith began in 1976 with the manufacture of printing inks, but they have become one of the most popular watercolor brands in the U.S. Daniel Smith's popularity has partly arisen from their massive selection of colors,but also their watercolors are often made with pigments that no other company offers.