Winsor & Newton change watercolour paint tubes - again!

A lot of artists will be very pleased that Winsor & Newton have listened to all the complaints about the design of the new tubes for professional water colour paints - and have changed them - again!

There's nothing on the website as yet - and I can't find a press release but the announcement is on the W&N Facebook Page (on 16th September) about their plans to change the tubes.

No announcement as yet as to when you will find them at your preferred supplier.

Below you can see the old 'new' tube on the left and the revised 'new' tube on the right.

Winsor & Newton Professional Water Colour - another change of tube

(image from W&N on Facebook www.facebook.com/WinsorNewton)

The main changes are:

• Name of the colour: this is now much more obvious and much easier to read at the cap end due to the improvement in contrast between the text and the background. It's still in three languages as before - 
• Actual Colour Swatch: much larger and goes from being a small brush stroke to being a much obvious block of colour at the cap end
• W & N name and logo: moves down the tube so that all the core information is at the top. Slight redesign of text and more prominence for the griffin logo.

I think the changes made were much needed and a major improvement which I'm sure will be welcomed by very many artists who use W&N watercolours.

They may also get back those artists who decided to stop using W&N paints after they found they couldn't tell which tube they were picking up.

 With any luck W&N will eventually realise that:

• quite a lot of artists would rather like to have the white matte background back as well. I've yet to find an artist who actually likes the shiny metal tube. Shiny when it comes to reading is 'bad news'.  As soon as the new tubes came out, one professional artist I know made a point of showing me how impossible it was to read any text on the tube under a bright light.
• addressing the change in quality concerns are ALSO important. 

When I interview botanical artists who paint in watercolour at the RHS Botanical Art Show II always make a point of asking them which paint their prefer. It was the case for while that almost all used to say Winsor & Newton. However in the last 2-3 years, as they have replaced their 'old' tubes of Winsor and Newton Water Colour Paints with the new paints, I'm now hearing that people experienced disatisfaction with the quality of paint performance and are now also trying other brands to get the quality they require.

Winsor & Newton and the Manufacture of Water Colour Paints

The Winsor & Newton Paint Factory in Whitefriars Avenue, Harrow - which opened in 1937 and used to make all the watercolour paints - closed in 2011 after ColArt (who own W&N as well as a number of other famous brands) moved paint production to the Lefranc & Bourgeois factory in France.

(Do NOT be misled by this video of the old Wealdstone factory uploaded to YouTube in 2012 AFTER the factory closed)

Changes in paint were noticed by both retailers and artists after this. 

It's not entirely clear where watercolour paint is now made - the website is very curiously silent on the matter. However the ColArt website indicates that the company has two art material plants in China.

It's all very curious in an age when most of W&N's main competitors in quality watercolour production now make a virtue of how and where they manufacture. (e.g. Daniel Smith; M. Graham)

I don't think people mind the location of manufacturing changing.
What they do mind is when the quality of the manufacture changes.

Ampersand Panels reach the UK - at long last!

Virtually the complete range of Ampersand panels are now available in the UK - from Jackson's Art Supplies.  

They are the business!  There are surfaces for every type of art medium (see below) and some work work well with more than one media.

These are the ones which are now going to be available in the UK:

• Aquabord - for watercolour. Check out 
• Painting in Watercolor: An Exercise using Aquabord™ with Karen Vernon
• Aquabord 2.0 Revisited
• Artist Panel - which comes in three different surfaces: Canvas, Basswood and Smooth
• Claybord - for ink and egg tempera (and a variety of other media). Check out 
• Graphic Media: Pen and Ink on Claybord™ and 
• Claybord used as Scratchboard
• Acrylic Painting on Claybord by Rock Newcomb
• Encausticbord - a new product for use with hot wax
• Gessobord - for those who like their boards with gesso already applied
• Pastelbord - for artists working in dry media who like a sanded surface eg pastel and coloured pencil artists. Check out 
• Innovative Pastel Methods on Pastelbord
• Scratchbord - for those who like to scratch at the surface to produce an image

I've imported Pastelbord in the past from the USA. It's a great surface to work on and I love the fact you can prder it in different sizes and colours. However what is so very impressive is the rigidity of the board and the fact it does not warp in any way and they can be framed without glass so long as the surface is robust (eg oil and acrylics) or sealed with a varnish (e.g. watercolour and coloured pencils).  Plus all the boards are eco-friendly and safe for artists to use.

For your further information on the Ampersand website there is

• a great FAQs page
• plus a Technical page gives you a summary of what art media works with which board. Just in case you miss it, this is their summary of how to choose the best board for the media you prefer to use
• plus the AmpersandArtsSupply Blog for features on what artists have produced using the different panels and lots of useful tips eg Resources for Framing Panels

Media	Product	Discussion
ACRYLICS	Claybord Gessobord Pastelbord	We highly recommend using thin washes of acrylics on Claybord. Or, try Gessobord for a less absorbent panel or Pastelbord for a surface with more texture and a toned ground.
AIRBRUSH	Claybord	Claybord is ideal for airbrush.
CALLIGRAPHY	Claybord	Ampersand recommends Claybord with this medium.
CASEIN	Claybord Gessobord	Claybord and Gessbord are both appropriate for use with casein.
EGG TEMPERA	Claybord	Use egg tempera on Claybord. Compare with panels you are preparing yourself.
ENCAUSTIC	Encausticbord	Encausticbord is made for the unique demands of encaustic painting.
GOUACHE	Aquabord	We recommend Aquabord for use with gouache.
GRAPHITE AND COLORED PENCILS	Claybord	Use graphite and colored pencils withClaybord.
INKS, INDIA INK, COLORED INKS	Claybord Scratchbord	We recommend Claybord with inks because they can be easily erased and manipulated.
MARKERS	Claybord	Use Claybord with markers and frame without glass.
OILS AND OIL STICKS	Claybord Gessobord	We recommend Gessobord for use with oils. Claybord may also be used but is very absorbent..
PASTELS	Pastelbord	We recommend Pastelbord for working with all types of pastels.
SCRATCHBOARD	Scratchbord	Use Scratchbord as a professional alternative to scratchboard paper.
WATERCOLORS	Aquabord	Use Aquabord, similar to cold press paper, for very wet watercolor washes.

 Summary of how different media work with Ampersand Products

Do also:

• read this blog post on the Jackson's Art Blog - Ampersand Painting Panels are Extraordinary Surfaces for Your Art - which explains all the different surfaces in detail.
• check out the new Ampersand page on the Jacksons website

Ampersand Panels are  hugely impressive - and I'm sure a lot of artists are going to want to try them for themselves.

NOTE: A more limited range of Ampersand Panels are also available from Ken Bromley Art Supplies.

QoR - a new watercolour paint

Yesterday I updated my website The Best Watercolour Paint for Artists and included a new section about a new artists' watercolour paint which becomes available in the USA next month.

branding on the new dedicated QoR website

QoR WaterColor paint is produced by Golden who are well known for their acrylic paints.

The new section devoted to this paint includes links to:

• the new dedicated website
• other information about the new paint made available by Golden
• reviews and comments on the new paint by artists (eg Cathy Johnson) who have been provided with samples

Initial indications are that Golden's experience in acrylics is maybe also obvious in the formulation of this new paint. It'll be interesting to see what those painting traditional watercolours think of it.

RECOMMENDATION: I suggest people try one of the six colour trial pack of colours in the first instance to see whether they like how this new paint behaves.

Please report your experience of this new paint after you get your hands on it wherever is best for you. You can include a comment on this post if you like.

I expect that the website will undoubtedly expand and there will more information about availability in terms of distribution to art stories and online retailers in different countries in the near future.  My experience of such things is that roll-out might be somewhat slow with a focus on the USA only in the short-term. I'll update my website as and when new information becomes available. I won't be including sites which merely repeat a press release.

The Top Five Artists' Watercolour Paints in 2013

Personal preferences were expressed in the product review poll "Which are the best artist-quality watercolour paints? (2012 / 13)" on my website Which is the best brand of watercolour paint for artists?

The chart below records the results of 360 responses.

Derived from
Which are the best artist-quality
watercolour paints? (2012 / 13)

The TOP FIVE WATERCOLOUR PAINTS IN 2013 are:

1. Winsor & Newton - 27%
2. M. Graham Watercolour Paints - 11%
3. Daniel Smith Watercolor Paints - 10%
4. Fine Schminke Horadam Aquarell - 9%
5. Sennelier Aquarelle Extra - 8%

It's basically Winsor & Newton way out in front and then four brands - two American and two European - bringing in the next significant group of artist grade paints.

Those who are unfamiliar with M. Graham Watercolor Paints may be surprised they came second. However you should note:

• Reviews of these paints generally provide high praise for the quality, saturation and lightfastness
• 95% of those buying this paint from Dick Blicks would recommend them to a friend.
• The Wilcox Guide to the Finest Watercolours gave high ratings to these paints across the watercolour range.

Below that most paints got little or no support of significance - although there is a good spread of those that did get votes

The chart below reflects the paints in the poll in alphabetical order - and indicates the percentage of the vote each attracted.

The ranking of different brands of paint - in percentage order - follows the chart

Ranking of Watercolour Paints

This is the final ranking for the 2012-13 Poll to identify

• 27% - Winsor and Newton Artists Watercolours 
• 11% - M. Graham Watercolor Paints
• 10% - Daniel Smith Watercolor Paints 
• 9% - Fine Schminke Horadam Aquarell
• 8% - Sennelier Aquarelle Extra
• 6% - Holbein Artists Watercolor
• 3% - Royal Talens
• Rembrandt
• St. Petersburg Watercolors
• 2%
• Daler Rowney Artists Watercolours 
• Kremer Pigmente Watercolors
• 1% 
• Da Vinci
• Dr. Ph. Martin's Hydrus Fine Art Watercolor Paints
• Grumbacher Watercolor - Finest
• Lukas Aquarell
• Maimeri Blu
• Mijello Mission Gold Watercolors
• Royal Talens - Van Gogh
• Shin Han Premium Watercolors

The following paints failed to get a vote:

• Art Spectrum Artists Watercolours
• Blockx Extra Fine Watercolors
• Holbein Irodori Antique Watercolor
• Old Holland Classic Watercolours
• Pebeo Fragonard Extra-Fine Artists' Watercolors
• Robert Doak's Concentrated Watercolors
• Stephen Quiller Watercolors
• Utrecht Artists' Watercolors

I'll be posting a new Poll for 2014 in the next few days.

The Big Watercolour Debate - Tubes versus Pans

I've added a new section into Which is the best brand of watercolour paint for artists? - my new "resources for artists" website.

Watercolour paints - tubes and pans. 
Brands represented here include
Winsor & Newton, Rembrandt Van Gogh, Schmincke, Maimeri and LeFranc & Bourgeois

The new section Watercolour Paint: Pans versus Tubes (click to review) examines the Pans versus Tubes debate - and I've rounded up all the references I can find.  Here's three of those links examining the pros and cons of tubes versus pans by people who I rate highly - (1) Bruce McEvoy of Handprint and (2) Roz Stendhal of Roz Wound Up

• handprint : tube vs. pan watercolors
• Pans vs. Tubes? Part One - Roz Wound Up
• Pans vs. Tubes? Part Two - Roz Wound Up

If you have a preference one way or the other - or maybe like both - please vote in the Poll also on the blog - see POLL: Watercolour paints - Pans versus tubes?

If you've written online about your preferences for pans versus tubes or have reviewed the different options please let me know and I'll add a link to your blog to the new website.

Book review: A Yorkshire Sketchbook by David Hockney

A Yorkshire Sketchbook - by David Hockney

Back in 2006-7, I nearly became a conduit for David Hockney fans all over the world who wanted a copy of the DVD of David Hockney's sketchbooks.  (See David Hockney: Fifteen Sketchbooks 2002-2003 - Update on DVD availability and David Hockney "15 sketchbooks" DVD - a further update).

This NEW sketchbook is going to interest all those who qualify for one or the other of two niches relevant to this book - which are:

• diehard Hockney fans and 
• dedicated facsimile sketchbook aficionados out there who get very excited every time a new facsimile sketchbook by a famous artist is made available.

This review looks at the new sketchbook - and also considers it within the context of the DVD ($39.95) which I think is now only available via the Hockney Store website based in Los Angeles.

I own a copy of A Yorkshire Sketchbook - but then I'm a die-hard Hockney fan and I always buy his sketchbooks no matter what the price.  I'm very happy with it - but I think others will think it just a tad expensive at full price.

Title: (UK) A Yorkshire Sketchbook by David Hockney (USA: David Hockney: A Yorkshire Sketchbook)

Synopsis: This is a small facsimile sketchbook of one used by David Hockney in April 2004 - as the hawthorne blossom was coming into bloom. It contains 92 pages of sketches within a leather bound handback cover and a slip cover incorporating a watercolour painting. There are no words or associated text. Most of the sketches are in a panoramic format across a double page spread of this landscape format sketchbook. Sketches are mostly in watercolour or pen and ink and are monochromatic with some use of a limited palette - typically based on traditional renaissance colours of blue, green and red.

Summary review: RECOMMENDED - This is the nearest you'll ever get to handling a Hockney sketchbook.  It's different rather than better than the DVD of his earlier sketchbooks. The DVD has 15 sketchbooks and many more images. This is "like" the real thing insofar as it is a facsimile of a small sketchbook measuring 21cm wide by 14.5cm high. It remedies the distance introduced when viewing images from a sketchbook as individual images on a screen.   It's also much more like looking at the sketchbook of a friend - with all the associated fluctuations in media use and quality of sketch. It's much easier to pick up the transitions in thought processes behind what he sketches and how he is sketching.  It's also easier to flick through and easier share with a friend. I've also seen the real sketchbooks and this facsimile offers good quality reproduction of the sketches.

Highlights panoramic sketches demonstrate his painting technique in watercolour  very focused on initial sketches of landscapes in the East Yorkshire Wolds also includes sketches of individuals and the environment of his home in Bridlington easier to review all the sketches quickly good quality binding, paper and cover - just like a good quality sketchbook!

Think Again? only 43 illustrations of sketches (most are a double page spread across the centre fold) the DVD gives many more images from 15 different sketchbooks (ie it's more expensive but more sketches for the price paid) you can view different Hockney sketchbooks in the exhibition David Hockney RA - The Bigger Picture. Maybe view these first? Those not familiar with a day to day sketchbook might have an unrealistic expectation that there would be more and/or better sketches in this sketchbook.  However those who use sketchbooks on a regular basis already know that not every sketch an artist produces is a little gem! Hockney does not hide or exclude his "failures".

Who should buy this?: diehard Hockney fans people who collect "real" sketchbooks by famous artists - for posterity!

Who should not buy this? anybody expecting an explanation in words of how Hockney uses his sketchbooks anybody expecting to see iPad sketches - there are none

Author / (Publisher): Royal Academy of Arts Technical data: Publication Date:  19 December 2011 (UK);  Full Price £14.95 3 January 2012 (USA) Full price $25 There's no need to pay full price as it is available for a discounted price on Amazon (I've included the links) and possibly in other stores as well.

I've no idea whether or not this will come out as a DVD.  It's entirely possible it will only be a limited print run - in which case it could become more valuable.

For the record - this is the publisher's description

In recent years David Hockney has returned to England to paint the East Yorkshire landscape remembered from his youth. Although his passionate interest in new technology has led him to develop a virtuoso drawing technique on an iPad, he has also been accompanied outdoors by the traditional sketchbook, an invaluable tool as he works quickly to capture the changing light and fleeting effects of the weather. Executed in watercolour and ink, these panoramic scenes have the spatial complexity of finished paintings - the broad sweep of sky or road, the patchwork tapestry of land - yet convey the immediacy of Hockney's impressions. And as in the views down village streets and across kitchen tables that appear alongside them, his rooted and fond knowledge of the Yorkshire Wolds is always clear. If you know the landscape there, the character of the sketches is unmistakable: if you don't, it will come to life in these pages.
92 pages, 14.5 x 21cm, 43 illustrations.

For more information about David Hockney - and more books by Hockney - see my website David Hockney - Resources for Art Lovers

Product Review: Liz Steel reviews Schmincke watercolour paints

If you like Schmincke watercolour paints - or have always wondered about trying them out - you should definitely take a look at Liz Steel's unique review - in her sketchbook journal - of the Schmincke paints she took to Europe this summer - see her post 110906 Schmincke Set review

Liz Steel Reviews her Schminke set - September 2011
copyright liz Steel - used with her permission

You can see a larger version of this review in her journal in her Flickr account

If you've done a review of a product send me an email containing a link to your review blog post

New colours from new pigments

Winsow and Newton have published an article about the new pigments which they have introduced in recent years in Why are new pigments so important?.  This succinctly describes the origins, pigments used for and performance of the new colours.

By the 1990s there were so many new organic pigments available that Winsor and Newton embarked on some far reaching reviews to ensure artists would be able to enjoy everything from entirely new colours to greater brilliance and permanence. Almost 200 new colours were introduced over the following 15 years and this process is still continuing today.

1996 Winsor and Newton embarked on the most significant change to the Artists' Water Colour range in 164 years. The availability of so many new pigments meant that 35 new colours were introduced into the range, offering artists the widest and most balanced spectrum with the greatest permanence.

They key issue has always been about how to balance transparency with lightfastness.  Older pigments frequently had one but not the other and the challenge has been to develop new pigments which provide quality performance across the spectrum and over time.

Winsor & Newton Watercolour Chart 2010 - see Catalogue 2010

The new colours covered in the article (click the link at the top to read it) are listed below.  The new pigments which are most prominent in the ones listed below are the quinacridones and the perylenes.  I was pleased to note that there is now a permanent carmine based on Quinacridone pyrrolidone.  Apparently it's still so new that it does not have a colour index number as yet!

The acronyms after their names are for Artists watercolours (AWC) Artists Oil Colours (AOC) and artists Acrylic Colours (AAC)

Yellows: 

• PY184 -  Bismuth Yellow (AWC*, AOC*, AAC*)
• PY150 -  Transparent Yellow (AWC), Indian Yellow Deep (AOC), Nickel Azo Yellow (AAC)  

Orange:

• P073 -  Winsor Orange (Red Shade) (AWC), Winsor Orange (AOC), Pyrrole Orange (AAC)

Reds:

• PR255 -  Scarlet Lake (AOC), Pyrrole Red Light (AAC)
• PR254 -  Winsor Red (AWC), Bright Red (AOC), Pyrrole Red (AAC)
• PR264 -  Winsor Red Deep (AWC)
• PR209 -  Quinacridone Red (AWC, AOC, AAC)
• Quinacridone pyrrolidone - Permanent Carmine (AWC, AOC)
• PR206 -  Brown Madder (AWC), Quinacridone Burnt Orange (AAC)
• PR233 -  Potter’s Pink (AWC, AAC)
• PR149 -  Winsor Red Deep (AOC), Perylene Red (AAC)
• PR179 -  Perylene Maroon (AWC, AAC)

Violets:

• PV29 -  Perylene Violet (AWC, AAC)
• PV15 -  Ultramarine Violet (AWC, AOC, AAC)
• PB74 -  Cobalt Blue Deep (AWC, AOC, AAC)
• PB60 -  Indanthrene Blue (AWC, AOC, AAC)

Greens:

• PG50 -  Cobalt Turquoise Light (AWC, AOC, AAC)
• PY129 -  Green Gold (AWC, AOC, AAC)

Earths:

• Mixture due to replacement -  Quinacridone Gold (AWC, AAC)
• PBr7 -  Brown Ochre (AWC, AOC)
• PR101 -  Caput Mortuum Violet (AWC), Mars Violet (AOC), Violet Iron Oxide(AAC)

Black:

• PBk31 -  Perylene Green (AWC, AAC), Perylene Black (AOC) - the first new permanent black for thousands of years!

Below are links to the various colour charts for artists colours which can be seen online

• Artists Oil Colour   
• Artists Acrylic Colour  
• Artists Water Colour    

Product review: Marc Dalassio's Vermillion Test

Shop selling Sindoor (Vermilion) in Pushkar, Rajasthan

I've only recently discovered Marc Dalessio did a colour test of different paints in relation to vermilion.  You can read about it here Color test: Vermilion and also see the colour charts which he created as a result.

The purpose of the test was to find a red to use in portraits.  I've added in the relevant link to the paint in the quote from the post below

For me the best of the hand-ground paints was Robert Doak’s vermilion, which I believe is either cut with cadmium if not entirely cadmium-based. That said it is extremely similar to the old Zecchi cadmium vermilion they stopped selling 8 years ago (which we all remember fondly). 

Marc Dalassio

You can find our more about Robert Doak specialised art materials and paints on his website - Robert Doak Colors.  He also does concentrated liquid watercolors which, according to the website, are brilliant and lightfast colors.

Daniel Smith's Watercolor 66 Try-It Color Sheet

Sometimes a manufacturer comes up with a new idea for how artists can try out their products which just make you nod your head and say "Yes!"

This is one of those - and it comes to you courtesy of DANIEL SMITH.  This Try-It Sheet contains 66 paint-able "dots" of pure DANIEL SMITH Watercolor.

DANIEL SMITH Extra Fine Watercolor 66 Try-It Color Sheet

I particularly like the fact that each colour is listed with information about:

• its ASTM Lightfastness rating 
• whether it is staining or non-staining
• information about the extent to which it granulates
• whether it is transparent, semi transparent/opaque or opaque

You can either use the sheet as a reference for when you are choosing which watercolour paints you want to use from the DANIEL SMITH watercolor palette.  Or you can just wet the dot with a brush and try out the paint.  Or both!

I've no idea how long this Try-It Sheet has been around, but I think Daniel Smith has just ramped up the "information for watercolour artists" stakes - in a very good way.

Thanks to Billie Crain on Facebook for drawing this to my attention.

UPDATE

DANIEL SMITH sent me a message to (1) thank me for this blog post and (2) tell me that they have posted two useful videos relating to this product on YouTube - so here they are:

• DANIEL SMITH 66 Try-It Color Sheet - Tip for using as a Reference
• how to use DANIEL SMITH 66 Try-It Color Sheet of Extra Fine Watercolors

Caran d'Ache NEOART Pastels

I came across Caran d'Ache NEOART Aquarelle Pastels for the first time at Patchings recently. Always a sucker for a big wooden box full of juicy colours I took a photo!

Caran d'Ache NEOART Aquarelle Pastels
The finest wax pastels

...and then started to try and find out a bit more about them to see if they're likely to be something I want to investigate further.  (I've got to that point where any new product needs to earn its place in my home).

I particularly wanted to know what was the difference between these bigger NEOART pastels and the smaller Neocolour II pastels.

This post provides links to:

• the Caran d'Ache product pages for Neoart Aquarelle Pastels
• explains the difference between NEOART and Neocolor II
• comments by bloggers and people participating in forums

Caran d'Ache NEOART Aquarelle Pastels


This is how Caran d'Ache describe them

NEOART™ Aquarelle
Pastel of large diametre recommended for works on big surfaces
Bright and semi-opaque colours
Very high pigment concentration

Now - these are:

• NOT dry media (ie soft or hard pastels as we normally think of them)
• NOT another name for Caran D'Ache Neocolor II wax-based water-soluble pastels used by a lot of artists for underpaintings

Both NEOART and Neocolor II are water-soluble wax pastels - but

• Do they work in the same way?
• What, if any, are the differences?

These tables summarise their characteristics.  They persuade me that those using Neocolour II for underpaintings would do well to check out their favourite colours in the NEOART pastels

NEOART AQUARELLE

Water-soluble wax pastel

Artist / Professional Grade

Very high pigment concentration - provides exceptional purity and intensity

Excellent Lightfastness

Strong, bright semi-opaque colours (60 in total) - available in sets and individually

dry or wet drawing on all supports

techniques: watercolouring, washes, scraping back (Scraffito)

Large diameter (width of large marker pen)

Brochure (PDF) Colour Chart - PDF

Neocolor II

Water-soluble wax pastel

Hobby Artist Grade

High pigment concentration for bright and opaque colours

excellent lightfastness

exceptional covering power

dry or wet drawing on all materials

widest range of colours for water-soluble pastels on the market

normal pencil stick breadth

Brochure - PDF

Colour Chart - PDF

Product Reviews by artists online

This is what I could find from artists commenting online

• Neoart Watersoluble Wax Pastels- Charts is a long post by an artist participating in the Water Media Forum of Wet Canvas.  She's done a good overview of the colours

A big difference to the artist between the two is the size and hardness. The Neoart pastels are harder and seem a bit waxier than the neocolors. Since they come in a large size, they are a bit more awkward to hold in the hand, and the ends are blunt, not sharpened, so control can be a bit more difficult to achieve with them.

• Kelly Kilmer is a mixed media artist/tutor and major fan of NEOART Pastels.  She describes them as "must have supplies" and she ships and repackages them for her students

Caran d'ache Neo Art Watersoluble Wax Pastels (NOT oil based at all, these are big chunky crayons) I Love these to add color "here and there" on a page. I mostly use them dry with a heavy hand and "rub" them into the page using an old rag. Yet, since they are watersoluble anything "wet" will move them around. I have two sets of the 60 colors (one for me, one for classes) and these puppies last a LONG time. I dumped them out of the box and put them in a bag and they're not so "precious" once you do that ;)

• Jolene in Orange County, California shows us what you can do with them in a 2007 post Caran d' Ache 

After everything was dry I started coloring with the wax pastels. I smooshed them around with my fingers and rubbed them with an old rag. Then I grabbed the first sharp object I found on my art table (a needle I use for bookbinding) and I began to scratch into the pastels. And oh how I loved the effect I was able to achieve! 

UK Supplies

In the UK it appears that you can order sets from Jacksons Art.  The stall that brought them to Patchings was Caran d'Ache working with Gadsbys of Leicester

Book Review: Botanical Sketchbook

Botanical Sketchbook by Mary Ann Scott with Margaret Stevens

Title: Botanical Sketchbook

An In-depth Book Review of this book was first published here on 15h April 2010.
The complete text has now been moved to my new website
- see Book Review: Botanical Sketchbook on Botanical Art and Artists 

Synopsis: This book will provide inspiration to all those who aspire to become botanical artists. It is a record of one woman's development into a successful botanical artist. As part of the Distance Learning Diploma Course run by the Society of Botanical Artists, students are required to keep a sketchbook. The one kept by Mary Ann Scott was exceptional and prompted the idea for this book. Her book covers the exercises, colour charts and basic preparatory work for each assignment, plus the three works for her final portfolio.

Summary review: This book provides a masterclass for all aspiring botanical artists and is highly recommended. It will become an essential buy for all students of the Society of Botanical Artist's Diploma in Botanical illustration. It's also a recommended buy for all other aspiring botanical art students and artists and many of their tutors. It provides an excellent benchmark for the standard of botanical illustration and painting which can be achieved by an exceptional student. It also tells the story of how such excellence can be developed - through much practice and intelligent use of the botanical sketchbook. Read an interview with the author of Botanical Sketchbook - A Making A Mark Interview with Mary Ann Scott

Two new coloured pencil opinion polls for 2010

As promised earlier this year, today I have set up two BRAND NEW opinion polls about artists' grade coloured pencils and watercolour pencils on Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists.

The main reason for starting a new poll is because there have been a lot of advances since the original poll was started:

• CPSA has now published more data about the resusts of its lightfast testing of different brands of pencils
  
• there are now more lightfast pencils, more people are aware of the lightfastness issues and people's preferences may well have shifted
  
• new brands have been created eg Caran d'Ache Luminance pencils
• people will have experimented with more brands and new brands and may well have changed their preferences!

Making A Mark Reviews (16 November 2009) Opinion Poll: Which is your favourite make of artist grade coloured pencil?

POLL: Which is your favourite make of artist grade coloured pencil?
Results chart as at 31st December 2009
(792 votes)

So - as of today there are now two NEW polls. Click the links below to view the options and vote:

• 2010 POLL: Which is your favourite make of artist grade coloured pencil?
• 2010 POLL: What's your favourite watercolour pencil?

The purpose of the polls is to identify which are the most popular coloured pencils in 2010 - hence all past votes which applied to choices available in the past no longer apply

Which means that all of you who already voted on the first poll can VOTE AGAIN! This time I want to know which brand - out of the ones which you use right now - is your favourite brand.

Note also that this is the first time I've set up a poll specifically for watercolor pencils.

As previously indicated, hopefully by providing feedback to the manufacturers about preferences there will be some incentive to continue with a good selection in the marketplace and products which continue to improve in both quality and lightfastness over time.

If any of the marketing people from the different pencil manufacturers are reading this and note that their new brands in the pipeline are NOT included please contact me with the date your product is due to be in the marketplace AND on your website.

Note: The first poll about artists' coloured pencils is being "retired" although its results will be maintained as an image (see above) on this blog and on Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists

Links:

• Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists
• Making A Mark - Which is your favourite make of artist grade coloured pencil? (August 2008)
  
• Making A Mark reviews...... Which is your favourite make of artist grade coloured pencil? (April 2009)
• Making A Mark - Derwent Coloursoft Pencils
• Making A Mark - Derwent Coloursoft Update (May 2006) - includes a link to the Derwent colour charts for all 72 colours
• Making A Mark - Royal Talens Van Gogh Coloured Pencils
• Making A Mark - Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor Pencils (March 2007) - includes my colour chart
• Making A Mark - Ashness Bridge - my drawing for the new Derwent Catalogue (Derwent Artists' Pencils)
  
• Making A Mark - Prismacolor - new colours for 2006 but no change in the breakages (August 2006) - includes my colour chart
• Making A Mark - Prismacolour Premier Lightfast Colored Pencils (October 2006) - lists the 48 new colours by name and number
• Making A Mark - How lightfast are your artist grade coloured pencils?

Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists

Find out about coloured pencils. This leading resource has information for everybody from experienced artists to beginners wanting to learn all they can. Topics include

• tips and techniques for working with coloured pencils,
• information about coloured pencil brands and associated products (CHECK OUT the poll - find out which make of artist grade coloured pencils is the favourite.)
• coloured pencil societies,
• coloured pencil artists and
• forums where you can discuss coloured pencil matters with artists working in coloured pencils