Perfect for Urban Sketching! QoR Watercolor Mini Urban Sketch Set Review
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- čas přidán 20. 08. 2024
- I have not been able to put this palette down since I opened it!
Today I am reviewing the Urban Sketch travel set of 6 watercolors by Qor, a watercolor brand made by Golden. I bought mine on Amazon but it is currently sold out, here is the link when it comes back: amzn.to/3xNNU6y
Blick has a good price too: shrsl.com/4hu0q
This set includes Benzimidazolone Yellow, Quinacridone Red, Cobalt Blue, Cobalt Teal, Van Dyke Brown, and Paynes Grey (although on Blick it says it has Neutral Tint so maybe they have recently swapped a color and that's why I got a deal?)
Pros:
Great quality
Awesome color selection
I got it for 60% off retail!
Made in the USA
Colors mix and layer well
Tin did not stain
Room for 6 more colors
Swatch card included
Cons:
The only con is that it is sold out at the price I paid but I still think it is worth Blicks sale price
Bottom line,
This is a fun set and the quality is wonderful. I am so happy I bought it and I would buy it again!
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I love Qor. They are my go to paints. They are my “precious” also. I have them in a mini plain air pallet and I have them with me always. I have never had an issue with my pallet running because of the aquasol. I also use Sennelier in a travel pallet. I use both as my important paints. Sorry, for all the information. I don’t get out much. lol 😊
Great info, don't apologize! I'd keep an eye out on the sets for deals, they just released 20 new colors and are discontinuing 8 so all those sets with old info and discontinued colors might go for cheap!
Love the urban set. Can’t wait to see the comparison. 😊
Coming soon!
I love the urban sketches you did with this set. Fun museum pictures too.
Thanks 😊
I thought Their color choices were very good as well🎉. Certain colors whoosh more than others from the tubes I have found. Magenta being very dramatic. Thanks Lindsay 💜
I totally agree!
The grainy pans are because QoR makes their pans differently now - they used to just extrude the paint, but now they dry the paint, grind it up to a powder, and press it into the pans. I personally haaaaaate the way it looks, and I know some people have said they feel rough to pick up paint from, but I haven't bought any myself.
I can confirm that the tin can hold 24 half pans in a 6×4 layout (with a fair bit of wiggle room for different sized half pans, especially in the middle two rows of 6).
Interesting factoid. Thanks for sharing!
I love QoR paints! The tube paints provide that satisfying whoosh of color, especially into another color. Blick had a great sale as you mentioned, so I took the opportunity to purchase the 6 tube introductory set and the 6 tube Earth Colors introductory set. I already have the High Chroma set. These are still on sale at Blick for $26 as of 4/22/2024.
I also bought several of the Daniel Smith Primatech paints. Those paints are so awesome! I'm going to paint pictures of fossils with them. I think they represent the stones the fossils are in very well since they are made of actual ground up stone.
Nice! Enjoy!
I just bought this set on eBay. 21.40. Free shipping. I was glad to see my favorite the frugal crafter had a great review for me.
That is awesome!
I do not neeeeeed anymore paints. 🫣🤣
Lol
lol famous last words
What a lovely set! Their Payne’s Grey is one of my favourites. I would add a Buff Titanium which I use a lot in Urban Sketching. The VD Brown is really lovely!
I should give that color a try, someone gave me a tube of it.
i have the 12 half pan set, which i really enjoy. Its small enough to just grab and go. Qor paints are great especially if you are a "wet-into-wet" painter.
This is the set I grab most often for sketching on location. It's light and has plenty of mixing areas and it's so thin it fits easily in a pocket of my sling bag. It clips nicely to my sketchbook when I hold it in my lap and also fits perfectly on a 7x10 sketch easel my handy husband made. Now what to do with all my other sketching tins and metal palettes! (I added these QOR: sap; raw sienna; quin gold; pyrrole red; cerulean and diox. purple). I enjoyed seeing all your sketches and those hex shapes look cool.
Great add!
I bought all the sets and fit them all in one tin along with 8 other half pans poured from QOR tubes. So, yes, you are right, if you remove the silicone you can fit more than 24 half pans. The cobalt teal and cobalt green travel. Use caution with how you store the tins. The cobalt colors will travel. Especially the green.
is that 32 in all? what orientation did you put them in to fit them?
@@katriannamno ma'am. My mistake. I didn't realize there were so many minis. I purchased the urban, the granulators, the intensity tins. Along with the introductory 12 tube set. I removed the silicone from the tin, added the 3 rows of 6 from the tins then added 8 pans from the tubes. Like the ochre, quin gold, viridian, etc. Now, don't get me wrong here, at no time have I ever needed nor used all these paints. In fact, of I could recommend not doing it I would. I know people like to pretend they are making a spring palette, an urban palette, an autumn, beach palette, blah blah blah absolute nonsense. But if you're someone who travels or hasn't found their colors and style yet, go for it. Enjoy. At any rate, you do you. I hope I've cleared up any confusion. If not, let me know. I'll post an image of it on the channel so you can see it.
Good to know! How are you enjoying the paint?
@@thefrugalcrafter love them of course. No complaints at all other than they remain sticky and will travel in high humidity. Even that isn't really a complaint. Just something to be aware of.
They spread more against other brands, and my thinking is in every brand there are colors with oxgall and some without. Or there are colors that have more oxgall than others. Because in some of my tests, even lightweight pigments are not able to spread as far, for instance, a phthalo blue not spreading as far as a pv19. Like in qor it'll look like one would go all the way across the page and the other stands still. In my rosa if I put the turquoise color down wet on wet it won't spread, but the madder red does, they also won't cross the barrier of the other color,its very pretty, it only works with those 2 colors.
If you dab a daniel smith color down like the nickel Azo Yellow it blooms like qors but if you put a quin rose down it doesn't move. To me that says one has oxgall and one doesn't.
One color in qor that seems really sad on its own is colbalt violet, but if you drop it wet on wet with another brand or even a qor color it will push away that color nearly completely. Its alot of fun and it'll work great for the center of a flower 🌼. For abstract, wild paintings I always use my qor pallet with a separate brand like sennelier (it does not have hardly any dispersion) and the qor shoves the other color away creating little lightning bolts in the sennelier or other brand.
Qor uses Aquasol instead of gum arabic, which makes their paints whoosh so much. Qor also has synthetic ox gall, so they might use that instead of the real thing. I use their synthetic ox gall to help my paint move and it's great. Hope this helps
Please see my comment above about paper choice and Qor wooshing and flowing more. Can you give me any clues for the furthest, most dramatic Payne's grey movement on paper please? thanks @joymiller9668
The detective work continues!
@@michemman You could experiment yourself, by adding ox gall to your paints. You can even get synthetic ox gall from Qor. Ox gall is a dispersant, which creates the whooshing effect. It acts like dish soap on greasy water, it breaks the tension in the surface, creating the "whoosing" effect. Happy experiments!
This is a terrific set. I would agree that it needs either yellow ochre or raw sienna, plus a good green (I would do Phthalo green because you can mix a sort of sap green with yellow ochre.) Qor makes a really beautiful green gold though, which you might consider instead of sap green. I would add Ultramarine plus Quin Magenta and maybe Dioxazine purple and burnt Sienna.
Great pics!
Thank you 🙏 I just ordered this set!
Hope you like it!
I love 💕 my set of these colors! I’m glad 😂I wasn’t the only person who was having trouble with pronouncing some of these colors! I have been pleasantly surprised by them. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful video!
This is almost a set I would’ve assembled myself: no useless colors. I‘d add pb29, pb35, pb60, maybe a pb15. Yes, my main palette is very heavy on the blues. Also po73 and py216 would be great for sunsets.
When I bought this set, I also bought the Earth set of tubes (Naples Yellow, Transparent Brown Oxide, Venetian Red, Sap Green, Indigo, & Raw Umber), and a tube of Cobalt Green. I filled the empty six pans with the tube paint, using Cobalt Green instead of Sap Green. There is some redundancy: three PR101s! And I probably don't need both Indigo & Payne's Gray. Hmm. I may have to switch some pans out, and get some new colors. I'll probably wait until my local art supply store has its watercolor sale in July! 😂
I ordered the urban sketch set and the granulator set and am planning to combine the two into one palette. Interestingly, I found 1 downside to aquazol as a binder. It melts in the heat! The granulator set arrived a few days ago during an especially hot SoCal spring day and the pans were soft and gooey, the green had completely melted! But thankfully they didn’t ooze out of their pans. Once they cooled down, they worked like normal as well. Anyways, I need more watercolors like I need a hole in the head… so it looks like my head is Swiss cheese this month . 😂😂😂 Thank you for the wonderful video Lindsay! Looking forward to the other reviews and tube paint comparisons!
Oh wow! I wouldn't have expected that!
Very cool Lindsay. I ordered 2 of the QOR sets -this one (Urban Sketch) & the Granulated one. Just received the Granulated set today (haven’t had time to play with it yet) but excited to give it a whirl tomorrow😊😊😊😊. Thanks for the review…we’re back to Plein air painting now that the weather is warming up, can’t wait to use these new sets. Have a great day.
Have fun!
I have this set and the intensity set. I can't wait to see the comparison between qor half pans and tube. I feel like there's a texture difference but I've only tried one tube. I liked how intense the colors are, especially the blues as you noted, but I found it harder to make subtle colors. I've been using my Schmincke watercolors more so this will be good encouragement to get the qor pallette back out!
Great idea!
I grabbed these when you showed them, the paints and the palettes are so great! Thanks Lindsay!
Glad you like them!
What a great set! I learned a tip from someone about pronunciation -- Benzimidazalones are "dazzling" (it's right there in the name). Benz - i - mi - dazzle - one.
Great tip!
So I already had the granulator set. I bought the iridescent set. I'm going to put them in the same palette and have a completely free palette to put some of my other QOR paints in. So I'll have a speciality palette and a palette of colors I would like. I love the mini tins. 😊
Nice!
Hi Lindsay,
Thanks for this video!
I think the Qor "flow and woosh" may be dependent on three things;
the variety of paper (cotton, grain/texture of fibre direction effects the woosh direction, wood pulp, and sizing)
the amount of surface/internal water
and
time of drying, from wet to damp.
I do know that in tubes, Qor's "Payne's grey" is the fastest most dramatic movement, according to Dr Oto Kano. I think some of the papers I have tried with Payne's grey being the control or "best", didn't give me the woosh at all!
I haven't yet found the complementary papers to find the one I need. I have tried Fabriano Artistico and Arches and Etchr sketchbooks in linen wit Qor. I suspect a wood pulp paper or mixed cotton may be a key to this puzzle.
As you said in the video, the mixtures inside the tubes compared to the pans, may have a difference in movement too.
(Some papers also show Qor granulation differently too, which is another matter entirely, but I have heard of people using hot press paper to see it more.)
If anyone can shed some more specific information, I would love to know how to get more woosh, so I can do large abstracts using spray bottles, and wet and dry areas.
In kindred spirit,
Eliza Most Beautiful Day is Today!
Tuesday 23rd of April 2024; 7:09pm
Sydney Australia xxx
Paper can affect it for sure. There are so many variables. I am looking forward to doing the tube/pan comparison.
What cute and vibrant paintings! I wish I could get as loose as you and not worry over getting straight lines when Urban Sketching.
Thanks 😊
That is a great little set, and I love the not-so-standard color choices. When mine arrives (amazon had some again) I'll add sap green, Naples yellow, ultramarine violet and probably magenta. Would love to see your comparison with the tubes. Happy painting!
Coming soon!
I ordered 2 sets: the mini reflective and another of the mini granulators from the Amazon seller in your link (small NC town?). They're a bit cheaper than the Blick granulator set. And I haven't noticed a difference besides a few changes in packaging design. Maybe it's older, or rejected or a different batch... I have no idea TBH. But they're not 100% the same packaging. I'm just happy that I got to save some $ and get 2 more sets ❤ I'm a fan. Can't wait for your side by side tube vs pan review. Thanks, Lindsay!
Thanks, from what I gather some colors ate changing so I think they ate clearing old stock (which I will happily take off their hands at a discount!)
Thanks for showing us these paints. They looked lovely!
My pleasure 😊
Love Qor paints. Thanks for sharing ❤
O yea, I'm super excited to see the comparison video!!!
You are so welcome!
Great timing - mine just arrived in the mail today! I bought intensity and urban. Wish I would have grabbed the granulators. That one is now $7 more expensive than when I made my purchase, and there are only 3 or 4 left I believe. Anyway, thank you for sharing them, and I’m looking forward to your tube vs pan comparison 😃
Hope you enjoy it!
I mix qor with my other brands. I love that some of the colors are so pushy. It's really fun to use the cobalt turquoise in galaxies and stuff and just watching it move all the other colors move out of the way ❤
Great tip!
I had been wanting these Qor sets also and when they went on sale I ordered all three of them! I have received two of them this week and loved them so much I ordered the Reflective set also! 😃😃🤣 I have a few tubes of Qor paint and have always loved their colors. These are so beautiful and the pallets are so cute!!! My watercolor group does plein air all summer so they will get lots of use! I am gonna add a burnt sienna and a sap green to my set…..and maybe an ultramarine. 😄 They were such a great price!
Nice!
Hi, Lindsay. Thank you for your video. ❤
You are so welcome!
This brand is at my Michael’s but course not so cheap. They had the little ones locked up so I remember thinking what is so special about this brand? Anyway I’m glad to know more about QOR
I bought the high chroma set when they first came out and I fell in love with the line. I've never been disappointed!
@@thefrugalcrafter good to know! Im leaning that there are SO many brands
I just love that palette with the circles! I saw a picture in an Amazon review where they removed the insert and fit 24 half pans inside.
Nice! I think I might do that!
You got such a great deal on those! I have the set of 12 and I added 6 eye shadow pans on the silicone part because I didn't like it as a mixing space.
I think I might eventually combine all my sets in one tin. I like them all!
Shock, horror… Lindsay intending to keep a palette without Ultramarine Blue 😂. Great video as always
Right?! The insanity! 😆
Nice set! I’d definitely add a Sap Green, a PBr7 Bt Sienna and a Buff Titanium. I love this red! Seems from your mixing chart it can go from cool to warm. ❤️
Yes, it's a very neutral red.
I love Qor paints!!! I don’t need anymore paints but I probably won’t resist the urge to get these. Lol
This is so good, I love your reviews ☺☺
Glad you like them!
Thank you for sharing these! I have been wanting to try out Qors but I couldn’t figure out whether I should get the introductory tubes set or this to begin with. I think I’ll give this a try and decide whether or not I want to invest in their tubes after
Enjoy! Their intro tube sets are a good value too.
Thank you for the review. I am looking forward to the comparison. I do not need anymore watercolor paints but I just may want them😂😂.
You are so welcome!
I'd love the Sketchbook Floozie Stencils in hexagons!
Noted ✅️
I really enjoyed this review on the QoR watercolors -- I've had my eyeballs on them for awhile, so it was really good to see them in action.
It's good to see that you've gone all-in on the urban sketching. Do you know of Roz Stendahl? Oh man, if you can get her for one of your video interviews, you'd love her! She's a total kick in the pants, yet is also a very serious person who lives and breathes sketching. Do a google to find her blog (Roz Wound Up), which is a treasure trove of information, going back years. Her skill for writing, her walks to a different drummer, are as fabulous as her sketches. There is much to learn from Roz Stendahl.
I'll look her up. The name sounds familiar!
@@thefrugalcrafter She's been around for many many years, so it is likely that you have run into her work before.
Edited to add: If you make it to her blog, delve into some of the older entries -- they are a treasure trove.
Lindsay may I please say how long I have waited for you, only You to review this urban sketching box from Qor?? ❤️🙏🏽
I was surprised how much I liked the silicone to mix. I like the ‘grip’.
They are indeed flatter than regular half pans. I did squeeze generic half pans from Amazon into the other side, with some space though. Added M Graham YOchre, Hookers Green , Qor Magenta, Burnt Sienna ( I think)
They are GORGEOUS pigments and got them for $19.
But I was SO disappointed with the lack of dancing.
I have tubes of Magenta and Quin Gold and I had expected the urban set to dance like magenta 🤣 and for the longest time thought I bought a dud because they behaved like any other watercolour brand.
But I have grown to understand that pigments are pigments and now I love this set and respect it for what it is.
No regrets….no RE-gerts atall. 😛
I am glad you like them! They don't seem to move as much as the tubes but I will do the head to head test and see!
@marlbboro8091 please see my comment below about paper choice for woosh and flow. I haven't yet cracked the code, the search for dancing continues. Thanks again x
It looks like a lovely set - it would be nice to use only the curated limited palette to change things up a bit - I always slide over to yellow ochres and raw umbers - partly because those are the colours true to Scottish landscapes, but a brighter pop would be nice for a change. Qor aren't as easy to get here in the UK but definitely on my wish list. Thanks for a lovely video as always
That's a great idea!
The current price on Blick is $33 for each of the four Qor sets. The photo shows Payne's Grey, but the description says Neutral Tint on this one.
I saw that, I wonder what you get from blick?
PS. Here in 🇩🇪 this set already has Neutral Tint rather than Payne's Grey. Its a pity, that grey looks amazing. Anyway, thanks again, Lindsay
I wondered about that! Blick says neutral tint, but the photo they have shows Paynes grey. I think these deals are great due to old stock getting cleaned out (I'll take it!
@@thefrugalcrafter Yes, you got so lucky. The cheapest I found those sets here is €45 (around €47) on sale!
I much prefer qor tube paints to their pre made pans. I have this set also and i do like it. But their granulators set was a bit underwhelming imo
Thanks for your insight!
So tempted, but in no buy zone
Stay strong!
I wonder if pr101 is treated differently because the one I have from sennelier is red wine in color and is also granulating
Must be or from a different mine. I know they discontinued one color this year, an orange that used a specific pr101 that was depleted.
I didn't care for the silicone pallets, I love the paints though.
I'm seriously considering pulling out the silicone in one and putting all the pans together.
70 dollars cad in Canada what a deal
Yikes!
These are not just sold out, the price went up?
Yikes! Yes, when I first mentioned them they sold out, then came back at a higher price (on amazon) on blick they are $32.99 everyday.
Because of FOMO I have sooo many paints and materials. But I can not get past my stick figure skills. I need helllllpppppppp😅😅
You can do it!
@thefrugalcrafter thank you! I love watching your videos. I do feel like I learn a lot
I have a question for anyone here, has anyone ever used Woodlands Watercolor Confections by Prima Marketing? If yes, I'd like to know (honest opinion) what you think about them. I do understand that they are not artist grade watercolors, but would still be interested in others opinions that have used these paints. Thanks in advance. Take care and God bless. Sincerely Becky B from Arkansas
I have not tried it, hopefully someone else here has:)
I have them and enjoy painting with them
@@lindacarreira8106 thank you, appreciate your honesty. Take care and God bless. Sincerely Becky B
I’m very confused are you a crafter or a watercolor artist?
Both! I've been painting for decades but when I started my channel I was planning to write an Artsy-Crafty recipe book (different ways to make your own paints, inks and other supplies) and the name stuck 😆