It’s an interesting test and really worth doing to experience lightfastness (or the lack of it…) first hand. However, it doesn’t really depend on the brand but on the individual pigments used. In general it’s true that professional or artist brands offer a wider range of lightfast pigments and thus are more expensive. But they also offer some rare pigments or original ones that are not lightfast at all, like Alizarin Crimson, next to their lightfast replacements. Some colours won’t fade within 6 months but after a longer time, especially when tested in full intensity. Lighter washes fade more quickly, and there are also colours like Prussian Blue that will change in colour rather than fade. It’s a really interesting topic - but as you said, if the colours are used in sketchbooks or for crafting then lightfastness doesn’t matter! It’s most important for artists that sell their work.
I knew few colors eg alizarin, Aurelian, and that wonderful vivid pinky color were not lightfast, but didn’t know Prussian blue wasnt. So is Antwerp blue a good substitute for Prussian?
@@Scottlp2 Funnily enough Prussian Blue is usually considered as lightfast, as apparently it regains it’s colour when put back in the dark. I haven’t tried it myself though, but it would be interesting to verify. If Antwerp Blue is made with the Prussian Blue pigment PB27 (I think it is in the Winsor & Newton range) then you might see a similar colour change. It probably depends on the quantities of each pigment in the colour mix. The colour change happens very quickly (one month in the sun) so it’s worth testing for yourself.
I'm glad you provided this for everyone, I now know certain pigments are not lightfast. But when first exposed to watercolor I had no idea. It's important to know if you're selling original artwork, not so important if you're making prints or crafting. Your geographical location will affect lightfastness as well (are you in an arid sunnier climate or overcast and wet). It's good practice to test lightfastness even if they have it on the packages, not all brands are honest.
It’s important to note that artist grade does not equate to lightfast and student grade does not mean fugitive. That isn’t what distinguishes the grades of paint. Many artist quality paints are still fugitive because it’s the pigment that is fugitive. Student grade paints often substitute these and create ‘hues’ which mimic the traditional pigment but are more stable when exposed to light. Aureolin, alizarin crimson, anthaquinone red, and Prussian blue for a few examples, are fugitive in any brand, even Daniel smith. I’ve done extensive testing and cotman are excellent across the board - no fading after 12 months in direct sun with 12 colours. My Windsor and Newton professional paints had several fugitive colours, however. White nights held up well and I have tested a small selection of Roman szmal.
I do professional picture framing. The true test is over years not months. I’ve reframed faded pieces that have hung on the walls for many years. Fluorescent lights can be more damaging than natural light. Do you want a piece to last months or to pass on to grandchildren or for clients to be happy as long as they hang the piece? True tests would be by independent labs who test using techniques that simulate light over years. I’d like to see you leave your samples in the light another six months, another year, two years and give us updates. As far as framing always use conservative glass. Not perfect but the best protection you can do while still seeing the piece.
Great point. I would like to see a test done of at least one year, testing pigments exposed to various interior types of lighting (incandescent, fluorescent, LED) as well as sunlight. But this was a good start. I would also like to see some other brands included in the test, like Sennelier, Holbein, and QoR.
Hi. Great video! Okay so Im gonna break this down a little: So every color/pigment has its own lightfastness-some colors/pigments are prone to fading and are less lighfast then others, for example: Ultramarine Blue is made from pigment PB29 which has excellent lightfast and Indian Red is made from pigment PR101 which has excellent lightfast BUT Prussian Blue is made from PB27 which is not lightfast and Alizarin Crimson Genuine is made from PR83 which is also not lightfast. A watercolor brand as a whole cannot be what determines if the paint will be lightfast or not because lightfastness is determined by the pigment, not how that brand makes their paint, and all brands, even professional brands, will use some pigments that are not lightfast. I hope that makes sense. Also lastly most pigments that are NOT lightfast actually fade in lighter washes- so all the colors you painted out in full masstone arent a good representative if that color is lightfast or not- since often times they fade in lighter washes but are steadfast in heavier washes. Again sorry if this is all confusing, lol... hopes this helped. Please ask any questions if you have em' Again great video and much love 💙💛💚
Also PS. I want to add that basically when searching for a brand of paint that is primarily lightfast-you are actually looking for a brand that tends to lean towards choosing more expensive and reliable lightfast pigments for its colors then the cheaper less lightfast pigments. For example both Shinhan PWC and M. Graham are professional brands of paint. Tho Shinhan PWC is a less lightfast brand as a whole then M. Graham and thats because Shinhan tends to chose the cheaper less lightfast pigments instead of the more expensive reliably lighfast pigments like M. Graham. Hope this all makes sense. Sorry for the unsolicited advice, this is a great passion of mine...:)
Very interesting test! I'm glad to know that Windsor and Newton Cotman paints hold their color well because I have more Cotman colors than Professional right now. The only difference between the two is the vibrancy of the colors. Prang has a lot of vibrancy for a student grade paint, but like you said it's better for fun not something you want to hang or sell. The Munyo (sorry if I'm spelling this wrong) is surprising that some of the colors fade! There are some professional watercolor artists who use this paint a lot in their videos. Thank you so much for sharing this information, Emma!
From my understanding concerning the W&N professional verses Cotman is they both have the same pigment but the Cotman has a smaller load. Thus both are lightfast.
I'm glad my favorite Winsor Newton Cotman performed well. I still use my Grumbacher Academy watercolors that are from my very first watercolor classes that I took 6 years ago. I think I'll do a comparison with my Winsor Newton. Maybe I'll be surprised, like you!
Thank you for this! I’ve been painting and selling my work for a while now and use good quality but I wanted to start over as far as which paint is more resistant to fading, since there are so many brands. Thanks again!
Thanks Emma, great comparison. For those who want details and in-depth info on pigments and lightfastness I would recommend Kimberly Crick Art here on CZcams. A ton of information!
So crazy. Today I was telling someone that I know my mungyo aren’t professional, but they have such a special place in my heart. And I have DS and WN and all the fancy ones. I still have such fun with the mungyo . They melt and move so beautifully. I get such nice contrast (I have the big set too, and some of those greens! 💕). I’ll just keep using them in sketch books. I don’t know what it is about these paints. But they stay closest to my heart for some reason lol. I wondered if I try the Paul Ruben it might be similar, although it doesn’t seem like they have that full vibrancy or contrast.
Wow! The Cotman colours surprised me! I love my Cotman colours but I did expect them to fade, even just a bit. 😁 It's good to know that if you can't afford the pro version of a brand, the budget ones are not significantly different, as in the case of Winsor and Newton or Faber-Castell. 😊 I wonder what would happen after 12 months?
Cotman are all rated to either A or AA permanence, so they really should be fine in terms of lightfastness. The only difference is that the carrier is slightly different to the professional, and they use slightly less of the pigment. It's only really noticeable with a few colours like Alizarin Crimson, which is slightly paler than its professional counterpart.
I'm going to assume someones mentioned this, but next time maybe use a nonwhite paper- which light can sneak through. And if you cover a part with tape, cover it all with tape. The tape certainly would let in a different amount of light than just white paper. Maybe make a "non in the window" before swatch to sit in a book? Otherwise- neat! Thats patience! Four months of waiting for results.
Thank you for doing this! This is one of those experiments I’d intend to do, but I’d never have the patience to actually let it sit 🤣 I got to learn some brands I hadn’t heard of before too, so thanks again!
Thank you for this. I’m looking to upgrade my paints and this was very helpful. Could you post a picture of the chart so we can have it as a resource? And maybe write the brands in pen so we can read them.
so liquid paint is a stain. That would prob fad ? They r nice and bright but I noticed looking back on older drawings there not as bright.. o well I like my tubes and pans better. thanks for the test.
Great job - saved me time to do mine but it was so much fun maybe I will anyway. Wonder if putting them behind glass and in the direct sun would make any difference? Thanks for the idea.
If the glass didn't have a UV coating on it, the painting would fade. Someone in one of my art groups posted a photo of a watercolor she re-framed for a customer. The customer wanted to re-frame it because the watercolor looked like it was done in blues and didn't match the matting/framing, which was done in a tone more suited to browns. Well, when she removed the painting from the frame, low and behold, there was about 1/4" or so of the painting that wasn't exposed to light and it revealed that the painting had originally been painted in earth tones. I had never seen such a drastic change in a piece of framed-under-glass art before.
@@iamdawt That's crazy as earth pigments tend to be the most lightfast, I wonder what paints the artist used because they definitely were not earth pigment based!
It’s an interesting test and really worth doing to experience lightfastness (or the lack of it…) first hand. However, it doesn’t really depend on the brand but on the individual pigments used. In general it’s true that professional or artist brands offer a wider range of lightfast pigments and thus are more expensive. But they also offer some rare pigments or original ones that are not lightfast at all, like Alizarin Crimson, next to their lightfast replacements. Some colours won’t fade within 6 months but after a longer time, especially when tested in full intensity. Lighter washes fade more quickly, and there are also colours like Prussian Blue that will change in colour rather than fade. It’s a really interesting topic - but as you said, if the colours are used in sketchbooks or for crafting then lightfastness doesn’t matter! It’s most important for artists that sell their work.
I knew few colors eg alizarin, Aurelian, and that wonderful vivid pinky color were not lightfast, but didn’t know Prussian blue wasnt. So is Antwerp blue a good substitute for Prussian?
@@Scottlp2 Funnily enough Prussian Blue is usually considered as lightfast, as apparently it regains it’s colour when put back in the dark. I haven’t tried it myself though, but it would be interesting to verify. If Antwerp Blue is made with the Prussian Blue pigment PB27 (I think it is in the Winsor & Newton range) then you might see a similar colour change. It probably depends on the quantities of each pigment in the colour mix. The colour change happens very quickly (one month in the sun) so it’s worth testing for yourself.
@@brigitteitg thanks!
I'm glad you provided this for everyone, I now know certain pigments are not lightfast. But when first exposed to watercolor I had no idea. It's important to know if you're selling original artwork, not so important if you're making prints or crafting. Your geographical location will affect lightfastness as well (are you in an arid sunnier climate or overcast and wet). It's good practice to test lightfastness even if they have it on the packages, not all brands are honest.
Thank you for sharing this information!
It’s important to note that artist grade does not equate to lightfast and student grade does not mean fugitive. That isn’t what distinguishes the grades of paint. Many artist quality paints are still fugitive because it’s the pigment that is fugitive. Student grade paints often substitute these and create ‘hues’ which mimic the traditional pigment but are more stable when exposed to light. Aureolin, alizarin crimson, anthaquinone red, and Prussian blue for a few examples, are fugitive in any brand, even Daniel smith. I’ve done extensive testing and cotman are excellent across the board - no fading after 12 months in direct sun with 12 colours. My Windsor and Newton professional paints had several fugitive colours, however. White nights held up well and I have tested a small selection of Roman szmal.
Thank you for sharing this! Exactly what I was looking for
I can see fading on the Beam watercolors.
I do professional picture framing. The true test is over years not months. I’ve reframed faded pieces that have hung on the walls for many years. Fluorescent lights can be more damaging than natural light. Do you want a piece to last months or to pass on to grandchildren or for clients to be happy as long as they hang the piece? True tests would be by independent labs who test using techniques that simulate light over years. I’d like to see you leave your samples in the light another six months, another year, two years and give us updates. As far as framing always use conservative glass. Not perfect but the best protection you can do while still seeing the piece.
Great point. I would like to see a test done of at least one year, testing pigments exposed to various interior types of lighting (incandescent, fluorescent, LED) as well as sunlight. But this was a good start. I would also like to see some other brands included in the test, like Sennelier, Holbein, and QoR.
also uv radiation will probably go through white paper
Hi. Great video! Okay so Im gonna break this down a little: So every color/pigment has its own lightfastness-some colors/pigments are prone to fading and are less lighfast then others, for example: Ultramarine Blue is made from pigment PB29 which has excellent lightfast and Indian Red is made from pigment PR101 which has excellent lightfast BUT Prussian Blue is made from PB27 which is not lightfast and Alizarin Crimson Genuine is made from PR83 which is also not lightfast. A watercolor brand as a whole cannot be what determines if the paint will be lightfast or not because lightfastness is determined by the pigment, not how that brand makes their paint, and all brands, even professional brands, will use some pigments that are not lightfast. I hope that makes sense. Also lastly most pigments that are NOT lightfast actually fade in lighter washes- so all the colors you painted out in full masstone arent a good representative if that color is lightfast or not- since often times they fade in lighter washes but are steadfast in heavier washes. Again sorry if this is all confusing, lol... hopes this helped. Please ask any questions if you have em' Again great video and much love 💙💛💚
Also PS. I want to add that basically when searching for a brand of paint that is primarily lightfast-you are actually looking for a brand that tends to lean towards choosing more expensive and reliable lightfast pigments for its colors then the cheaper less lightfast pigments. For example both Shinhan PWC and M. Graham are professional brands of paint. Tho Shinhan PWC is a less lightfast brand as a whole then M. Graham and thats because Shinhan tends to chose the cheaper less lightfast pigments instead of the more expensive reliably lighfast pigments like M. Graham. Hope this all makes sense. Sorry for the unsolicited advice, this is a great passion of mine...:)
Very interesting test! I'm glad to know that Windsor and Newton Cotman paints hold their color well because I have more Cotman colors than Professional right now. The only difference between the two is the vibrancy of the colors. Prang has a lot of vibrancy for a student grade paint, but like you said it's better for fun not something you want to hang or sell. The Munyo (sorry if I'm spelling this wrong) is surprising that some of the colors fade! There are some professional watercolor artists who use this paint a lot in their videos. Thank you so much for sharing this information, Emma!
From my understanding concerning the W&N professional verses Cotman is they both have the same pigment but the Cotman has a smaller load. Thus both are lightfast.
I'm glad my favorite Winsor Newton Cotman performed well. I still use my Grumbacher Academy watercolors that are from my very first watercolor classes that I took 6 years ago. I think I'll do a comparison with my Winsor Newton. Maybe I'll be surprised, like you!
Can you reattach the strips of paper and expose the paints for another year or so?
Thank you for this! I’ve been painting and selling my work for a while now and use good quality but I wanted to start over as far as which paint is more resistant to fading, since there are so many brands. Thanks again!
Great experiment! I'm in love with Sennelier, which don't seem to get much attention on watercolour channels. I think I might try this with mine. 😎
I love my Paul Ruben watercolors, so glad they're actually decently lightfast (And don't just make baseless claims to be)
Thanks Emma, great comparison.
For those who want details and in-depth info on pigments and lightfastness I would recommend Kimberly Crick Art here on CZcams. A ton of information!
So crazy. Today I was telling someone that I know my mungyo aren’t professional, but they have such a special place in my heart. And I have DS and WN and all the fancy ones. I still have such fun with the mungyo . They melt and move so beautifully. I get such nice contrast (I have the big set too, and some of those greens! 💕). I’ll just keep using them in sketch books. I don’t know what it is about these paints. But they stay closest to my heart for some reason lol. I wondered if I try the Paul Ruben it might be similar, although it doesn’t seem like they have that full vibrancy or contrast.
Thank you so much!
Wow! The Cotman colours surprised me! I love my Cotman colours but I did expect them to fade, even just a bit. 😁
It's good to know that if you can't afford the pro version of a brand, the budget ones are not significantly different, as in the case of Winsor and Newton or Faber-Castell. 😊
I wonder what would happen after 12 months?
Cotman are all rated to either A or AA permanence, so they really should be fine in terms of lightfastness. The only difference is that the carrier is slightly different to the professional, and they use slightly less of the pigment. It's only really noticeable with a few colours like Alizarin Crimson, which is slightly paler than its professional counterpart.
That is so interesting…I was not familiar with “lightfast” so this was really cool! Love the feel of the being part of an experiment! Thanks!
Thank you Emma , interesting topic , I might try this using my own paints
I started to wonderrrrr when you got to the 3rd set 🤔😂😂 Great job! I appreciate you taking the time to do this experiment!
I'm going to assume someones mentioned this, but next time maybe use a nonwhite paper- which light can sneak through. And if you cover a part with tape, cover it all with tape. The tape certainly would let in a different amount of light than just white paper. Maybe make a "non in the window" before swatch to sit in a book? Otherwise- neat! Thats patience! Four months of waiting for results.
Thank you for doing this! This is one of those experiments I’d intend to do, but I’d never have the patience to actually let it sit 🤣 I got to learn some brands I hadn’t heard of before too, so thanks again!
W&N and Cotman use the same pigments. It’s my understanding that the only difference may be using more gums .
Thank you for this. I’m looking to upgrade my paints and this was very helpful. Could you post a picture of the chart so we can have it as a resource? And maybe write the brands in pen so we can read them.
I can't believe they sat in the window for 4 months! I'm impressed with all of them!
Great information - thanks so much. I really enjoy the Mungo, so good to know they're not all light fast.
Super short video but super interesting. Thanks Emma.
Great info! Thanks!
This was great, Emma, thanks for doing this test!
Excellent video! So interesting! Thank you!!!
Nice video. Now we know. But there are some colours even in artist-grade not so lightfast. I hope you could do such a video next. :)
Emma this was such an interesting test you did. Thank you for another wonderful class. ❤️. Xo
well done Emma! very good info to have.
so liquid paint is a stain. That would prob fad ? They r nice and bright but I noticed looking back on older drawings there not as bright.. o well I like my tubes and pans better. thanks for the test.
What is paper brand?
Great job - saved me time to do mine but it was so much fun maybe I will anyway. Wonder if putting them behind glass and in the direct sun would make any difference? Thanks for the idea.
If the glass didn't have a UV coating on it, the painting would fade. Someone in one of my art groups posted a photo of a watercolor she re-framed for a customer. The customer wanted to re-frame it because the watercolor looked like it was done in blues and didn't match the matting/framing, which was done in a tone more suited to browns. Well, when she removed the painting from the frame, low and behold, there was about 1/4" or so of the painting that wasn't exposed to light and it revealed that the painting had originally been painted in earth tones. I had never seen such a drastic change in a piece of framed-under-glass art before.
@@iamdawt That's crazy as earth pigments tend to be the most lightfast, I wonder what paints the artist used because they definitely were not earth pigment based!
Amazing and new videos are always fun. I am learning a lot here.👍💖🎁👍I always wish my friends success. May we grow together in the future...
Your handwriting is not that bad