TOTAL IMMERSION Into the Rosa Gallery Artists' Watercolours (Swatching, Timelapse, Review & Tips)
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- čas přidán 2. 07. 2024
- Several of you have asked me to try the Rosa Gallery Artists' Watercolours, so here it is! This video delves into swatching, discussion of pigments, a timelapse, and a review. Hope it's helpful to those looking into purchasing them. Timestamps are below for those who like to skip around. :)
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:39 Opening Rosa Gallery Landscape Set
01:09 Initial Reactions
01:24 Opening the Tin/Comparison
05:15 Colour Index
05:38 Replacement Colours
07:18 Swatching
14:38 Painting Timelapse
21:23 Reaction/Issues
22:00 Are they like Gouache?
31:27 Tips for Use
35:37 Final Thoughts
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I have used almost every brand of professional watercolors and many brands of professional gouache. In my experience the Rosa Gallery paints are firmly in the professional watercolors category. I just painted them out next to some different brands of gouache on black watercolor paper and it’s obvious they are transparent and not gouache. Not even close.
For their price and performance, I can confidently say the Rosa Gallery watercolors are by far the best value in watercolor paints available today.
All brands have their own take on what “good” paint is, but hey, some people feel Cotman is great paint. Regardless, it is watercolor paint though!
I'll second that! They are very transparent...especially if you use a bit of water on the swatch...
Maybe the streakiness is with the Hahnemühle paper. I am from Germany and I sometimes visit a youtube channel from an over 80 year old austrian watercolor artist, who mainly uses Schmincke Horadam paints his whole life long, and he said, he just cant get away with Hahnemühle paper. Even not with Schmincke paints. 🙂
You definitely chose a challenging pigment with the Chromoxide Green. I struggle with it with the Schmincke, White nights version as well, as it is very opaque and granulating, It might difficult to infer conclusions on overall transparency based one that colour. I bought all the single pigment Rosa Gallery tube paints a couple of years ago and I am delighted. They flow very well, are super super pigmented. I need to use much less water than I am used to. My choices have very few opaque colours and most are quite transparent - except some of the cadmiums and that Chromoxide green. I would not equate them to gouache, though. I have a very different pai ting sensation in my brush with gouache. I don't tend to go over my painted surface so much, and e joy when colours mix on the paper, so these colours go well with my painting style. Thanks for this review, Leslie. I will now pY more attention to the glazing opportunities, as I havent explored that so much with these colours. As always, lovely painting!
I have several tubes from Rosa Gallery and I LOVE them. This from someone that has many Daniel Smith, Schmincke, Sennelier, Winsor and Newton, Rembrandt etc. watercolours. There's no way they remind me of gouache. My favorites are Cobalt Turquoise and Aureoline Green.
I have noticed that paper quality is so important when using water colou, I have a set of these and they flowed well on 100% cotton paper cold press
This is the first time I see someone make this gouache comparison. Interesting.
Maybe a factor for the colours looking streaky is the paper quality of the swatchcard?
I might think that too, but the painting was done on cotton paper and the comparison paper was also quite good. I found the same issues on all three papers.
This review was really helpful for understanding the things that have challenged me with RG. I''ve only been painting for 6 mo. and bought these after the low quality beginner paints included in my course were quickly too frustrating to use (not enough pigment and too much chalk--and I wasn't good enough to overcome that so I needed some help with better paint). The RG provided the best value in my snack bracket. DS and WN (and others) are beautiful but out of reach for me. I'm really pleased that RG was there in my price range and was such a huge leap in quality. But after 4 months I have noticed the challenge when hoping to layer paint and then pulling the lower paint off. So I appreciate now that this may not have been because I wasn't doing it correctly! Meanwhile in 4 months the price has risen $40 for the 28 colour set! I got in on the bottom after watching a batch of reviews. I think they serve a purpose in the community of painters like me and really made such a difference in my painting, but I understand that your skill, commitment and knowledge deserves more. I really am enjoying your channel and learning lots. Thank you so much.
looks like what happens with cellulose paper...all paints lift...so layering/glazing...is VERY HARD...unless you have a squirrel or sable brush...nothing synthetic...as it is too hard and will most certainly lift paint on cellulose paper when trying to glaze.
@23:08....softening the edge of the winsor and newton...the paper does not look the same as the paper you painted the rosa gallery paints on. Can you please mention the paper that you used for both tests...as using the same paper would be crucial. thanks
I can see the issues with the glazing. It has to be noted though that they are half the price of what Schmincke asks. And for that price - which compares to the student grade line of other manufacturers - I find they perform pretty well. I actually have come to enjoy the ability to remove much of the first layer, and also the effect it does with the spritzing thing.
( I don't know why I defend them so much - I guess it has to with reasons that have nothing to do with their paint properties...)
I love this watercolor set so much, I've been using it since 2022 ❤ the colors are so bright and mix well, totally worth it
How wonderful that you have been enjoying it! 😊
I like this take on them! I snagged a set in the overstock sale and I do find myself liking gouache more than watercolor so now I’m extra excited.
stunning swatches, I love it 😊😊😊
It’s funny because I found the colours beautiful but a bit tricky to work with! 😊
Rosa do have some mono-pigmented sets of 12 and 21 pans in their range. For the most part, the pigments used as similar to those you'll find in other brands - the exceptions being 711 Green (PG8) and 708 Carmine (PR170:1) which Handprint recommends against due to questionable lightfastness. I replaced these in my 21 set with 726 Madder Rose (PV19/PR254) and a W&N Hooker's Green (PG36/PY110), and added 727 Quinacridone Lilac (PV19), 752 Cerulean Blue (PB36), 718 Blue (PB15), 738 Blue Indanthrene (PB60), 717 Indigo (PB15:1/PV19/PBk7), 751 Aureoline (PY150), 758 Caput Mortuum (PR101), and 753 Royal Brown (PBr25). I also added some spare W&N half pans I already had, including their yellow ochre and Payne's gray.
I find the pigment load to be very high compared with W&N pans, which makes it easy to pick up too much paint - perhaps this is the cause of you finding them to be more similar to gouache? I do my watercolour swatch charts using wet into wet techniques, so I did not notice this. A quick swipe of the brush across the pan picks up enough paint for a swatch lozenge. I hear they are similar to Golden's QoR range of watercolours, and they seem very similar to Russian St Petersburg paints - perhaps unsurprisingly!
I purchased the monopigment palette and it should arrive any day. I’m so excited!
Has anyone tried the Rosa 24 Gouache set? I have been looking for a good review and safety information but haven't had any luck.
Thank you. I have some I haven't used much yet so this was a great lesson on what and why! Much appreciated!
My pleasure! 😊
I got a set of Rosa Gallery paints after seeing lots of positive reviews. Unfortunately, I was disappointed when I tried them because I ran into the same issues with glazing as you did. None of the reviews I saw mentioned how easily the paints lift when you try glazing so I thought it was just me, that I was doing something wrong. But it kept happening no matter which paper I tried or how long I let them dry. It's reassuring to see that other people actually do have that problem too, it's not just me.
At first I thought it was just me too, or the paper, etc. But after working on different papers it became clear that it was the paint. I don’t think it’s a bad paint; I just think it’s different than traditional watercolours.
I loved the review! I got the monopigment set and while yes there is transparency like watercolor, the reactivating when trying to glaze also felt like it gave them some similarities to gouache and hearing you say that too, I was like YES! It’s not just me. I don’t think these qualities make them good or bad it’s just important to know that if I am planning a painting I will want to layer up, these probably won’t be my paints of choice. That said, I’m not disappointed they are in my collection. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your review! I think I liked these more than you do but I really enjoyed your thorough approach and willingness to try them in a different way. I love the idea of gouacheing them up and will give it a shot myself. I am always interested in portable gouache options.
I think as a more opaque paint they work quite well. I hope you enjoy the gouache approach with them. ☺️
Thank you for this very informative review! You have saved me money and that's a good think😉.
Glad I could help! 😊
Great review 😊. Thanks Leslie.... Beautiful colors but i don't think this would be a watercolor that i would like. Looking forward to the next. 💛
I’m happy to help you make an informed decision. 😊
This a video I really sat through. I liked the honest, detailed review. I think I'd panic or get frustrated if I had to keep fixing my painting with various combinations (I've had this in the past and I'm a very amateur "artist").
If you could make a video on different pigments and the chart, I would be interested. I saw someone making their own colours with natural materials and how they end up being sustainable and I'd like to do that in the future but I don't know anything about pigments.
Also, the Cobalt Turquoise colour is to die for! My brain kept splitting between both colours so it's been aptly named!
I’m glad you found it helpful! And yes, if I was brand new to watercolour and got this set I would have felt frustrated. The colours are beautiful (yes that cobalt turquoise is amazing!), but I’d recommend either NOT layering or mixing with these, or layering thickly to avoid picking up other pigments.😊
I got the botanical set for Christmas. I was surprised how vibrant the colors were. They just felt brighter than my DS for some reason.
I agree that DS has a more muted look to their colours. I kind of prefer that, but it’s nice to have options! 👩🏻🎨
I would love for you to do a video about pigment classifications. I, too, lean toward single pigment colors, they definitley play better with others. There are only a handful of useful sites/people out there who provide much info on the subject (Kim Crick is wonderful) and I feel it is incredibly important for artisits to learn (I find their history fascinating too). 🤞
I think so too. It’s so helpful to understand that a pigment is more important to understand than a colour name.
Dr. Oto Kano has an excellent site for pigments and manufacturers.
I barely know how to paint, but I really enjoyed this detailed review, and I feel like it was kind of a painting lesson at the same time. I’ll be subscribing! (Haha I’m already a subscriber…)
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. They are much appreciated. I taught for so many years that I have a hard time explaining things without slipping into professor mode. 😅
I leave the end stickers on so that I know the color and pigment information.
I think they are designed to do them that way. I only put some info on the pan to make it more similar to how I label my other paints. I was also a little worried the stickers might wear away with use and wanted to keep a “safer” record.
Yup, I just used a sharp knife to go around the edge of each pan and take the top cover off, leaving the label in each of the pan's four sides.
Amazing review..and your mini white, brush holder with a flower is so beautiful. I actually love it so much. I want to know more about it...so, please make a shorts on it.
I bought it on Etsy from a woman in France who made them. I wish her shop was still open, but she closed it. 😢
Best review I’ve seen of these paints. I have a set, explains so much !
I’m glad it was helpful. ☺️
I bought a few Rosa pans just to give them a try. They are a decent price in Canada if you can find them. My experience is that they seem similar to my Kuretake Gansai Tambi paints. Like you said….kind of gouachey.
That’s interesting. I’ve not tried those paints.
This was really interesting, thank you :) I got a set of these for Christmas and have swatched but not had a chance to properly play with them yet (it seems like I might be trying to learn a few gouache techniques!). It looks like you've run into the same unexpected results as Becca Hillburn did when she field-tested this range, and I like how you approached finding a solution to it. Great review! :)
Oh that’s interesting that someone else felt the same way about them; I’ll have to check that out. And yes, when I switched from thinking about them as watercolours to gouache it got a lot more fun to use them. 😊
I got the mono pigment set for Christmas but I haven’t played with them much. This is interesting because I do like glazing.
I really like glazing and layering, so for me this was a real challenge. When I started to treat it like a gouache-type watercolour things got much easier! 😊
I love this video. I saw them in the local store and was wondering how similar they are with White Nights watercolor. Wishing you a wonderful day!
I haven’t explored the White Nights enough to know, but it’s on my “things to do in the future” list! 😊
I love my Rosa gallery 28 set. I prefer them to my bigger name brands. I think you need to us more water.
That was a wonderful review! Thank you! I bought a set, when they had the sales in autumn, and waiting for my son bring them to Austria soon. I am starting Art-Therapy sessions and I was looking for watercolors that have high pigmentation but have a good price point, because I will offer the material in theses sessions. I hope they will work. I will take into account your findings and take out certain colors, because it is a lot about letting colors mix with themselves. Obviously, I will give it a go myself as well 😊.
Also M.Graham has a wonderful PB60, they just call it a bit differently.😍
And if you are interested in lightfastness, Qor offers a chart with all of the results of their testing for each color. I don’t have the link quite hear, but I remember I had to search a little bit on their website in order to find it..
I think for art therapy with people who are just playing and not serious about watercolour washes, etc, these would be great. Pretty colours and their thickness would be good for expressiveness. I am new to using the M Graham but so far love them. For lightfastness, the Color Index is also a great resource I recommend! 😊
Wow! This is so nice. Could you make a review on the new Windsor and newton cotman sketchers pocket set? It would be great (also your voice is so soothing)
I will try soon. I’ve thought about comparing them to the WN professional watercolours. I don’t want to become a “swatching only” channel, but sometimes I think it can help helpful to see how others enjoy (or not) and manage different brands. 😊
Thanks Leslie, I didn’t know about the Cadmium colours or I guessing never thought about it.
You’re welcome! I’ve been trying to move away from cadmium colours (and I never use them when painting plein air), but they are so beautiful it’s difficult to find suitable replacements!
Quite a few pigments have toxic properties. Cobalt, Vanadium, Chromium, Lead... Compared to what our garden variety factories release into our water, it is still not a big whupp. I still would not eat it, or let my kids smear around with them... 🙂
After seeing the long video I will use my watercolor paint before I buy a extra color pallette that is in a drawer . Thank you for your presentation.😊😊
I totally understand. 😅
Do you think that the tubes of Rosa paint are different to the ones that you have? 😀
@@christianebehr138I only have their pans (not tubes) but they definitely perform more like a gouache than the other professional watercolours I’m used to.
Dear Leslie I know you showed the pans but you also use ( pans and tubes from Daniel Smith and Windsor and newton since I only have pans and you have both and know how different your windsor and newton pans behave compared to the Daniel Smith tubes ) .
I know that Rosa offers Tubes. May be the color are different to paint with. It is a Idea that I have greetings 😊
@@christianebehr138Yes, that’s true. In my experience filling my own pans makes the pigments a bit “wetter” to use (less dry to rewet), so I don’t know if the Rosa Gallery tubes would be an improvement. I suspect it might even be harder…
Lovely, Leslie. I can feel my bank account immediately diminishing. 😅
Amazon has them very reasonable at times. Got the box 24 for $16.xx last fall. Keeping a few other sets in my cart for price watching. EDIT: Jackson's has just started carrying them too. Single tubes and pans as well as sets. VERY reasonable tube prices.
These would not be my first choice (or my second or even third). But if you’re on a budget and like a thicker and more opaque paint they would be a good addition. 😊
@LeslieStroz I actually mean my bank account diminishes nearly every time I watch one of your videos. Haha. Still waiting for my tiny palette to arrive with all the rest of the goodies!
Hello from Beautiful British Columbia Canada 🇨🇦
That limited movement reminds me of the derwent graphtint...i wasn't very happy that they didn't move... did you try them?
I have worked with Graphitints, and yes, there are some similarities in the thirstiness of the paint and its inability to flow easily. Great observation.
❤🎉
That looks extremely painful. Reminds me of the time i tried painting with cellulose paper. I need to pull out my rosa to see.
I think your paper is not that great. Ans you use very little water. I found them to be nothing like gouache.
Hi Leslie. Paul Rubens wants to work with you but didn't receive your response. Are u interested in working with us?😁
Hi Emily, I’m considering it. I am painfully honest in my reviews though, and don’t want to feel beholden to companies. 😊
Sure that works for us. It is professional watercolor artists like yourself that we seek to work with. You can discuss the pros and cons of our watercolor inside the video. We won't put any pressure on you to create content or time. You can upload the video as you see fit.@@LeslieStroz
@@EmilyFu-nd7mcI will reply to your email. 😊
It’s nothing like gouache. Use more water and the paint with flow better.
yep hippo...you are dead right
Don’t take the whole wrap out!
Thank you so much for doing an HONEST review about this paint brand. Since a certain event, I have seen so many artists online praise these watercolors and mention no issues or cons with these, but instead claim these are "professional" paints that are just as good as more expensive professional brands. I am not saying they are garbage. These are more student grade than professional artist grade. "Professional" typically means that it is a quality that can be used to create art to sell, but I wouldn't even give away art for free created with this paints. And I don't see any "professional" artists who sell their work using Rosa Gallery to create their paintings they sell. There are so many people in the comments defending the paint, saying you didn't use enough water and other excuses for the streakiness and student looking quality of these paints. To me, it looked like you used plenty of water. A professional grade watercolor does not require more water than normal or a lot of effort to lay down smooth.