Review: Greenleaf & Blueberry Handmade Watercolors

EDIT (11/20/17): This post needs to be updated! I believe they sell their paints directly on their website now and announce shop updates via an emails newsletter.

It's finally here!

I'm super excited to write this review for several reasons:

1. I've been eyeing these watercolors on etsy/instagram/facebook for months and was lucky enough to purchase a set last week.

2. There aren't too many thorough reviews written on these paints and I wanted to provide my two cents on them.

Before I get started, I have to say, these paints are a little tricky to purchase.  The watercolors are pricey because they are artist grade, handmade and time-consuming to make. Just a handful of these colorful sets are available at a time on the etsy shop.  In addition, they sell out very quickly - only a few minutes after the shop is updated. 

So how did I manage to finally purchase one?  My biggest tip is to follow them on instagram, which is where they announce when their etsy shop updates.  I also kept in mind which watercolor set I wanted before hand, since there isn't much decision time when the shop is updated.

The set I purchased was "The Adventure Palette" in half pans and contains 12 colors ( they have 24 in their main line).  I choose this palette because of the mix of bright mayan colors and earthy ochre colors available in this set.

The colors included in  "The Adventure Palette" are the following:

Top row: Red Ochre, Mayan Red, Yellow Ochre, Mayan Yellow

Middle row: Vivianite, Mayan Blue #2, Green Earth, Mayan Green

Bottom row: Purple Ochre, Mayan Violet, Slate and Magnetite

Each watercolor was individually wrapped meticulously in silver foil, with a color swatch label around it.  Unwrapping each one was like unwrapping a little present and I definitely appreciate the time and care taken with these watercolors.

I made swatches of all the colors using a single stroke with a 3/8'' flat brush on 140lb paper.  Immediately, I could tell that each of the colors has it's own unique characteristics, but overall the watercolors are such a joy to use.

The texture of the watercolors are soft and creamy when water is applied, but some colors such as

Vivianite and Magnetite, have a granular quality to them - the pigment is visible and sort of moves with the watercolor.  I wouldn't say this is a negative aspect, just something to keep in mind when painting with them. Some artist love granulation in watercolors because it adds texture to paintings. I haven't developed a painting style yet so I'm not completely certain on how I like that characteristic.

The colors are extremely pigmented have a large range of values, making them very versatile.  I plan to use this watercolor set both at home and while traveling, so it's great to know I have a diverse set of paints conveniently packed in a small tin. 

Here are tonal swatches of another of a few colors: Mayan Blue #2, Mayan Red and Yellow Ochre. Each of the colors has so much depth and would be great to use for single color painting.

Another quality of the paints is they re-wet very easily, but there is one caveat with this.  I accidentally added too much water to the pan one time, and the surface of paint turned into a thicker, creamy, watercolor that was tricky to paint with because it was so pigmented.  Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but I would just advise on the amount of water added to the pain if you are painting directly from the pans (instead of a mixing tray or palette). 

Here is a sample painting of Vincent Van Gogh I did using the watercolors. I really enjoyed the variety of colors in the palette and think the balance of bright mayan colors and earthy ochre colors is fantastic. Overall I think this set would be great for landscapes and botanical studies. If you love watercolor paints, you should definitely check these out!

Thanks for reading!

-N