Review: Daniel Smith Extra Fine Essentials Introductory Watercolor Set

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Long time, no blog post! I recently rediscovered my hobby of watercolors so I'm back painting, and back on the blog - yay! Today I will be reviewing the Daniel Smith Extra Fine Essentials Introductory Watercolor Set.  It comes with (6) 5mL tubes of paint:

(3) cool primary colors: Hansa Yellow Light, Quinacridone Rose, and Phthalo Blue (GS) 
(3) warm primary colors: New Gamboge, Pyrrol Scarlet, and French Ultramarine


Daniel Smith watercolors are one of the go-to choices when it comes to artist grade watercolors so I wanted to try them out for myself...on a budget. Buying these colors individually would cost you around 40 dollars, while you can get them as a set for $32-$34.  Enough savings to buy yourself a new paint brush, so it's definitely a reasonable price if you're just starting out with artist grade watercolors (like myself).

Let's take a look at the colors and how they perform:


If you find yourself running your brush on the tops of wet watercolor pans in hopes of a vibrant color payoff, Daniel Smith watercolors are definitely worth the investment. These 5mL tubes are small, but mighty! The colors are rich and vibrant and a little goes a very long way.  I also appreciate the range of values you can achieve with each color as well. The colors dilute and mix easily, and you can create SO many shades from just six tubes of paints without any of the colors getting muddy when you mix them. Below are some mixed oranges and purples using only this set - it amazes me how may colors I can make!


When I was looking at artist grade watercolors it was super overwhelming for me to decide which colors to purchase. Considering the cost of a tube of paint, I didn't want to choose a color that I wouldn't get much use out of! Overall, I think it's a perfect set to start out with. I like to paint botanical subjects and wasn't completely satisfied with the mixed greens from this set, so for me, the addition of a phthalo green (bs) was necessary.  See below for some of the mixed greens using the blues and yellows from this set.

Here is a comparison of a 15mL tube of Daniel Smith watercolors and the 5mL sized tube that comes in the set. The 5mL tube looks so tiny in comparison but inside is enough to fill 1 half pans with some extra.


I'm interested in adding more colors to my palette and really excited to use these paints!
I purchased my set on amazon, but this particular set is widely available online.  Just search for Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors - Essential Colors Set.

Thanks for reading!
-N




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