****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I purchased the Marinescape set and an additional single color, Azo Yellow. I can get a wide variety of colors from mixing with these six paints. The packaging was loose in the box but it did not harm the products by not being cushioned with other packaging. The tubes opened easily and a few seemed lightly pressurized as the paint came out quickly but not so bad that it was hard to control. Prussian blue however was a little crazy coming out, maybe it had a little more paint in it than the others. When freshly out of the tubes and painting I noticed a swampy/earthy smell emitting from the paint. Maybe something with how the honey reacts to the pigment? It becomes less and less noticeable the more the paint firms up. I believe it to be a non issue as the paint performs beautifully and it’s exceptionally vibrant. The paintings I’ve done with these paints are eye catching and more lively in color compared to my previous paintings. I did the color chart in a quick, messy manner so I’m sure there are better examples online but I think this set plus a more primary yellow produces every color you could need. I’ve previously used Qor and Winsor and Newton (Cotman first, then artist grade). M Grahams are my new favorite and I can’t imagine going back to my other paints. High quality, transparent, vibrant color. I live in Tennessee where it is reasonably humid. The paint firms up well on an open palette but it’s sticky to the touch. It doesn’t flow around or melt out of place. It is also setting up in half pans just fine, though normally I’d wait 1-2 days for other watercolor to dry out in half pans I’m waiting 3-4 for these paints since I’ve heard others say they take longer. Good value for the quality you get.
