Roman Szmal Aquarius Watercolours

You Tube Made Me Do It.

Last year during lockdown -2020, in between watching Netflixs, drawing and watching cat videos on you tube, I found unboxing and reviews of a water colour brand called 'Roman Szmal'. 

The Roman Szmal Aquarius range is a Polish watercolour range, made from high-quality gum arabic and glycerin, linden honey, distilled water and pure pigments. 

Out of the 165 colours (to date) 119 of them are single pigment colours, allowing clean mixing of colours. (The 42 Earth Shades are made from natural earths, not synthetic iron oxides.)

I went through the Jackson Art web sight colour chart and found that, 22 are made of 2 pigments, 21 are made from 3 pigments and 3 are made from 4 pigments.

After watching a few videos I found myself on the Jackson art looking at them and adding them to my basket. But it wasn't until November that I final placed the order. 

The colours I orders were: Aquarius Grey, Potters Pink, Mineral Violet, Lazurite (Lapis Lazuli), Glauconite, Shadow Violet Light, Shadow Violet, Misty Morning, Malachite (Genuine), Earth Green, Perlene Green Deep, Lavender, Hematite Violet, Cobalt Turquoise, Nickel Azo Yellow and Przybysz's Grey,

I went with these colours as I had been looking a getting some more Daniel Smith colours and after watching reviews I found that some of the Roman Szmal colours were their version of the Daniel Smith granulating colours. 

Such as: Przybysz's Grey is Roman Szmal's version of Daniel smiths Moon Glow, and Shadow Violet is Shadow Violet. 

Cobalt Turquoise I got as some were comparing it to Daniel Smiths Sleeping Beauty. 

Nickel Azo yellow I got, as this is a colour I have wanted to get for at least two years. The other colours I got as looked like together they would make a good colour palette. 

The only Daniel Smith colour have to compare to the Roman Szmal colours are Hematite Violet Genuine, Malachite Genuine, Phathal Blue - Green shane and Phathal Green - Blue shade. (until I get the dot cards.)

Above there is the Daniel Smith and Roman Szmal's Malachite test swatch. The Roman Szmal Malachite seams a little more yellow in tone 

Above are the Daniel Smith and Roman Szmal Hematite Violet Genuine. The Daniel Smith's Hematite Violet Genuine is a lot more granulating and more brown in tone compared to Roman Szmal's.

Then in January I brought some of the colours that had been out of stock and some others, 

Ocean Blue, Azo Red, Lemon Yellow, Permeant Orange, Sap Green, Ultramarine Blue, Lavender, Aquarius Green, Phthalo Green Blue Shade, Phthalo Blue Green Shade, Vivanite (Blue Ocha), Aquarius Red,

Phthalo blue green shade and Phthalo green blue shade are two colours that I like and have started adding in to my palettes as they are vibrant and punchy. 

Azo Red, Lemon Yellow, Permeant Orange, Sap Green, and Ultramarine Blue I got as I want to put together a simple palette of the prime colours to try and get back in to colour mixing as this is something I rarely do these days, I have got in to the habit of just getting a colour that I need and and just a little of something else to get the colour required 

I've found these paints are beautiful and smooth to paint with which tends to be the case with watercolour paints that are made with honey.The colours are rich and pretty vibrant. 

The granulating ones that I got, Przybysz’s Grey, Misty Mountain,Mineral Violet, Ocean Blue, Shadow Violet and Shadow Violet split in to two lovely colour tones.

The Earth colours that I picked up, - Lazurite (Lapis Lazuli), Malachite (Genuine), Vivanite (Blue Ocha).

My Main Palette

I will be doing some colour swatches/studies with the granulating colours and I'll post them here and Instagram, Facebook and here.

Links:

Roman Szmal water colour half pan paints.

Water Colour Paint & Pallet Collection 

Small disclaimer, all these paints were perched

with my own money and this is not a sponsored post

Watercolour Paints And Palette Collection

Recently I have been getting back in to water colour painting, after a few years of drawing with pen, pencil. and inks. 

In another post I will show what pens and inks I have been using. As I have just re-set up my palettes I thought I would show these first.

In total I have six half pan palettes, two set of water soluble sticks, a small set of Gouache and a set of tubes of water colour paint.

I am going to go over each set. I will do a post on each set, with colour charts for each and what I think of each at a later date.

Lets start with the Winsor and Newton black tin.

This tin holds 24 half pans, (or 12 full pans) So they say, but you can get 26 half pans in the tin (13 on each row).

I brought this tin years a go from Cass Art, I took out all the paints and put the half pan ‘Winsor and Newton Cotman' paints, which are their student range. I had two sets of them in their pocket size palettes that held 12 colours each.

This is how it has been for the past two years

(Winsor And Newton Cotmans, and 6 Royal Talens Rembrandt.)

The other day I picked up the Winsor and Newton Cotman Studio set from Cowling and Wilcoxs. Which holds 45 half pans (if you shift them up you can get 48 half pans).

Winsor and Newton Cotman 45 palette

The plastic palette came with 45 half pans, so I went through them and removed the colours that I hand and put them in to the palette along with all the new ones I have gained.

Moving the Cotmans out of the 24 black tim means that I can fill this tin with the Winson and Newton Professional water colour paints that I took out of this tin when I got it and have had them stored in my box, along with some other half pans.

  

Winsor and Newton Professional paints 

When I was emptying out the black tin I came across 6 Royal Talens Rembrandt colours which I brought years ago from Laurence Mathews art shop (in Southend-on-Sea.)

Which now live in the Winson and Newton pocket palette.

Finding these in my palette and knowing how much i like these colours and how mix and behave, has made me start looking at buying a 12 palette of the Rembrandt watercolour paints 

Royal Talens Rembrandt

Next up is my ‘Winsor and Newton Designer Gouache,’ which I have a set of six and a couple of other colours. I am currently waiting for a empty pallet so I can put the colours in and use them out of the that.

Winsor and Newton Designer Gouache

The next set is one of my newest sets which I have not yet used, is the 

Schmincke Metal tin set which came with 12 half pans. I picked up two more colours which will fit in the tin nicely.

Schmincke

Daniel Smith is a beautiful range of water colours that come in 5ml and 15ml tubes only.

I have slowly been building up a set and I have only got around to putting them in to half pans. The palette that they are living in is a blue tin that currently holds 46 half pans which I got form Amazon. Is from a brand called Meeden.

Daniel Smith water colour

I then have a box of ‘Daler Rowney Simple’ water colour tubes. These are a student quality paint. I haven't really used them much as I was not that keen on them 

Daler Rowney Simple watercolour

I also have a small travel set of their half pans which I brought to take away with me on holiday a few years ago, but I never used them. they’ve been setting at the bottom of my art box since then

Last of all I have two sets of water soluble pigment sticks one is ‘Caran D’ache NeoColor’ and the other is a selection of ‘Winsor and Newton’, 

My favourite is the Winsor and Newton sticks. The Caran D’ache ones I think I only used once.

Winsor and Newton water soluble pigment sticks

Caran D’ache NeoColor soluble pigment sticks

That sums up my current collection to watercolour paints and palettes. Like I mentioned at the start,  I will do a post on each set, with colour charts for each and what I think of each at a later date. 

If you have any questions related to any my sets drop a comment below and I will answer it as soon as possible.

LINKS:

Where I got them from:

Winsor and Newton Cotman Studio 46 set, Winsor and Newton Designer Gouache, Daler Rowney travel set and Schmincke; Cowling and Wilcox

Winsor and Newton Professional 18 set and Daniel Smith; Cass Art

Royal Talens Rembrandt; Laurence Mathews, Southend-on-Sea.

Caran D’ache NeoColor and Daler Rowney Simple; Slanchogled

Small little disclaimer: all the products here I have brought with my oun money, and this is not a sponsored post