Student grade Vs. Professional grade

If you are starting to learn a hobby like painting, one of the easiest and popular medium to use is watercolor. Perhaps, a lot of people think that this hobby is inexpensive and easy to learn, but actually it also takes some practice and basic knowledge just in case you want to take it seriously. >_<

When I started painting with watercolors, I didn't know anything about techniques and lightfastness of the paints. Until I realized that there are also considerations for choosing materials that are valuable enough to make large paintings. I learned that the "chalky" watercolors that I used in grade school were not real watercolors, and there are watercolor brands labelled as "student grade" and "artist grade".

Student grade watercolors are the inexpensive type of watercolors that are good enough for making artworks, and in my opinion, the more practical option for beginners. The paints produce very rich pigments, but not all of them can stay very long once exposed to light.

On the other hand, Artist grade or Professional watercolors, are the ones that produce soft but very rich pigments which are lightfast enough to stay permanently. These are the best options for professional artists that work for portrait commissions and exhibits. However, they can be expensive compared to student grade watercolors, so I only recommend it if you want to take art seriously.

For those who are still thinking what type of watercolor to use, here are the brands that I recommend.

Examples of Student Grade Watercolors:

1. Mijello Mission Silver

2. Prang Watercolors

3. Sakura Koi

4. Winsor & Newton 'Cotman'

5. Zig Kuretake

Examples of Professional Grade Watercolors:

1. Mijello Mission Gold

2. Nevskaya Palitra White Nights

3. Daniel Smith

4. Winsor & Newton

5. ShinHan

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EXHIBITED PAINTINGS IN ART SHOW PHILIPPINES "Wish Me Luck" 2023 (Exhibited in Art Show Philippines) "Awesome Pawsome" 2021 (Exhibited in International Watercolorists Society) "Rice Terraces" (Philippine Guild of Watercolorists) "Bahay Kubo" (Philippine Guild of Watercolorists) "Flower Maiden" 2023 BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATIONS FOOD & BEVERAGE ILLUSTRATIONS DIGITAL PATTERNS: WALLPAPERS, BLANKETS, & OTHER PASSION PROJECTS STATIONERY PRODUCTS: WATERPROOF VINYL STICKERS Open for commissions and collaboration. for business inquiries, kindly contact me at micahrealist88@gmail.com

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Micahrealist

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