Which set of watercolor "White Nights" is better to choose?

Any artist will confirm: to create a real masterpiece it is extremely important not only the presence of talent, but also the ability to select the right tools and consumables. At the same time it is necessary to take into account a variety of nuances. Good colors - this is half the success, because they depend on the brightness of colors and shades, color accuracy and the play of light and shadow. If the artist is focused on the latter, it is better to choose watercolors, but they are far from always sufficient quality.

Watercolor for beginners and experienced artists under this brand refers to the products of the factory of artistic paints "Neva Palette". This plant, located in St. Petersburg, dates back to 1900. However, in its current form (with a focus on artists), the company was founded only in 1934.

Success to the products of this plant came quickly. It turned out that in a large country, deprived of access to the best world standards of art goods, no one produces more similar quality paint. In connection with this, “Neva Palette” has already been perceived as a professional watercolor by several generations of people close to art. However, not everything is so simple: Some series of this manufacturer are designed for students and young artists.

Since “Neva Palette” is focused not only on professionals, each of its series has its own characteristics. If we talk about watercolors (this manufacturer is engaged in the production of other paints), then professionals should definitely pay attention to the “White Nights”. The company itself recommends to create the eternal samples of art just such a product.

The composition of paints is chosen in such a way as to convey the artist’s intent to the fullest extent possible - many prefer such materials for this. The manufacturer uses only fine pigments, which allows to achieve significant color saturation even when the paint is diluted with plenty of water. Binder acts as a natural gum arabic, which is why paints become more expensive, but they are better applied.

The recipe for "White Nights" does not imply any fillers - there is nothing superfluous, only pigments and a binder. The list of advantages of the composition will not be complete if you do not recall the high lightfastness characteristic of most colors. It should be noted that the manufacturer marks all the tubes and cuvettes so that the consumer will immediately know how good a result this particular shade will give.

Light resistance is indicated by the number of stars on a tube or cuvette, where three stars are high light resistance, two are medium and one is low.

The variety of shades available is quite large - 66 colors are offered to choose from professional artists. The plant is equipped with a workshop for the production of its own pigments.

"White Nights" is divided into several smaller brands, including, for example, "Leningrad" and "St. Petersburg". However, this marking is more concerned not with the colors themselves, but with sets consisting of 12, 16, 24 or 36 colors. You can also purchase a gift set (up to 48 colors), which also includes brushes. A feature of this product is packaging made from natural wood. Each cuvette in the set - 2.5 ml.

Some boxes are larger than necessary for the appropriate number of shades. This is very practical, since the plant also produces individual cuvettes of not the most popular shades. This configuration allows you to purchase a certain standard set of colors, which can later be supplemented by the artist at his discretion - without compromising the convenience of transportation.

However, the review of bonuses provided by the White Nights company does not end there. Often, the sets are also completed with a palette, and reviews show that such a solution in practice shows itself even better than many inexpensive palettes, purchased separately.

The manufacturer puts in the packaging also a sectorized pattern for painting, which allows the master to immediately see how this or that shade applied to the paper will look like. Experienced artists claim that Such painting before starting work with a new, unfamiliar set of paint is mandatory for familiarization with the properties of the composition. Taking into account the specifics of watercolor techniques, it is recommended that when painting a pattern it is not easy to apply strokes, but also to blur them on one side or the other.

The Nevskaya Palette plant offers to lovers of watercolor techniques one more product that will greatly help in creating truly bright and unique masterpieces. This is the so-called medium, an aqueous solution of gum arabic, designed specifically for the cultivation of watercolors in this series. Since it contains the original binder used in the watercolor itself, using such a medium you can increase the brightness of shades and the average color of the watercolor.

You can also speed up the drying.that is very important for work in the “alla prima” technique when a picture is written in one session. This substance is often also used to make dried up paintings more noticeable shine.

It may seem that different sets differ from each other only in the number of colors - the series is one. However, the manufacturer knowingly made several identical in the number of shades of sets, the difference between them is still there. Many consumers who deliberately choose White Nights may consider themselves professionals. Most often, the masters clearly understand why this particular series, and not any other - important ideas are always noticed by experienced artists.

If we talk about the number of colors, then the choice is not so obvious. It may seem that it is enough to choose a large set of 36 or even 48 colors - and that's it. However, it is better to consider the following: if before the experience of using watercolors of this series was not, it is quite possible that you should not immediately purchase such a large package. The fact is that at a cost it will cost quite expensive, and many of the shades present in the set will simply not be useful (or they can be prepared manually by mixing the primary colors).

If you choose between sets containing a palette and a template, and those sets in which there is no such, then it is better to make a choice in favor of a complete set.Although the majority of artists "add-ons" to the paint sets cause only a sarcastic smirk, the orientation of the series toward professional needs makes it possible to say: such a palette is very useful for craftsmen.

Even if you already have your own palette, you should not definitely refuse to buy the second one in the set, unless the first, main one is a quality copy made of natural wood.

This pattern is also good because it allows you not to confuse shades, if there are a lot of them.

As for the brushes that are included in some kits, then it should be noted that they come across only in gift sets. Many consider such bonuses to be unnecessary, believing that any artist already has everything he needs, and in any case they put in the set unless something very standard. This is true, but an additional bonus is useful to any master. Do not forget that even outstanding artists paint not only with some special brushes, but also quite ordinary ones, just of good quality.

It’s not for nothing that the Neva Palette Factory acquired the fame of one of the best in the post-Soviet space. Here they put far from the worst brushes. The argument that a professional and everything is there is not quite appropriate. A true artist, constantly engaged in his favorite work, probably regularly encounters the problem associated with the abrasion of the pile of brushes. An additional tool is unlikely to be a disappointment to him.

The manufacturer himself on the official website claims that his paints are known far beyond the post-Soviet space, hinting at the highest quality of their products. It is not easy to verify this fact, but among Russian producers there is at least something comparable, and this statement is confirmed by almost all comments from artists who use such materials.

For many newcomers, the first vivid impression of the “White Nights” is an unusual packaging, when each cuvette from the set is wrapped in individual foil and paper wrapper. This already indicates the manufacturer’s concern for consumers.. It should be as convenient to draw as from an ordinary cuvette, but the storage conditions are as in a sealed jar.. Consumers also note the highest brightness of the pigments used, although they indicate that the material is collected from cuvettes rather sparingly. To obtain the maximum tone depth of the paint, you must first sprinkle a little water, but this procedure does not complicate anyone, since it takes a minimum amount of time.

The “Neva palette” is also often praised for a large variety of watercolor textures. The sets come across as quite saturated and transparent shades, which allows the use of the glaze technique - applying a translucent top layer of paint on a darker lower layer.

Another example of variation is pronounced grain and spotting. Granular paints have a pigment large enough to be seen with the naked eye. This can be used for your own purposes - for example, to simulate natural textures.

In the next video you will find a review of the set of watercolor "White Nights" from the plant of artistic paints "Neva palette".