Watercolor paints "Sonnet": the subtleties of choice

For a long time watercolor paints were not perceived by serious artists as a professional drawing tool, but today watercolor has taken a well-deserved place in the arsenal of creative people. Thanks to watercolors, you can convey the subtlest play of light and shadow, which you will not be able to recreate in any other way. However, to achieve a decent result, you need not only to have talent, but also to choose a good set of colors.

The choice of manufacturers in our time is quite large, but a large number of reviews indicates that you should pay attention to the paint "Sonnet" from the plant "Neva palette".

The phrase “Neva Palette” seems to be exquisite music for everyone who in our country not only loves to draw, but is also interested in the history and modernity of the visual arts in Russia. This brand for the production of paints uses the territory in which the paint company existed back in 1900. This is exactly the case when consumer love was won not only thanks to a rich history, but also the desire to be the best of its kind.

Any expert will confirm that in Soviet times, when there was practically no import from abroad, it was the products of the Neva Palette that was the ultimate dream of any domestic artist.

A feature of the plant can be considered that it specializes exclusively in paints. It is not surprising that in the company's assortment there was a place not only for watercolors, but also for oil, gouache, acrylic, and tempera. It should be noted high quality products. The manufacturer does not try to focus on the masses, preferring to produce products for exquisite creativity. This somewhat increases the price of the product, but it is worth it, because the paints of the company are used for the restoration of old paintings in museums and cathedrals.

"Neva Palette" is probably the only brand of paints and varnishes, well-known even outside of Russia.

The Neva Palette Factory divided all its products into rulers, and as a criterion for classification, it was not the types of colors that were used for classification, but an approximate target audience. In this way, “Sonnet” from the “Neva Palette” is not necessarily just a watercolor, so when choosing a set you should be as careful as possible.

The manufacturer claims that the artistic colors of this series, regardless of the type, are designed primarily for those people who are just learning the art of drawing. At the same time, they cannot be considered absolutely amateur, since it is precisely the acquisition of vocational education in the field of art, so that such paints are able to convey to the student the exact intention of the teacher. At the same time, no one tries to call such a product professional in the full sense of the word.

What “Sonnet” lacks for full professional status is expensive inorganic pigments. They are replaced by light-resistant analogues of organic origin, which are virtually indistinguishable in appearance, but they are much cheaper. Thus, by the combination of price and quality, such a solution will be optimal.

Given the "amateur" nature of the work performed by the paints of this series, the manufacturer set out to ensure maximum ease of use of the compositions. Palettes are selected in such a way as to convey all the most popular shades. The paints dry evenly, and it takes very little time.

Watercolors "Sonnet" are inherent in all the positive qualities of products "Nevsky Palette", however, paints have their own specific characteristics.

• Paint differ in high intensity and extreme purity of color.
• Watercolor well taken on the brush, easy to spread and blurred without problems.
• An artist can get the necessary shade by mixing colors of two different colors.
• The basis is not natural resin, like professional analogs, but synthetic binder, so Sonnet watercolor is more appropriate in the learning process than for professional work.

At the same time, the variety of the palette is not so great: the company offers only 24 different shades, which are complemented by another 7 colors with a metallic effect. The latter are sold exclusively by the piece, but the classic range can be purchased in the form of sets of 16 or 24 colors.

In this case, a characteristic feature of the manufacturer is that it leaves every artist the right to independently form their own set. Any of the flowers can be purchased separately, in 2.5 ml cuvettes, which means that it will not be difficult to independently assemble a set of 12 or any other number of colors. In addition, this approach allows to significantly save on consumables, since it is obvious that not all colors of the paint from the set are consumed evenly.

Comments found on the Internet and describing the watercolor line "Sonnet", only at first glance contradictory. Indeed, there are obviously positive reviews, as well as devastating ones, in which products under such a name are not recommended to be bought at all. Here it is necessary to distinguish who writes such comments, and for what purposes it intends to use paint.

For example, Sonet is theoretically suitable for children's creativity, since it is still designed for beginning artists, which means that it is easy to use and quite naturally conveys the original idea. Another thing is that compared to standard honey watercolors, which are widely used in school drawing lessons, it is very expensive, and for this, parents, without understanding, can criticize it.

In addition, the manufacturer in the manufacturing process focused on the convenient use by adults with good performance and relatively low cost, and in this case, safety is usually forgotten.

Negative reviews regarding the basic properties of the Sonnet watercolor are usually written by artists demanding the highest quality of finished masterpieces. The paints of this series are not able to provide it, since they are not in principle intended for solving problems of this level and this does not mean that the paints are bad. At the same time, inexpensive Sonnets are called precisely in comparison with professional paints, therefore the price of hundreds of rubles for one set should not surprise an unprepared consumer.

In general, the Sonnet watercolor paints are a high-quality intermediate option between goods for children's indulgence and serious adult art. They are quite easy to type on the brush, while the mixture consumption is relatively small. Such products fits well with most types of watercolor paper and dries quickly, so it’s convenient to work with.

Watercolor of this type practically does not fade in the sun, although experts still do not recommend storing well-made drawings in bright light.At the same time, the products of the Sonnet line are more intended for studio work, and for outdoor use, their humidity can be influenced by high humidity and other factors.

Overview of watercolor paints "Sonnet", see the following video.