BEHIND THE BRAND:
ROMAN SZMAL
IN PURSUIT OF COLOUR PERFECTION
Roman Szmal is the man behind the highly revered Roman Szmal Aquarius Watercolour range. Based in Kraków, Poland, Roman started his company after working as a distributor for art materials manufacturer Kremer Pigments, where he was introduced to the industry and became familiar with the raw materials used. He had also previously studied chemistry and geology at college, and this gave him the confidence to begin experimenting with paint formulations until he had a basic range to offer.
At first, he was rejected by Polish art shops and a renowned local artist to whom he offered his early creations. Undeterred, Roman continued to work long hours exploring different combinations of binder and additive in relation to the particular characteristics of each pigment. He also consulted with artists, gaining invaluable feedback, until he felt he had achieved what he was looking for - an exceptional range of easily rewettable, soft consistency pan watercolours featuring mostly single pigment colours.
However, it was not until he began introducing his range internationally that he made headway and found success. Since then Roman has expanded the collection considerably and honed his craft to the point where he has even introduced a series of unique colours such as Aquarius Green and Przybysz's Grey. Indeed, his fascination and dedication to colour formulation has made him very passionate about where he sources his pigments, searching the globe for the best he can find.
IN CONVERSATION WITH ROMAN SZMAL
"Why should I make regular, ordinary watercolours when I am able to make extraordinary, unique, exceptional quality watercolours."
Roman Szmal was invited to the Jackson’s Studio as part of our In Conversation series. Here, he talks about his background prior to making his own watercolours and his evolution as a paintmaker as he constantly improved his recipes and collaborated with artists.
THE ROMAN SZMAL RANGE
AQUARIUS WATERCOLOUR PAINT
These superb watercolours are made with high quality ingredients including linden honey, distilled water, and pure pigments carefully sourced from around the world. Each pan is hand-filled and labelled with watercolour paper, and the majority are single pigment paints for pure and vibrant colour mixing.
AQUARIUS WATERCOLOUR PAINT SETS
A comprehensive selection of full pan and half pan sets, many of which have been curated by notable watercolourists such as Jane Blundell and Mona Omrani. These sets are a great way of exploring the rich variety of colours and palette combinations of this beautiful range.
BLACK SQUIRREL BRUSHES
Suitable for watercolour, gouache and ink, these black squirrel brushes have a generous capacity for colour absorption and retention as well as a smooth colour laydown. The soft hair is highly malleable, ideal for a variety of marks and strokes and for both broad washes and fine detail.
SYNTHETIC SQUIRREL BRUSHES
Made from soft and flexible synthetic filaments, this collection has been designed to imitate the qualities of natural squirrel hair. These brushes offer excellent colour retention, ideal for broad flowing washes and fine detail in a range of mediums including watercolour and ink.
Customer Reviews
“I ordered a few of the Roman Szmal paints just to try, and fell in love and ordered a whole palette’s worth! ” S. Watson
“Beautiful granulating colour, made with high quality ingredients. I look forward to trying more Roman Szmal colours.” P. Serrao
“Cobalt Turquoise from Roman Szmal has become one of my favorite paints to work with. ” B. Voth
