Jackson’s Artist Watercolours are as good as any leading brand watercolour but at a fraction of the price. Watercolour painters, Suzy Fasht and Laurence Wallace test Jackson’s Artist Watercolour Tubes and share their experience of painting with them.
Suzy Fasht Tests Jackson’s Artist Watercolour Tubes
I was pleased to see the Jackson’s packaging was made from recyclable cardboard – the only cellophane was covering the watercolour block – other than that all was recyclable. The watercolour tubes are generous sizes of 21 ml with attractive labels with useful information such as pigment index numbers which are very helpful for checking exactly what colour is in each tube.
My colour choices were for single pigments rather than mixes, as that’s how I usually work in order to keep my mixes as clean as possible and to limit my colour palette.
The colours I chose were:
The watercolour block I chose was Jackson’s Hot Pressed Paper 12” x 16” 15 sheets of 300 gsm (140 lbs). First impressions of the paper was how gleaming white it is and the surface was beautifully smooth so great for detailed work. The whiteness of the paper meant the primary colours I chose looked vibrant and I was pleasantly surprised by the strength of colour.
Good value for money – the paint comes in generous 21 ml tubes although 10 ml tubes are also available. The Cobalt Blue was £12 for 21 ml compared to £16.90 for Sennelier or £18.10 for 15 ml of Michael Harding. A good paint and price especially for people starting out with watercolour painting.
I began with some simple colour spots, pulling the colour out with water to see how the paint looked out of the tubes and how they blended on the paper. I then made some simple colour wheels to see how they mixed on the paper, mixing my own greens and violets in order to see how the blues granulated, and they did very nicely.
I extended the colour mixing, letting one colour flow into another to see how they flowed and what mixed colours were produced. Being smooth hot-pressed paper, the pools of colour did not sink into the paper but puddled on the surface as expected. The colours richly gleamed on the white smooth paper which was very pleasing.
I extended my tests by beginning a picture based on an ink drawing from my sketchbook, building up marks and layers. I was able to get the paint quite dark where I wanted it without too much layering. I did this by adding lots of pigment and a touch of the ivory black to increase the darkness of the colour.
The advantage of working on the watercolour block was that when the paint buckled slightly due to the use of wet puddles of paint, it dried flat again. If I had been using a loose sheet of this weight paper I would have had to soak and stretch the paper myself to prevent buckling (which is recommended for any paper lighter than 200 lbs). So the blocks are a convenient alternative to buying heavier paper or stretching it myself.
I liked the vibrancy and clarity of the paint and the generous amount in each tube. When I compared Jackson’s Ultramarine light to Michael Harding’s Ultramarine, the Jackson’s was brighter and punchier.
The texture of the paint and the way it spread and felt on the brush felt very slightly gummier than some artists’ watercolours I have used. It would be good to see the weight in lbs also on the block of paper.
I would definitely recommend these colours as they are bright and lovely. You get plenty of paint for your money in the tubes. If you like bright vibrant colours they are shown off splendidly on the white hot-pressed paper. I would particularly recommend them to my students or those new to watercolour as they are punchy colours in good sized tubes and are good value for money.
About Suzy Fasht
London born Suzy Fasht studied painting at the Royal Academy Schools after completing her degree in Fine art at Wimbledon School of Art in the 1990s. She currently lives and works at the edge of Dartmoor in Devon. A member of the Royal Watercolour Society, her paintings are regularly on show at Bankside Gallery, London.
Suzy makes paintings using imagery from the natural world around her: the forest, moor and gardens. Working in watercolour, oil or egg tempera, the different qualities of each paint demand particular working methods and scale. Recently she has been producing large scale floral paintings in oil which have been in shows at the Catto gallery, Moorwood Art and currently included in Bristol’s Royal West of England Academy Open exhibition.
Laurence Wallace Tests Jackson’s Artist Watercolour
Firstly I have tried many paper surfaces and found that Arches 300 gsm Rough Watercolour Paper gives the results I prefer, a flat wash. The Jackson’s 300 gsm Rough Watercolour Paper Block wasn’t sized correctly to manage the flat washes, as I built up the colour washes the paint lifted off and left brush marks. The paint flowed a little better when applied wet on wet.
I chose the Jackson’s watercolour palette to match the Schmincke paints I use. They are similar in colour, some are not ground as finely and pigment grains can be seen once the paint dries, especially the Cerulean Blue and Sap Green. The paint is thin and needs a lot squeezed from the tube to give the colour body.
The Jackson’s Kolinsky Tajmyr Sable #4 Brush I used, is a lovely brush and would have liked to use larger sizes but they were out of stock. On the whole an interesting experiment. For those who are not as obsessive about flat washes and prefer a free flowing looser image then Jackson’s paint and paper would work very well for you.
About Laurence Wallace
Laurence Wallace attended Foundation at Hornsey College of Art in 1971-72 and then went to Middlesex Polytechnic to do Graphic Design, 1972 – 75, he obtained a B.A First. He was lucky enough to get into the Royal College of Art on the Illustration course. During the 1990’s Laurence’s work slowly changed from figurative to decorative and then abstract, still using watercolour, the painting got larger, from 85 x 54 cm to 85 x 110 cm. After a break from painting, Laurence started again in 2013 and concentrated on Still-Life paintings from life.
He has been included in a few Open Exhibitions over the years, the most recent being the Royal Society of Watercolour Artists at the Bankside Gallery in London. Laurence left with an M.A in 1978 and continued painting Interiors and exterior views in watercolour. A medium he first learnt on his Foundation course and pursued throughout his college education.
Further Reading
Watercolour Painting With Jackson’s Artist Watercolours
Lessons Learned After a Year of Watercolour Painting
A Guide to Watercolour Painting
Testing Jackson’s Kite Brushes: How Synthetic Kolinsky Fibre Compares With Natural Sable Hair
Shop Jackson’s Watercolour Tubes on jacksonsart.com
