Roman Szmal

Roman Szmal: Professional Watercolor from Poland

Roman Szmal is a distinguished Polish brand renowned for its Aquarius Watercolors, a range of richly pigmented colors bound with linden honey, launched in 2019.

Crafted in small batches, these artist quality watercolors are celebrated for their vibrant hues and commitment to using single pigment formulas. This ensures that artists achieve clean mixes and can effortlessly create their own unique palettes.

Aquarius watercolors are formulated with high quality ingredients, including gum arabic, glycerin, linden honey, distilled water, and pure pigments. Each pan is hand-filled and carefully labeled with watercolor paper. The range features interesting pigments such as PY61, PY168, PY181, PV37, PBr23, and PBk32. It also includes 42 Earth Shades derived from natural earths rather than synthetic iron oxides.

Unique shades, including Aquarius Green, Przybysz's Grey, Ocean Blue, Shadow Violet, Green Gold, and Olive Green are exclusive to Roman Szmal. The meticulous small-batch production allows for thorough quality checks, ensuring that each color meets rigorous performance standards.

Every batch of Aquarius watercolor is tested for vibrancy, flow, viscosity, color value, transparency, granulation, undertone, tinting strength, clarity, and particle size, with the perfect grind selected to achieve optimal results.

With its focus on artistry and quality, Roman Szmal continues to inspire painters to explore the limitless possibilities of watercolor paint.

Find out what sets Roman Szmal apart in the world of watercolors in this instalment of our In Conversation film series. Roman Szmal, the maker behind Aquarius, joins us in the studio and shares his background before making his watercolors, as well as his journey to becoming a paintmaker.