Daniel Smith Watercolors You Should Have In Your Palette

Years ago, before Daniel Smith Watercolors were sold at Cheap Joe's Art Stuff, the talk was all "Quinacridone." Back then, Daniel Smith was the first to recognize the artists' thirst for these colors and had the widest selection of Quinacridones on the market, offering some 12-15 different Quinacridones while other top brands only manufactured 3-4. Customers would call Cheap Joe's looking for these pigments, not realizing that Daniel Smith was a manufacturer and cataloguer himself – a separate art supply company. Dan also recognized another of watercolorists' deepest desires—more color choices. Today, Daniel Smith has the most extensive range of shades of any watercolor brand worldwide.

The sales of Daniel Smith look the same as other color ranges. French Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna, Cobalt Blue, Sap Green, and Alizarin Crimson stand atop the podium. Breaking the top for Smith are traditional colors in any range— Quinacridones Gold, Rose, and Burnt Orange. And those colors are well and suitable for any watercolorist, but what other colors stand out as nontraditional but practical staples that wouldn't occur to you to try?

WATERCOLORS YOU SHOULD HAVE

(If you do not already have these, get them today!)

Undersea Green

Undersea Green is a magical mix of 2 of the top 5 sellers on Daniel Smith's listing – Quinacridone Gold and French Ultramarine. The inorganic French Ultramarine separates or granulates, settling in the paint-out, while the organic, transparent Quinacridone floats in a radiant glow. The concentrated color will remind the artist of seagrass. Smith suggests artists "Apply with Moonglow, Ultramarines and Quinacridone mixtures to color-coordinate and lend atmosphere to various passages. Undersea Green is beautiful, applied damp or dry brushed with Interference Gold. Use Undersea green in autumn leaf paintings."

Pigment: PB 29, PO 48, PY 150 | Series: 1

Lightfastness: I – Excellent

Transparency: Semi-Transparent

Staining: 3-Medium Staining

Granulation: Granulating

Moonglow

Moonglow is another often requested color in Daniel Smith's lineup. Its reddish-purple-gray hue is reminiscent of shadows in the snow or shadows of florals. Its neutral tinting properties make it a nice color to mix with others. Lifted or blotted, the color reveals its blue-green viridian ingredient. Some artists carry this neutral in their palette because they choose not to palette the unnatural green of viridian.

Pigment: PG 18, PB 29, PR 177 | Series: 2

Lightfastness: I – Excellent

Transparency: Transparent

Staining: 2-Low Staining

Granulation: Granulating

Tiger's Eye Genuine

Tiger's Eye Genuine's rippling and granulating bands are reminiscent of the gemstone for which it is named. Described by Daniel Smith as a drab olive with ash-brown undertones that seem more closely related to a green umber but with an enormous amount of granulation. If texture is what you're seeking, this maybe be your neutral tinting color, as adding granulating colors to non-granulating colors will inherit the flocculating effect.

Pigment: Genuine Tiger's Eye Gemstone | Series: 2

Lightfastness: I – Excellent

Transparency: Transparent

Staining: 1-Non-Staining

Granulation: Granulating

Cascade Green

Its mass tone is a cool, dark mossy, mid-range green. But, as it is a co-precipitated color, Cascade Green's two pigments break apart with the addition of water to showcase a depth of blues and greens that remind the artist of dense forests. You'll watch with rapture as the blues reveal themselves as it dries. It is complemented by Aussie Red Gold.

Pigment: PBr 7, PB 15 | Series: 1

Lightfastness: I – Excellent

Transparency: Semi-Transparent

Staining: 3-Medium Staining

Granulation: Granulating

Serpentine Green

A semi-rare mineral sourced from down-under (said in my best Crocodile Dundee Accent) makes this beautiful green perfect for field washes as the specks of burnt scarlet granulates from the muted spring green majority. It was recently made available in a 5mL tube to reduce the effect on your wallet.

Pigment: Genuine Serpentine Mineral| Series: 4

Lightfastness: I – Excellent

Transparency: Semi-Transparent

Staining: 1-Non-Staining

Granulation: Granulating

What if I want to try before I buy?

As expensive as art is, we must make calculated decisions on the colors we choose for our palettes. In that vein, Daniel Smith has created a series of Dot Cards that make sampling new colors reasonably inexpensive. There's no substitute for viewing a color swatch in print or on a screen versus adding water and painting it out so you can see the magic firsthand and decide if a color is right for your palette.

Scanning my suggestions, I'm now aware of recommending three different greens in the 5-color recommendations above. After all, we could go with old-school tradition and carry viridian in our palette. Viridian, an unnatural green when used by itself, is a richly pigmented mixing color that, when mixed, becomes the most adaptable and useful color. Meld with other yellows, and it yields an impressive range of natural greens. How, then, can I justify these suggestions? The greens mentioned above are not easily mixed with standard palette colors, and having several greens readily available reduces the mixing time, allowing you to get right down to painting.

You're in a never-go-wrong situation with Daniel Smith Extra-Fine Watercolors. Every tube in their range seems popular among artists. I'm always impressed when I look at the breakdowns to see that there's no dud in the line and there's no limit to the availability of colors there are in the world, as Daniel Smith always seems to find a new mineral or new pigment out there to be turned into the subsequent "must-have" pigment in watercolors.

Find The Perfect Watercolor Set For You

Looking for a new set of watercolors, but want to explore other options? We have plenty of other artist watercolor sets for you to consider. Check out available products from other well-known brands, including Winsor and Newton, Schmincke, American Journey, and more. With so many options to choose from, you’re sure to find something you love, regardless of your budget or experience level. Start browsing our selection today!

We are proud to have so many different watercolor products from Daniel Smith to choose from, including the best-selling Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor Sets. Cheap Joe’s can be your one-stop shop for anything you need from this line. If you have questions about finding the right products, feel free to give us a call! Our art supply experts are always happy to help you find your new favorite products, and they’ll do everything they can to help you reach your artistic goals! We guarantee you’ll find the right watercolors for your needs, right here at Cheap Joe’s.