1. Sakura Koi Pocket Field Sketch Box
It's clear that I adore these watercolors. I use them on EVERYTHING. I also love to use them in my Bible because of the beautiful, bright, colors and the fact that it takes very little water to work with them. I can do some bold colors in my Bible with no bleed without prepping.
As you can see the colors are very bright and still transparent over the writing. I find this very important in my Bible Journaling because when I paint over the whole page I still want the Word to be mostly visible. I know I sort of seem to push them on everyone but they really are the best for Bible Journaling. The price in stores can be intimidating but with the 40% off coupon or an amazon prime membership you can get it for $20 or under!
Pros: Bright, vibrant color. Highly pigmented so you don't need as much water if you want to dilute it and layer the color a bit better. Very easy to work with diluted with water in the palette or straight from the blocks! Mostly transparent, more so than other brands. Professional grade. Seems more like an ink than a paint. Works well on the thin pages of the Bible without prep and just a bit of shadowing. Less likely to bleed and won't rub off on the opposite page. Most likely to have staying power if you plan to pass down your Bible as a keepsake. Blends well. Less likely to clog up a Micron Pen.
Cons: Price? In reality $20.00 isn't bad for a pan of professional grade watercolors. Even tube color is much more expensive. I don't really see this as a con, personally, but if you're on a budget could be a deciding factor.
2. Master's Touch Pan Watercolors (Hobby Lobby Budget Brand)
These are second on my list because they're actually OK. If you can't spend the money on the Sakura Koi these work for only about $6 for the 12 color set at Hobby Lobby. The colors are vibrant but can be hard to blend and layer, eventually just becoming muddy. They also have a horrid smell. I don't like how they are opaque when used full strength and even after diluting with water in a palette. I'm hesitant to use these in my Bible because of the opacity issues. These were my first pan watercolors so they work well for beginners. I don't recommend using a Micron pen over these as they may clog the pen nib.
Pros: Bright, Vibrant colors. Not too bad if you're on a budget and definitely my choice for cheap watercolors. They don't seem to bleed if you don't have time to prep or choose not to prep. Pretty inexpensive at 6 bucks and with 12 colors you can blend the basics to make more colors.
Cons: They don't blend well. At all. Even with water on a palette. They don't layer well and it takes several layers to get the color you want. They dry pretty opaque. Did I mention they don't blend well?
3/4. Artist's Loft Pan Watercolors (Michael's Budget Brand)
Let me start off by saying... just don't. Don't buy these. Go to Hobby Lobby and get Master's Touch. I absolutely hate these. They don't blend well, they're CHALKY no matter how much you work them with water in a palette. The colors are DULL after layering. They don't work well for anything but FLAT color. It's good these come in so many colors because really, you can't blend them on paper. Even worse I think they actually ARE chalk or at least pastels. After drying they brush off on your fingers just like chalk. I doubt they have any staying power at all. Not good for a keepsake Bible and I don't recommend these for beginners because you're not going to learn how to work watercolors. These just don't work.
They're available at Michael's for only $5.00 for 36 colors so remember that you get what you pay for. These are the most popular brand that almost everyone is using and you're really losing out. Please don't buy these....
Pros: Cheap.. super cheap. Colors are bright on their own. Lots of colors in the pan for the price.
Cons: Chalky! They work like chalk. They brush off on your fingers and will likely do the same on the opposite page. They're super opaque when dry. They don't dilute well and stay chalky. They become muddy when mixed on the paper and quite dull. They don't blend. You absolutely CANNOT use microns ontop of these. They will destroy your pens. Pitt Pens are safe to use over them.
EDIT: After speaking to other Bible Journalists that use this brand they find that theirs do not have the same effect and even dry transparent. It seems that this product is a hit and miss. I do want to caution there are others who have the same problem with it being chalky so buy at your own risk. The good thing is that, even if you end up with a bad batch, you're not out a bunch of cash since you can use the weekly 40% off coupon to purchase them in store for next to nothing.
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| Sample of Artist's Loft watercolors that actually work by Stacy Fidler in Journaling Bible Community. |
5. Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils
Ok this really should be in my watercolor pencil comparison but as these are all I have right now I'm adding it so that you can see the difference. Watercolor pencils don't work as well for large paintings or larger areas because they dilute so easy and work so much differently from watercolors. I prefer them for details. I'm not as much of a fan of the prismacolor brand because they still seem waxy and hard to apply to the paper. I had to press pretty hard to get alot of pigment and it washed out pretty easily. They didn't seem to absorb as much into the paper and sat on top. It's important to remember they don't work just like colored pencils. Available in store but also best price on Amazon for $18 if you have prime.
Pros: They're great for details and the colors come out very bright and vibrant. They're portable and very easy to use in a pinch. Less likely to clog your Microns.
Cons: They're not watercolors, they're still pencils and you lose alot of the look you can get with regular watercolors. They're alot more transparent and it's harder to layer up color. They won't last as long as pan watercolors will.
In closing I say that if you can't afford the Sakura Koi go for the Master's Touch watercolor pan set. They come in a larger pack as well but they work more like professional grade watercolors and are better to learn with until you can spring for the Koi.
I hope that this was informative and helpful and that we all remember the reason we journal. It doesn't matter what you use in the end as long as you're doing it to draw closer to the Lord. God Bless and we'll see you next time!
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