Van Gogh Watercolor Half Pan, #593 Quinacridone Purple Blue

VAN GOGH: QUALITY, AFFORDABLE WATERCOLORS

Van Gogh paints are student-grade watercolors made in the Netherlands, in the same production facility as Royal Talens' professional-grade products. They are a fraction of the price of other European watercolor brands, and they are impressively bright and well-behaved on paper.

With more than a century of experience, Royal Talens understands the principles of colormaking. Van Gogh watercolor is transparent, easily liftable, and capable of making high-chroma mixtures — unlike many watercolors at the same price point. Each color is individually rated for lightfastness, so you won't need to worry about faded paintings.

So what's the downside compared with more expensive paints? There's less pigment per milliliter in a student-grade paint, which means that the very darkest colors may not be achievable. And certain intense pigments are too expensive to be included in student-grade assortments. These disadvantages are partly balanced by the advantage of quicker painting with less dilution, which can make watercolor painting easier for beginners.

Affordable, easy to use, brightly pigmented, and ethically produced in Europe. That's the powerful value package that you get with Van Gogh watercolor.

ABOUT ROYAL TALENS

2024 marks the 125th anniversary of Royal Talens, one of the world's great color houses and one of the Netherlands' great cultural exports of the last century. Founded in Apeldoorn in 1899, Talens has never abandoned its hometown — instead, the company has built larger, safer, more advanced factories there as they've grown.

By 1949, Talens was already an iconic Dutch brand. The company had successfully rebuilt its factory after the destruction of World War II and the country's occupation. Queen Wilhelmina was an avid painter and used Talens products every day. In commemoration of Talens' cultural importance, she gave the company the right to call itself "Royal."

Today, Royal Talens paints are found in fine art supplies in every corner of the world. Known for their reliable, consistent quality, Talens colors have been used in countless great works of art — and in countless home studios and classrooms, too.