I wasn’t sure what to think of Daniel Smith Watercolor sticks at first. They looked like a potential mess. I suppose the fact that they reminded me of crayons kept me from taking them seriously in the beginning. Still, I’m the curious type and completely addicted to experimenting with new art supplies. For me, it’s all part of the fun.
Daniel Smith products are not cheap, so I proceeded with caution, ordering three primary colors: Hansa Yellow, Organic Vermilion (Red), and French Ultramarine (Blue).
I enjoyed these enough that I ordered another round so I’d have cool and warm options of the primaries, plus a couple of other options: New Gamboge (warm yellow), Alizarin Crimson (a cooler red), Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Pthalo Green (Yellow Shade), Sodalite Genuine, and Moonglow.
Cases are important to me – and I love these storage cases!
The case also intrigued me. I loved that they had separate compartments—clear ones so you can easily read the label through them.
The cases (each holding five sticks) are longer than the sticks by about half an inch. I’m not sure why, except that when your stick gets small enough that you’re ready to order a new one, you could conceivably fit both in the compartment (or perhaps so your fingertip can fit in to pull one out). The strip of five compartments are designed to be broken into separate cases if you prefer. I’ve chosen to keep mine together so far as they cannot be reattached and I see no benefit to having them loose.
I first tried Daniel Smith extra fine watercolors in tubes, then bought a half pan set when it first came out. Now that I’ve tried the sticks, I think they may be my new favorite. I definitely want to collect more!
For my needs, they are probably the most practical form. I won’t have to worry about tubes of colors that I don’t use often drying out, and they are neater than the pans since they have their own separate lidded compartments (if you buy the optional storage container).
A Quality, Affordable Option
These watercolor sticks are made with the same ingredients as the Daniel Smith pan paints – but they are equal to three full pans! This might be the strongest selling point in my mind. They don’t have any wax or other fillers added as you might expect from a crayon-like stick. They are equal in quality to their tube or pan counterparts – made with the same pigments, and offering the same lightfastness, granulation, transparency and staining properties – but unlike the tubes, the sticks are all the same price.
Hmm. This kind of makes me want to buy a bunch now before these handy little guys catch on and they raise the price on some! I couldn’t resist acquiring the Sodalite Genuine in stick form since it’s normally one of the pricier tube options. (I wish they’d make the sticks in Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, but getting Serpentine and Piemontite Genuine in this format is also a nice bargain.)
The sticks are vibrant, high-quality pigments that layer and behave the same as any other form of professional grade Daniel Smith watercolors, yet offer a more practical portability.
Used As a Drawing Tool
Despite their form, I do not like to draw with these sticks. If you use them dry on dry paper, it is difficult to use a wet brush to blend the marks into what you would normally expect from watercolors. Even on wet paper, I’m not crazy about the effect. I have a feeling that artists who work larger and looser might appreciate this option, but I use them pretty much only as I would a pan paint. I wet one end with my brush and put the dissolved pigment in porcelain palettes. I blow on the stick before putting it back in its case (they dry amazingly quickly) and they’ve stayed very neat – more so than pans stored open and right against each other in a travel palette.
Daniel Smith suggests that you try sharpening the sticks for drawing (saving the shavings for brush painting), but that seems like a wasted effort since I just don’t find them a practical alternative to watercolor pencils I already own (and rarely use). These are, however, professional grade tools that can be used for drawing techniques. I do, on occasion, dab a damp stick directly onto a wet area of my painting and then blend right on the paper, so that is an added convenience that a pan or tube can’t offer.
I could see slicing the sticks into little coin-shaped pieces for more compact travel and wouldn’t be surprised if I play around with them in that way once they’ve aged out of their current tidy condition.
Give Daniel Smith Watercolor Sticks a Try
If you have free shipping through Amazon Prime and just want to experiment with some primary colors to start with, check prices here:
- Daniel Smith Hansa Yellow Light Extra Fine Watercolor Stick
- Daniel Smith Ultramarine Blue Extra Fine Watercolor Stick
- Daniel Smith Pyrrol Red Extra Fine Watercolor Stick
- Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor Stick Plastic Case
In Summary
Pros: bargain pricing, neat storage, portability for travel, long-lasting, flexibility of use
Cons: impractical for small scale “drawing” leaving lines that don’t easily dissolve on paper
I find these a valuable addition to my travel art supply options – very cost-effective and portable options. As of the writing of this post, not all the colors are available in stick form. It was surprising to me that the popular Payne’s Gray was not among them (and my favorite Mayan Dark Blue).
I find them surprisingly tidy when stored in the Daniel Smith containers. Now, I am not what anyone would refer to as a neat-freak by any means. My multiple desks are buried under (what I consider to be very organized) piles. Don’t judge – a messy desk is supposed to encourage a creative mind … or be a sign of genius … that’s my story and I’m sticking with it. (On that note, I will drop a favorite Einstein quote below.) But when it comes to paints, I like to keep them as clean as possible. I don’t appreciate it when my paints creep into each other’s pans and (gasp) intermix. If my paints are going to mix, it will be when and where I want them to! So I love, love how spotless I can keep these sticks when kept in their own storage compartments.
“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?”
– Albert Einstein
I will continue to use the watercolor sticks and will report back on how they age and how long they last (but based on my experience with them so far, I imagine they will last a very long time). The cases also appear very practical and durable, but I’ll report back in a few months on how they stand up to camping and field use.
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