Schmincke Horadam SWATCHES

Schmincke Horadam 12x5ml tubes set (metal set - 74 765)

The Schmincke Horadam 12x5ml tubes set sold at Deserres is a fairly good beginner’s set for botanical painters with a warm and cool yellow, an orange, three red, three blues and three greens. This set’s strength is in its high chroma quality and its high degree of mix-ability: except for the Perylene Dark Red, every colour is transparent or semi-transparent, all are single pigment paints except for May Green, and even the Ultramarine Blue Finest barely granulates, making each wash much easier to get even for even the least experienced beginner.

Unfortunately, this set has no earth colours which would make it a more complete set for the average landscape or urban painter. To round out this set I would recommend getting a couple of earth tones, e.g. a burnt sienna to neutralize with Ultramarine Blue Finest, a Yellow Ochre or Raw Sienna for a natural yellow tone, and a darker deeper red to stand in for an Alizarin Crimson, as the Perylene Dark Red doesn’t mix with the Phthalo Green into a black but a dark grey.