This blog post contains a lot of rambling about a new (to me) product. It’s probably not of interest to most people, but it’s what I felt like blogging about, so I’m going to go ahead and geek out, as they say… I’ll understand if you want to just check out the photos and skip the blah blah blah-ing.
Koh-I-Noor Anilinky Brilliant Watercolours
There’s a new (to me) art supply (medium, if you want to get all fancy about it) I’ve been playing around with, lately— “Brilliant Watercolours” from “Koh-I-Noor by Hardtmuth”. It’s kind of a strange one, in multiple ways:
First, it’s used like a watercolor, but it’s not really a traditional watercolor. I guess it’s technically a solid ink. Now, please don’t ask me to explain the difference between watercolor and solid ink! All I know is that ink is dye-based, which is typically not a desirable quality in watercolor, which are usually made from pigments. (However, liquid watercolors and some cheaper watercolors do use dye, so… It can be confusing…)
I think the big difference is that dyes tend not to be as lightfast as pigments (i.e. dyes fade much more quickly), which is a problem for people who want to sell their work or display it on the wall in their own home. If you’re painting in a sketchbook, scanning your work for printing, or just not worried about longevity, none of that is a problem, fortunately.
Second, these paints are sold in unusual packaging. Rather than coming in tubes or pans or even in a long, flat tray like children’s watercolors, they’re arranged in discs that stack and twist-lock together for storage. (Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the disc format. I think it’s messier than other systems I’ve used and actually ends up taking more space on your table. It would probably be awkward to use on the go, too.)
And third, there are different versions of these paints (or similar ones), and it can be difficult to know which one you’re ordering.
Koh-I-Noor is a Czech brand—something I didn’t know until I started researching this product. Apparently these types of paints were/are commonly used by Czech children in schools, and many remember them fondly. If I understand correctly, the “Anilinky watercolors” were originally toxic, because they contained aniline (hence the name). The toxic paints were replaced with a non-toxic version that wasn’t as brilliantly colorful… and then replaced again by paints that were no longer toxic but had nice, strong colors similar to the original paints. (And I guess they kept the name even though the new formula no longer includes aniline.)
Now, apparently there are two types of watercolor inks sold in the stackable disc storage system: One set is these nice, brilliant colors, and the other is more of a student-grade paint that isn’t as richly saturated. Instead, they’re chalky and reportedly harder on paintbrushes.
If I’m not mistaken, both the good paint and the not-as-good paint come from the same company, and they’re difficult to tell apart, if you don’t know what you’re looking for. There are many similar products listed on Amazon, for instance, and some of the reviews are positive, while others complain of chalkiness and inferior intensity. (Also, based on at least one review I’ve read, the “lesser” type are more opaque, whereas the nice ones are almost all extremely transparent—more on that later.) One UK-based art supply store sells both types and indicates that the ones I’m calling “good” are dye-based, while the other set is pigment-based and meant to behave more like traditional watercolors.
To further complicate matters, there’s a line of these paints repackaged and rebranded for sale in Australia: They’re called Micador for Artists, and the plastic discs are white. Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth also sells something they call “Brilliant Watercolours”, which I believe are the same as their “Anilinky” paints—but it’s confusing, because there’s also a flat rectangular set of “Anilinky” paints available. This set, which looks a lot like the watercolor sets sold for use by children, has the “good” paint, but it’s a limited palette of 12 colors, whereas the stackable discs are available in a broader range. You can purchase them in sets of up to 48 colors.
There seems to be some confusion as to which of these paints are “the good ones” and which are not. Maybe price is an indication—however, I’m not sure this is always a consistent clue. The Micador line (white plastic discs) are significantly more expensive to have shipped to the U.S. than the Koh-I-Noor “Brilliant Watercolours”, and from what I can see, they aren’t any better. They are arranged differently in the discs, though, I believe, and they come with names and lightfast ratings, which I haven’t found for the Koh-I-Noor version. (That may be easier to find in other languages… And as for lightfastness, I’d just err on the side of caution and assume they’re best for situations where exposure to light isn’t a concern.)
There are people in reviews and comments online saying that the white-plastic version is good, while the black-plastic version is inferior. —BUT!— I also saw someone mentioning an Etsy shop based in Prague (FoxberryStore) that sold “the good stuff”, and those use black plastic. Maybe that means that the color of the plastic is no longer a trustworthy indicator of the quality of the paints (if it ever was).
I’ve just noticed that the FoxberryStore Etsy shop I linked above actually sells both kinds of Koh-I-Noor stackable disc watercolors. The ones described on the box as “Brilliant Watercolours” (currently listed in that shop as “Brilliant Dye Based Vibrant Colors Watercolour Paint Set”) are the type most people seem to prefer and are the ones I ended up ordering. I don’t have a Micador set to compare against, but I’d say they seem very similar, if not identical to what I see in YouTube demonstrations and swatching photos. The colors are arranged in different groupings of six (6 colors per disc), but I think they may be the same colors. At the moment, there’s only $6 difference in price between the two types of 48-color sets on FoxberryStore (the dye paints and the pigment paints).
If you’re happy with a smaller set, there’s a 24-color stack on Amazon here that looks like it’s probably the dye-based version—but be careful, because there are also other sets for sale there that are definitely not the “Anilinky” type.
In case it may help someone trying to make a decision about this product, here are photos of the front and back of the box I received, after removing the paint discs:
A few more things about these inky paints:
- You can pick up some color off the dry surface of the paint “tablets”, but if you want the strongest, richest color, take a minute to activate them by pre-wetting the surface or placing a water drop on the colors you’ll be using.
- I gather that you can use these to paint fabric, though I haven’t tried it myself (yet). Just be careful of accidentally staining your clothes!
- Apparently these react well to salt, but you probably want to act fast, as I think they tend to dry quickly .
- They layer and layer and layer. There’s little risk of picking up the color underneath, and most colors are very transparent, aside from white, pearl, and possibly the light grey.
- They don’t behave exactly like watercolor, but they’re fun to play around with.
- You can mix them together to make custom colors, and of course you can also thin them down with more water to make lighter versions.
- You can use the clear lid as a very small mixing palette in a pinch, but personally, I prefer a white mixing surface, so I’ve been using my own ceramic palette instead.
- The “Anilinky” name always makes me think about the “Count Istvan Teleky” episode of The Andy Griffith Show—titled “Three Wishes for Opie” and one of my favorites. I always thought it sounded like they were talking about a “Countess Vandelecky”, which was confusing, since they referred to a “he”. Ah, simpler times, right?!
I haven’t taken a photo of all the discs, but here are a few of them:
It can be difficult to tell which color is which, when the paint is dry and dark. I used the center section of each disc to hold a mini swatch of the paints. This tip came from Lindsay Weirich, thefrugalcrafter on YouTube, who reviewed the Micador version of these paints back in 2019. I went a step further and put a piece of clear tape over each mini swatch to protect it from water and paint, then used a piece of double-sided tape to secure it in place.
I still have more ideas I want to try with these paints, but here are the few things I’ve done so far.
I had a page of random doodling I’d made a while back, using cellulose watercolor paper:
The right side I painted with a few different greens, going back to drop in more water and ink to create more textures. I’d like to try this again to get even more of that effect, but this was a nice start. (After it was dry, I went back over sections with markers and ink pen.)
The flower doodle I kept pretty simple and straightforward…
And with the houses doodle, I did more of the same technique from the green hexagon doodles—just dropping in more water and color to create cauliflowers.
None of these were particularly exciting, but I do like the brightness of the colors. Even watered down, they pack a powerful punch!
And finally, I have something loosely based on this video from Diane Antone. I’d like to try it again, following the idea more closely. This time, I just vaguely remembered the basic idea from watching the video weeks ago.
I used the inks for the base layer of color (all the greens and blue-greens, the yellow houses, and the roof and chimney colors). Then I went back with a few more details in darker concentrations of the ink (tree trunks, leaf shapes). Last, I added still more details in color pencil and acrylic paint pen.
Lots of fun! I love making this type of whimsical landscape. It’s always an enjoyable subject, and I never seem to get tired of making them.
Looking forward to giving these some more use!
