Written by The following feature is presented courtesy of
official World Watercolor Month sponsor DANIEL SMITH
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DANIEL SMITH PrimaTek paints are literally made from the ground up. From prehistoric times to the Renaissance and beyond, artists have relied on pigments mined from the earth, and DANIEL SMITH is truly proud to have revived these time-honored colors for today’s painters.
The DANIEL SMITH PrimaTek line began in 1998 with a cache of Lapis Lazuli—the gold-speckled blue gemstone seen in King Tut’s mask—that was found, ground and formulated into artist-quality watercolor paint.
“I have always been fascinated by rocks. In fact, some of my earliest memories are of finding rocks with unique colors and qualities, or of the smooth ones I could paint pictures on. I never dreamed then that I would one day be able to paint with them!
From the first brushstroke I knew that DANIEL SMITH PrimaTek paints were going to be an amazing addition to my watercolor palette. Hello rich natural colors, fascinating textures and the delight of the magical combination of water plus pure mineral pigment.
My students are thrilled with how simple it can be to create really exciting paintings. Landscapes nearly paint themselves! I’ve found they add an extra dimension to watercolor that captivates both beginners and seasoned artists alike. A painting experience not to be missed!”
—Julie Karlsson
Finding these minerals involves Indiana Jones-worthy journeys by plane, jeep and even mule to remote locations, identifying high-quality veins of ore and then negotiating procurement from local miners. The large minerals or “massive” as they are called, are then processed to reveal the color within. From this pigment, the DANIEL SMITH chemist and paint makers blend it with the perfect ratio of medium, grind and re-grind it to bring out the natural beauty of each color.
Featured Color: Serpentine Genuine
DANIEL SMITH brings artists an unusually beautiful Serpentine pigment from the land down under. This Australian green color serpentine is of a variety called Stichtite. A soft stone used cross culturally for carving Amulets used to ward off harm. This surprising semi-transparent paint is a luminous green that granulates specks of burnt scarlet and is a great addition to your landscape and floral palette.
DANIEL SMITH offers a large range of PrimaTek colors, from subtle neutral pinks and browns to vibrant jewel tones of red, blue and green. They bring natural beauty and rich texture to your palette, along with the unique history of pigments that are literally millions of years old.
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Rreally beautiful green. Amazing that it is made from ‘rocks’
Interesting and informative post. I’m going to look for these at my next trip to Jerry’s Artorama. N.
Great paint, that DS.
WOW! Such fascinating & BEAUTIFUL paints!
wow, really enjoyable read. I don’t own any Daniel-Smith colors but I want some now….especially if the landscapes nearly paint themselves…I could use a little help, lol
Daniel Smith paints are on my wish list. My deal with myself is that as I run out of each of my current watercolour colours, I can replace them with a tube of Daniel Smith paint.
I love the Daniel Smith paints – my favorites are the Primateks. I’ve fallen hard for them this year. They take a little getting used to, but are so worth it. You have to be willing to trust the paints and the water with the Primateks to enjoy them and to get the best out of them. The new one I got myself this month was the purpurite… holy perfect grapey-purple color. So many of them have sheen and shine and sparkle to them as well. “Fabulous” is an understatement.
Daniel Smith paints are my favorites.
I love that DS is doing that making colors from nature that’s how was in the past I am so glad they’re keeping this going! 😉
I have many Daniel Smith products and love their consistency, but now I’m off to find PrimaTek watercolor paints. This will make a wonderful addition to my other paints – can’t wait.
Lovvveee Daniel smith paint!!!!!
Love this brand. Simply the best!
I love DS watercolors! I want all of them! Especially the Prima Teks which are genuine minerals— who would not love to have 268+ tubes of gorgeous color to play with!
Daniel Smith is THE BEST… both products and the company! They were incredibly generous in donations to the door prizes for the 4th Annual West Coast Sketch Crawl hosted by Urban Sketchers Tacoma last year. I’m fortunate to live near the Mothership (main store). They constantly host FREE demos by wonderful artists. The display pictured above with the stones and paints is part of the presentation done by John, the owner. It precedes a factory tour, which is so interesting!! DS are the only watercolors I use.
Oh my gosh I love these paints. I was in a class last June and Daniel Smith donated paints for the class (Art Journaling Live3). Fabulous class and product. It was my first time using real high quality watercolor, fell in love and now learning to use. Just got more colors to add. The prima teck are amazing and I love shadow violet too. I am going to play now.
Daniel Smith is probably my favorite paint out there. (Though, I admit, I’ve been using Sennelier a lot lately, too. It always kind of feels like I’m cheating on my first love, kinda.) 😀
Serpentine is one of those colors I couldn’t do without, too. One of the store workers, when I went into the store and built my first palette, told me I haaaad to have that one, and I was all OKAY MISTER EXPERT and I have never ever regretted that decision.
(All the primateks make me swoon a little, though, to be fair.)