Written by ROSA is a Ukrainian-based manufacturer of many art products. I’ve been using their Rosa Gallery 28-Color Full Pan Botanical watercolor set for some time now, and decided to tell you a little bit about it.
The company has six brands, each aimed at a specific group:
- Rosa — museum quality.
- Rosa Gallery — For professional painting
- Rosa Studio — For sketches, training, work in the studio
- Rosa Talent — For decoration and scrapbooking
- Rosa Start — For beginners in art
- Rosa Kids — Art for children
This is a Rosa Gallery set meant for professionals, so I’m holding it to a high standard.
The Packaging
The tin has a distinctive sculptured look. The only verbiage is the Rosa Gallery Logo, which is printed on both the inside and outside of the lid. There is a ring on the bottom to make the set easier to hold.
This isn’t cheap metal, you can tell right off.
The sculptured looks translates to four inset sections in the lid for mixing colors. There is the standard flip-out mixing tray for mixing as well. It has 10 wells for collecting color, which is nice.
Given the size and weight, I wouldn’t consider this a set designed for carry, but it could be used for that, as well as being a stable heavy-duty set for home.
This set has full pans — twice the size of the more common half-pan. This is better for your brushes, as you don’t have to put them in tip-first, which can break down the bristles after a while. You also get more paint for each color, of course.
The pans are held in with the standard metal tray and clamp.
Normally, I’d discuss the packaging in more detail, but honestly, I’ve been using this set for a few months now, and I can’t remember if there were any informational pamphlets that came with the set. My brain being what it is these days, I’ve lost any memory of them, if it did, lol.
The box is very plain, with almost no information, except the Rosa Gallery logo, company information and the word ‘Watercolors’. Not an eye-grabber if you saw these on the shelf, so the company must hope you know who they are, and what you’d be getting.
The Colors
The colors re-wet easily, and they’re highly pigmented, making them vibrant. There is a nice range of bright, and earth colors, and several of them granulate. Fourteen of the colors are single pigment. Twenty-three have high lightfastness, and eighteen are transparent.
There are only three opaque colors and the rest are semi-transparent. Since one of the opaque colors is white, you can mix it with other colors and create more that are opaque if you wish.
I am reminded of the White Knights/St. Petersburg sets, because the tins and packaging are similar, as is the consistency of the watercolors. I feel these are more transparent than those, overall, however.
- Both the tubes and the pans have the commonly listed paint characteristics using a Pigment Information Color Key:
- P=Pigment
- Y = Yellow; O = Orange; R = Red; V = Violet; B = Blue; G = Green; Br = Brown; Bk = Black; W = White; M = Metal
- TR = transparent color
- OP = opaque color
- Semi-TR = semi- opaque colorKey
- *** = High Lightfastness
- **= Medium Lightfastness
- *= Low Lightfastness
Color Name, Pigment Index information, Transparency/Opacity, Lightfastness, G=Granulation
- Titanium white, PW6, OP, ***
- Cadmium lemon, PY35, Semi-TR,***, N
- Cadmium yellow light, PY35, Semi-TR, ***
- Cadmium yellow deep, PY35, PO20, Semi-TR, ***, N
- Cadmium orange, PO20/PY35, Semi-TR, ***, N
- Flame red, PO73, TR, ***
- Cadmium red light, PR108/PO20, Semi-TR, ***
- Bright red, PO73/PR254, TR, ***
- Madder red, PR177/PR264, TR, ***
- Madder rose, PV19/PV254, TR, ***
- Opera rose, PR122/Fluorescent, TR, —,G
- Magenta rose, PR122, TR, ***
- Quinacridone violet, PV19/PB15, OP, ***
- Violet, PV23, TR, **
- Olive green, PG17/PY1/PBk7,Semi-TR, **
- Green, PG8, TR **
- Bright green, PY151/PG7, PY151/PG7, TR,***
- Emerald green, PG7, TR, ***
- Turquoise, PB15:3/PG7, TR, ***
- Blue, PB15, TR, ***
- Cobalt blue, PB28, Semi-TR, ***, GN
- Ultramarine, PB29, Semi-TR, ***, G
- Yellow Ochre, PY43/PY42, Semi-Tr, ***, N
- Raw Sienna, PBr7/PY42,Semi-TR,***, N
- Burnt Sienna, PR101, TR, ***, N
- Umber, PBr7, Semi-TR, ***, N
- Sepia, PBr7/PBk7/PR177, Semi-TR, ***
- Black grape, PBk7/PV19/PV3, OP,**
Performance
I’ve been using this set since May and done tons of paintings. I kept planning to keep some aside for this review, but ended up posting all but two!
The painting above was my first test, the usual dropping paint into puddles of water, letting it dry, and then deciding what is there. This young Miss, obviously taking a breather from the ballroom and walking in the garden, made herself known, so once the color was dry, I added detail. Since the color was so intense, and came out darker than I expected, I made good use of the white to give me lavender-like color that I could use over the dark colors.
It’s so easy to get a glow with these colors. One of the things that separates professional colors from artist or student grade is the ease with which you can get a clean, intense color. Of course, you pay for that. This set is nicely priced for the clarity of the colors.
As I said, I’ve done many paintings since I got this set. Here are some examples.
And some more, to help you see the range the colors can provide.
The Tools
ROSA Gallery Botanical Watercolor Paint Set
- Hahnemuhle Collection Watercolor Cold Pressed 9×12 Inches 300gsm, Rough 9.5×12.6 Inches 300gsm, Hot Pressed 9.5×12.6 Inches 300gsm
- Princeton Select Artiste Brushes
Disclaimer:
I bought Rosa Gallery 28 Full Pan Botanical Watercolor set. I liked them and felt others might like to know about them. ROSA (website) did not ask for and did not know I was going to review them. I received no other considerations, though this post may contain affiliate links which help support Doodlewash. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.
Very nice!
Hi Charlie, how can I order the Rosa Gallery ? I think I’d like to try it. Also what is your opinion for Daniel Smith water colors and its granulation ? Thanks,
Sherrill from Georgia.
Hi Sherrill! There is a link above under Tools that takes you to the Rosa Gallery Botanical set on Amazon. I don’t know what Charlie’s opinion is on Daniel Smith granulation, but they do have many that granulate beautifully, especially among their Primatek colors. I don’t think they have a specific set curated for granulation, but they do have a chart that shows their granulating colors. https://danielsmith.com/daniel-smith-granulating-watercolors-chart/
Just ordered it! Love White Nights so think it might be comparable.
Fantastic! I did find similarities with White Nights, though I think this set had more transparent colors than I had in my White Nights. That could have just been the colors in my particular set, though. I hope you’ll share the work you do with your set. I’d love to see them.
Another wonderful review. You are always so thorough. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Jean!
Wonderful review, Sandra! Love the colors!
Thank you, Mary!
Excellent review! Thank you! That looks like a wonderful set!
Thank you, Mary!
Great review. I ordered a set.
That’s wonderful, Vikki! You’ll love them!