I’m sharing my first impressions of the brand-new Holbein Granulating Watercolors—a gorgeous set of 24 colors divided into four curated palettes: Landscape, Bird, Moon, and Flower. I’ll walk you through the swatching process, talk about what granulation is, and show you four mini paintings I made using just five colors from the sets.
What Is Granulation in Watercolors?
Granulation occurs when pigment particles settle unevenly on the paper, creating texture and depth. You’ll often see it with earth tones, ultramarines, and cobalts. Some brands, like Daniel Smith, are known for their strong granulating pigments—but Holbein just joined the chat with a stunning take of their own!
📝 Tip: Use high-quality cold-pressed or rough cotton paper to really bring out the texture. The pigment needs those little “dimples” in the paper to sink into.
Buy the Granulating Watercolors Online
The Sets at a Glance
🌄 Landscape Set
I started with this one, and wow—it’s beautifully curated for natural scenes. The blues are perfect for skies and water, while the rustic reds and browns work great for stone, mountains, and deserts. I didn’t do any mixing tests yet, but I plan to in a future video!
🐦 Bird Set (One of My Faves!)
This set might be tied for my favorite! The colors are vibrant and unusual. For example, Bourke’s Parrot Pink shows hot pink, orange, and red all in one swatch. Warbler Green leans mossy but still usable for foliage. I even messed up and squeezed the same color twice—whoops! But the colors were so rich, it didn’t matter.
🌙 Moon Set
Okay, I might be biased because my married name is Moon 😄 but this set is STUNNING. Think galaxy skies and cosmic textures. Earthshine Violet is unlike any purple I own, and Rainy Night Moon Black has this rich purple undertone thanks to PB29 and PR101.
🌸 Flower Set
You all know I love painting florals, so this set was right up my alley. So many of the colors are vibrant, with a few surprising granulators like Mimosa Green (hello, three pigments!). Some, like Cherry Blossom Pink, were more pastel and less granulating—but still gorgeous.
Mini Paintings with Five of the Holbein Granulating Watercolors
To really test the paints, I created four mini paintings using just these five colors:
- Bourke’s Parrot Pink
- Mimosa Yellow
- Earthshine Violet
- Pampas Grass Yellow
- Cherry Blossom Pink
🌷 Tulips
The first painting was simple tulips, and you could really see the pigment separation and granulation right away.
🌹 Roses
I painted a cluster of roses using the violet shade and added green accents. I even snuck in Japanese Bush Warbler Green mid-painting to deepen the contrast!
🪴 Houseplants
This one was more playful—painting little potted plants and letting the colors bleed into each other.
🌀 Blobs
To use up leftover paint, I did what I call a “blob painting”—just letting loose with color and shape. It’s a great way to unwind and release the pressure of making something “perfect.”
Final Thoughts
I genuinely loved working with these paints. The granulation effects are subtle in some colors and dramatic in others, especially in the Bird and Moon sets. While I’d love to see a few more earthy tones in future releases, I’m really excited to mix these with my regular watercolors and see what happens.
💡 Holbein Granulating Watercolors: Full Video
Thanks for reading, and as always, let me know in the comments if any of these colors caught your eye—or if there’s a set you’d love to try. Happy painting!
💌
Audrey
