Paul Rubens Watercolor Paint 14 Vibrant Neon Colors Watercolor Tubes, 5ml Each Tube, Art Supplies for Watercolor Painting, Comic, Illustration, Decoration

These colors are lovely and vibrant. I wanted a fluorescent pink (or even just hot pink) and found it here. I will say the differences between some of the colors is very subtle, especially among the red/pinks. But I am happy that I purchased. The paint goes on smooth. Just what I was looking for.

So vibrant. I’m really impressed with this paint.

Excellent product the colors blend easily and good price . Good brand

UPDATE 2/8/24Still LOVING these colors. Perfect gor tgat added pop in paintings. Perfect color therapy for endless gray winter days. I bought quite a few sets of these so I always have them handy.----------ORIGINAL REVIEWI have been doing watercolor for a while, but I have honestly been frustrated not having neons, which is one of my favorite palettes to incorporate into paintings. I was not expecting much with these. BOY was I surprised.INTENSITYThese are way more intense than I was expecting. They are not as highly concentrated as say M Graham, or Sennelier or other professional paints might be, but they are really good and build up nicely.SHEERThese can be used for a wash on watercolor paper. They look really nice.LAYERINGI layered them on the edges of my painting that I posted for you. They layer well.LIFTINGThese paints lift nicely if needed but they do also stay on the paper well like other watercolors without lifting too much.COLORSAll but a few of the colors in this set are what I call NEON. There are a couple of what I would call bright, but most of them are neon level intensity and they work well with other paints to set them off.MIXINGI have used other paints to mix with these to temper them and also change their appearance. They work out pretty well. I like how they blend.THE BOTTOM LINEI really love these paints. They are rich and true watercolor paints with a good brilliant neon level to them. They are the best of the neon watercolors I have used.MY RATINGFIVE STARS. I love these paints so much I bought SEVERAL sets. I use them a lot and am thrilled every time I try another brand which turns out to be disappointing. These are always my go to for watercolors when I want to perk up my paintings.

I prefer to use single-pigment watercolor paints that have been tested to be lightfast. This has meant staying away from colors like Opera Pink, which is notoriously fugitive.However. I recently decided to let myself have some fun, and to heck with whether the paints are fugitive. I bought a box of Paul Ruben's Opera watercolors. I've looked online for pigment info for these paints, but haven't found any. They probably use fluorescent dye and are therefore all quite, quite fugitive. But oh, what fun I'll have!Here are swatches in my "Painter's Color Diary: Watercolor," by HG Art Concepts (purchased from Cheap Joe's, though you can also get them on Amazon for about the same price). I use the color diary as a visual inventory.My first delighted thought when painting the swatches: Holy day-glo, Batman! Shades of the late 1960s/early 1970s.The image shows swatches from the 14 5ml tubes in the set. The colors are (in order from left to right and top to bottom) Opera pink, Opera light red, Opera orange red, Opera orange, Opera golden, Opera yellow, Opera green, Opera blue, Opera rose, Opera peach, Opera red, Opera purple, Opera violet, and Opera ultramarine. Some are more fluorescent than others.Quality: A bit more liquid than I like. I prefer the more buttery textures of Daniel Smith, Da Vinci, and M. Graham. But these paints aren't too liquid, and unlike some brands, show no signs of excess binder. I was surprised at how some of these colors granulated. I know many artists hate granulating watercolors, but I love granulation, so it's not a problem for me.I have male cats and therefore I own a blacklight, so in a spirit of experimentation, I shone the black light on the swatches. Yep. Fluorescent. Cool beans.

I wish I could buy these as single tubes, but 20$ for 14 tubes is still a great price, even for 5ml ones. The paints are super vibrant. However, they’re are not lightfast (they’re all fugitive, but the brand isn’t hiding this. Just a warning for any buyers)

Great to use to give a watercolor that punch to where your contrast jumps right out at you. The hues are intense.

Fantastic bright colors! Love this set.