Smarty Paints

I’ve been painting with watercolor long enough to know what I’m doing but still have areas where I’d like to learn more. This app is WILD with so much information! I’m seeing swatches of a paint pigment from 10+ manufacturers, making it easier to see whose version I like more. You’re shown the pigments in a specific paint so you can mix it yourself. And if you don’t have the specific paint to mix with? They give you DUPES for colors! I’m making an inventory of the paints l already own and saving the paints I want. As if there could be more, there are a LOT of painting tutorials. I haven’t watched one yet because I’m obsessed with the swatches and mixing info, but if it performs like it seems it should (the videos), it takes this app from 100% to 110% awesome. I have the free version but to subscribe is like, $13 a YEAR. I’ll be subbing soon

I had high hopes for this, but after purchasing on my iPad, the developer did not create an iPad version, so it’s in a vertical orientation and not landscape, so you can’t use a keyboard. I tried to purchase on my iPhone anyway, hoping that updates would come, but the app crashes immediately. There is good information in the app, but I would like to retain the brands I choose in a search…I’ve never heard of most of these. I would also like to add paints to my “personal collection” that I can choose from to create a palette, but then be able to “shop” for other paints, looking through the entire catalog. It’s nice that I can choose by transparency and granulation, but I’d also like to be able to choose by a color family. Like maybe I want to find a new transparent, non-granulating pink that’s from Daniel Smith. There is no option to choose only pink paints, so you have to view every paint in a catalog, and they’re pretty mixed up. I expected this to be a way that I could keep track of what paints I’ve purchased, but I don’t think that’s what the app is meant to do.

I just learned about this app! Nearly immediately it provided me more efficiency when choosing a color, prepping for a workshop, and ordering more tube stock. The ability to create a palette for any groups of paints is lifesaving. I made a palette for my paints by manufacturer. The sorting options within a palette are great; transparent, pigment, reds, etc. While reviewing a workshops supply list I encountered colors unknown to me. So on the app I looked up the formula, searched for similar formulas that I own (via the manufacturer palettes I created) and found that mixing two of my owned paints kept me from needing to buy any paint for the workshop!