Learning About Daniel Smith Paints

Earlier this year, our team hosted Scott Stevenson, who is both a Brand Ambassador and Art Educator for Daniel Smith Artists’ Materials.

Scott guided us through the story of Daniel Smith Artists’ Materials, from its birth in the 70s out of a newspaper printing press in Seattle to its current and international paint-making business.

We loved learning that Daniel Smith has its own mineralogist, who travels around the world sourcing minerals for the company full-time. Learning about how Daniel Smith sources its minerals gave us new appreciation for its PrimaTek line, whose name is derived from “primative technology,” and whose process is inspired by how ancient people used minerals to make pigments.

During Scott’s presentation, our team learned fun facts such as the fact that Daniel Smith has a 15-year supply for all 272 paints they make, that the gum arabic that is used as the binding agent in all Daniel Smith paints is sourced from Sub-Saharan acacia trees, and that distilled water is used to make the paints. Scott noted that painting with distilled water can reduce the variables introduced by the minerals in tap water!

Thank you to Scott and Daniel Smith Artists’ Materials for this special visit to our warehouse! We came away with more knowledge about the properties of paint as well as what makes Daniel Smith special.

We stock a growing range of Daniel Smith watercolors and gouache on our website as well as in our retail shop, including individual 15ml tubes of paint, plus the 5ml Watercolor Essentials Set, a six-color box.