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Rating: 
Summary: shoddy, recycled work
Review: available space doesn't permit a detailed dissection of this new (2001-2) edition of the wilcox guide, but the gist is this: wilcox does not in fact test paints for their permanence to exposure to light (lightfastness), he merely recycles the ratings created by a standards testing body, the ASTM. the "testing" that wilcox apparently has done is to brush out color samples to evaluate how "gummy" they are -- gumminess, in the wilcox world, being a bad thing.wilcox nowhere describes his testing methods, nor the procedures he uses to obtain and prepare paint samples for evaluation, nor his procedures to corroborate information obtained from the manufacturers. discontinued and reformulated paints, including paints by manufacturers that have gone out of business, are thrown in with current offerings, apparently to convince us that this is an encyclopedic reference. who would want a consumer report on cars that included an evaluation of the ford pinto? in some cases the ASTM ratings are in error, and wilcox simply parrots this misinformation. the ASTM tested a single sample of a pigment, yet wilcox applies this single rating to every paint that contains the pigment. this is simply reckless. pigment lightfastness varies according to pigment particle size, among other things, and particle size depends on how the paint was manufactured by each paint company. wilcox is apparently oblivious to these nuances in materials testing in his sloppy efforts to appear comprehensive. a professional editor could have helped with the many nontechnical flaws in the book -- reining in wilcox's penchant for juvenile sarcasm, for one thing, and providing a better organization for the paint information. the printed paint samples bear no resemblance to the actual paint appearance; paints are organized by "color" categories (such as "vermilion" or "gamboge") that jumble together different pigments and different paint hues. paint brands are not even alphabetized within each color section. no artist should rely on the paint ratings in the wilcox book. the hilary page guide is serviceable, if somewhat outdated. at least she tested the paints, describes her tests, and produced a credible reference in doing so. the wilcox book is something altogether different.
Rating:
Summary: Out-Dated and Misleading Information
Review: I bought this book expecting scientifically verified tests of the various pigments used in all the major (and some minor) brands of watercolor paint. Sadly this is not the case. First of all nowhere in this revised edition is it stated real-world testing of the various paint brands and pigments was re-done. Since the book was first published practically every watercolor manufacturer has revamped their line to offer more lightfast and permanent pigments. Nowhere in this book did I see evidence of new testing and a lot of information is out-dated. Quite a few brands that don't exist anymore are still included. For example, the U.S. corporation Colart Americas, Inc. (owners of Liquitex since year 2000 [and now also the owner corporation of famed Winsor & Newton!], quit making Liquitex watercolors years ago in order to focus that brand more on the acrylic market. The guide states no evaluation of any companies' brands of student grade watercolors was done - only artist grade paints are covered. But here's an example of why I'm suspicious of the testing claimed by this book - I bought some DaVinci watercolors based on the praise they received in the book and immediately noticed the brand is "student grade" in quality. The filler used is so high that the chalky appearance of the watercolor squeezed out onto my palette is visible to the naked eye once its had a few minutes to begin to dry. It doesn't have any clarity or beauty of my Winsor and Newton, Daniel Smith or Holbein watercolors. If you wish to see it for yourself merely buy a single tube of DaVinci watercolor, squeeze out some onto your palette, mix a small puddle of the paint with water then let the puddle of paint dry a bit. You will see exactly what I'm talking about. If visible-to-the-naked-eye chalky filler doesn't shout "student grade paint" I don't know what does. Another note about DaVinci watercolors - Mr. Wilcox has contracted the DaVinci company to supply the watercolor paints used in his own paint brand for the School of Color correspondence color mixing course. Nowhere in the guide does he disclose this commercial arrangement with the DaVinci paint company. I think it only fair that artists should be made aware of this fact in a guide that posits itself as an un-biased guide to watercolor brands. I also found his constant harping on "gummy" paint odd. Since I like to be able to control the runny-ness of my paint I don't see thick-or-thin-ness of paint out of the tube as a problem. How difficult can it be to simply add water or ox gall medium anyway? And what does "gumminess" have to do with the lightfastness of the paint being discussed - which is the main thing this book claims to be handing out grades on? Given these flaws - inaccurate information, very out-of-date information and less than un-biased reporting I can not recommend this book for watercolorists in good conscience. A better book is Hilary Page's Guide to Watercolor Paints. Furthermore, she explains exactly how she conducted her tests and under what conditions. An added bonus is that she tries to keep the book current by giving regular updates on new pigments, new watercolor brands or reformulations of existing brands on her website. It's really sad that I give such a low mark to Wilcox's Guide to Best Watercolor Paints. If the author took the time and effort to conduct tests similar to what Hilary did it could be a great resource. What a wasted opportunity....
Rating:
Summary: The least favorite book of my collection
Review: Inaccurate information abounds. Tiresome reading. Little good information. Overly expensive...sorry I bought it.
Rating:
Summary: outdated poor quality book, dont waste your money
Review: M. Wilcox's book is a goldmine of information, especially if you are new to watercolor paints. He discusses several topics that are of interest to the artist: discriptions of color on the tubes of paint; individual pigments and what is known of them; and while this is aside from the main topic - a brief history of the individual neutrals, primary & secondary colors. While he doesn't explain the exact methods of testing for each pigment, he states that he uses the ASTM ratings as far as possible and that his own "controlled" testing is for confirmation purposes and through out the book one can find examples where there were no ratings given with an explanation why. He also states that his own ratings for lightfastness, his ratings in "Box 4" and his written assessments of the paints are "my own assessment and should be treated as such" (pg 14).
I noticed that some color lines were no longer available, he includes details about them because many still have a supply on hand. He also gives descriptions of the various companies and a picture of the tubes of paints and gives some kind of idea the strength of the tubes themselves. While this may not be helpful to some, it was to me. I have neurological problems with my hands and there are certain caps I can open more readily than others. Another part of the book I liked were his "confessions" and admitting that his word was nothing but his own opinions.
The color examples I never paid attention to except generally, because, being an artist (albeit in another area) I realize there is a vast difference in reality and the printed version. On the down side, I found the arrangement of pigments annoying, I think that portion could definately use some rework. Also, annoying - the incorrectly spelled words. Where were the editors? There are some of his deductions that I totally disagreed with, due to the fact that I have used a few watercolors in my monoprints. But I believe that each one of us has his/her own opinion and naturally there will be disagreements about whether this color is good or not. Also, it is possible that a "bad" tube of paint escape the company's quality control people.
Overall, I think this book is a must read, especially if you are new to the world of pigments. Thumbs Up!
Rating: 
Summary: An Informative Book
Review: M. Wilcox's book is a goldmine of information, especially if you are new to watercolor paints. He discusses several topics that are of interest to the artist: discriptions of color on the tubes of paint; individual pigments and what is known of them; and while this is aside from the main topic - a brief history of the individual neutrals, primary & secondary colors. While he doesn't explain the exact methods of testing for each pigment, he states that he uses the ASTM ratings as far as possible and that his own "controlled" testing is for confirmation purposes and through out the book one can find examples where there were no ratings given with an explanation why. He also states that his own ratings for lightfastness, his ratings in "Box 4" and his written assessments of the paints are "my own assessment and should be treated as such" (pg 14).
I noticed that some color lines were no longer available, he includes details about them because many still have a supply on hand. He also gives descriptions of the various companies and a picture of the tubes of paints and gives some kind of idea the strength of the tubes themselves. While this may not be helpful to some, it was to me. I have neurological problems with my hands and there are certain caps I can open more readily than others. Another part of the book I liked were his "confessions" and admitting that his word was nothing but his own opinions.
The color examples I never paid attention to except generally, because, being an artist (albeit in another area) I realize there is a vast difference in reality and the printed version. On the down side, I found the arrangement of pigments annoying, I think that portion could definately use some rework. Also, annoying - the incorrectly spelled words. Where were the editors? There are some of his deductions that I totally disagreed with, due to the fact that I have used a few watercolors in my monoprints. But I believe that each one of us has his/her own opinion and naturally there will be disagreements about whether this color is good or not. Also, it is possible that a "bad" tube of paint escape the company's quality control people.
Overall, I think this book is a must read, especially if you are new to the world of pigments. Thumbs Up!
Rating:
Summary: If you want to save money buying watercolors, buy this book.
Review: Many "artists" quality colors are very expensive, but you may think you need these and may shy away from the "second range" colors. You'll change your mind when you read this book. I've gotten excellent quality paints and saved money by purchasing specific colors from specific brands using Michael Wilcox's book. It's a Consumer Reports for paint buyers. As a scientist as well as an artist, I find this book fascinating. The book is arranged by colors. It clearly covers pigments used by all manufacturers and gives details on the pros and cons of each. Each paint produced by several companies is then covered. A history of pigments used for each color is also given. This book is not only an invaluable buyers and artist's resource, it is also interesting reading. I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: valuable resource
Review: This exhaustive (not to be confused with exhausting) research-based volume should be mandatory reading for all those artists interested in giving their customers their utmost quality of paint on works of art sold. So many paints are not light-fast, or are 'fugitive' (absolutely unreliable), or are packaged by the manufacturer as 'new' colors when they are, in fact, only creative blends of basic colors that any artist can create with colors they likely already have. This book, covering many of the watercolor paint producers in the Western world, exposes these flawed paints, but also gives credit where due to the top-notch pigments and their manufacturers. Details of content, health ratings, color-fastness and quality of brush use are easily understood. Fantastic color swatches (before and after exposure to light) are beside each manufacturer's sample. My only complaint is that this is the only edition available (pub. 1991), as the author said it would be updated periodically, which does not yet appear to have happened. There were only a couple of Quinacridone colors 12 years ago at the time of publication, whereas there are many more now.
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