Introducing Beam Paints!
My Dear Creatives,
I was doom scrolling one Sunday morning and happened upon the Beam Paints website, which led me down a rabbit hole of awesomeness. I know that I often tell you to use what you have, (just incase my husband is reading this), but I am hooked by the Beam Paint Story.
Made in Ontario on Manitoulin Island, by M’Chigeeng First Nation, these paints are lightfast, environmentally responsible, and super pigmented. I purchased 6 paint stones, which are made from lightfast pigments, tree sap and Maple Syrup. They come in recyclable packaging, wrapped in fabric soaked in bees wax to keep them moist and safe. I will show you an unboxing later, but I couldn’t wait to show you how beautiful these are!
What I Purchased:
Paint Stones
- The CMYK palette, consisting of 4 paint stones: Topaz Lake, Cherry Magenta, Grasshopper and Mars Black.
- Prussian Blue
- Pine
Studio Supplies
- Tin For 6 paint stones
Packaging:
The CMYK palette comes individually wrapped in a cute little bundle. The fabric is coated in bees wax to prevent the stones from drying out. Each paint stone is also nested in it’s own little “pot” made from waxed fabric, emphasizing their hand-made look. I can’t see any evidence of non-recyclable material anywhere.
The individual paint stones are placed inside of the Tin For 6, which I think is a great way to reduce shipping size and keep the carbon foot-print low. Each stone is wrapped in a piece of paper that includes its name in English and, what I believe may be Ojibwe, but I need confirmation. I love that Beam included this authenticity to the marketing of their product.
First Impressions:
The beautiful little stones are slightly different shapes and are radiating that handmade vibe. You can see the care and attention that goes into manufacturing. The colours are so vibrant, it’s hard to take a photo that clearly shows you what they look like, but I made you a colour wheel below:
Seeing Is Believing
The Grasshopper is the yellow shade that actually appears much more florescent when you view it in person, and the red primary, you’re looking at cherry Magenta. It’s on the cooler side, but can be a suitable replacement for Quinacridone Magenta, which is my usual go-to primary.
On the outside ring is Topaz Lake for Primary Blue and on the smaller inside ring you can see the Prussian Blue.
Sap Green features so often in my work, I chose to order a separate Pine paint stone. You can see below where I mixed it with Prussian Blue, and Cherry Magenta to experiment. I feel like the Northern Lights fell out of the sky and onto my page!
Workability:
These paints blend easily. The Topaz Lake had some opacity to it, and almost mixes like Gouache. I am using Canton XL water paper here, which is cold press with a bit of a tooth, but the paint spreads smoothly and is easy to manipulate with more or less water. When it is fully dry, the matte finish is impressive and the hue barely changes in dry vs wet.
Final Thoughts:
There are no affiliate links, and I’m not receiving payment for any of this, meaning my words are my actual thoughts and feelings regarding this product.
I will be using these paints it for mixed media applications, after some experimentation. Beam Paints gives me every reason to want to use their product and to promote it to my readers. They do their due diligence and test their stones at Duke University for their AP certification, and toxicity. They are extremely knowledgeable about pigmentation, the industry, and their customer base. Equally important is their care for the environment and their community, which is visible on every page of their website and product. I will keep you updated and present more samples of Beam paints in my work, but so far, I am in love!
Have You Tried Beam Paints?
Leave us a comment below. We love hearing from you!
