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My Daniel Smith Review
Daniel Smith was working as a commercial printer in Seattle, Washington in 1976 and found the available commercial printing inks insufficient. Seeking to remedy the situation, he scraped together the money to buy an old mill and began producing a more specialized ink. Since that time, Daniel has grown both his business and his partnerships with artists. Today, Daniel Smith Artists’ Materials designs and manufactures thousands of high quality art products.
In addition to carrying the Daniel Smith brand, danielsmith.com also carries other well-regarded brands of art supplies. I explored the website and was impressed by the large selection of products in a number of different categories:
- Watercolor paints and tools
- Acrylic paints and tools
- Oil paints and tools
- Pastels
- Papers
- Printmaking supplies
- Drawing supplies
- Framing supplies
- Studio furniture and fixtures
Is Daniel Smith Worth It? – Key Features and Benefits
Here are a few things that differentiate Daniel Smith from other art supply stores:-
The site has a "tips and tutorials" section that shows you how to use watercolor, acrylic, and oil paint. This is particularly useful for those that are just starting out with drawing or those that are not familiar with certain art materials. In the following tutorial, Debra Daniel Smith talks about the Quinacridone family of colors.
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Danielsmith.com offers a large array of high quality paints, including some unique colors that the artist may not be able to find elsewhere. When I browsed the site, they were even offering holiday-scented watercolors. An artist can find every color he or she needs without having to search a number of different websites.
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A click on the type of medium you wish to use provides you with a sidebar of all the available products for that medium. This makes it easier to find the exact paint or tool you need.
- The website offers some specialty items that many other art supplies websites don’t carry, such as supplies and tools for book binding, encaustics and metal leafing.
As a hobbyist rather than a professional artist, I really like the tips and tutorials offered on the website. There are step-by-step guides provided for how to do things like create shiny metal using a colored pencil and “capture the magic of that fleeting hour” using pastels.
Daniel Smith Cons – Disadvantages
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You have to pay more for the quality of the products offered on danielsmith.com. Starving artists may not be able to afford to do so.
- I would like to see a live chat feature on the site. Currently there is none. While the professional artist might not need much shopping guidance, a dabbler like myself often does.
What Stores Might Be Better Than Daniel Smith?
Key competitors of Daniel Smith are:
- Dick Blick Art Supplies (read review and get Dick Blick coupon code)
- Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff
- Jerry’s Artarama
- Utrecht
- Michaels Stores
- Artsuppliesonline.com
How Does Daniel Smith Compare To Similar Merchants?
I looked at a couple of other websites that are in direct competition with danielsmith.com. The first was Dick Blick Art Supplies.
Daniel Smith vs Dick Blick
I found DickBlick.com much more difficult to navigate. There is no toolbar that allows you to select a medium at the outset as there is on the Daniel Smith website. You must first click on “Department,” then on “Painting and Painting Accessories,” and then on your medium. It also doesn’t seem to have the variety of paints and supplies for the brush and canvas artist that Daniel Smith offers. That being said, dickblick.com carries supplies for more types of art, such as jewelry making and other crafts.
The brush and canvas supplies are much less expensive on the Dick Blick website. For example, a DaVinci Harbin Kolinsky Round Brush, size 12, is $86.26 on Dick Blick, and it is $133.56 on Daniel Smith.com.
Daniel Smith vs Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff
The second art materials sites I researched was Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff. Like Daniel Smith, Cheap Joe’s website is more devoted to the brush and canvas artist, and like Daniel Smith, customers can first select the medium and then view the paints and tools available. The variety is not as extensive as that on the Daniel Smith website, however.
One great feature of Cheap Joe’s website that I would like to see Daniel Smith adopt is the in-depth explanations it provides on the different attributes of a category of products, such as oil painting brushes. I find these explanations very educational and of great help when I’m trying to make a purchasing decision.
What Is the Cost?
The cost of the products varies greatly by brand, category, and size (when applicable). Watercolor paint tubes range in price from $2.86 to $30.36 and acrylic paint tubes from $3.40 to $43.51. Daniel Smith brand original oil colors are priced from $6.15 for a 37 ml tube to $81.95 for a quart. Sample prices of other products offered on the website are provided below:
- Daniel Smith Complete Watercolor Painting Kit = $69.95 (discounted from the regular price of $170.18)
- Yasutomo Pearlescent Watercolor Set (16 colors) = $3.49
- Daniel Smith Limited Edition Renoir Inspired Set, 60 ml tubes = $45.95
- Printmaking Paper Sampler (32 assorted sheets) = $79.95
- Craftech Sienna Studio Palette = $149.60
- Faber-Castell PITT Pastel Pencil 24-Color Set = $45.00
Danielsmith.com offers free shipping on orders of $200 or more; otherwise standard shipping rates apply. Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover cards are accepted. There is a 90-day return policy. Customers must first call ahead for a return authorization number. No returns are accepted on custom-cut frames, special cuts on zinc or copper plates, paper, combustibles, special orders, or manufacturer drop ship items.
What Are Others Saying? Testimonials – Feedback – Comments
Customers of Daniel Smith rave about the large variety of high quality products that the firm carries. Several mentioned the specialty colors that no other art supplier seems to offer. A few reviewers did note that you can find some of the products offered on danielsmith.com much cheaper on other websites. The greatest number of complaints regarded customer service, however, which was described in terms such as “disengaged,” “discourteous,” “rude,” “horrible,” and “unwilling to help.”
Any Promotional Coupons for Daniel Smith? How to Buy at a Discount
As affiliates of Daniel Smith, we regularly check for coupon codes and promotional deals that work so that you will get the best prices. If there are any Daniel Smith coupon codes or discounts available today you will find them at the top of this page.
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