I agree that it is important to know what chemicals are toxic. I wouldn't worry about watercolor fumes as you dry out rinse water, the danger to your lungs would be from spray applying those colors. Most heavy metals are coated to prevent illness from skin contact and ingesting. These minerals come from the environment to begin with. I'm careful but not obsessive.

Thank you so much for raising awareness of this issue. The 2 fine art supply stores I buy from here in the USA mark all pigments that have cautions involved with them. I think we need to start by not buying pigments that have hazard warnings. Many of the recycling organizations are more than willing to tell you the safe way to dispose of hazardous compounds. Believe me we all (!) can do better being responsible for our own health and the health of the environment. Thank you for bringing this up!

Wiping yourr brush on a sheet of kitchen paper before rinsing keeps the rinsing water much cleaner, so that must reduce toxicity going down the drain. At the end of the session, put it in non recycling, or use it next time until it is too dirty. This is another good reason to only buy from manufacturers who divulge pigment numbers and safety sheets

My appreciation of you continues to grow. This vid is just one more example of your educational skills as an artist who is so positive, encouraging and just plain fun, and never judging. I am going to go through all my paints, etc., and discard as I can, especially paints I thought I needed. Every little bit helps. In our community, the Des Moines, Iowa Metro, we have an annual Spring clean up where you can bring any toxic item/s for disposal. There are also sites around the metro to take toxic waste by appointment. I share this by way of encouraging others to check as you suggest with your local government. A thought: maybe you could help us to find ways to mix colors or find who makes some to replace the more harmful paints. Or perhaps others could offer their ideas. Again thanks and Blessings my friend…

Thanks for helping us to be more aware of potential environmental issues. I want to be responsible without being obsessed

We live in the country and have a septic tank system, so this has been on my radar for a while. Daniel Smith specifically warns against disposing of paint water into a septic system. Also when I started sending painted postcards to my new granddaughter, I decided not to use any of the colors you mentioned. I’ve been using the settling method for my paint water disposal, but even waiting weeks there is plenty of paint left in the settled water. I have started wiping my brush on paper toweling before dipping it into the water, but that also isn’t a full solution to the problem. Thank you for addressing this issue Toby. I hope folks come up with some real answers.

Thank you for raising awafeness about this topic Toby. My aunt was a kindergarten teacher and a few years ago she got an auto-immune lung disease. I'm absolutely convinced that all the paint and chemicals she was exposed to were a trigger. When you add the cleaning products with high VOC levels with little ventilation, that creates a heavily toxic environment

Dear Tony You are an excellent artist and teacher. I agree, that it is important to be aware of possible toxicity. As you say a few times, you are not an expert on this subject (neither am I). But remember, Paracelsus said: all things are poisonous, it just depends on the dosis. For example, zinc oxide (found in chinese white) is generally found in skin creams, baby powders and lip balsam. If you eat a few large tins of it, you might be harmed. In the same way, substances which are considered to be non-toxic can kill you. Drink 20 litres of water (as some have done as a prank) and you will probably die of it. I think it would be great, if you could get hold of a good toxicologist and invite him or her to appear in a video.

I guess this is a more common problem with acrylics. Watercolors are generally less toxic. But of course, it is always a good idea to pay attention to possible environmental hazards.

Thanks Toby! I will definitely use and select my art supplies with more care in the future. I was ignorant and blissfully unconcerned with toxicity issues. Now I’m not. We’ll done for raising this issue.

I have been house-cleaning toxic colours off my palette for a couple of years. Over the holidays, however, I got a set Rosa gallery paints with several of toxic colours included. It’s probably good to let loved ones and other artists know about these issues so that we can pass along the message. Thank you for this update. 🙏

I had assumed that pouring the dirty water down the sink would be ok because it would be going back to a water treatment/filtration plant before being put back into circulation. I’ve not investigated this, but would hope/expect that they would be testing for these impurities in the water along with toxic household cleaning products etc that end up down the drain. When I paint outside, I carry my water in a sealed jar so I take the dirty water back home with me and not just tip it out on the ground.

I've thought about this, too. I have a small bathroom attached to my studio and the sink there gets all of my dirty watercolor water, brush cleaning, inks - including India Inks being washed off brushes. I'm also a collage artist, so paste and heavy gel mediums like that also get rinsed down that sink. My initial concern was my own plumbing, but you have gotten me thinking more globally about this. Thank you.

OMG 😱 I wasn't aware of this either 😢, second donut here I guess ! 😆 Thank you so much Toby for this very much eye opening video, I will for sure be more cautious with this moving forward 🙏🌍❤️

I contacted the Recycling Council of BC (in Canada where I live) about the official recommendation for disposing of paint waste, such as brush water. For brush water, they suggested the best solution is to let the water evaporate from the waste bin containing the discarded brush water and then dispose of the remaining pigment in the regular trash. Modern landfills in Canada are designed with multiple layers of liner materials and leachate collection systems to prevent hazardous waste from contaminating groundwater. Alternatively, in municipalities with modernized water filtration treatment, one could pour the watercolor water down the drain, but this is not as ideal, especially for paints containing hazardous materials, which are better disposed of in landfills to avoid the risk of any water pollution.

Ive got a large tub of old soil outside in the porch, which i pour my dirty water into. Bearing in mind that i dont use very much paint or water this system should last me a long time. .

I understand the concern here and admit I hadn’t thought of this before now either. It’s important to keep dosage in perspective when talking about toxicity. Most casual artists would come in to contact or dispose of very very minor amounts and therefore would be at a very low or negligible risk of toxic side effects. However, cumulative effects on the environment from things such as the rinse water disposals are worth taking care over, as we load our environment with so many sources of toxicity, it adds up heavily. I’m thinking now of how to dispose of the water when out and about urban sketching. Apologies to the little plants or grass that I have previously tipped my dirty paint water onto! Maybe a jar with a lid will be in my kit now, so I can responsibly dispose of it when I’m back home.

Thankyou for addressing this issue. Its good to know I can do something to reduce my footprint and its danger to flora and fauna.

Personally, I never touch my paints, even student grade ones. I see many artists on YT wipe their paintings with their fingers, or even mix paint on their palms, which I don’t think is a good idea. Because of this video, I’m less likely to throw dirty paint water down the drain. Instead, I’ll wipe the residues at the bottom of my rinse cup with a paper towel and dispose in the trash. I can’t save the world, but hopefully I can at least avoid getting cancer and/or contributing to polluting the earth. Thanks, Toby!!

And the moral of the story is... don't eat your paints. Michaelangelo lived to 88, Picasso lived to 91, Salvador Dali lived to 84, and the paints they used were considerably more toxic than anything we are likely to use, and they used them more often, and in far greater quantities. They also, for the most part, made their own paints, grinding toxic substances to an incredibly fine dust-like powder, before mixing with their chosen medium. Ultimately, if we obsess over every potentially toxic substance, even in the minutest quantities, in everything we come in contact with, every minute of every day, we may have many, many years in our life, but we will have very little life in our years. Do you know how many naturally occurring toxic and carcinogenic substances are in the vegetables we eat every day, substances the plants themselves make? Check it out sometime, it's horrifying. You may never want to eat another veggie again. Lol

Important to stay aware of our materials...and so easy to forget. Thank you for the proper reminder!

They are toxic, but only if you invest them in large quantities

Thank you for bringing up this topic. Being aware is very important, than you might not buy toxic colors in the future. There are colors with the name "enviromental friendly" and really toxic ones are luckily forbidden and exchanged with synthetic ones. They are called "hue". So if you buy these chances are, you are on the safer side. In my opinion there is no point in throwing away cadmium or chromium colors, I already own, because they already exist. I will rather use them, but don't buy them anymore. And I will avoid contaminating water as much as possible and use rags instead to soak them up and throw them in the waste to be burned. With the used water I do the pouring method, let it sit for a long time (I have a big bottle and collect all these residues) and try to decant as little "dirt" as possible. The heavy metals tend to settle to the ground as they are "heavy", which is why they granulate and separate while painting. Addition: if you use rags instead of paper towels, don't wash them out, when they are really dirty. You will end up with contaminated water. Throw them away and use a fresh piece.

Thanks Toby for raising awareness. Then there’s the murky world of how these minerals are mined in the first place……..

A very interesting video. I am also a photographer and I used to have a darkroom in my basement. Traditional film photography is a very toxic and environmentally problematic art and I was always concerned about the toxicity. Digital photography pretty much ended the necessity for a darkroom and all of those nasty chemicals. It would be great if you could invite a chemistry expert to discuss the level of toxic chemicals in our paints. Is the level minuscule or something to be worried about? Paints have a long history of toxicity and unless we all want to switch to digital and use a tablet the level of toxicity that is "acceptable" will remain a personal choice and expert advice would help with that decision.

Thank you for covering this topic of toxicity. It is a topic that I try to ignore, but it’s only a matter of time before I have to face the facts. Why is it that the beautiful paints are the toxic ones 😭.

Toby thank you so much for this video. I am going through the process now of getting rid of my toxic paints (I too love cobalt - also quin gold which has nickel in it). I have had people tell me it isn't an issue but I'd rather be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. It isn't just about use. It is about the environment in general and the other creatures we share this planet with. If we say "oh it is just a little bit so I don't need to worry about it" and the next person says the same thing and the next person says "Oh they are little batteries so I can just throw them in the trash" and so on and so on - that's the attitude that got us into the environmental situation we are in now. BTW you can take ultramarine blue and a tiny bit of Pthtalo blue and get a perfect match for cobalt blue (although it isn't a single pigment) and take Pthtalo blue and viridian and get cobalt teal.

Guess I'll have to stop licking my palette then. 😇

This is really useful and something, I have to admit, I've been ignorant to. I've seen, for example, cadmium free paints on watercolour colour charts, but not really gone into the details. I've just looked on an ink close at hand out of interest (eg Winsor Newton) and it has the ACMI-AP label on the bottle and packaging. It's not only the potential harm to us (albeit minuscule), but also what goes into the wastewater as you explain.

Hi Toby, thank you for taking the time to share this. I would be really curious to know what it was specifically that raised your concern after being and artist for so long? I love your channel and style of teaching and felt that this video didn't seem as much 'you' as you usually are. I would love to know what it was that prompted you to post this rather than your wonderful art? You always come across as so positive, uplifting and inspiring. I see that you are caring too and consider the bigger picture which is a lovely quality. However, for me personally, on the grand scale of environmental pollutions, I feel that there are way bigger 'fish to fry' than watercolour artists, particularly since most of us are extremely frugal and sparing with paint in the first place! :) I would re-consider 'evaporating' my very, very, very dilute paint water, when all fast food 'drive-in's' close en-masse for starters. With regards to disposing of the paints themselves, I can't imagine many of us waste drop! In the meantime, being aware of the issues relating to cadmium and cobalt, I do sincerely believe that opening a window and regular airing of the art room at home is sensible, as is with any non organic matter. For any miniscule residue left in discarded paint water, I believe our local water treatment facilities could cope with this if, as they claim, they can cope with such matter as household cleaning products. I hope these comments come across as well intended as hoped. Thanks again for all of your other inspiring videos, I'm sorry I just struggled with this a little.....

Thank you so much for this video. I appreciate the in-depth exploration of this often-overlooked topic. It's important for artists to be aware of the potential hazards and the environmental impacts of their art supplies to make informed decisions. Great job! 👍

Very important issue.T Y Toby for addressing it clearly and honestly. I am recovering at home for a bit so this is the perfect time to increase my knowledge and make some changes. We live in Ireland so cobalt skies are infrequent. Could also try shifting sky horizons and maybe not use as much cobalt. Would like to hear/find as many options as possible. Frances

Thank you for this video. I have extreme chemical sensitivity and must stay away from toxic chemicals. I’m talking colbalt off my pallet.

It seems that winsor and newton watercolors are non toxic. I just checked my Cotman tubes and rhe cobalt blue had the AP seal😅. Their webpage also says their color are cadmium-free. I also checked on the internet and this is the information that pops up about their toxicity: May be slightly irritating to eyes. Acute and chronic health hazards No specific health hazards known. Ecotoxicity Not regarded as dangerous for the environment. However, large or frequent spills may have hazardous effects on the environment.

Very good to know. My Meeden, Arteza, Kuretake and Derwent are non-toxic. I also have Winsor Newton - they are ok. Checking is a great idea!

I’ve thought about the environmental impact of my paints a lot and watercolour in far less impactful than oil or acrylic. Paper making has huge environmental impact via energy and water use. Growing cotton uses massive amounts of water. Sable and squirrel brushes have cruelty issues. Synthetic brushes introduce plastics…. My conclusion is that driving to the art shop has more impact than the paint. I am NOT saying ignore it, but look at where the greater improvement can be made. Moving on to chemicals, remember the formulation is crucial. Both sodium and chlorine are highly dangerous elements, but we die without sodium chloride. Yes, it is important and yes It is complicated. Consider your cobalt carefully, but better to get rid of your tumble dryer or car…. (And never lick your brush)

Nooooo!!!! Cobalt and all its variations are such lovely colours! Of course, I'm not surprised is toxic because it's so vibrant. Thank you Toby for being honest and sharing your findings. In Australia, I can just leave my water on the desk and it will evaporate naturally. I like the idea of a sand bucket. I would ask that you keep Betty away from it though. You just never know. Coffee filter is a great idea for when you need to change the water, and I will try this one, and let you know how it goes. Forgive yourself though. We only use such a tiny amount of pigment compared to oil and acrylic media. Cheers!

Great video. One point is that for example Cadmium Red Hue color from DS doesn't contain cadmium. It derives the same hue/color by other means. Also it would be interesting to get an idea of what is the actual amount of any given substance that is concerning in a tube of paint. For me a 15ml tube of paint lasts me quite a while. Thanks for the sand bucket info. I'm going to try that. I also live in the country where we are on a septic system not city waste water. So the actual physical fine silt is an issue. Wonder if anyone makes a Cobalt Hue paint?

The biggest problem with these toxic pigments is the threat to the health of the people who mine them, many who are children, the people, animals, water, and plant life living near the mines and the environmental damage the mining does. I never hear this discussed in videos about the toxicity of some paints. We can be as cautious as possible, but the worst damage has been done long before we use any paint. The only thing to do is not buy them. And it's the easiest thing to do.

I have purposely not used acrylic and oil paints for fear I of toxicity but I do worry about disposing of my watercolors! Thanks for raising the issue

I imagine I'm the only donut in the factory who didn't know this! But I'm also sure that watercolours are safer than a lot of other paints. I'm going to make some sensible changes to my practices and my palette to minimise the risks - but what do you make of all of this?

All that stuff you mention all come from environment so what's problem 2tips don't eat your paint and don't drink the water you clean brushes in

Thanks for this, Toby. I had not thought about this issue either. I like the outdoors (somewhere) sand bucket idea. Filtration would leave behind anything that's water soluble. I'll take a hard look at my pigments for sure.

One thing I would add is that if anyone chooses to let the pigment settle out or evaporate from a container outside, you must locate and cover it so that birds and other wildlife cannot access it! It is critical when plein air painting to have one or more sealed water containers to take the water home to deal with. I paint regularly in national parks near me and have been very aware of these heavy metals for some time (a few are still being used up that I acquired in my early paint days). Toby, I don't think you should feel bad about this. What's more important is that you are sharing what you've learned and are opening a conversation. Now, the ones who should feel they are contributing are all the publishers (& well known artists!) who continue to use/recommend heavy metal paints...I have so many watercolour how to books originating in the UK that almost universally call for cadmiums, it's crazy. The publisher (in conjunction with the artist) could certainly be inserting a sheet of info and potential substitutes within the book! New artists often follow supply recommendations to the letter and just don't know any better.

Though it's very good to be conscious about the risks of toxic pigments, I think you may be a bit too worried. First of we are dealing with pigments suspened in water and a binder. That means no toxic fumes; the toxic part of the paint doesn't evaporate. Also, unless you are doing crazy things or work with pure pigment, no dust. Don't drink the paint water😂 And the amounts of pigment you are getting rid of afterca session are pretty small. The method you describe is very good (pouring the water of the sediment, and disposing separately) as I live out in the country with a septic tank I will be sure to adopt that when I have used my cadmium red and yellow.

Never even crossed my mind !! Something to definitely think about and act..... thank you !!!!!!!

Come on, Toby, this is a bit of scaremongering, surely? The amount of minerals used in painting is miniscule and I would doubt, very little to worry about. If you want to be worried about what goes down the drain look at acrylics an dyes used in house paint when people wash off rollers and brushes. Those acrylics are microplastics that get into pond and river life and thence to fishes. But even far worse is the amount of microplastics that come from washing synthetic materials, fleeces, polyester shirts, acrylic jumpers etc. It amounts to 34% (source ROCK) of the total microplastics in rivers. Another 32% comes from car tyres on road surfaces and 7% from thermoplastic road markings. So wear wool and cotton and dump the car - walk! (As if!) I haven't used much cadmium in the past and cobalt blue isn't one of my favourite colours either, but what of ultramarine (lapis lazuli), manganese, or sienna? What about the dyes used, dioxazine for example? I just don't see artists as a threat to world health.

I love Cobalts, but I won’t deny that there is a bit of guilt attached to that. I don’t really use Cadmium that much. The other paint I really love is Nickel Azo Yellow, which contains Nickel. Phthalocyanine Blue is also problematic because it contains copper (phthalocyanine turquoise does not contain copper). Ultramarine in itself is not toxic or harmful to the environment (as far as I know) but I read on Wikipedia that the production method does harm the environment. Sigh 😔. A bit of a moral dilemma we have here.

Good point! I recently bought Schmincke Horadam colours and they have a pdf file (english and german) on their homepage in which all of them are listed with their chemical name. This makes it easy to research if they are toxic. They even usually point out which colours contain toxic components and offer alternatives.

I attended helped with small children over 40 years ago & the lady I assisted was a ceramics maker?, she mentioned at that time that what she used to glaze etc. with contained chemicals that could be toxic, she was also very aware of water, wastage, rarity, how precious it is to us humans. So although I‘ve tried to push it to the back of my mind I peculiarly talked to my husband recently about the toxicity of my watercolour paints not realising that oils & acrylic were more toxic. I was wondering on changing my water about the sediment left & will,definitely try the coffee filter method. I guess if we all become a little more aware this will help us & our planet. I use mainly Schmincke & will write to them & ask for information. Thanks for making us all more aware.

I collect my watercolour waste water in large plastic bottles and when they’re full bring them to the recycling centre where they collect and properly dispose of toxic waste, including other types of household paints and chemicals etc (I live in Sweden) Thank you for raising this issue and bringing more awareness to it 👍

Really interesting and thought provoking. Thanks for raising the issue.

I love Cobalt colors, and the Mijello Mission Gold 34 Pure Pigments gives you five cobalt blues and greens and one black -- it's a great value. I was glad to read on that email from Mijello that they use treated cobalt to make it safer? Would love more info on that.

I have tried to work my way out of toxic colors, but it is a wrench. After years of using cadmium reds and yellows, I’ve gotten them out of my palette. But cobalt is used all over the place so I haven’t quite managed that. I bought some Rosa watercolors without paying enough attention and they are delicious colors but full of toxins including cadmium. I’m puzzled by the zinc caution. Zinc and titanium are both used in skin care products. Also, zinc is included in some vitamin/mineral supplements. It must be something about the manufacturing process or the quantity. Another worry is the factory workers’ health. I try to stick with products labeled as manufactured in countries with rules. But that doesn’t help the miners or other workers in the pigment supply industry. It is all very complicated. I appreciate the sand bucket advice!

Does the pleasure have to be taken out of absolutely everything!🤦🏼‍♀️

Thanks for doing this video it certainly makes you think. I recently got a W&N Professional paint set from Cass Art with 18 pans and the red and yellow are cadmium free. For me they seem fine but ironically I have seen people complain about that whereas by the sounds of it that's an example of a manufacturer doing the right thing and personally, although some of my other paints will I think contain toxic chemicals, I am glad that at least a few that normally would now don't. I have emailed Derwent to ask about their Inktense paint pans and XL blocks as my son uses those and also the Graphitint paint pans as I have those as well. You worried me a bit when you mentioned acrylics being worse as I have just started using those quite heavily with a new gel printing plate.

Any thoughts on diy watercolour from natural materials, maybe plants or minerals that might be found in the garden? Is this possible and if so is it viable?

The way i see this , anyone with a conscious will be aware to do the right thing, weather that is to reduce the amount of paints used that are causing the problem, or by any of the recycling methods you spoke of. I will think about changing my ideas of which colours to use. As i see those methods of recycling is just moving the same problem to another place. Also there are many things that could be changed, ie food packaging, distribution of food & distances traveled, technology, so we won't let this spoil our enjoyment & sence of wellness. Thank you for sharing. Kind regards Karen.

If one is using the pure evaporation (non-sand) method, one may want to put a screen on the evaporation bucket, when placed outdoors, to prevent animals such as insects from getting into it.

I am very careful about the paints I use. I have cats and they are drawn to my water. I cover my rinse water by using canning jars with lids. I am not perfect or purrfect in this instance but try to stop the problem by choosing the nontoxic pigments with the information that I have available. Some of the American art stores like Cheap Joe's have a warning mark on specific paints in their sales listing.

I like the idea of wiping your brush on toweling first. What about using only water brushes instead of traditional brushes. Could always stop painting altogether with whatever medium and find the beauty in sketching and shading with graphite pencils and charcoal.

Yeah, pretty much everything these days seems to have an “it’s toxic” following. I don’t eat paint, animals aren’t stupid, and these minerals occur naturally in nature, so … but thanks for the info. I’m from the chase DDT spraying truck days. No cancer, no nut or bread allergies, no high blood pressure … we didn’t wear helmets riding bikes and what’s a seatbelt on a school bus. 😁 Not that use of toxins shouldn’t be an issue or taken seriously but ,imho, we’re becoming “ninnies” about everything.

Thank you for looking into this. The issue hadn't occurred to me.

Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. Yes, I stopped buying cadmium colors a couple of years ago.

thankyou for this valuable information...I had naively assumed safety in using watercolours and will change my approach...further information would also be of vaue as it is available from any and all sources, thankyou again

I love drawing but avoid painting because my body reacts to freshly painted room walls. I get severe headaches ànd vomiting. I always wondered how safe watercolor art paints are. So. I went on youtube and came across your very informative video, speaking the truth. I am so glad i watched this video before making the mistake of buying watercolors. Thank you..

I’m going to try the sand method in our outdoor shed. Maybe it will kill the back widows!

I dump all used paint water into empty juice, kitty litter, etc. bottles and send to the landfill with my trash. Switching colors is a good idea too. Experiment time!

I have been using Viviva paints for a while and they are entirely vegetable dyes so no heavy metals.

I wasn't aware of the ACMI and AP labeling maybe the manufactures should make a big thing of this? As Well as prominent artists like yourself making a stand on not using or only using paints and materials that are correctly labeled? Kindest regards mickT

How about a bucket of kitty litter... absorb clip then dispose...

Good information! Thank you! 😊

Thank you for raising awareness. 🙏💜

Thank you for helping us understand about the toxins, i will also move away from cobalt and set up a sand bucket.

Many public rubbish dumps in New Zealand have containers where you can dispose of unused house paint. They may also take old watercolour tubes or maybe even the sand from the sand trap. It might be worth asking your local refuse disposal centre. Glenda (haven't worked out how to give me a name on youtube yet!)

Cobalt mining is also a human rights issue because child labor is used in places where there is little to no oversight. I'll use up what I have but I won't be buying more. It's in our cell phone batteries and lots of other products too, but I feel I can at least use alternatives in my art supplies.

The neon sign on your wall is more toxic than your entire watercolor palette.

Thank you for this information!!!

I'm aware of the toxicity of the heavy metals in certain paints. My question is, I keep all my pans and tubes in my bedroom. Will that have harmful effect on my body in the long run since I spend so many time with them in the same room? There are many paints that contain cobalt, nickel, chromium among them. I'm concerned if they would diffuse into the air over time. Or is it just overthinking? I can't find any answer to this on google.

What about using watercolors made with food dyes (non-toxic watercolors for children)? I think that they are not lightfast, but I haven't tested it.

Using cat sand is a good way to solidify your paint water so that it can be disposed off through the garbage and doesn't end up in waterways.🐱

There's a lot of misinformation here. It's important to understand a few things; first, the dosage is important. We ingest things like cobalts and cadmiums in very small amounts all the time without ill effect. Secondly, if you aren't drinking your paint water or using your paints in an airbrush, you're fine. You aren't going to be absorbing these through your skin. And thirdly; compounds are a thing. There is some real concern about the cadmium compounds used in artists' paints ending up in the environment, but based on my reading, the cobalts, nickels and I think the chromiums aren't water-soluble and are thus not really a concern.

Wow. Not your fault for getting it wrong. You did not know about it like the rest of us. The product manufacturers should be help accountable for not labeling their product properly. watercolour paints are used in daycare and schools. For now I am going to bring out my Good British quality watercolour pencils. Please do not feel responsible for Ny of this as adults we should be looking into what we buy. We can’t be to obsessive like the previous lady mentioned just be more knowledgeable about what paints we buy. T

I don’t eat my paint🤔 most things can have a negative impact on both humans and animals! However, standing on the street with your child exposes you to ridiculous levels of carbon monoxide, particularly since the level of land clearing has removed trees that help to filter our oxygen😞 just don’t eat your paint or drink your paint water🤷🏻‍♀️

One perfect solution is "Go Digital"😛

Checkout “The Artist’s Complete Health and Safety Guide” by Monona Rossol.

Hi toby i follow a watercolour artist called jenny rainey who has changed all her pallet to non toxic paint give her a try.

I think if you just eliminate using the "toxic" materials there will b no problems ...simple !

That you think about this problem showes me once again why i like your channel. Many people, especialy youtubers and influencers dont cate much about that topic. For me as an environmentalist (i am not shure if that is the right word in english 😅🫣) it is realy important. (Thats why i also buy synthetic brushes only, because of the animal cruelty) I always check the colours before buying them and sometimes that is realy annoying because i have the feeling some brands try to hide this informations as good as they can. Schmincke for example has a warning noti e only on the big tubes but not on the pans. They say it is because of the small size but i dont see a problem to bring the warning notice on them in a smaller size. 🤷🏻 Also they dont show the warning notice on the homepage if you select a particular colour....and there would be enough space for it, ay? 🙄 So why i do all this? Because i want to have fun while painting, i want to do something good. Making people and myself happy. I dont want to feel guilty of destroying the environment ore of supporting animal cruelty. That would take all the fun and good things away from the art i love so much. 🙃 I would just wish that the companys would make it easier to check the colours and that they try to find other options for the bad ingredientses so that it is not that sort of a pain in the arse if you want to buy a new colour you need in your palett. 😅😅 Greetings from Germany ✌🏻